hi, my name is rich and i live on the windy plains of southeastern new mexico - i have never posted before, but have ofter lurked! i have played at guitar for several years and am still not very good, but i love to play and at 67 am trying to get more serious about it- i have a strat, A mandolin, bouzouki, goya classical and now a BEAUTIFUL SOUNDING seagull 12 string with a cedar top that i was blessed with from ebay - i can't believe the sound! and i haven't even been able to put new strings on it yet!
now to the questions - what is a good pickup for this guitar? i do not gig - i play only in the church praise band which is a drum set, 2 electrics, a 6 string acoustic and korg keyboard, so i'm not looking for that perfect acoustic sound - but not just crappy noise either - i would play sometimes into the mixer and sometimes into a hughes-kettner 40 amp silver edition - mostly strumming with occasional chord melody "specials" presently i play electric rhythm
any suggestions would be appreciated - picks? strings? etc.
thanks
I can't help with the pickup but on my Breedlove 12 I use D'Addario EJ38's. They are light gauge .010-.047. They sound very good to me. I play only for myself at home using an acoustic amp at times.
I also tune them down one step. If I need to play in standard tuning I just capo up. I am about your age and my old fingers get real tired and sore after a while if I use standard tuning. Changing strings on it, for me, is sort of like wrestling with a centipede........... :mrgreen:
Welcome aboard, Rich.
Nick, the Mother of All Moderators and Chief Administrator round here is a great Seagull fan, or at least I'm sure he used to be, and we've recommended them any number of times.
Is the bridge in good condition? Check the glue on the side furthest from the soundhole. If it looks in a good state then most brands make a 12-set that will work fine with it. I use D'Addario E141 lights on my 1970s Eko Ranger because the bridge is looking a bit stressed.
Otherwise, for picks I've been using a thin freebie that came with my Total Guitar Magazine a few months back and get a good sound out of it, but David Hodge (our chief Editor) is a long time 12-string fan so I'm sure he'll have plenty of good tips.
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
Welcome to GN!
#4491....
