I have to say that I was myself selling and saving for a 522e and I found a near mint 322e 12 fret at my local GC that they had just traded in. The discount was hefty compared to a new 522e and with their 45 days return policy pretty much risk free. I own one of the new 524e which is the most pretty guitar I ever owned but volume wise it needs some love and a lot of playing to break it up. ( Patience and love will provide the most beautiful sound one day). Anyway, while the vintage look of the 322e is appealing its sound, volume, projection and precision are absolutely stunning. The comfort of this guitar is great and it even made my 67 year old Dad, exclusively nylon guitar player at heart picking it and strumming it. I always think "if there is a fire, which of your 16 misses do you pick?" well I do have a sweet hummingbird and a 414ce-LTD close to my heart but Amber would most probably make the cut. Thats a lot to say. There is a lot of hype around 12frets...I get it now 
If you havent tried it, dont. You'll be hooked.
Is yours the Mahogany/Blackwood combo also? I think that is one part that really makes it special. It has a certain sound that no all-mahogany guitar I've ever played has had (which includes several Martin's including my decade+ w/ a 000-15, but various other guitars I've not owned but played such as vintage Martin 17's and some vintage Guilds also).
The thing that makes Taylor 12-frets very special is that they use the 14-fret body, but join it at the 12th fret pushing the bridge further back. This is the way Martin did the Norman Blake models as he is an advocate for that bridge placement. Also while the dimensions are similar the Taylor 12-fret CG's are also a bit thicker than a Martin 000 which makes a big difference. He talks about both of these a little in this article:
http://www.vintageguitar.com/2902/norman-blake/ specifically here:
Are there any instruments you still lust after?
Oh, I’m always looking for something, I guess. I’ve had so many guitars, you know, I should’ve kept a lot of them that I’ve traffic’ed and traded over the years, but nobody knew what some of this stuff was gonna be worth.
I currently don’t own a large guitar. I wouldn’t mind having a good Gibson J-35 or an old SJ. Something like that would be nice to have around, but I’m not too interested in Martin D28s and D18s. Anything with long scale doesn’t interest me too much.
Is that due to their sound, or playability?
I think you can get too much area and not enough depth no matter what size top you’re dealing in. If you haven’t got enough side depth, it hurts the sound. I think there’s a thing that matches up with the area, in other words, I think those two lines bisect the top area versus side depth. I think triple 0s are just a little too shallow. The 00 has that depth and it has the smaller soundboard, and I think you’re getting a real good, close thing. Also with the size vs. actual depth, one thing that I think is wrong with a lot of guitars, is that the bridge is in the wrong place. I think the bridges should be further down in the soundboard. Down on the table, so to speak.
You mean further toward the back of the instrument?
Yeah. They tend to put it up too much toward the waist. I think you need the bridge just a little bit further back. The widest part of the guitar is where the bridge should be. It’s one reason 12-fret neck guitars sound better, their bridges are in a better place.
So, I don't know if Norman has ever played a Taylor 12-fret GC, but I bet he'd like one (especially the Hog/Blackwood 322 12-fret).
I think this guitar is a secret weapon. I know most think of GC's as a fingerpicker, but this thing (at least my particular example) has plenty of headroom. The more I play it the better it sounds also. It's opening up quick and I can't imagine what this thing will sound like in 20 years. I believe the key to playing guitar well is finding an instrument that suits
you (I play trumpet also, and it's the same with finding the right trumpet/mouthpiece combo that suits
you).
I've posted some of these in another thread, but here is the 322e 12-fret in some various flatpicking styles (all recorded with a Shure MV88):
Here is a medley of
East Tennessee Blues and
Beaumont Rag:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYVCcGYwaE0Here is a Carter Family style arrangement of
In the Sweet By and By:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMMxTJkSjHkHere is some slower/sweeter playing with
In the Garden:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QUJSmHfBawHere is a short crosspicking example with
Home Sweet Home:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc_MkrC-gkII've owned a few great guitars over the years and played countless others, and this thing is really special.
