12 string guitar owners - how much do you use 'em?

CaseOfAce

I've been thinking of getting hold of one but debating just how much I'd use it. I guess it's one of those "you don't know until you own one" type dilemmas (I had no idea how much I'd use a bass until getting one last year for the first time).

Are you in the "plays intro riffs to Wish You Were Here / Dead Or Alive - oh that's nice and gets put away along with the wah pedal" type camp or "becomes main acoustic instrument a la John Denver"?
or somewhere in between!?

TheBigDipper

Mine gets used as needed, TBH. It goes out to an open mic as the main instrument 3-4 times per year and otherwise stays at home - just to noodle for recreation or to add parts to songs. 

I use it a lot more than my Ric 330-12… :-(

chrisj1602

I use mine all the time and got rid of my 6 eventually (this was partially wife related, but I needed to cut down and chose the 12). I am a strummer more than a finger picker to be fair.

ICBM

More than my wah pedal, but not enough to really justify keeping it. I do, because I know that if I sold it I *definitely* couldn’t justify another one as good, so I’d probably buy a cheap one, and it would always make me miss the good one. (1971 Martin D12-35.)

Also, I’ve used it on every serious recording project I’ve ever done. I have played one better, a friend’s D12-20, but when she sold it I couldn’t bring myself to buy it and sell mine.

markv

About once a month, sadly. I love the sound but I'm definitely in the first camp. And since one of my pieces on it is the intro to Greg Lake's "I Believe in Father Christmas", there's a very limited number of months in the year that I can play it without being shouted at!

Open_G

I had one for 20 years. It was always accessible to me but I ended up not playing it that much due to the physical effort of fretting it. Even tuned down to D it was hard work. If I’m honest I really don’t regret selling it. But I enjoyed owning one. 

Caffeine_Vampire

I saw a gorgeous 9 stringer the other day that gave me compromising thoughts.

Tone71

Bowie’s back catalogue is good for a 12 string, I sold mine though once the novelty wore off, but did enjoy it and often get tempted again

ESBlonde

About every 6 weeks in public. Probably twice that at home. As an old git I find more than 3 songs makes my wrist ache, but the effort is worth it. 

We have a monthly acoustic only Sunday afternoon pub session in my local, if I’m available the 12 string comes along. It’s a fun and creative sound. Mine was bought cheap at auction so I can justify having it hanging about (and a cheap nylon strung too for variety).

guycp

I’d love to get a good 12 string for the wonderfull Leo Kotke, John Fahey and Jack Rose stuff!

Stratavarious

I owned one for a while and borrowed a nice Guild 12 string but they were too niche and the bigger neck and tougher fretting, tiresome.

Nashville tuning sounds 90% the same in a band setting and is a lot easier to tune.  So if you have a spare guitar, try that.

iaingb

I learned to play acoustic decades ago on a second-hand Hohner jumbo 12- string,lucky for me it was set up well by the previous owner,I didn’t know any different back then so I just got on with it,over the years I’ve owned various models,but discovered Guild a few years ago, I play my F512 an hour or so every day,I’m retired,so have the time,they are not everyone’s cup of tea,but I love the sound, at the occasional jam I attend,I don’t find players queuing up to play it, as for material,I like to try playing some Leo Kottke and other lesser known players,it certainly is challenging,but then who said playing guitar was easy,it’s all part of the fun.

Soupman

Recently got rid of a Fender 12.
Neck like a baseball bat, fingerboard as wide as a 4 lane motorway.
Played it mostly at home, about 3 times a year. After playing 3 tunes everything sounded the same. Boring. (I can't play like Leo Kottke, and bright enough to know I never will !).

Only one regret - that I didn't get shot of it ten years earlier! 

PS Have you ever tried keeping one in tune with changing temperatures? Good luck!

Open_G

Soupman said:

PS Have you ever tried keeping one in tune with changing temperatures? Good luck!

Even worse is thinking… Ooh I fancy playing something in DADGAD or some such nonsense. 2 hours later you’re still tweaking. 

drofluf

Ive had two, electric and acoustic, but only played ithe acoustic once a week; I play fingerstyle with quite a gentle touch so getting a balanced sound, especially on the G was a challenge. I even moved to a unison tuning on the G which helped. 

At the end of the day it felt like I was only playing it to justify owning it so I moved it on. 

The electric was my first build, for a kit. Messed up the set neck and had to “submerge” the bridge. Once I’d got it vaguely playable I realised the neck was too narrow so that got moved on as well.

tomjax

I have a lovely Guild 12 String. Have to admit it gets used far more rarely than it deserves, as I'm mainly a finger picker, but it's an absolute blast to play when I do reach for it (and then it'll be out of the case for a good week or so before it gets locked away for weeks again).

I'd be sorry to see it go, but it's definitely not high on the guitar rotation list. 

Whistler

I have two acoustic 12-string guitars (Faith and Guild) and neither have been used since November 2018 (I remember the gig) so I should consider selling one or both.

bluecat

I had a lovely sounding 12 string, I would go to it not often enough, I just did not enjoy playing it. I am not a strummer but it was hard to play it fingerstyle. I am not one for moving guitars on but this one had to go to a new home, I hope it is very happy.

munckee

Had a lovely rickenbacker 12 string 360 (clanger if anyone remembers that one of soup dragons heritage), was too narrow a neck to have as a 12 string and sacrilege to have it as a 6 string so I sold it, do miss it though.

Kittyfrisk

My Eko Ranger 12 has always been easy to play & the tuning holds well, no matter how long it is left unplayed.
Just lucky I guess 

mikew

They look ace. They sound ace. But as has been mentioned you tend to end up playing 70s and 80s intros. Guitar I got for my 21st was a 12 string. Should have realised then but I now have 3 almost 30 years later. And I still play the same intros. 

Thought I’d get into Kottke and leadbelly. But turns out it’s quite difficult compared with 70s riffs!!