Just Bought A 12 String

[ProfessorGAC]

First, the backstory.
I have a Martin D-12X. Bought it 15-18 years ago. It was the cheapest American made Martin 12 they made, but it sounded & played great.
Over the years, the action got away from me. As I detune a whole step, I thought that was weird. So, I slacked the strings, got out the Allen wrench & to my surprise, the lug just spun freely.
I took it to a tech, and using a stethoscope & a little mallet determined the rod is broken at around the 14th fret. Guitar has never been adjusted & I'm the original owner. Had to be shipped from the factory with a defective rod. Fretboard off, new rod, new frets; minimum cost $450. Guitar is worth 5 or 6 hundred
The store (independent) the guy works out of just took five guitars on consignment. Retired cop (who I happened to know 45 or 50 years ago) in his 70s that has 35 guitars is downsizing. (Smaller house, less furniture, less stuff.
He brought in a Taylor, a Martin, an Epiphone archtop electric, a Flying V, and the one I bought.
The new one is a Carvin Cobalt 980. If I'm interpreting the serial number right it was built on 2004. This was well before Kiesel bought the name & started using it on budget models.
Jumbo body, built-in electronics, and beautiful inlay around the rosette & binding. (A little blingier than I usually like, but pretty.
The guy must have barely played it. There isn't a mark on it & even the pick guard shows only minimal wear.
Action is 2mm at the 12th fret! On a 12 string. No buzzes anywhere.
Next is shaped great, making it easy to play. Sliding into a chord (like playing an ASus9 in the standard position and sliding to a DMaj7 at the 4/5 frets) sounds great. The slide across the strings is smooth & clear.
I paid $625 out the door. In looking at Sweetwater, a formed 5 latch case is $200-250!
Plays fantastically, sounds huge, very bright & shimmery. Played chords up the neck (DMaj9 to G6, letting the 1st & 4th strings open. The chords were completely in intonation. Made me very happy.
I'm just going to slack the Martin to open C & use it for slide.
Here's a pic of the same guitar on another website.
https://www.truetonemusic.com/products/used-carvin-cobalt-980-acoustic-guitar-natural-with-ohsc