Twelve string guitars are more than 100 years old now. They have been used by singers because they can back up the human voice and make a big sound behind it. Twelve strings are as popular today as they have been for years.
With a double set of strings, they can fill listeners’ ears with a big sound almost like two guitars at once. They can be tuned slightly lower than a standard six string guitar giving a singer more latitude. Having a big sound offered by a 12 string means that a performer can have a full sound without having to share the stage with anyone else.
Because of their large sound, 12 string guitars were also very popular with Tex-Mex “Tejano” musicians playing in streets. These were so loud that a single “busker” or street performer, could play alone and still have a large sound to command attention of people passing by.
The acoustic 12 string was made famous by early blues musicians like Blind Willie McTell and Hudy “Leadbelly” Ledbetter. They played early model Stella guitars, made by Oscar Schmidt. They were fairly inexpensive and could take the demanding abuse of touring during the years before the second world war. The sound of these instruments added a full dynamic range to their voices placing them above the crowd of other blues artists.
Twelve strings fell out of favour until the fad of folk music in the early 1960s. When someone wanted a different sound they turned to the 12 string again. The Weavers had a player named Pete Seeger who helped bring the 12 string back to popularity. It soon replaced the five string banjo as the unique sound of folk bands.
With the advent of Folk Rock, the 12 string was electrified to stand along side it’s 6 string brothers. Most major manufactures rushed to get into the growing market for electric instruments. Gibson, Gretch, and Fender were all putting out electric guitars with 12 strings. Guitars were made with single cutaways, double cutaways, and standard upper bouts.
The Rickenbacher electric 12 string guitar is perhaps one of the most revered guitars ever in history. It has graced the hands of Slash of Guns and Roses, George Harrison of the Beatles and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds. It will always be The Rickenbacher electric 12 string guitar. This is the one to get you hands on.
Yancy Leserge has been playing, collecting and trading acoustic and electric 12 string guitars since he was a teen. He still plays, discusses and teaches all about these expressive instruments at his web site: http://www.12stringsguitars.com. Be sure to stop by to see just what he has up his sleeve.
