I had the pleasure of seeing one of Roger McQuinn’s solo shows, great player, great sound and nice to talk with. If you get a chance to see him and hear his stories it’s well worth it.

Like David Love stated about strings, I used flat wounds on my 12 string bass to help keep the high chime down for several decades. The other great part about 12 string bass is flipping playing style from down picking to up, so you can let the octaves rip with their awesome sound at anytime. Many tunes I play now, in the one guitar player band I’m in, I fill in on the rhythm part by using the 12 string bass playing guitar style when needed. Especially on Tom Petty tunes.

Like many peoples “The one that got away stories” the only 12 I tried to buy, back in 1985 never made it into my hands. I had the money set aside for a Ric 6/12 (366/12) with the odd comb piece. I always thought those were so cool. Ax In Hand in DeKalb, IL found one for me. The day I got the call about the guitar, priced at 1000 back in 85, my car engine stuck wide open on the trip home from work and blew up. All that money went to a car engine and I lost out on the guitar purchase. Someday I may get lucky enough to find one again, but it won’t be for 1000.
Great article and love 12 strings on guitar and bass. The Gin Blossoms used them well and so did The Plimsoul’s Peter Case, who is a killer player. Finally, you must her Leo Kottke’s 6-12 String guitar release. That is some crazy playing on a 12 string, although it’s acoustic. Leo is just great.

Great article David.

I use the original Jangle Box as a compressor and flat.

I also have an acoustic Simon & Patrick XII string which was a remarkable value considering it’s great sound.

Thank you for the article… Eveything you said about the Nashville XII is true. Just a wonderful instrument.

The link is:

Site Admin

Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2005 1:00 pm
Posts: 3976
Location: Santa Ana, CA
Quote:
Unfortunately, TI doesn not sell 12-string sets, so you have to order ’em seperately from Juststrings.com.
This is very true, unfortunately, and as I said in another thread, they don’t seem inclined to cooperate.
Quote:
On my ’66 330/12, I use Tetrahedron Gold flatwounds. Tetrahedrons are supposedly exactly the same as ’60s flatwounds (materials and construction), and rumor has it that’s what the Beatles used.
This is the crux of our beef with this firm. The construction of the strings is VERY different than our original Maxima’s, which anyone can feel instantly. The Maximas were not stiff at all, very slinky by comparison, due to a very small, pliable core wire instead of a larger stiffer one. So much for the same construction.

I’ve also torn apart a number of strings and photographed them to show the significant differences but simply haven’t had the time to publish these- but I will someday soon.

I also strongly dispute the usage of those strings by the Beatles, given the number of strings we and others provided them and also based on information from the various handlers. It’s probably likely that they were used on Paul’s Hofner bass given the association between those companies, but I know for fact that his Rickenbacker has always been strung with Maximas as long as he’s been able to obtain them.

Site Admin

Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2005 1:00 pm
Posts: 3976
Location: Santa Ana, CA
In the early days, Harrison and McGuinn both used Rickenbacker’s stock flatwound sets #483 and #484. (Don’t ask me how I even remember those set numbers after so many years!)

The #483 set was a light weight flat wound set produced for Rickenbacker by Maxima Strings in Geretsreid, Germany. The company still exists but it’s completely different ownership, different strings, and they specialize in fishing line now.

The #484 set was a very lightweight, round wound set produced by V.C. Squier Co. of Battle Creek, Michigan, at the that time time far and away the largest OEM supplier of guitar strings to the industry.

The flat wound set was characterized by having a small core wire surround by compound windings of very soft flat wire. The small core kept them really limber, while the flat outer wraps had great mass to allow the string to come to pitch without much tension.

The #484 set, being round wound, was a much brighter sounding set and was of the variety termed “slinky” in that era. Both Harrison and McGuinn began to experiment with this set during the summer of 1965.

I have no direct knowledge of what strings John Lennon used, although I have reason to believe he initially used the Rogers brand strings from Germany, a round wound set characterized by having different colored silks for each string.

I really hate to mention it but there’s some really totally unsubstantiated marketing baloney out there about who used what strings when.

thanks for the tip on using flat-wound strings- i’ll try that next time.

BTW, I just got an Eastwood Classic 12 and I love it! No set up needed. Very easy to play right out of the box and sounds great.

One of my all-time favorite 12 string records (and all time favorite bands too) XTC’s English Settlement. The Rick 12 string is all over that one.

Your article was very interesting and after playing since 1959 it’s always good to know there are things to learn however May I make a comment on your string terminology.

I’m an expat Brit living in the Antipodes and I agree with Pete Townshends description because in all my early days, flat wound strings were always known as ‘Tape wound’ Their windings being made literally from a flat tape usually a Monel Metal coil wound over a central solid wire core. Or over a round wound as a wrapper. There is absolutely no zipping noise at all from your fingers on these strings. Back then you could buy acoustic bronze strings but this tape wound type was about all you could buy for electric guitar in my part of the UK in the late 50’s early 60’s. They were made by a company called ‘Picato’ Probably Italian.
Burns of London also made a similar string, wrapped with a black plastic tape but the sound was terrible.

Round wound strings, which you are not recommending on 12 string guitars and I agree with your advice, are made from a round section wire wound over a solid central core.
What you are advocating is a “Ground Wound’ string. This is not a tape wound string and nothing like it. It is actually a round wound string that has had the surface ground down to flatten the tops off the coils. A nice all round string and I agree best applied to 12 string guitars.
If you can still buy real ” Tape Wound” strings, don’t use these unless you play muddy sounding jazz because they have absolutely no ringing bell like qualities whatsoever.

I hope this helps
Ray

Great post!

Thanks!

Thanks!

regards
Steve

Check out the not-so-traditional use of the electric 12 string by Steve Howe on the Yes song Awaken, 1977.
Amazing!

The Raspberries – Let’s Pretend

Wally brings the Ric in only on the choruses and you really hear it’s presence.

here’s a link:

http://www.samash.com/p/95404%2012%20String%20Electric%20Guitar%20Strings_-49985391

~Jason M

Joe
Austin, TX

Paul
Brooklyn,
NY

I had a Rickenbacker 12 in the ’80s, but had to sell it after years of struggle with it’s small size. My hands are just too big. Plus… I could never get the G strings to be in tune on that guitar (must have been my touch).

I’ve been through six 12-string guitars, including a Kapa Continental(!), and find I prefer an Epiphone Elitist Riviera 12. Might have to give that Eastwood Classic 12 a try some day…

The Records – Starry Eyes
Robin Lane and The Chartbusters – Don’t Cry, When Things Go Wrong.