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Having said that it's hard to play a set where most of the songs are 6 string on a 12 string - well maybe not hard but they sound odd. If I had the money I would get a Fender XII alternate reality or a Harley Benton.
It's a pig to tune, but not impossible. Mainly due to the time it takes and the closeness of the tuners. Oh yes, and my lack of patience!
It's a decent guitar though, cheap as chips although they've been creeping up in value a bit, but being a Yamaha they're well built and thought out. Universal route so you could drop humbuckers in with a new pickguard. I'd love a Ricky 12 but having that value hung on the wall for the rare outing would bother me.
I'd probably replace it with a Dano 12 if one came up, but they're in a different price bracket.
With the massive difference in string tension between 6 and 12 strings, I'd be amazed if it doesn't bugger your action warranting a truss rod tweak.
Of the two, although the Ric is the more 'iconic', the Fender is a better guitar to play, much more akin to a six-string (albeit one with a wide neck). The Rickenbacker of course has the RIckenbacker sound.
Contrary to what @chris45 says, string bends are very do-able on the Fender (takes a bit more effort than on a six, admittedly).
At the end of the day, it all comes down to what you want it to do... light picks and compression give you a particular type of sound, but I always use my usual Dunlop nylon 75s. Careful fingering is important on the Ric with it's narrower string spacing, but the Fender is much more forgiving and would even suit those of the 'sausage-fingered' persuasion. I've used mine for all sorts of things from the archetypal jangly Byrds/ Church/ REM Rickenbacker stuff to indie and heavy rock, so they shouldn't be pigeonholed as 'specialist' particularly, although they aren't all-rounders either.
Apart from the two I own, in the past I've had a Burns Double-Six re-issue, which was disappointing both tonally and as a player, a Hondo Fame which was awful and a DeArmond S73-12, which I have regretted letting go ever since I sold it - if you can find one I'd thoroughly recommend getting it!
Otherwise the Danelectros are the best, and probably most easily obtainable electric 12s - great sound and nice players.
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I really enjoy it, I do less bending on an acoustic so that's not really an issue & it just sounds great.
It takes a while to get used to, but it's not difficult.
Tuning is fine, but I also play mandolin so perhaps in used to more strings! I tune to D standard to take some pressure off the bridge.
I don't know if it'll ever be my only/main instrument but it does something unique & I love how songs sound on it.
Oh, wow, that's great! My first guitar is a Sigma, and it's still my most treasured guitar. One of the reasons I made a 12 string electric was because it takes up less space than an acoustic, so I can't see me buying one of these, even though I'd really love one.
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Nothing sounds like a 12 string!
A thing I always used to do with 12-strings was to tune them to D and then stick a capo on the second fret. However, with this one, I tried the same and it sounded horrible - really thin and crashy, no body at all.
i ended up tuning it to E standard, and it sounds loads better, at the cost of a slightly stiffer playing feel.
Currently armed with 1989 Sigma DM12 and Gretsch G6122/12 which is ,I think, the best 12 string money can buy.
If you want to dip your toe get a used Danelectro DC59/12 , fabulous instruments, great fun to play
Why is changing the strings a ballache? Is it because the thinner strings are super thin and slide out of the slots etc?
String changing is not that much more of a hassle than a six really, just takes longer. Although a Rickenbacker with an 'R' tailpiece is akin to doing a string change on a Bigsby'd six-string, i.e. a bit of a faff, but necessary.
Having said that, restringing a 12-string is much more fun than re-stringing a sitar!