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12-string guitar or Nashville tuning?

D

DSmolken

Member
A very specific question, but hey, this is probably the best forum to ask.

I've been playing live in an acoustic duo with a singer and we've put a few covers on Youtube (see https://songwriterandproducer.net/community/threads/a-very-obscure-country-cover.26/ for those). All three use Ample's 12-string sample library and two also have "real" acoustic 6-strings recorded. So I'm thinking, maybe I should get a real 12-string. I got a couple of electric guitars I don't really use and could trade. But... if we're not going to use the 12-string live and only for home studio recordings, is there any point to owning an actual 12, or should I just grab a cheap 6-string and string it for Nashville tuning. For those not familiar, Nashville tuning is basically the "extra" strings of a 12-string. Overdub that over a regular 6-string acoustic, and you basically got your 12.
 
It's really a personal choice. 12-string and Nashville-tuned guitars are essentially specialty instruments - they're great for what they do and the sound they offer, but aren't necessarily everyday-type instruments. I might lump baritone guitars into this category, as well. So it really depends on your perceived value in owning one or the other.

I was really happy to finally get a 12-string a few years back. I haven't used it all that much, but it's been great having it handy when the occasional need came up. BTW, I got an inexpensive Washburn model, I think it was only $350, and haven't had any issues with it.

Obviously, a Nashville-tuned 6-string offers more flexibility in both playing and the option to restring to normal tuning, but you can always restring any normal guitar if you need Nashville tuning bad enough. Personally, I prefer the sound, convenience, and physical presence of an actual 12-string.

But like I said, it's really a personal choice...
 
Yeah, it'd be just as a studio tool to use a few times a year. Interesting that you bring up baritone acoustic - actually I kinda thought about that a bit, but then realized I have a big deep hollow-bodied bass guitar that, when overdubbing (or perhaps underdubbing?) a few double-stops beneath a regular acoustic 6-string, pretty much fills the same niche (or perhaps Nietzsche?)
 
I'm no expert, so take this with the proverbial grain of salt. I would expect to have a lot of trouble getting the two six-string guitars to sound like one instrument. If you're going to do this by overdubbing a second live guitar on a first live guitar, you'd better be a pretty good guitar player with solid timing, or the result will just sound like two guitars. I think layering two virtual guitars would be more accurate. But I'm not aware of a VI in Nashville tuning. Does that exist? And, if so, would you be able to match the timbre to a different VI in conventional tuning?
 
Actually I did Nashville tuning in Secret Agent Guitar because it's a 12-string that I sampled one string at a time, so it was trivial. But, well, no strumming engine there, and I'm not programming all that MIDI.

And it's not gonna sound like a 12-string guitar if you layer it on top of a 6 and your goal is to convince people it's a 12-string guitar in an exposed intro or something. But Nashville productions being what they are, there are often a ton of layers and if you're gonna use a 12-string as one (or three) of your many layers to add sparkle, then Nashville tuning makes perfect sense.

And tbh for me it's really a "do I trade a decent electric for a decent 12-string or just spend like $100-200 on some cheap old small-bodied German guitar or even just borrow the singer's" question.
 
I vote for buying a real 12-string. One, because it's the only way you'll get the sound, and two, because it's such a joy to own and play a 12 string.

I'm prejudiced because I love the sound of a 12-string. For many years, my only acoustic guitar was a 12-string. It was a lifelong dream to own one. Now I have an electric 12-string too, as I love the sound of The Byrds and Tom Petty.
 
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Going off on that tangent, the Church, FALAA-era Sisters of Mercy, Sunshine Blind, Lush... I have a very Gen X list of electric 12-string bands.
 
I've never tried it. Seems too much hassle, lol. I have a nice 12 string that I fell in love with when the guitar maker was showing his wares at a local shop. I started playing 'Even in the Quietest Moments' and all heads turned to see who was playing it.
I play it so seldom that I get guilty about it. It's probably worth about €3000, now. Custom Lakewood.
So, my answer would be, get a 12 string, get it set up properly, and enjoy.
 
Reid Rosefelt said:
. . . Now I have an electric 12-string too, as I love the sound of The Byrds and Tom Petty.
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Before arthritis forced me to stop playing guitar, I had two Rickenbacker 12s: a 360/12 and a 620/12 (both Mapleglo), so just curious which electric you ended up with

(The guitarist in our band bought an Italia 12-string at the Orlando Guitar Expo a few years ago, installed Jason Lollar pickups, and it sounds stoopid good through his '65 Deluxe--and its neck makes it much easier to play than the Rics--"Eight Miles High")

edit -- The amp is a '65 Deluxe, not a Deluxe Reverb (I should know better; we've been playing together steadily for twenty-five years in a few different bands)
 
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Double Helix said:
Before arthritis forced me to stop playing guitar, I had two Rickenbacker 12s: a 360/12 and a 620/12 (both Mapleglo), so just curious which electric you ended up with

(The guitarist in our band bought an Italia 12-string at the Orlando Guitar Expo a few years ago, installed Jason Lollar pickups, and it sounds stoopid good through his '65 Deluxe Reverb--and its neck makes it much easier to play than the Rics--"Eight Miles High")
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An Eastwood Classic 12.

Classic 12 2.webp
 
Is it fully hollow, btw? Just for grins, I recently recorded my ES-175-style BC Rich electric miked acoustically and didn't even plug it in. It's got sparkle and if you're gonna highpass a track anyway, the lack of low end is fine. It just needed a little extra compression to tame the transients. So I've been thinking, a fully hollow electric 12 might mike up well enough, too.
 
DSmolken said:
Is it fully hollow, btw? Just for grins, I recently recorded my ES-175-style BC Rich electric miked acoustically and didn't even plug it in. It's got sparkle and if you're gonna highpass a track anyway, the lack of low end is fine. It just needed a little extra compression to tame the transients. So I've been thinking, a fully hollow electric 12 might mike up well enough, too.
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No, it's only semi-hollow. I can play it and hear it without amping it. But I never do as it's too much fun to play amplified.



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