Twelve-string guitar. Customization options

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In the life of a guitarist, there always comes a moment when the familiar instrument no longer delivers its former pleasure. The desire to experience something new, hitherto unknown, inexorably breaks through. Trying to diversify their musical life, some buy a classical guitar with a wide neck and nylon strings. All kinds of electric guitars, bass guitars and even double basses are used. In this case, a twelve-string guitar would be an excellent choice. This exotic instrument will brighten up the leisure of any guitar fan, and its deep sound can win the heart of a musician for years to come.

Rise

For the first time, American craftsmen from the Regal and Oscar Schmidt factories took up the production of 12 string guitars. They took the standard models of guitars produced at these factories as a basis, but added a pair to each string. At first, this innovation did not enjoy much success, but over time the situation has changed. In the 60s of the last century, many eminent musicians began to experiment with sound, including musical instruments. As a result, twelve-stringthe guitar appeared in the songs of the Beatles, Queen, Led Zeppelin and many other star bands.

As many took their cue from the rock idols of the time, the 12-string soon became a common instrument. Its rich sound is perfect for accompaniments. This instrument appeared on the domestic stage much later than abroad. Yuri Shevchuk was one of the first to play the 12-string guitar, and Alexander Rosenbaum also successfully performed with it. Unfortunately, it was not easy to get such an exotic version of the guitar in the USSR, so it began to be used many years after its appearance.

Sound

The sound of a 12-string guitar is much richer than a regular six-string. This is due to the fact that one more string has been added to each string, which is clamped along with it. Thus, more overtones are obtained, the sound becomes more voluminous and diverse. At first, the unearthly sound of the twelve-string simply amazes the musician who is accustomed to the usual six-string instrument.

However, do not forget that it is much more difficult to extract sound from a 12-string guitar than from a regular one. The fact is that her neck is made a little larger to accommodate so many strings. Yes, and clamping two strings instead of one is a difficult and unusual task. But, after two or three weeks of practice, a musician can perfectly adapt to a new instrument and reveal its full potential.

Building

Outwardly 12 string guitar is hardly differentfrom the usual, but in fact it is slightly stronger, as it is forced to withstand the tension of as many as 12 strings. In this case, mainly internal springs suffer, since they bear the main load. Of course, you can make the top thicker, but then the sound of the guitar will completely deteriorate, become flat and high. Thus, such guitars are made by Chinese manufacturers, but playing these dubious fakes is a joyless and useless occupation.

The 12-string guitar also has double the number of tuning pegs and some subtleties in the structure of the neck. The peculiarity of this instrument is that the strings on it must be set in a strictly defined order, since each groove is specially machined for a pair of strings. Despite all the tricks of the manufacturers, twelve-strings rarely live happily ever after. Only expensive and quality guitars survive to old age, their less valuable counterparts usually break down after only a couple of years of use.

Tuning a 12-string guitar

The tuning of the main strings is no different from a regular guitar, but the small, additional strings are not so easy to tune. To tune them without special equipment, you need to have good hearing, which not everyone can boast of. Therefore, it is best to use a special tuner. The first and second pair of strings are tuned in unison, while the rest are built so that one string is an octave lower than the other. So it seems that two instruments are playing, while only one soundstwelve-string guitar.

Thanks to the standard tuning, you can use the usual tabs for a twelve-string guitar. The song will sound the same as it should, but deeper and more varied. It's not uncommon for 12-string guitars to be built in alternate tunings, dropping a semitone or a tone down and sounding amazing.

Should I buy a twelve-string?

If you are buying your first instrument then a 12 string guitar is definitely a bad choice. It makes sense to buy it only if you have already mastered a regular guitar and want to try something new. Do not rush to buy such a tool. For example, if you have mastered the acoustic guitar, then you can start to master the electric guitar, instead of the twelve-string. Often such guitars become just a temporary hobby, if we are not talking about a professional musician who has decided to brighten up his work. In any case, 12 string guitars are usually an additional instrument, hardly any guitarist will leave playing a regular guitar for the sake of such exoticism.

Another problem with purchasing a twelve-string guitar is the cost. It is believed that normal guitars cost at least $200. But the prices for twelve-strings are higher than for a regular instrument. So if you do not want to buy a Chinese log that emits terrifying sobs instead of notes, then you will have to fork out a lot. For those who like to play through an amplifier, there is an electro-acoustic twelve-stringguitar, but they are somewhat rarer than the purely acoustic version.

Interesting tool

It cannot be said that the 12-string revolutionized or influenced music in any way. However, there are musicians who often use this instrument and are able to extract incredible sounds from it. In general, 12-string guitars are not that different from regular ones. If you know how to play a 6-string instrument, then it will not be difficult for you to perform something on a twelve-string. Fortunately, the tabs for the guitar are used here the same. Perhaps the peak of popularity of this interesting instrument has not yet come, but today we can safely say that a bright future awaits the 12-string guitar, filled with the magical sounds of music.