It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
My ‘71 Martin D12-35 is still fine - and old Martins don’t even have proper truss rods! I’ve owned it since 1989 and it’s never been tuned above D in that time, which may have helped. When I got it I read that Martin intended them to be tuned like that so I stuck to it, apart from when I was trying to be Leo Kottke, when I used 11s tuned to C#.
If you want to tune E-E, use the lightest strings you can find, definitely no heavier than 10s, or even 9s if you can find them. I still think they’re better tuned lower though.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
But, tuned down a whole tone sounds lovely and string tension feels much lower. Capo'ing at the second fret isn't causing any issues so far and (biggest bonus) I'm now in the right tuning to play the chords in "Dogs" - which sounds fab on a 12!
If u play by u’er self or in ‘groups’ u can work round the pitch issue with a capo.
I have always tuned down 2 semitones on a 12er - then go into a tuning from there. I have always used 13-56 gauge - U need to know what the recommended gauge is for u’r guitar and work with the various tensions / gauges to achieve the right balance = e.g. my vid above is in a C tuning with ‘D’ intervals.
In traditional music the world over they don’t adhere to A = 440Hz or equal temperament tuning or even 12 notes to the octave. In some respects ‘western’ musicians -certainly guitarists, are tend to be guitar-centric.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
these Sigma's are great
https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/161013302864008-2067428--guild-westerly-collection-f-1512e-natural-ex-demo-g1726
Firstly, if you are only going to use it for recording and not live, then there is a YouTube video of a professional recording engineer/producer creating a 12-string effect using a regular Martin (I think) double-tracked with a cheap guitar strung in Nashville tuning, which uses the lighter strings from a 12 string. He claimed it worked better in the studio. Might be worth giving that a watch before you commit funds. Obviously this goes out of the window if you want to play live, which brings me onto suggestion number 2...
A bit off the wall this one, but have a think about a Line6 Tyler Variax. I have a Korean one (a JTV-59), not one of the US-made ones, but the electronics are the same in both. That contains a 12 string model (Ricky I think) as one of the presets. You can also build up your own models so if you fancy a 12-string Martin acoustic, ten minutes will get you something in that stylee. Of course this has upsides (you can play live with it as well as record it, and the tension is normal 6-string) and downsides (you might not like the idea of modelling), but I love mine. Anyway, just a suggestion.
Sigma still make good affordable ones, Guild USA are the best acoustics, but the Chinese Guilds are superb too , the 1512 is great.
For recording, the smaller bodies sound better, like an F212 Guild shape.
My tip to stop the inevitable belly bulge and avoid a neck reset is to use lighter strings. I've always used 9s on my Sigma and after
29 years the action is very close to what it was new, never seen a Luthier.