The ShadowMusic Web Community

Hi

As the owner and player of amongst other guitars several acoustic 12 string guitars since 1964 I thought I'd add my tuppence worth to this thread.

The original way a 12 string was strung by the likes of Huddie leadbetter in the 1940's was as the Rickenbacker with the bass string on top but by the time the 12string was widely adopted by the Folk Music boom of the 1960's the standard stringing had become octave string 1st.

I have tried both but have always prefered the jangly sound produced by having the octave string struck 1st.

I think the answer to your question is to use whichever style best suits what you wish to do on the guitar.

Hope this is of help.

Maurice

I first heard a 12 string acoustic watching the Rooftop Singers, with a session guy on TV in 1963 with them playing Walk Right In- he did the backing and solo parts- magic sound!

12's are addictive, haven't had one for a few years, still crave one..!

Yes I well remember Walk Right In as well.

It was the first time I had heard a 12string guitar.

The following year I got My 1st one - a deluxe Framus - the same model as used by The Seekers. It cost £42.12.6d. A lot of money in those days.

I still sing and play Walk Right In to this day.

Maurice

Hmmm... so many topics...

It is true that the (American) Rooftop Singers had the main USA and UK hit with the 1920s song Walk Right In, but I'm not sure that they appeared on British television. The Kestrels (a vocal group) did a UK cover of the record and I'm fairly sure that it was they who appeared on "Thank Your Lucky Stars", miming to their record and accompanied by a session guitarist "playing" a 12-string jumbo, clad in a check shirt. It was the first time I'd ever heard of a 12-string guitar - and Brian Matthew made much of the new, vital, sound of the instrument.

There weren't all that many quality 12-strings about at the time, of course, though the big American companies were busy gearing up for this obvious new market. Gibson and (supremely) Guild got in quickest, though Martin did produce a model and even Fender got there eventually. The second-rank USA companies (Harmony, etc) also got in on the act. Over here in Europe, the acoustic 12-string was immensely popular (The Seekers contributed to that with their hit records) and most of the second-rank manufacturers scrambled for a spot: Eko, Hofner, Framus and others. The Framus 12-string jumbo models were equipped with tailpieces and adjustable bridges, making them potentially very playable and a cut above their immediate rivals.

The difficulty of getting hold of a quality American 12-string acoustic lent these European makers a certain extra credibility - especially when John Lennon used a Framus for things like You've Got To Hide Your Love Away. However, I'm not aware that The Seekers ever used a Framus. As far as I can recall, they used (Australian) Maton guitars, just as Frank Ifield had done before them.

I have never owned a 12-string acoustic (though I'm working on it), but I did have a Danelectro Bellzouki model in the sixties and bought a Fender Electric XII in 1979 (and still have it).

If I get an acoustic, it'll have to be a good'un... I fancy a Guild... the Rolls-Royce of acoustic 12-string guitars.

JN

Over the years I've had quite a number of 12 strings, Burns - headstock too long, Ovation - back too rounded, Pacifica - nice but narrow neck, Yamaha acoustic - top bowed, Stagg - er yes!!- Aston - even more er yes!! Strat alike with Eko neck - OKish, but the best two were a Vox teardrop with trem easy to play great sound but I sold it in 78 for 25 quid, seen what they fetch now!, mind you that was about a weeks take home, but the absolute best was an Eko ranger built like a tank but a good action and you could adjust the neck, great sound and it had a Vox pickup on it, sadly it was stollen from my car in '69.

Geoff M

Jim's mention of 12-string guitars from the 60s reminded me to dig out the 'no-name' model that I bought in 1966 from Reg Phillips (Musical Instrument Specialist, 17 Eldon Street EC2 - those were the days when you could still find music shops in the City of London!). The price was £12 10/- and it had (and still has) a real 'cheesecutter' action.


The pull of the strings was such that eventually the bridge started lifting. Lacking any glue stronger than Evo-stik, I decided upon an 'engineering' solution and held the bridge down with nuts and bolts.

Not exactly elegant but it worked!

(the gunge that you can see is gunge that fell on it when I had the roof done a year or so ago and I put it in a bag and haven't looked at it since)
Ray

JImN,

My memory isn't failing- I saw the Rooftop Singers doing their version of WRI with the 12 string playing session guitarist (possibly Eric Weissberg or one of his New York studio session colleagues) on Australian TV- not on UK TV! It may have been the US show Hootenanny which was broadcast in OZ back then.

I understand that a few of the earliest obtainable 12 strings in the UK (read London) prior to the '60's were made by Tony Zemaitis, or possibly Grimshaw

Maton have made excellent 12 string acoustics in Oz for years, and still do- as was said, the Seekers used 'em- although the last time I saw a live Seekers reunion concert on TV a few years ago, the guys were using the excellent Carvin electric-acoustic jobs- the guys are getting older and they would have been slimmer, lighter and easier to play than big Maton full acoustics- like dear old Bert has tended to use a Parker Fly or Strat in latter years!

Some modern guitar models may never be collectable classics but are still excellent practical gigging instruments....Carvin make a great 6 or 12 string hybrid model called an AE185 with both magnetic and piezo pickups.

As JimN said:

especially when John Lennon used a Framus for things like You've Got To Hide Your Love Away.

So, here he is.....

[quote="cockroach"]JImN,
"Maton have made excellent 12 string acoustics in Oz for years, and still do- as was said, the Seekers used 'em- "



We used to have a ram that lived in our back yard back then (to keep the grass down was the reason) -and every time we played this tune the tears would just roll down his face.............

Sorry, I made a mistake...I think the Seekers were using Godin not Carvin electro acoustics....

A bit like your ram, Bill...I had to make a ewe turn...