If you want that “symphony orchestra in your hands” sensation that only a 12-string acoustic can provide, my mantra is “go big or go home.” That usually means a jumbo or dreadnought model.

Given to Cobain by singer/songwriter Mary Lou Lord, the D-18 now sits in the Martin Museum in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. A few months ago, Mikael Åkerfeldt and Fredrik Åkesson, guitarists for ...