Epiphone DR-212 12-String Acoustic Guit ar

I was looking for an affordable 12 string acoustic and after some research decided to buy the Epiphone DR-212. As it was my first 12 string I didnt know exactly what to expect but I can say I couldnt be happier with this instrument. For a very reasonable price you get that rich sound you want from a 12 string. Its a resistant and well built guitar that stays in tune beautifully. Its not exactly like the picture: there is no dot in the 3rd fret and the pickguard isnt black, but a beautiful brown/dark red.

At the price point, the quality of the instrument is a testament to Epiphone, although that's not to say it's without issues (all easy enough to solve).
It has a good amount of volume and a balanced sound, bringing out all the wonderful nuances of 12 string sparkle.
However I would invest some money and time into replacing the machine heads with some slightly higher-quality models, as they were tarnished out of the box. I'd also install a bone nut, bone bridge saddle, and bone bridge pins to get a bit more out of the sound.
The neck is big, both in width and thickness, so there's a lot to hold on to. I'd go so far as to say I'd happily pay another 50€ or so, in retrospect, for this instrument if it had a slimmer neck with reinforcement, and some more support on the soundboard to counteract the tension. I've tuned mine to D standard in order to keep tension lower, and might test my luthier skills in future by reinforcing the neck and subsequently shaving it down.

As I said - all issues can be resolved if you've got the right attitude. And this is a good introduction to the world of 12 string playing.

I ordered this instrument as I was curious as to how I'd get along with 12 strings, and to see if it would be worth future investment. I've ordered and played an Epiphone EJ-200 before and was surprised by the brilliant quality I was getting for such a low cost, so on this occasion I followed Epiphone again for my foray into 12 string playing.

The instrument is well crafted for the price point with only a few small QC issues slipping through, but nothing I can't live with. I was hoping for a larger sound as the small dreadnought body doesn't quite articulate as well as a bigger instrument would. It's got that jangle sound you want, although it feels like it's a little suppressed with the mahogany build and body shape & size.

That being said, the instrument handles very well, and for me it was an easy adaption to play with the much thicker and wider neck. It holds tuning well and was set up pretty nicely - I didn't have to make any adjustments out of the box.

For a first 12 string I'd recommend this above most others at the price point.