12 String Guitar Advice

[guitar344]

Be careful not to tune the hi g string above standard. Even tuning it to G# could snap it.

[TheGITM]

I just restrung my 12 string yesterday...

From a 'regular guitar maintenance' point of view, is there anything worse than changing strings on a 12 string?

[Tramsnad]

The two 12 string acoustics I have the most experience with are my 1971 Martin D12-35 and my dad's Taylor 355 from 2000.

When I first bought the Martin it wasn't fully playable, which was ok since I got it for a good deal. I then left it with a luthier/repair shop for a couple of months to be brought back to life. A neck re-set, cracks repaired, humidified, setup, K&K install, etc. later and its a great guitar. I've used it live, recording and at home, and every time I play it I think to myself "man, this is way too nice of a guitar and I need to play it more" but being a 12 string I don't pull it out all that often.

The Taylor was bought used sight unseen and has always played well. Rightly or wrongly, I think of the Taylor as a strummer compared to the Martin. Maybe I just need to play it more, but it is really great sounding as well. The Taylor is easier to play but less vibey?

They are both great and you can't really go wrong with either.

This song has my Martin featured pretty prominently. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYHg2kU5WsE

[67goat]

Originally Posted by TheGITM

I just restrung my 12 string yesterday...

From a 'regular guitar maintenance' point of view, is there anything worse than changing strings on a 12 string?

A double neck? Or even worse, a 12+8 harp guitar?

[TheGITM]

Originally Posted by 67goat

A double neck? Or even worse, a 12+8 harp guitar?

Fair points.

[martingitdave]

The Yamaha LL-16-12 arrived today. FedEx lost it for a few days. But they eventually found it and delivered it, albeit with a broken outter box. Sweetwater was smart to use two boxes. I thought it was wasteful at one point, but no more.

The Yamaha is well made. Not up to Martin standards but about 90% of that. There’s some plastic binding here or there that might have been cleaner. So be it. As for tone, it’s where I expected it to be. Bolder than the Taylor and a bit softer than the Martins and Jumbo Guilds. The neck is nice. It’s a C shape and a bit deeper than the Taylor. It’s also a bit narrower in terms of spacing and width. By a hair. I haven’t played it enough to really complain. [emoji1787]

I haven’t had a straight braced guitar in a while. But they are nice to listen to. The pickup is a bit weak but will clean up with the IR pedal.

So it checks the boxes for satisfying my ears and left hand. Right hand spacing to be determined. I don’t think I would spend the money on another laminate guitar from Taylor. I think Yamaha, Eastman, Breedlove, and Alvarez solid wood models may be better for the same price.

[Bob Womack]

12 String Guitar Advice

Buy early, buy often.

Bob

[redi]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

This is gold. Makes sense and seems like they should do it from the factory. Though I haven’t tried playing one myself, it LOOKS better too.

Indeed it is. I did one guitar this weekend and posted about it in another thread. Took a pic.

Going to do another as soon as I can get to it. Night and day difference. Factory might find it challenging in mass production, IDK.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by redi

Indeed it is. I did one guitar this weekend and posted about it in another thread. Took a pic.

Going to do another as soon as I can get to it. Night and day difference. Factory might find it challenging in mass production, IDK.

Saw your thread. Well done!

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

12 String Guitar Advice

Buy early, buy often.

Bob

Bob, always brings the best advice. Perhaps a little late, but accurate.

[martingitdave]

Final update to this thread:

The Yamaha LL-16-12 is a great guitar. But the spacing is simply too tight. Back it goes. In terms of playing comfort, there’s no competition with my laminate Taylor.

So, I decided to upgrade to a used Taylor circa (2017?) 656ce from a local retailer who got it in as a trade. Appears to be in 9/10 condition at least. Everything works. Neck angle is spot on already. No dings, cracks or scratches. Kudos to the previous owner for taking good care of it, as I do my guitars.

This is the brown sugar rubbed finished Maple back and sides and torrefied spruce top Andy Powers released a while back. No longer made. Got a very good deal and it rings! These models always confused me because they didn’t sound bright like maple usually does. It’s much more like walnut, or a rosewood derivative. Very pretty sounding with some chunk.

Since these guitars are no longer made, or X braced, I think this is the one I’ll be playing for a long time.

[Glennwillow]

That sounds like it will be a very nice guitar, Dave! I'm looking forward to hearing more about how it works out for you!

I was curious, too, about how the Yamaha LL-16-12 would work out for you. The spacing at the nut is a little narrower than Taylor's spacing. All very interesting!

I hope you are feeling well.

- Glenn

[rmoretti49]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Final update to this thread:

The Yamaha LL-16-12 is a great guitar. But the spacing is simply too tight. Back it goes. In terms of playing comfort, there’s no competition with my laminate Taylor.

So, I decided to upgrade to a used Taylor circa (2017?) 656ce from a local retailer who got it in as a trade. Appears to be in 9/10 condition at least. Everything works. Neck angle is spot on already. No dings, cracks or scratches. Kudos to the previous owner for taking good care of it, as I do my guitars.

This is the brown sugar rubbed finished Maple back and sides and torrefied spruce top Andy Powers released a while back. No longer made. Got a very good deal and it rings! These models always confused me because they didn’t sound bright like maple usually does. It’s much more like walnut, or a rosewood derivative. Very pretty sounding with some chunk.

Since these guitars are no longer made, or X braced, I think this is the one I’ll be playing for a long time.

Dave,

I suspect you will very much like the Taylor 656ce. I have owned the 856 for about 10 years. It certainly has some of the brightness that Taylors are known for, but it also has a surprisingly resonant bass. And, of course, it is the easiest to play of my 3 twelve string guitars. The size is quite comfortable, too, unlike the Guild F512.

I have upgraded mine with Taylor's double-compensated saddle, which you might want to look into. And I often string it with Newtone Heritage strings, which are low tension.

[martingitdave]

Not so fast! It wouldn’t be an Internet forum without a dubious ending. I brought the guitar home. After which, I decided to give it the full 9 yards in terms of maintenance. Took all the strings off, cleaned the polished the whole guitar, polished the frets, adjusted the tuning machines and tightened, adjusted the ES two screws and finally, I put a set of elixir 10 to 47 phosphor bronze strings. She looked new. Tuned D to D.

About 30 min… crack. The bridge came up! As you can imagine I was more than a little frustrated. I had already spent nearly three hours in the car acquiring this guitar and traded in my other 12 string in the process. I took it to my local shop for a repair estimate. They said it looked like it had been an attempted with at least two different kinds of glue.

The cost of $300 was kind of high, but the biggest concern was the three weeks at least it would take to get it back. I have a gig next week. Moreover, there was some serious concern about the stability of the repair and the condition of the wood underneath the bridge.

So back in the car to the original retailer, I did go. They apologized profusely and indicated that they were not aware of the problem when they sold it to me. I’m willing to believe that. In return, they offered to sell me any 12 string guitar my heart desired at a very steep discount, cost basically.

That’s really only a small silver lining, because I really didn’t want a new expensive guitar. I was just looking for something to play around town. In the end, however, I chose the Martin HD 12–28. It should be here in a few days. Cost wise, it’s OK. And I know it’s going to sound and play well. But man was I really enthralled with the sound of that Taylor and thought I’d found a gem.

Thanks for following the thread. Best to everyone.

[Coler]

Tough break there.

I guess you have ended up with a great guitar at least. Good that the seller looked after you.