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OK for some reason I've been gassing for a 12-string. I have never seen the need for one before, but recently I have been playing in some impromptu folk jams at a friend's house. Well I bring an acoustic archie or a 6-string flattop, but the sound doesn't really complement one of the other players, a woman who is a GREAT singer and a pretty darn good guitarist ala Joni Mitchell.
Hence I thought a 12-string flattop would be a nice addition.
I came across the D'Angelico 12-string with a cutaway and electronics, and it looks very promising. Best of all it's not very expensive. I especially like it in natural.
D'Angelico Premier Fulton 12-String Acoustic-Electric Guitar Sunburst | Guitar Center
I am even thinking how I can incorporate this in with my jazz group--some folkish songs like Summertime or Moondance would obviously work. ATTYA? Not so sure.
Anyway, anyone have any thoughts on cheap 12-strings? Any experience with this model?
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08-17-2020 04:08 PM
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I can't comment on an acoustic, but the Danelectro 12s are well worth the $s. Very playable. I had one before I assembled my Jazzmaster 12 partscaster. It inspired me to take on that project.
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12 string acoustics are great...was the only acoustic guitar i ever really loved...i have a 60's gibby
thing with 12 strings is that there's so much tension from the strings, that many of the cheapo's (and even majors) aren't up to the task and will eventually top lift or crack...
taylor guitars was one of the first that made inroads into making playable, reliable 12's...they still are...they can get pricey, but still have a few lower cost entries def worth looking into
also takemine makes some nice lower cost 12's
guild made some fine sounding 12's too..but i've known them to have some problems too...maybe the new guilds are more solid
don't feel great about d'angelico 12...i keep seeing all their acoustics blown out on the musicans friend deal of the day!
cheers
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I have an epiphone 12 string that I'm happy with. I only play it when I'm recording, I think it fits in a mix well and can compliment a 6 string acoustic well as a second voice, panned to opposite sides. Kind of like this:
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The Dano is great. Used it in a band for about 10 years. Still have it.
Originally Posted by lammie200
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I played 12-string in a rock band in the '60s and have always loved the tone, electric perhaps even more than acoustic. The Byrds stuff etc. So there's nearly always been a 12-string around, alas with absolutely no use. When I gassed again for an acoustic one a few years ago, I liked Martin's made in Mexico version a lot. The only negative about it was the electronics, not on par with the Performing Artists models.
I eventually skipped that desire but, a couple of years later, found a 12-String Tele clone named Knoxville, which sold for 99 GBP at Gear4Music. Mine had been throughly set up by a trusted guitar tech, so I paid a wholesome 150 euros. Solid ash body, great neck, individual intonation for each string. At a small guitar show, a luthier estimated it had cost at least over a thousand. Finally a 12-string with a purpose, as it brings out the clarity and separation of my cabs better than any other guitar.
Acoustic 12-string players use a variety of tunings. Tuning one full step down to D and using capo is common practice to reduce the tension. I think Leadbelly's was tuned to C. Makes sense, as the octave strings somehow deepen the bass lines and make them more melodic.
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I believe back in the day 12 strings were strung with flats. I can't remember the theory as to why they supposedly sounded better than rounds. I'll have to look it up. Also they recorded with a lot of compression. Originally Posted by Gitterbug
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Just wait till you have to change the strings, you might end up getting rid of it.
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I bought a 1970s Westerly Guild F-112 that had been a luthier's project guitar on eBay years ago for about $400. Somewhere I got the idea that Ralph Towner played one for a while. Not sure if it's true.
This guitar is a lot like the better known Guild F-412 and F-512, but with smaller body dimensions. Very comfortable to hold and play. This guitar had a neck reset, which I understand to be difficult on a Guild 12, and some minor well-repaired cracks and other repairs.
Worried about neck tension, and since I play mostly fingerstyle, I string it with Plectrum AC110 or Martin Silk&Steel or GHS Bronze&Silk. Very light strings. That does the trick. I like the touch, and it chimes very nicely when strummed.
Not sure how viable it is for your interests Doc, but these old Westerly, R.I.-built Guild 12s are real classics if you can catch a good deal. Taylor seems to have eaten their lunch in recent years to some degree. And it seems riskier to buy an old 12 than an old 6 string. With the huge neck tension, it seems a lot of old 12s have neck issues.
Good luck. A 12-string can be just the ticket every once in a while.
Last edited by Flat; 08-25-2020 at 05:36 PM.
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LOL! Originally Posted by Woody Sound
Just wait till you have to change the strings, you might end up getting rid of it.
