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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Guitars and accessories → 12 string guitars
Can someone give me info about 12 string guitars?
How easy are they to play?
Are the chords different?
How do they sound?
12 string guitars play the same chords as a 6 string only you're pressing 2 very close together strings with each finger. I love my Yamaha FG-411-12. The sound is a lot more ballsy than a 6 string. It takes a little more finger pressure than a 6 but, as your hand strengthens you'll really enjoy the sound. If you plan on buying a 12 string play as many as possible and find the one that's right for you.
Good luck,
Marty
Hi Steelstrings,
I have a 70's Melody1200 and can switch from this to either my acoustic or electric 6 string guitars with no problems and because it has a terrific action, probably partly due to a zero fret, barre chords are just as easy on it as a 6 string. The octave tuning of the four bass pairs give a very full sound. I love my 12er.
As Marty has already said get along to your local stores and try some out.
Roger
I've had electric and acoustic 12's. Love the fullness of the sound but the extra tuning and loss of speed as well as inability to string stretch makes them not worth the trouble except on a few certain songs.
toots
I love mine! Only had it a short time and I can play almost as badly on it as I can my 6 strings already!!
I would not recommend one for a beginner. If you are. I also wouldn't have one as my only guitar. They require a little more hand strength. The chords are the same. Its really hard to do little single note fills or runs. Really hard to play a solo on. The strings are grouped it twos wich doesn't leave a lot of space on the fretboard. BUT, they sound really full and have a much wider range. Beebee said his is more "ballsy", that seems odd to me because the "extra" strings are tuned to a higher pitch. Think of a guitar playing alongside a mandolin, and not a guitar playing alongside a bass. I'm thinking maybe Beebee's 12 has a larger body than his 6.
Hi steelstrings I love to play them but they have there limits. They are to me a pain to tune and I can not bend the strings much and sometimes miss a little bit of both strings. They do have a great sound and if you are going to do alot of balleds and songs like thatyou will get alot out out of owning one.I wish I had one everytime I play tunes by America.
1. Don't spend too much on one of these. Many second-hand 12-stringers are available at greatly reduced prices.
2. I like to use mine for left-hand practice. I figure if I can do it on a 12 it should be easier on a 6?
3. Tuning/re-stringing is more time-consuming but not a show-stopper for me.
4. They are fun but not as versatile as a 6-string. In other words, a little 12-string goes a long way but I do like playing mine!
5. One of the easier ways to play two guitars at once.
Hi, first time on the forum for me, but I am also looking to buy a 12 string acoustic, and would really appreciate any hints regarding makes or models to lookout for or avoid. (and I realise that this is going to be very subjective!).
I had the opportunity recently to play a friends Takamine 12 string and the 'fuller' sound blew me away! The fantastic sound was worth the extra ripping of the finger ends!
Like naolslager said, I've been following quite a few on ebay to see how much they go for and have been pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive a 'good' 12 string can be.
How about the round backed guitars - any pro's or con's?
And I would almost certainly be looking for a semi acoustic unless anyone can convince me not too!
In terms of 'style' I generally play traditional Scottish or Irish songs with some Country thrown in - just enough to have a sing-a-long in the pub, so I don't need to 'bend' strings etc!
All comments welcome - thanx.
And I would almost certainly be looking for a semi acoustic unless anyone can convince me not too!
Hi Monty and welcome to the forum,
In my opinion:-
The shallow body of a semi acoustic will not resonate enough and you will always need an amplifier to get a decent sound and volume.
An electro acoustic gives you the best of both worlds as with it's normal body you can play it unamplified and it will sound terrific and you can plug it in if needed.
An electric, hollow body or semi acoustic is fine if you intend to always operate amplified.
Roger
Check out the local music stores. If I was going to buy one, I'd buy a used one because around here the used ones seem to be the best buy! ALL of the guitar stores by me always have a used 12 string... prices are always great on them, and each one always sounds great. I assume people keep buying them THINKING they want a 12string and not realizing that it should be a second guitar not the ONLY guitar.
Sold mine, never played it much. Hate changing the strings. Love the sound.
I like having one around but it is not my primary. And by buying an obscure brand (Norman, a cousin to the Seagull, etc) I was able to get a nice guitar at a very affordable price. As I mentioned above (I think) I use mine to practice left-hand work. Sometimes I think it's easier for me to land on two strings instead of one. Go figure.
Thanks for the quick feedback, a 12 string would not be my only guitar as I have two 6 string's at the moment (one of which is electro acoustic) which was what i meant when i said semi acoustic.(I get electro and semi acoustic mixed up!) Roger - I guess you would be including the round backed or bowl guitars as they are shallow bodied and that makes sense - so they are probably out as a choice. I live in a very remote part of Scotland - Glasgow is about 4 hours drive away, and that's where our nearest good choice of music stores would be. Maybe I'll have to take a couple
of days away to try some out, but that'll be after the summer and I can hardly wait to get hold of one!
I also read somewhere that you can always play a 12 string as a 6 string if you don't like the 12 strings or find 12 strings difficult, just by removing the 2nd/octave strings - does anyone know if that is the case? would they sound different?
I seen a few 12-stringers configured with only 6 strings. It's possible and just think about all that space between the strings!
Get a good one, even if 2nd-hand. A bad one will be hard to keep in tune and hard to play, and if old, the tension of the strings may have distorted the neck and/or the top, making it even harder to play and tune.
I was fortunate to find an old good one made by Ovation (round backed but not shallow bodied). Structurally they are possibly the best.
Anyone who has heard mine loves the sound, but some people have a sort of quasi-religious belief that guitars with synthetic round backs are bad. Do a search for Ovation on the web but ideally stick to US-made solid-topped ones (any Ovation with Celebrity, CC, Matrix, or Applause in the model name/number is from their budget range).
I've tried playing mine with only 6 strings and it sounds a but dead. 12-strings are heavily built and 6 strings don't have enough power to 'drive' them.
Also try Nashville tuning - a sort of 12string sound from 6-string guitar - search Chordie for details.
Thanks for all the info there flester, really helpful. I've been looking at Takamine, Yamaha (and for fun - Taylor(a little out of my price range)).
Would you say there is any significant benefit, to a relatively new guitar player, in getting cutaway body - or would a 'regular' body shape be just as good?
I'm going to look into nashville tuning!
cheers
hmmm... my last post came across as a mix of a rant and an ad for Ovation - neither was intended!
The way I play my 12-string, the cutaway would be no advantage but others may comment on any disadvantage.
Try before you buy!
Nashville is certainly nice sound but not as your main 6-string, maybe if you had a spare one.
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