Several years ago I was looking for a good electric 12 string since I missed my previously sold rickenbacker 360-12.  Fenders offering in the form of a strtocaster 12 re-issue filled this bill for me.

Offerings: affordability; at $699 vrs $1,800 for another Rick was a good deal. Playability: almost as good as my old Rick with several differences. 1) The strings are paired in reverse order of the Rick with heavy gauge first and octave string second with spacings between pairs slightly farther apart. 2) Compared to my Standard 6 string strat, the neck is slightly narrower but with better overall feel.  3) Finish is excellent. I have the sunburst finish and it is exceptionally well done.  4) sound: I like the Fender sound but something was missing in overall tone (remember I'm comparing to my old Rick now) and wanted more. I contacted Carvin Guitars about a custom wired pickguard using 3 twin blade humbuckers in place of the single coils and the difference is fantastic - well worth the change. 7 pickup selections and the tone is great.  5) Manufacturer: Fenders 12 string is made in Japan and I feel that the quality is much better than my strat from Mexico (also upgraded with Carvin pickups HSS).  6) Neck and Frets: Narrow neck so if you have large hands, playing chords will be difficult, if not, it is nice and smooth. frets are medium and not as quick as the Mosrite ultra low frets but not speed bumps either.  String to neck distance very good with intonation set at the factory. 7) Balance: Well balanced. The Fender strap hangs too low for my preference and should have more room to sinch up but is otherwise comfortable.  8) Case: I bought a Hardshell vintage tweed case from Musicians Friend for $40.00 and a Fender Logo on e-bay for $20.00 and saved over $100.00 and you cannot tell the differeence.  9) Tuners: Stock Fender better than average. 10) Rating: 8 of ten.  11) Improvements (Listen up Fender) reverse the order of the paired strings. Rickenbacker is onto something here. The sound is better - more "jangly". and easier to play. Tighten up the distance between paired strings. It is a little too easy to buzz adjacent strings when trying to hit a single note near the nut and adopt the zero fret option for better play. Color options: Limited to 3, Vintage sunburst, metallic burgundy and metallic blue. Should offer more colors on custom order basis. Its a bolt on neck and hardware folks - this should not prevent more variety. Compared to other 12 strings - for the money, you cannot beat it. Dean makes a Boca 12 but you get what you pay for. The balance is off and the quality of assembly isn't there. Fender has a hit here with the reissue.P.S. Mosrite used to make a 12 string with tremolo - top that Fender!