[evileye]

Right, so I've just exchanged my Les Paul (copy) and an old 20W amp for a Hohner 12 string guitar, and some cash. The guitar is an old Western Series Hohner, not great condition - a few nicks and dents, two scratches - but I'm not bothered by that, it sounds orgasmic (probably just because I'm not used to the beautiful 12 string sound). Lovely guitar, I'll post pics if requested but it's nothing spectaculer really.

What I'm looking for is suggestions on what to play with twelve string firstly... Anybody? So far I've only thought of Hotel California, Tamboruine Man, Tangerine and Stairway. Any suggestions welcome...

Can anybody give us some advice on how to use alt. tunings with 12 string, I'm dying to give it a go!

Also, I have the thick strings in each pair tuned EADGBE, and all the thin ones (excuse my ignorance...) tuned an octave higher I think, I'm pretty sure this is standard. Will this do the guitar any harm, it won't pull it apart will it? Would I be better off tuning differently?

Finally, any misc tips regarding (flat)picking, any techniques that work well on 12 string, throw them in.

All help much appreciated, etc etc,
Cian

[gazhowell]

The beginning of Boston - More Than A Feeling sounds good on a 12, super easy aswell.

[kooldood1]

just play anything acoustic with it...sounds loads better...and for alt tunings just tune as you would on a six...say you want to use open d youd do it
Dd Aa Dd F#f# Aa Dd

[okiejohn]

Tune that bad boy down at least a step, and you can pretty much play anything on it that you would a six.

Wish you were here really shines on a 12.

[AxSlinger]

I would just keep it in one tuning. Tuning that this is a b!tch!!!! I'd rather restring my classical,

Yeah, I go to guitar center a lot to play with the 12 strings. I just play regular acoustic songs on it, and it sounds great. I wouldn't however do any fingerpicking with it. That would be weird.

Anyway, good luck with it, and I would actually like to see some pics!

[evileye]

Tune that bad boy down at least a step, and you can pretty much play anything on it that you would a six.

Wish you were here really shines on a 12.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

At the moment I have it in EADGBE - Do I need to bring it down a step as to not cause damage then, yeah?

Thanks to all.

[evileye]

Done... Bit easier on the fingers too now, especially since I haven't been playing in a while!

[okiejohn]

I have an old Ibanez artist 2602, beautiful guitar, but some dumbass that once owned it kept it tuned to pitch as you would a six string, and that caused the top wood to warp a bit from the stress.

I tune it down one step, and everything sounds great. You can do anything on the 12 that you can on a six, including finger picking, just do it.

Some folks, Dadfad, Hendrix, tune down even lower, as in the Hendrix version of Hear My Train A Comin, finger pickin and all.

Folks have some pre conceived ideas about what ya can and cannot do on a 12.....hahaha, don't listen, do what ya wanna do.

Keep it tuned down, and it should last long enough to hand down to your heirs some day.

Enjoy.

[evileye]

I'm afraid this one is old enough to have been allready handed down, and looks like it by the condition! Still, something to start out on! Any reccomendations for strings, I'm looking at some cheapo Martins which should do nicely... .12 gauge - should I go lighter since it's 12 string?
Thanks Okie.

[narad1986]

tune it down about 1 or 2 ( if its old 3 ?? ) steps .. use a capo if you need concert pitch /

[okiejohn]

Now that you have that bad boy tuned down, I'd think you could put whatever gauge strings ya want on it.

If you're like me, you ain't gonna put it down for some time....I picked up my six string for the first time in a month or so just today, and then because I started to feel sorry for it, bein neglected for so long.

Those strings on the six seemed kinda funny all by themselves...kinda like they were nekked or somethin.

[grzegorz_panek]

You may be tough on yourself and try a Leo Kottke 12-string tune.

Leadbelly played one a lot.

So did Lonnie Johnson, usually with single lowest or 2 lowest strings.

[dadfad]

Yes, tune at least a half step lower. I prefer a whole-step or more, depending on the scale length (like 24 3/4" = half-step; 25 1/4"=whole-step; etc). Don't limit yourself to "12-string tunes". Look at any tune you like as a potential 12-string tune. (Hendrix's acoustic-12 "Hear My Train A'Comin" is a 6-style blues but sounds great on a 12). I myself like open-tuned a lot on a 12-string, especially slide guitar. They are an ass-pain to change back and forth however. A lot of nice stuff can be fingerpicked in dropped-D which isn't so bad. I've posted them before, but here a few 12-string tunes by my friend Paul Geremia (who I had a few drinks with a couple of days ago and he showed me his "new" 12-string, totally re-constructed from an old 1928 Tonk Brothers 12 he had which was completely disassembled and re-made as new with the original woods). (In my opinion he's the finest traditional-blues 12-string guitarist alive today.) Anyway, the first two of these tunes below are in dropped-Bb (guitar tuned two-steps lower, then dropped 11-12-course, like dropped-D on a standard-tuned 6). The third is a slide tune in open-B (like open-D DADF#AD a step-and-a-half lower).

