❌SOLD❌ Taylor LKSM Leo Kotke 12 String Signature Model Natural, 1993

The Taylor LKSM – the Leo Kottke Signature Model – is now discontinued but is one of the best choices for fast, articulated 12-string guitar styles.

Leo Kottke has been closely associated with the 12-string guitar for most of his career, and often played models by Bozo Podunovak, Gibson and Martin. Known for his fast, loud and well articulated playing, Kottke used both thumb and finger picks until the 1980s when tendonitis forced him to stop playing for several years. When he was finally able to resume playing, it was without fingerpicks and with lighter gauge strings. At this point, he started playing Taylor models.
Based on a Jumbo body with an Venetian cutaway, the Taylor LKSM pairs a Sitka Spruce top with Tropical Mahogany for the sides, back, body blocks and neck. The fingerboard and bridge are Ebony, with Indian Rosewood for the head plate and body binding. Maple is used for the bridge plate. The tuners here are gold-plated Grover mini Rot0-Matics, though the specs call for Taylor branded tuners.

This guitar is braced for somewhat heavier strings that are tuned down – Kottke tuned down, with the E strings going down to C#. This provides a massive, throaty roar.

This Taylor LKSM dates to July 13 1993 at the Taylor shop in El Cajon, California and is in overall good condition. The natural finish is in good shape. Fret wear is light to moderate, and there’s plenty of fret left; a fret dress and recrown would restore the frets to pristine condition.

As stock, the Taylor LKSM was a fully acoustic model with no electronics; this example has had a passive diMarzio sound-hole pickup added, with the output at the end block.

The original Taylor hard shell case is included.

Here’s the builder on the Taylor LKSM Leo Kottke Signature Model:

“One of the most celebrated and popular 12-strings ever made, the Leo Kottke Signature Model incorporates tropical American mahogany back and sides, a Sitka spruce top, Indian rosewood binding, and special bracing with a Jumbo body shape. Rosewood binding and a thin band of green purfling add subtle accents, while the inlay-free fretboard is profound in its simplicity. The model uses heavy gauge strings and is tuned to C#, which yields Kottke’s rumbling, throaty piano guitar sound.”

Taylor LKSM Leo Kottke Signature 12 String Specifications: