12 string electric

tbm

Anybody have one and use it? I have a been hankering for one for a while - and just seen one i like and can afford - but i wanted to see how other folk use theirs? Stummer at home? Write and gig with it? Byrds cover band?

Ta. 

viz

I have an 18-string one which I haul out for Hotel C, Bon Jovi etc

scrumhalf

I have the Yamaha one that looks Pacifica-ish, the pac-303-12.

I've not used it as much as I thought I might, but that's more down to me than the guitar.

ICBM

I keep mine in a case under the bed for five years, then sell it when I realise I've only played it about twice and can't justify having all that money tied up in something I barely use...

TonyR

I’ve owned a couple, both Rickenbackers, a 620/12 and a 381/12. A beautiful sound, but I rarely played either guitar so they went. It doesn’t stop me hankering after a 360/12 though!

chrisj1602

I used to have an Italia Rimini 12, I enjoyed it but sold it when my band folded. The Danelectros look good for the money, and there’s a Harley Benton which gets decent reviews if you don’t want to have too much invested in one.

JayGee

I have a Danelectro which used to get hauled out for a couple of songs (Summer of ‘69 and Paint it Black), occasionally I’d mix things up a little bit by using it in songs where the band weren’t expecting it purely because it was so much fun to play and such a lovely noise. Not something I think I’d want to over use but a great way to add a little extra to the palette, and because not many (I’m tempted to say none of them, but you never know...) other bands on the cover band circuit we played used an electric 12 string it made for a bit of a distinguishing feature which made us stand out just a little in people’s recollections when it came around to booking bands...

Sassafras

I use it for everything - when I use it.
There's nothing I can play on a 6 string that I can't play on a 12, apart from maybe the more bendy type of blues.

Stuckfast

I love the way they sound and I'd much rather own an electric 12-string than an acoustic one, but I've never quite bitten the bullet because I think you'd need to spend a fair bit to get a good one. A friend had the Danelectro, which sounded great but was hopeless at staying in tune, and Rickenbacker necks are just too cramped for me. I do frequently lust after a hockey stick Fender Electric XII though.

Funkfingers

Stuckfast said:

Danelectro ... hopeless at staying in tune

That could be due to the strings snagging in the aluminium nut.

Stuckfast said:

a hockey stick Fender Electric XII though.

Somebody on this forum must be hoarding one of those somewhere.

TonyR said:

I’ve owned a couple, both Rickenbackers, a 620/12 and a 381/12. A beautiful sound but I rarely played either guitar so, they went. It doesn’t stop me hankering after a 360/12 though!

Perpetual motion!  

If do you own a RIC twelve, you rarely use it and you loathe restringing it. If you dispose of that RIC, you soon crave another one.

tbm said:

Byrds cover band?

One of the problems with RIC electric twelve string guitars is that they are strongly associated with The Beatles, The Byrds, Tom Petty and, to a lesser extent, Johnny Marr. Additionally, to get the early McGuinn sound, you need to invest heavily in studio outboard compressors. 

Fender's Electric XII is a short cut to the British "summer of love" Pop Music era. 

I currently cheat by having a RIC 220 strung in Nashville High Tuning. This provides enough background jangle to add texture to recorded rhythm guitar parts.

Jeremiah

I have a Squier Venus  - poor build quality, but sounds pretty good.

I use it quite a lot on recordings but it's unlikely I would ever gig with it because there are only very specific parts and songs I would want to use it on; it's not something that could just replace a 6 string on any song.

Keefy

Both Fender and Danelectro have recently brought out new 12-string electrics, which were reviewed in the  Jan 2020 issue of Guitar magazine - Fender Alternate Reality electric XII (£859) and Danelectro 59X12 (£599). Although I find myself somewhat tempted, I have to remind myself that within a few minute of picking up any 12-string I am realising how much more work it is to play one than to play a 6-string. 

JerkMoans

I scored one of the reissue Fender Electric XIIs for my birthday, my preciousssssss, last September.  Real fun for jangly noodling.  Hotel California.  Stairway.  Wanted Dead or Alive.  Byrds, etc.  Think they're cracking value for money, and believe some are still available.

redwedge

Look up Revelation 12 string offset.  Cheap but excellent value for money and very playable.

Winny_Pooh

Look at the Revelation models. They're great but for my use 12's are more fun being used in a non-traditional context. 

richardhomer

JerkMoans said:

I scored one of the reissue Fender Electric XIIs for my birthday, my preciousssssss, last September.  Real fun for jangly noodling.  Hotel California.  Stairway.  Wanted Dead or Alive.  Byrds, etc.  Think they're cracking value for money, and believe some are still available.

Disappointing - I was hoping this would have been in the classifieds by now for £450....

boz_h

I have an old Gordon Smith GS2 12 string but I'm an old Goth so its compulsory.  The humbuckers have coil taps, so it covers  a wide range of sounds.  Some delay and a Flanger and your in Sisters of Mercy land, tap the coils into a clean amp and its Mr Tambourine Man.  Although Stairway is totally denied.

TonyR

Funkfingers said:

If do you own a RIC twelve... you loathe restringing it...

This in spades - the only thing worse is a Gretsch with a flamin’ Bigsby!

Sarge

I had a korean Hondo Fame 12 string 'strat'
Less said about that the better  

I wouldn't bother, it's cheaper to just use the serrated edge of a sharkfin pic

Seziertisch

Rickenbackers are usually strung with the octave string on the bottom of each pair. This is different from how nearly every other 12-string (acoustic or electric) is strung. Rickenbacker make a big deal about it being part of their "sound". It sounds different, the octave is less pronounced, though personally I prefer the way everybody else does it.

Another feature of most Rick 12-strings is that the neck is quite narrow (exception being the 660-12), which depending on how the nut is cut and how close the string pairs are to one another can make it quite tricky to play cleanly in the open positions. Again it is a "feature" that Rick are very proud of, though I heard they built a couple of 330-12s for the Edge with wider necks, so if you find the neck too narrow you are not alone.  

Otherwise, in terms of second hand 12-strings, any of the Danelectros I have played have sounded better than good and definitely do the job. Same is true for the Burns Double 6s I have encountered.

RonnieHotdogs

The Revelations are good, but the Danelectros are special and stupid value, my DC59/12 was the most fun I've had playing any guitar. I've had many over the years incl Rick's and ended up with a Gretsch 6122-12 which is just phenomenal.