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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I just got a cheapie 12. It actually has nice action and all that for... Whatever it is. Anyway, I have read many suggested tunings. Standard, drop D, dropping the whole thing to c-f-b-e-g-c, doubling-up the G string along with the e and b...
Obviously I have never had one of these of my own... So can those of you with more experience give me any advice?
While I wait, I will strum on my six string...
I sorta know how to do that. |
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Location: Hiram, Georgia | I'm in the same boat as you Arthur, I'm looking forward to learning a lot in this thread. Thanks in advance guys! phil |
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Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Some of the reasons for dropping the tuning is to reduce the stress on the neck. "O"'s don't have that problem, so tuning to "concert" pitch is no problem. As to the esoterics of alternate tunings, I will defer to someone who can offer something more than conjecture. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Pssst, seesquare... it ain't an Ovation. Don't tell anybody.
But in that article that mention doubling-up all three high strings, they mentioned that the High G is higher than the thin E. That some folks liked the extra ring of that G, some scrimped because of breakage. It also mentioned that some chords for a sixer sound crappy on a twelve, and vice-versa. I got it tuned standard now.
This thing is new, came with a 30 day return-if-you-don't-like-it guarantee, and a 5 year parts warranty, so it should take the added tension. I just got it to learn.
Then the Ovation.
I am still open to pros & cons of alternate tunings.
I also am interested in song suggestions to look-up, besides ones that I already play now. |
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Posts: 5575
Location: big island | one excellent 12 string song in standard tuning is "wreck of the edmund fitzgerald" by gordon lightfoot. i did not take time to google the chords/lyrics for you but it is found easily. |
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Location: big island | http://www.guitaretab.com/l/lightfoot-gordon/10535.html
here ya go... |
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Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | i taught my self tush today on my 12...i didnt have a clue how to tune so i tuned the heavys to pitch then the octaves to pitch..sound good to my ears..lol...jason |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Thanx, I go searching for that. Pre-senility, I go to chord/tab sites, then can't think of a song that I wanna find. I want... I want... 30 tacos. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Jason, I'm lucky and surprised... My cheap digital tuner actually works with a 12, once I got started. That Stellar (there, I said it) came with totally loose strings so I had to start from scratch. That's when I started this thread. Tuned the top and bottom E's to my O... then went from there.
(Glad I have guitars. Hate to try that by EAR. HA!!!) |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Lanaki-- That is awesome on a twelve! I almost sound like I know what I'm doing! |
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Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | I've been playing 12 strings since '74 (with a 20 year break in there somewhere). My 1st 12 was/is a Madeira...not a great name in guitars. I tuned it right up there with the 6 strings and had no problems. Just make sure you adjust the trussrod (does it have a trussrod?) so the action is correct. If they left it loose at the factory you could do some damage.
Try capoing at the 5th fret. 12 strings make some magical sounds up there.
I hope your guitar turns out to be OK. It's a great way to be introduced to this side of the guitar world.
John <>{ |
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Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | I've had my Martin 12 since 1970. It was my only guitar for 30+ years and I had it tuned to full concert pitch for 29 of them. It was one of the most beautiful sounding guitars I'd ever heard. It wasn't until I took it in to see if they could do anything about the high action that a luthier told me I should always tune it down at least 1/2 step if not 1 hole step. I had him do a neck reset and the guitar has never sounded good or played well since. I think I should have left it at full pitch and not let him touch it. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Ovation 12's have the best necks going. You can tune them to concert pitch and leave them for decades. The only non-O 12 I wever owned was a yamaka was was ok, but I used to tune it down 1/2 step and capo at 1st fret just because it made the action so much better. Dave |
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Posts: 61
Location: us | I have a alvarez 12. one of the only three non-ovation guitars I have. I hung on to this one because alvarez with thier rapidly declining qaulity,managed to build this one right. Its a AD60-12 artist.this thing has a perfect action,sounds and plays great,and its a relatively cheap guitar($340). Its not often I play her, but for songs like "wanted dead or alive" "hotel california" and some of pink floyd's stuff the 12 shines like no 6 string can. I have always had at least one 12 string around, and have always kept them tuned to standard 440 with no ill results from the neck. I Hope to have a 6756LX Legend in black maybe this spring.I played one of these and loved it,the price is also within my short term reach :D |
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Location: Warren,Pa. | I've had a 12 string Papoose on my mind for quite some time, but at $700 I don't think it'll ever happen since it's sort of an "accessory" guitar.
