12 string guitars... you're feelings, your instruments, your choices?

[steelguitar]

Hi all friends!!!

I am interested in playing 12 strings guitar and buy one, but I don't know a lot about this instrument...
If you have a 12 strings guitar, play it, what are the best companies making 12 strings guitar in a mid range price? (for me, between 400 euros and 700 euros)
What recommandations could you tell me before buying it?

Musically

Jean-Sébastien

[Burtog]

Do you mean acoustic or electric??

[Facemask93]

Hi Jean , this might be of interest to you , it's over in the Guitars & bass section

http://guitarbuyermagazine.com/gear/7-guitars/992-italia-rimini-6-a-12-.html

I did own a twelve string but sold it because I found it too difficult to fingerpick , I think basically it's down to trying as many as you can for the style you wish to play in , mine was a £300 Takamine , sounded great for strumming open position chords mind

Rob

[steelguitar]

Hi Burtog, I want to play an acoustic one, more precisely an electric-acoustic one with cutaway...
More precisely, I don't like the dreadnough format, I prefer the jumbo size...

Hi Rob, that you for your replie : it's interesting to know that a 12 string guitar is difficult to play on fingerpicking
I 'm gonna think about it

Jean-Sébastien

[dobrodaddy]

Hi Jean-Sébastien

12 strings are tough for fingerstyle, but not impossible.  Tricky to get both strings, especially [for me] on the bass side w the thumb.  But there are lots of ways to tackle 12 strings.  Styles range from Leadbelly to Leo Kottke to Roger McGuinn.

String sets are more expensive and takes longer to change strings... 

I  played a 12 string [Framus] 35 years ago.  Can't really speak to current builders.  Lots more good mid-range price guitars out there  now. 

I guess main question is how do you envision using the 12 string?  It is primarily a rhythm instrument, so I'm curious about the cutaway.  DD

[Bluesberry]

Hi Jean, if I were to get a 12 string, and I will have one some day, I would get a Seagull.  I am very taken with the Seagull brand, I love them, fantastic guitars for the price.  This is the one I want to get when I am ready for the 12 string lifestyle.........
http://seagullguitars.com/seagull_coastline_s12_cedar.html
http://en.euroguitar.com/guitar/seagull/coastline/s12-cedar/117162.html

[T.C. Elliott]

I owned a fender 12 string acoustic many years ago that was fairly easy to fret and had a nice sound to it. The best advice is always to go try as many as you can and then decide. It is well worth it for me to go the 100+ miles to K.C. or St. Louis and try em out to get an idea.

I just saw an Alverez in a pawn shop that I was tempted to try out. But if I try it out I might want it. And I don't have the cash for a 12 string right now. Back when I had mine I played the hell out of it. At the time I was deep into the blues and I was bending double high E and double high B strings and tearing the hell out of my fingers. But I was also drunk and boy it was fun treating it like a 6 string. But I don't recommend it. I tell you that just so you know it *is* possible to play it however you want if you get a decent one, but be prepared for some pain and learning.

A friend said he left the doubled strings off of the high strings and just doubled the bass strings and had a decent cool open sound but could still play some "lead" single note lines.

Good luck.

[steelguitar]

Thank you a lot for your replies!!!!
dobrodaddy, I want to play 12 string guitar, but not with a precise way in my mind...

- first,  I think just a normal rythm playing will be cool on a 12 string. for exemple, David Bowie played a 12 string guitar for his three or four debut albums, and he has a sound I like on his songs

- two, I know that a 12 string guitar is harder than a 6 string due to the difficult to bend easily the strings : gauge and tension more important. But nowadays, a lot of brands built 12 strings guitar that are more easy to play than forty years ago. So, a priori, the cutaway on a 12 string guitar is not a strange thing for me.

- three, for a lot of guitar players, a 12 string guitar is considered as a specific instrument, different from the 6 string guitar. So, like said TC Elliot, Isurely have to learn to use the specific ways of guitar playing on a 12 string guitar

Thank you a lot for your advices!!!
Musically
Jean-Sébastien

[peterp]

I had an Ariana 12 string until the neck split  

A Martin D12X1AE might fit your budget, so would a Canadian made Seagull Coastline 12

Both are dreads though,
the Martin is mostly man made materials like stratabond, richlite, HPL, while the seagull is made of wood and wood laminates.
Built in electronics can add another 100-150 to the price tag pushing them out of your intended range.
A cutaway also adds about the same 100-150 over top the price of the same guitar without a cutaway.

I have a Seagull Maritime SWS 6 string and it is very well made.