Description
Review of the Vangoa 12 String Acoustic Guitar, Full Size Guitar with Spruce Top and Sapele Body for Beginners, Teens and Adults, Natural Gloss
The Vangoa VGE12-2 is a full-size 12 string acoustic with a spruce top, sapele back and sides, and a cutaway body. It uses a purple-heart bridge, a bone nut and saddle, a walnut fingerboard and sealed 18:1 tuners, over a 25.5 inch scale. Twelve string guitars produce a distinctive shimmering chorus effect, and this is aimed at players wanting that sound without a specialist price.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- A bone nut and saddle is unusual at this level. Most budget acoustics use plastic, which deadens string transfer. Bone is harder and denser, so more string energy reaches the top, and it also wears better in the nut slots over years of string changes.
- 18:1 sealed tuners matter more on a 12 string than anywhere else. Twelve strings mean twelve tuning operations, and a higher gear ratio means each turn of the button moves the pitch less, making fine adjustment far easier.
- Scalloped X-bracing is the right construction for the string load. A 12 string pulls roughly twice the tension of a 6 string, so the bracing has to hold the top flat while still letting it vibrate. Scalloping removes wood where it is not structurally needed.
- The 1.89 inch nut width is a sensible compromise. Wide enough to separate the twelve strings into playable courses, narrow enough that a player used to a 6 string neck is not completely lost.
Cons
- The listing gives two different body sizes. The product name says 42 inch full size, while the description calls it a 41 inch dreadnought in the same listing. Those are different instruments, and neither figure can be relied on.
- The top is described inconsistently. The description calls it AAA spruce, implying a graded solid top, while the spec table records spruce plywood and gives the body material as laminated. A laminate top will not open up with age the way a solid top does, and AAA grading is meaningless on plywood.
- The spec table lists a piezo pickup. Nothing in the product name or the description mentions electronics, an output jack or a preamp, and this is categorised as a purely acoustic guitar. Either the pickup field is wrong or the listing omits a significant feature.
- Twelve strings are considerably harder to play. Doubled courses mean more finger pressure for every chord, and beginners frequently underestimate this.
- Nothing is included. No gig bag, case, tuner, strap, capo or spare strings are described, and 12 string sets are more expensive than 6 string sets.
Detailed Product Description
The body is a cutaway dreadnought shape with a spruce top over sapele back and sides, finished in a natural gloss polyurethane the listing describes as thin. Sapele is an African hardwood used widely as a mahogany substitute, giving a focused midrange with warmth rather than sparkle. Spruce on top is stiff for its weight and the conventional choice for steel-string tops. The cutaway allows access above the twelfth fret, which a full dreadnought shoulder would block.
The neck is okoume with a black walnut fingerboard, carved to what the listing calls a C flat profile with a 1.89 inch nut width, over a 25.5 inch scale. Okoume is another light mahogany-family wood. Walnut as a fingerboard is denser than the description’s “resilient” suggests and behaves similarly to rosewood, needing occasional conditioning since it is open-pored.
The bridge is purple-heart, a dense and very hard timber that transfers string energy efficiently, paired with the bone saddle. Strings are phosphor bronze in a light gauge. Light gauge is the correct choice on a 12 string, because the doubled courses already place roughly twice the normal tension on the top, and heavier strings on a laminate-topped instrument risk pulling the bridge or bellying the top over time.
What Comes with the Product
The listing describes the guitar alone. No gig bag, case, clip-on tuner, strap, capo, picks or spare string set are included.
That gap is felt more sharply on a 12 string than on a 6 string. Tuning twelve strings by ear is impractical for most players, so a clip-on tuner is effectively mandatory rather than optional. A case also matters more, because the extra string tension makes the instrument less tolerant of humidity swings. The guide to beginner guitar accessories covers the priorities.
Who It Suits
This suits a player who already has some experience on a 6 string and specifically wants the ringing, chorused sound a 12 string produces for strummed rhythm parts and open chord work. It also suits a recording hobbyist who wants that texture available without a large outlay.
It does not suit an outright beginner, because the doubled courses require noticeably more finger strength and make clean chords harder. Anyone unsure should read the guide to who should buy a 12 string guitar before committing. Comparable instruments include the Janerock 12 string acoustic, and the same maker’s acoustic-electric versions, the Vangoa VA21CE and Vangoa VA20CE.
How to Maintain
Slacken the strings before storing a 12 string for any extended period. The tension on the top is roughly double that of a 6 string, and leaving it fully tuned for months is how bridges lift and tops belly. This matters more here than on any other acoustic type.
Keep the guitar away from radiators and out of direct sun, and consider a case humidifier if the home runs dry in winter. Wipe the strings after each session, since phosphor bronze dulls quickly from skin oils and a 12 string set is expensive to replace. Condition the walnut fingerboard roughly twice a year.
Tips and Recommendations
Buy a clip-on tuner and a string winder before the guitar arrives. Changing twelve strings by hand is slow enough to become a genuine deterrent, and a winder turns a forty minute job into a fifteen minute one.
Stay with light gauge strings. Heavier sets add tension the top does not need and risk long-term damage, particularly on a laminated construction. The solid top versus laminate guide explains why the top construction matters for long-term tone. More instruments sit under acoustic guitars.
Product FAQ
Is the top solid or laminated?
The listing says both. The description calls it AAA spruce while the spec table records spruce plywood and a laminated body, so treat it as unconfirmed.
Does it have a pickup?
Unclear. The spec table lists a piezo pickup, but the product name and description make no mention of electronics or an output jack.
Is it 41 or 42 inches?
The listing gives both figures. The product name says 42 inch and the description says 41 inch dreadnought.
Are 12 string guitars harder to play?
Yes. Doubled courses need more finger pressure for every chord and roughly double the string tension, which is why most players start on a 6 string.
