McGuinn’s solo in Eight Miles High from the album Fifth Dimension uses Coltrane-inspired runs performed with his electric 12-string guitar to create a psychedelic and mystical mood quite unique in the history of recorded music at the time. Perhaps its most famous user was Roger McGuinn of the Byrds. The Rickenbacker electric 12-string guitar was used extensively by the Beatles and George Harrison in particular on the album A Hard Day’s Night. However, the effect of amplifying the 12-string creates quite a unique voice in its own right. These share many of the sonic and playability characteristics of their acoustic cousins. Other players who have used the acoustic 12-string guitar include Blind Willie McTell, Richie Havens, Don Felder (Eagles), Dave Gilmore and David Bowie.Ī number of manufacturers also offer electric 12-string guitars. It is also arguably harder to play finger style on a 12-string guitar and so it may be more suited to players wishing to use it as an accompanying instrument rather than a lead guitar, although this did not stop Leo Kottke using the 12-string guitar as a solo finger style and slide instrument to great effect in the seminal 1969 recording “6- and 12- string guitar”. The strings can be slightly difficult to finger cleanly and often the neck is significantly wider than a similar six string guitar so can take some getting used to. Some players may find acoustic 12-string guitars a little tricky to play. However, it can sometimes sound a little too expansive when used in a band setting or dense in a recorded mix, and may need sparing arrangements and/or studio engineering to make it fit within a track. This makes it the perfect instrument for accompanying big-voiced singers or solo artists wanting to fill lots of space with a single guitar.
Progressive tension guitar strings theory full#
It sounds very full and slightly chorused as a result of the doubled notes being struck at fractionally different times and inevitably being fractionally out of tune with one another no matter how carefully the instrument has been tuned and intonated. The acoustic 12-string guitar has a big booming tone with deep low end and chiming highs. These additional courses are normally tuned to the same notes as the corresponding main string, however, the lowest four strings are generally an octave higher in most cases with the top two strings in unison. Popular with folk, blues and rock players of the 1960s and 70s the 12-string guitar has a second course doubling each of the traditional six strings of the guitar.
Probably the most recognised alternative-stringed guitar is the 12-string variation of the instrument.
5 Other related alternative-stringed guitars The 12 String Guitar
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