[Bennett]

Hello all,

I'm about to begin looking at buying a twelve-string acoustic.

Any advice as to what things I should be aware of when looking, specifically as it applies to a twelve-string, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Ultimate Garage Band]

What's your budget?

[Lcjones]

Aside from budget......

Twelve string guitars, historically have a wider neck. Be sure to sample as many models as available before purchasing. Find the one that best suits the fit of your hand. Some 12er's also have slightly higher action than 6er's. So you want to "feel" the action.

The narrowest acoustic neck I recall on a 12 was an Epiphone Dove some years ago. It seems to me some of the Yamaha's and some of the less expensive 12's had some seriously wide necks almost to the point of being unplayable for any amount of time.

12er's should be tuned down 1/2 to a full step. This alleviates too much tension on the neck. On all of my 12's I use light gauge strings a half step down. No more than 10's.

When replacing strings on your 12, do not remove all the strings at once. Replace them in pairs. Removing them all at once places too much stress on the neck. In other words, you're removing all the tension from the neck and then pulling it back to full tension. You don't want to do that to a 12 unless it is absolutely required.

I've had and played numerous 12's over the years. I have found the Guild Dreadnaught 12's to have the most robust tones. Many 12's sound "tinny" or thin. Of course, Martin/Gibson have good 12's. No question about Taylors. There are many to choose from, so take your time and find the one that is right for you.

My best advice is to find the one that is comfortable in your hands and has a nice warm tone to it. Good luck! Hope this helps.

**
Les
Guild F212 Sunburst
Guild D212 Cherry
Rickenbacker 360/12 FireGlo

[Bennett]

Originally Posted by Ultimate Garage Band

What's your budget?

Hi UGB. I hadn't really given too much thought to that yet as I'm just looking for generic principles to keep in mind when looking. However, if it helps provide better advice, as a gestimate I wouldn't be spending more than $A800-1000 ... which is probably around $US500-750 maybe? But that limit may change depending on what is available.

I'm at a point now where I'm even looking to upgrade the six-string ... so I will be looking for something with reasonable quality. I figure a twelve-string will (sort of) kill two birds with one stone; I get a twelve-string and an upgraded acoustic.

Originally Posted by Les

My best advice is to find the one that is comfortable in your hands and has a nice warm tone to it. Good luck! Hope this helps.

Thanks for all the advice in your post, Les. Exactly what I was looking for.

Totally expect to be trying out a heap before I buy too ... but often helps to go in armed with relevant knowledge even before making that step. Thanks again.

[Cedric01]

Originally Posted by lcjones

When replacing strings on your 12, do not remove all the strings at once. Replace them in pairs. Removing them all at once places too much stress on the neck. In other words, you're removing all the tension from the neck and then pulling it back to full tension. You don't want to do that to a 12 unless it is absolutely required.



**
Les
Guild F212 Sunburst
Guild D212 Cherry
Rickenbacker 360/12 FireGlo

Removing all the stings at once will not hurt a 12 string guitar neck. Temperature and humidity are more damaging in the long run than a few minutes with the strings removed from the guitar.