Statesboro Blues

Kick It In The Country

If Love Was Whiskey Blues

[evileye]

Now that you have that bad boy tuned down, I'd think you could put whatever gauge strings ya want on it.

If you're like me, you ain't gonna put it down for some time....I picked up my six string for the first time in a month or so just today, and then because I started to feel sorry for it, bein neglected for so long.

Those strings on the six seemed kinda funny all by themselves...kinda like they were nekked or somethin.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Same here! I was playing 12 for about an hour, and then picked up the six... Felt really wierd!!

You may be tough on yourself and try a Leo Kottke 12-string tune.

Leadbelly played one a lot.

So did Lonnie Johnson, usually with single lowest or 2 lowest strings.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've been hoping to try some Kottke slide tunes, Train Coming (you know the one, unsure of title) and Up Tempo are two I'll give a go at (and fail, hehe..) - I just have to be arsed to go tuning to an open key... Maybe some time over the weekend when I have the time, could take a while!!

Yes, tune at least a half step lower. I prefer a whole-step or more, depending on the scale length (like 24 3/4" = half-step; 25 1/4"=whole-step; etc). Don't limit yourself to "12-string tunes". Look at any tune you like as a potential 12-string tune. (Hendrix's acoustic-12 "Hear My Train A'Comin" is a 6-style blues but sounds great on a 12). I myself like open-tuned a lot on a 12-string, especially slide guitar. They are an ass-pain to change back and forth however. A lot of nice stuff can be fingerpicked in dropped-D which isn't so bad. I've posted them before, but here a few 12-string tunes by my friend Paul Geremia (who I had a few drinks with a couple of days ago and he showed me his "new" 12-string, totally re-constructed from an old 1928 Tonk Brothers 12 he had which was completely disassembled and re-made as new with the original woods). (In my opinion he's the finest traditional-blues 12-string guitarist alive today.) Anyway, the first two of these tunes below are in dropped-Bb (guitar tuned two-steps lower, then dropped 11-12-course, like dropped-D on a standard-tuned 6). The third is a slide tune in open-B (like open-D DADF#AD a step-and-a-half lower).

Statesboro Blues

Kick It In The Country

If Love Was Whiskey Blues

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for all that, John - I'll give those a go now! It's been a while since I've listened to that Paul Geremia CD you sent me too, just reminded me of it!

[evileye]

Damn, when I had it in DADGAD why didn't I just bring it down to open D rather than tuning all the way back up...! Times like this when a self-tuning 12 string would be nice.

John, you have the 12 string version of my J185 don't you? Were you saying you had tuning problems with it?
I wouldn't mind having twins - one six, one twelve.

[dadfad]

Damn, when I had it in DADGAD why didn't I just bring it down to open D rather than tuning all the way back up...! Times like this when a self-tuning 12 string would be nice.

John, you have the 12 string version of my J185 don't you? Were you saying you had tuning problems with it?
I wouldn't mind having twins - one six, one twelve.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes I do. Not really "problems". I was able to set it up properly (re-carve the nut a bit, adjust the saddle and truss-rod, etc) so it's fine now. But I was disappointed that a guitar of that quality would be sold with such a poor set-up on it. It would be kind of cool to have "twin" 6 and 12 string guitars!

[evileye]

There she is, with some shoddy masking job done in photoshop. I'm happy enough with it, but tuning is a ###### - especially the last two strings, the B and the E - getting them to match can be a pain.

[pimp_vince]

i smell some crazy fingerstyle..... just giv'er!

[*Buzzer*]

I would just keep it in one tuning.  Tuning that this is a b!tch!!!!  I'd rather restring my classical,

Yeah, I go to guitar center a lot to play with the 12 strings.  I just play regular acoustic songs on it, and it sounds great.  I wouldn't however do any fingerpicking with it.  That would be weird. 

Anyway, good luck with it, and I would actually like to see some pics!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL A friend come round last night to look at my new Washburn. He brought his Honer 12 string and played Blackbird on it. Wow what a sound.

I agree with the "Wish You Were Here" comment aswell Awesome on 12

Enjoy, i'd love one !

[evileye]

Yup, "Wish you were here" sounds pretty. Think I'll try blackbird.