My boss is thinking about buying a 12 string* so tonight I popped into the guitar shop to see what they had. There were 2, but one had the strings in close pairs and the other had them further apart. I could play chords on the first one okay'ish but the second one had me lost.
So:
1) Are there different types of 12 string acoustic?
2) What is the theory behind playing one (strumming, special technique picking etc?)
Any advice greatly appreciated. And yes, it really is for someone else.
Cheers m'dears.
*The one he has seen and played is an S&P 12 string
I've always thought that you play 12-strings the same way you play 6 strings, except it is REALLY tough to play a 12-string with your fingers so picking is probably easiest. Basically a 12-string just gives you a different sound. I've played a 12-string before and much like 6-string guitars I would assume that there are different types.
Steve-0
By S&P your refering to Simon and Patrick? They make a real nice twelver. When buying a twelve string your going to want to spend at least $400 otherwise your going to get something that will be a tuning nightmare. I've seen many a freind buy a cheap 12 string and end up never playing it 'cause tuning it took forever and still never sounded right.
Chuck Norris invented Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous secret recipe, with eleven herbs and spices. But nobody ever mentions the twelfth ingredient: Fear!
ChuckNorrisFactsdotCom
Play as many of them as you can. Well, get your boss to, really. The necks can vary in both width and thickness, and your boss might hate the one you like (bad for your career.)
A good setup is essential, too.
When I was looking for a 12er, someone here mentioned looking into a jumbo size, something I hadn't considered before. I'm very glad he did, as I love the feel and balanced tone. They're not for everyone, but check them out. Taylor and Guild have have some nice but very expensive models, though you can find used Guild F212s for a reasonable price. I really like my maple-backed Alvarez jumbo which goes for around $500 (I paid much less.)
Oh, I play mostly fingerstyle on it. Just takes some getting used to.
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
Cheers chaps.
The question re different sorts was re the strings spacing as opposed to the body styles.
Is there one type where the pairs of strings are close together, meaning fretting chords is easier, whereas 12 strings where there is a bit of space between the strings in the pair, so its better suited to picking?
To be clearer (if i can be), one 12 string I looked at looked like a 6 string, except pairs of strings instead of single strings. The other looked more like a 12 independant string guitar.
If the formatting works, one was like this || || || || || ||
Where as the other was more like this | | | | | | | | | | | |
I'm not sure thats any clearer...
A typical twelve will have the strings set in pairs (this is called a "course") close together such as in your first example. I've never seen one like your second example before. That doesn't mean they don't exist, but it does defeat the purpose, which is to be able to fret a course (two strings) with one finger, as one would with the single strings of a regular guitar.
Even when you fingerpick the twelve, you usually pick the course and not the single string. That's what gives the instrument its signature sound.
Hope this helps and I'd be interested in hearing about the guitar with the evenly spaced strings. Do you remember the make or model?
Peace
Thats a perfect answer, thanks David.
I exaggerated the second diagram, they weren't evenly spaced as such, just a lot further apart than the other guitar that they had.
The model in question was a Vintage V600, which doesn't appear to be a current model (well, its not on here anyway: http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintageacoustic.html but I did get the model right as there is one on here: http://www.karaokeplus.biz/acatalog/index.html?http%3A//www.karaokeplus.biz/acatalog/Accoustic_Guitars.html&CatalogBody )
The tone from the Vintage was better than the Crafter D812 (to my ears) but the Crafter was much easier to fret. I guess its possible that the Vintage example I saw was an old model and just not particularly well spaced, maybe the Vintage models that have superceded it are better?
To be fair, it would be perfect for someone with fat fingers!
It may also be that the Vintage (sure it's not a "Vantage?"), being older, is more in need of a set-up. Many older twelves, especially those made by budget companies, weren't made all that well and as they age become harder and harder to fret.
This was mentioned in a different thread, but the neck of the typical twelve is good for folks with fat fingers. A number of folks buy them and only put six strings on them so that they have more ease of playing than they would with a standard six string.
Peace
