Author Topic: 12 string guitar (Read 212 times)

mike1762 · « **on:** April 03, 2009, 06:48:43 PM »

To you guitarist out there...
I'm looking for some old-school Ric jangle out of a more economical 12 string guitar. Any suggestions??? I have a recording project on hold awaiting this piece to the puzzle.

57basstra · « **Reply #1 on:** April 03, 2009, 08:21:20 PM »

I have a 12 string Jay Turser Hawk that has some Jangle. I think it's a pretty nice ax for the price. (Check out the Harmony Central User reviews on this one.) Price now seems to be under $350 and I think I paid about $300 for mine.

lbpesq · « **Reply #2 on:** April 04, 2009, 11:23:07 AM »

How about a Variax?

Bill, tgo

cozmik_cowboy · « **Reply #3 on:** April 04, 2009, 01:14:21 PM »

I played a Dean Boca once & liked it pretty much - humbuckers, so maybe not quite as jangley as you're looking for, but they go new under $350.

Peter

mike1762 · « **Reply #4 on:** April 04, 2009, 02:21:08 PM »

I looked at the Hawk, but I think I really need single coil PUPs for the tone I want. A Variax is a thought, but I'd rather have something that actually has 12 strings. I heard some clips of a Danelectro DC12 that (to my ears) sounded pretty darn jangly. Must be the masonite and plywood!!! There are a couple on Ebay now... I'll see if I can snag one.

What happened to Rickenbacker prices??? A 370/12 was less than $1500 not that long ago, now they are over $3000. This economy did not depress instrument prices like I thought it would.

57basstra · « **Reply #5 on:** April 04, 2009, 05:28:31 PM »

I think Rickenbacker is only allowed to make so many instruments per year as per EPA standards in Calif. At least that is what I was told recently during a visit to Chambers Music in Nashville, a Ric dealer. They have a new 330 12 string for $2K (and a 350 6 baNGER for 2.5K) and do not expect to get any more anytime soon.

I also have a 12 string Yamaha Pacifica - another surprisingly nice guitar for the price. It is single coil, but I get more jangle from the Hawk.

Acoustic-wise I have a 12 string acoustic/electric RainSong that is the best playing and sounding 12 string I have ever played. However, not the Ric sound.

lbpesq · « **Reply #6 on:** April 04, 2009, 05:37:56 PM »

Mike:

Have you ever played a Ricky 12? I too lusted for the famous Ricky jangle and picked up a nice 360/12 off of ebay. Beautiful guitar. Unfortunately, I discovered that the neck for the 360/12 is exactly the same width as the regular 360. As a result I found the strings pairs to be too close together to play clean arpeggios. I wound up trading it for another guitar and cash. I then got a Strat XII that I dropped Alembic pickups into and played that until I found my '77 Series I 12 string. One thing that you might try to get more of a Ricky tone is to swap the string positions. IIRC, most 12 strings have the higher tuned, skinnier string on top of each pair, while Rickys have the lower pitched thicker string of each pair on top. If I'm wrong, then it's vice versa. By the way, the Variax has a 1966 Ricky 360/12 setting built right in.

Bill, tgo

crobbins · « **Reply #7 on:** April 04, 2009, 07:26:15 PM »

The Fender Strat 12 strings look nice, but they arent cheap, just under $1,000.00...........

lbpesq · « **Reply #8 on:** April 04, 2009, 09:34:45 PM »

You can pick a used one up for about half that, or just a little more.

Bill, tgo

mike1762 · « **Reply #9 on:** April 05, 2009, 11:35:51 AM »

I was looking at a Agile semi-hollowbody. Made out of mahogany, set-neck... seems well put-together, but I'm not familiar with the brand. I has HBs in it, but I could put some P-90s in it. The more I ponder this, the more I'm considering the Variax. I keep finding myself needing very specific tones, but my wife is going to kill me if I keep bringing new guitars home. If the Variax does what it claims, it could provide for many needs. Bill, do you have a Variax? If so, what are your general impressions?

mike1762 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 05, 2009, 12:42:15 PM »

While we're at it... What effect will body wood have on the output of a piezo PUP??? Is there any reason (other than cosmetic) to get a Variax 700 rather than a 600 (big difference in price). The 700 is carved and made of Mahogany while the 600 is a slab of Basswood. But based on my understanding of piezo PUPs, I don't think the body wood will have a significant (if any) effect on tone.

lbpesq · « **Reply #11 on:** April 05, 2009, 01:57:31 PM »

Mike:

I recently picked up a 700. I'm just starting to grok it, but it is pretty darn cool. I haven't spent much time on the 12 strings settings - I'll try it over the next few days when I get a chance and let you knw. If this is just for a specific project, you might want to consider an older 300 or 500. My understanding is that the electronics are the same. The build on the 700 is supposed to be of a significantly better quality and it looks a lot nicer, IMHO. But if you're just looking to get a sound on a particular project, I would suspect the 300 and 500 would be fine. You can usually get a 300 on ebay for $300-350. Also, you can rip the guts out of the 300 and install it in a better guitar. It will take some routing, but it can be done. There was recently a Strat on ebay with variax guts.

Bill, tgo

zappahead · « **Reply #12 on:** April 05, 2009, 07:54:03 PM »

The nicest 12 string I have played, sound and feel, is my brothers Wendler Electrocoustic. It is around 5 pounds and sounds amazing. You can get one with no options for around 1k. A steal. Unplugged it even sounds like a monster. It plays and sounds amazing. I have had this guitar in my possession while my brother is off in the Army and when he comes back to get it I will be buying one pronto.

benson_murrensun · « **Reply #13 on:** April 06, 2009, 01:04:14 PM »

I like my Strat XII (MIJ). It now sports a Blaster, which seems to make the sound clearer, which is great for a twelver. As far as jangle goes, on this guitar it's all about using the bridge pickup.

peoplechipper · « **Reply #14 on:** April 10, 2009, 11:42:14 PM »

Try to find a '60's Yamaha 12 string electric( the samurai sword headstock era) they are awesome (my old workplace rents theirs out to studios almost constantly...) and they're not that expensive...the six-string is so good I bought two...really. Much easier to play than a Ricky too...Tony.