John <>{ |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Wish You Were Here, first thing I play on anything I pick up, sounds scary-good on this thing. The action is excellent. If it starts to change over time, it does have a truss rod. For the price, this is good for me to get the feel for a 12, and know what I am looking for in a higher $ model. If it self-destructs, I didn't lose much. And that may mean it's time to get something better.
And Willard, that stuff happens with other things, too. "No no, the timing and carburetor are set all wrong. Let me fix it." Then it is never as good again, and you can't get it back. |
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Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado | I have always tuned my 12s to standard without any problem. My Giannini (see my gallery) was bought in 70 and has been tuned to standard all this time with no problem. I did have a guy who was something of a guitar historian tell me that twelve string guitars were not originally designed to be tuned EADGE. He showed me the tuning, but I don't remember what it was. I do remember it sounded like a tuning the Joni Mitchell sometimes uses. To be on the safe side, I have never used very heavy gauge strings on my 12s. Hope this helps
Cc |
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Posts: 387
Location: Whitecourt, Ab | I have been lurking on this thread, as I bought my son a cheap 12 string for Christmas, and don't have a clue how to tune it for him.
I thought I had read somewhere else on this site that a common tuning is E A D G(the 2 strings the same)the B&E main strings tuned B&E, but the secondary B&E differently?
I assume I'm "out to lunch" on this. Any ideas? |
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Location: Tidal Mudflats of Virginia | The B & E are tuned the same pitch on both sets of strings...The E A D G have the second (smaller diameter strings) tuned one octive higher or the same as the lower string fretted at the 12th fret. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Okay Red; Coming from the novice, the hi E & B, both stings are the same. Everything else is tune like usual on the bigger strings. The lighter stings an octave higher. This leaves the higher G string the highest tuned string outta them all. Confused yet?
On my cheapie LED tuner, all the strings light-up true... Except the higher string on the Low E lights-up my hi E LED.
I really hope that is helpfull, but maybe someone else can explain better.
"How long does it take to tune a 12-String?"
"No-one knows." |
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Posts: 4046
Location: Utah | I've got a nice Alvarez that I bought new in 1978. So far no problems with concert pitch.
Tuning down one whole step does make it sound fuller, and it is easier to play due to the lower string tension. But I still prefer concert pitch.
One problem with 12s is intonation. I find that if it is tuned perfectly, it plays out of tune. So I tune it, then bring the octave D string in tune with a D played on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string. I tune the octave A to the A played on the 3rd string on the 2nd fret. Basically, I make the higher octave strings play in tune with the other strings, rather than being a perfect octave with the mated string. It is a small change, but it makes a big difference when playing chords in the first 3 frets. |
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Location: Warren,Pa. | OMA,
Your Stellar (I looked it up) seems like it's spec'd exactly like my early '70's Madeira...with some updates. THAT'S a very nice guitar for the money! Hold your head up high and don't be ashamed!
John <>{ |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Not too ashamed... It has nice action too. Not too loud, which is good in an apt building. I can always plug-it-in.
You may have noticed with this thread, many OFC members are admitting to committing adultery with lesser git-boxes.
Oh! An FlySig, Thanx. That sounds like good advice. I'll give that a try next time I tune. Which oughta be next time I touch it. Which oughta be frequently... |
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December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | "i tuned the heavys to pitch then the octaves to pitch..."
That's how its done.
Standard is the standard, because that's what everyone else is playing in.
I did put hevy gage on a Pacemaker once and tuned it D to D. It rumbled.
Try tuning down one step and use a Schubb cut capo. Phrasing will be normal and it will have a neat chimy sound. |
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Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | i didnt like the way the ej's felt so i put elixer 13's on it today and man that thig is a tone monster...i tuned a half step down because the neck isant ovation and i didnt wanna screw the durn thing up...jason |
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12-String Tuning?
