Is the 12-String Guitar Right For You?
Jan 25th, 2009 by wizzibiz
The biggest difficulty with 12 string guitars is keeping them in tune. With a six string acoustic or electric guitar, you also need to keep your strings in tune, but it isn’t as sensitive to going out of tune. If one of your pitches drifts slightly, it will barely be audible. With 12 string acoustic guitars, however, it’s a whole different story. There are six pairs of strings, so if one of those strings drifts from its partner, you will get a warbling tone that sounds off. Even a slight divergence can completely change the character of your tone, potentially ruining it.
The solution, of course, is to put in the money for a decent 12 string acoustic guitar and good strings. You want to have high quality tuning knobs that will not go out of tune easily, and you want to take your time tuning the guitar just right. At first it will be frustrating and difficult, but the rewards are well worth it. Having a 12 string acoustic guitar perfectly in tune is like no other musical experience there is.