I change my strings once a decade whether they need it or not. True story.
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I have a 60s om shaped 12 string (yay flat!) That I got for about the same price (long story) and what I can tell you, aside from it being one of the best sounding and recording guitars I've heard is that, like a baritone, nothing does what it does but you probably won't need what it does anywhere near as much as you think you do once you have it. Not that it isn't an unmitigated delight; it's just very much a thing. Like owning a tuxedo.
And string changes are the worst. And I "invented" a tuning for it because I didn't know how to tune it and just left it where I liked it/gave up.
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I have a Westerly Jumbo 12. I tune it down to C. You might want a quality capo to facilitate other keys. The sound is glorious! Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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That's funny. I knew a bass player who claimed he had never changed strings for years. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
Back in the 80's I was playing every weekend in a great-paying commercial band. I changed my strings before every gig. The D'Addario XLs were around $3 then.
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Bass strings come off?
I changed the strings on my jazz bass because one didn't survive a set up and the rest were oxidized and hanging on for dear life. I slapped on some flats I found lying around that I had bought some 10 years prior. That was several years ago now.
The short scale acoustic strings were all rusty and I wanted to give tape wounds a shot so I changed them earlier this year. In a pickle now because I hate how the tapes feel, even in standard tuning. just too floppy.
The bb I got earlier this year still has whatever it came with. They were kind enough to include an extra pack of bass strings so in 2035 I might give those a chance.
It's been at least three or four years since I've changed the strings on my little guild 12 string, but it doesn't get much use and still sounds awesome. Maybe in a few year's time.
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The last time I changed my double bass strings was 1993. Good ole Rotosound. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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Need/want - potato/tomahto -
. It's all good, or good enough.
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A Finnish bassist reputedly removed his strings and boiled them during every intermission. Could be an urban legend. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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I wish I could find a nice older 12-string locally on the used market...see them all the time when I'm not looking, but when I'm looking...
I guess I will have to find time to try out some of the new ones.
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Well I tried a couple of 12-strings today and was disappointed...
I went to Guitar Center, which has the D’Angelico Fulton and Taylor 150E. The D’Angelico looked great, very modern, but it didn’t feel so great to play. The Taylor looked to be very well-made and more comfortable. But the problem was, the action on both of them was high, so very hard to fret barre chords especially in higher registers.
Of course I imagine if I owned it I could adjust the truss rod and shave the saddle down and make it more playable.
The conundrum is that I can’t really see a use for this in the jazz context—maybe a couple of songs, like Summertime, and Moondance, but typical jazz standards repertoire? My 6-strings are just so much better.
As far as the occasional folk jams we have, well I could justify $4-500, but $800+ seems a stretch.
IDK. Gonna think about it. Might just watch out for a cheapish, reasonably playable vintage 12-string to come my way.
I admit that tuning the things was a R$%&^ pain in the rear, especially as someone had tuned the D’Angelico to an open D tuning...at least the Taylor was IN TUNE from the get-go.
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I would call the store you are going to first and ask them to setup some 12 strings for you to try see what they tell you, how long before they will be ready to show you some well set up 12 string. If they say come on down they didnt do anything, if they say we cant do that pass, If they say come in the next day around 3 they did something to get you what you want.
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it'll probably say "guild" on it. My 60s om was under $500 and it slaughters everything out there. Some luck was involved, but I doubt that's unusual. Taylors should be plentiful from the 90s forward. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff;[URL="tel:1055945"
Or have you considered an electric one? A dano should do you just fine for cheap.
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I'd tell you to check out used Ovations. The bowl back projects every string with distinction which can really voice chord extensions. Maybe less warm but very high fi and louder than the rest. I use a Pacemaker with K&K's for plugging in, 12 fret wider neck makes it great for fingerstyle. My electric is a 60's Japanese made Crown thin hollow body often set aside for mods but sounds great when it is going, The only guitar I've found that sounds best with Ibanez Super 70s....
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I was in the same boat. Never liked the cheaper Taylor, Yamaha, or Epiphone 12s. It's very rare that a nice 12 shows up in my neck of the woods, so when I came across a Guild F1512 I jumped. It's a fantastic guitar and has scratched the itch very nicely
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The Rickenbacker 360/12 and 270/12 was popular in the mid 1960s. They were used among others by George Harrison and Jim McGuinn. It was featured in the Beatles film "A Hard Days night" and the sound was a prominent ingredient in The Byrds' "Mr. Tamburine Man". It's still produced to this day.
Would I want a 12 guitar? I like the sound for certain things, but no, not really. Keeping them in tune is said to be a constant struggle.
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