Be careful though. I bought a kinda low end ($500 US) Norman 12-string mostly because, like Bluejay, I simply adore the sound of a 12. I don't play it too often though because the tone just isn't there. It's not really a bad guitar either, it stays reasonably in tune and is fairly easy to play, but it just won't ring properly. And while that's kind of unfortunate in a 6 string, it's death for a 12.

It could be the "one off" thing people have mentioned above -- I don't know. Play as many as you can get your hands on (even ones you know you can't afford) just to compare tones. Hope you find a gem.

Bryant