Welcome!

Welcome to All About 12 strings. We intend to deliver all that our name promises, but these things take time. However there are a ton of great articles to get you started. Leave any comments, grievances and requests in the comment boxes and enjoy. If you'd like to submit an article, email it to equaltocody@yahoo.com!

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Should i buy a 12 string guitar?
About alternate tunings
---Why alternate tune
---Open tunings
---Dropped tunings
---Experimental tunings
Unconventianally strung 12 strings
Guitar players to use a 12 string. (long version)
Who plays a 12 string guitar?
Tuning a 12 string guitar when you already know how to tune a guitar
How to tune a 12 string
What is the difference between a 12 string and a 6 string guitar?
Can i use a normal (6 string) capo?
How to sound like a mandolin

Product Reviews
---Franklin 3" guitar strap
---Kyser Capo
---Takamine G series
---Lute hole

12 string related Videos
---Paul Brett- double trouble
---Leo Kottke- Vaseline Machine gun
---Jimi Hendrix- Hear my train a-comin'

What can i do to follow your blog?

Please, leave comments and rate the articles, any one can do it- it doesn't even take a blogger account or any signing up. It will help me to make a better more informative site. I try do an article each dayso book mark us and check back soon.

Product reveiw- Lute Hole

I wanna keep this short. If you perform live (especially at places with cheaper a mic,) you will need one of these. You don't waana mess with feed back when you work so hard to get your levels straight.

People get these for their 6 strings and with 12s it's more important, as there is a lot more high frequency. (which is typically picked up by mics easier) These feedback suppressors work well. I've found that thay are gorgeous, easy to use (I had to sand mine down, it took like a minute then it was good.)

There are cheaper sound hole covers, but they are typically ugly, and the plastic is much harder to form fit.

at lutehole.com they have a great selection, but if you wanna go cheaper guitarcenter was the lowest i could find.

In short, get one.

Takmine G-seies

The Takamine EG523SC-12 is an acoustic with electric capabilities, a jumbo body with a cut away for upper neck playing, with a nice sound and i think it has a great sound for the price and is very high quality. It has a solid spruce top maple back and sides. It has notch filters, 3-band EQ, and a chromatic tuner. It has a good inner-integrity, that is designed to prevent warping even after years of use, which is important for a 12 string guitar due to the extra tension. I love the lower register on this guitar, very clean, and the higher register is very chorus like- perfect for my playing and it can add color for a solo performer.

Here's the low down-
Good things- Great tone, very nice, affordable, pickups sound great good integrity. Capable of playing different playing styles and great for strumming. Cut away is nice, not many guitars have the cut-away feature.

Bad thing- Tuner is nice, however it doesn't work as well as i would like. (An easy problem to fix though) The tops of the string are differentiated that while finger picking it is easy to miss one octave, if finger picking is your main style look at another type.

Things to consider- I found it very hard to find a case, had to order one. the large headstock and jumbo body don't fit in most cases. Most string winders don't work, and you need a quality capo.

(Thanks to Elderly instruments for the picture)

EDIT- the neck is larger (think classical guitar size) I like ths as with the extra stinge the width is needed for fingerpicking.

Understanding the mandolin as a guitar player

Unless your a bluegrass player, most people i know are unfamiliar with the Mandolin. I tell my friends who have never seen one that it's like a ukulele and a 12 string guitar had a baby. They are tuned GDEA (low to high) with four courses of strings tuned in unison , eight total. Traditionally the mandolin has allot of roots in jigs and traditional music in many countries, as americans we are most aware of the irish music played on mandolin. Today you see it most often in bluegrass and folk, sometimes in country. Every now and then even stranger places, like Led Zepplin's going to california. It has a high pitch and a distinct playing style, usually players use a pick and do one string runs though chords also are used. Best way to get a feel of it is to go on you tube and check it out. I'll post some good links soon.

Tuning a guitar to sound like a mandolin

Or; fifth tune and Capo
A mandolin is tuned in fifths. So to imitate that sound we'll tune the guitar to fifths. (Alternate tunings discussed here) And even though mandolins are tuned in unison notes, we'll keep the octave differences on the D and G courses. This tuning requires allot less change that tuning it exactly as a mandolin is tuned.

If you do fith tuning;

dD stays the same
gG goes to aA
BB goes EE
EE goes BB

(If anyone is scared of the tension put on the strings by this lower all strings by a half step or more, then capo higher)

If we put a capo on the 5th fret we can even have a gGdDAAEE exactly like a mandolin!

How to sound like a mandolin on a guitar!

All of this advice will apply to all types of guitars. However, with a 12 string being strung in courses it is capable of giving of a sound especially similar to a mandolin. Depending on your guitar you will need to adapt to get the closest sound, so here's some suggestions.
Click on the link for the lesson.

1- Understanding the mandolin
2- Fifth tune and capo
3- Playing style
4- picking style



UNDER CONSTRUCTION COME BACK SOON

Franklin 3" guitar strap

Franklin 3" leather guitar strap

I'm a big fan of this strap. It's on the higher end as far as straps go, but i think the extra cost is justified. The leather not only adds mojo by being cool and rustic, it also is of a durable soft leather. And by being so thick (it's two layers of leather) it is really easy on your shoulder. Which is especially convenient for those of us with jumbo body guitars, or who are on their feet for a long time. There is no need to fuss with the strap, and it stays on your shoulder really well. I will probably never use any other straps, this is the best strap I've had chance to use. If you don't have one, go get one.

(side note, a friend of mine said "this is the only strap i would play guitar with naked"- They should adopt this as their motto : ) )