Advice needed: 12 String Acoustic Choices

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  • TanninTannin Frets: 5268
    markv said:
    ICBM said:
    markv said:
    I have a Taylor 150e and it sounds excellent, but it's developed some intonation issues that need sorting. I don't know if this is a common issue or not.
    Is it playing sharp?
    Yes, even as low as the 3rd fret which is a bit annoying. I don't think it will be solved by a gentle tweak of truss rod, but that was going to be my first thing to try.
    Put a capo on the first fret and retune as necessary. Does it still play sharp?
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    Tannin said:

    Put a capo on the first fret and retune as necessary. Does it still play sharp?
    If that doesn't show it up a nut problem and the relief is OK, it's possible that the neck joint has shifted or the body compressed slightly under the string tension. This used to be fairly common with older cheap 12-strings, although I wouldn't expect it with a Taylor.

    Incidentally this is one of the great advantages of the "awful" Ekos - they're not, in fact - because the neck is bolt-on you can always fix problems like that. Unless the top has warped they can always be set up well.

    "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

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • TanninTannin Frets: 5268
    Second that: Ekos were great. I had an Eston (rebadged Eko, 1970-ish) for many years, lord only knows how much abuse it copped, and it just took it all without complaint. Not much volume, but a sweet tone, and it stayed in tune well, which is not something a lot of cheap 12-strings do. 
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  • markvmarkv Frets: 459
    Thanks @ICBM and @Tannin - didn't mean to derail the thread! I'll check it with the capo later.
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  • oldhorsemurphyoldhorsemurphy Frets: 321
    edited April 2021

    Well, I took delivery of the Fender Villager and I must say, I'm really impressed. It's quite a narrow fingerboard (for me, anyway) but it plays really well and actually sounds pretty good amplified too. It's certainly an improvement on the EKO I played a number of years ago, although to be fair it had been abused and was rather humped, had old strings on it and an action about half an inch high so it's not really an open-book comparison and I certainly wouldn't have been adept enough to try and resolve some of the issues it had or even understand them for that matter.

    I've got this one on loan for a while, so can really immerse myself in 12 String playing before taking the plunge on a guitar. I am really enjoying playing it and (if there is such a thing) find myself to be a more natural and intuitive 12 string player than I feel on 6 strings- strange.

    Thanks to everyone for their advice and guidance.



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  • icu81b4icu81b4 Frets: 365
    Have you listened to Leo Kottke on a 12 string? I think he has at least 6 fingers on each hand.
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