12 string wood choice

[bluepen]

So I'm thinking of getting a 12-er to mix things up a bit.
I know lots of folks like maple 12's, but for some reason that doesn't do it for me. Most shops have few 12 strings so I haven't played that many...yet for some reason I seem to "think" that mahogany would be better than rosewood for a 12 string. I'm probably 60/40 rosewood/mahogany when it comes to 6 strings (not a die hard either way, but the balance is shifting toward hog--I sed to be 90/10 rose/hog).

So whattya think rosewood or hog for a 12er, and why?

It has kinda irked me when people have asked this question in the past regarding 6 strings because the answer (in all but extreme cases of someone living in Antarctica) is simply, "Play both and pick what you like best". But again, 12 strings, around my parts anyway, are few and far between.

Does anyone prefer rosewood for a dread-6 but mahogony for a 12 er?

WILD CARD question: What do you think of a hog-top 12er?

I'm thinking of maybe getting a beater Yamaha on eBay for a few hundred, just to see if I really want to invest in the long run in a nicer 12 string (Larrie, Guild, Taylor, etc.)

Thanks in advance for your thoughts...

If this has been rehashed a thousand times over please just direct me to the thread.

But then again, it seems that "Fans of 12" REALLY like to talk about 12s... :wink:

 

[bluesypicky]

I have to admit, I'm a mahogany lover, regardless of the number of strings.
But I recently acquired an F-212 (hog) and that thing just shines, the sound is huge and full of harmonics flying around everywhere, sometimes I feel like I'm playing the organ in a cathedral with the sound bouncing off every wall!!! :lol:

 

[killdeer43]

For starters, I think it's a wonderful life (sorry, Jimmy Stewart) when we can spend time judging the merits of woods on our guitars, both 6 and 12. :wink:

You've caught me taking an 'LTG break' from my 12-string evening in my studio (the totally-tile bathroom). I've had a few 12s in my life and for some reason, I find the mahogany more suitable to the sound I equate with a 12-string. It's very bright! It might be due to the fact that I've only had Guild 12s in mahogany, so I'll need to get my hands on a rosewood version for a proper comparison.

I did have a Yamaha 12 that was rosewood, and it was good enough, but I didn't like it enough to keep it. It was OK.

Don't know if this is/was helpful but I thought I'd get the ball rolling for you. And I agree with the read from bluesy on the cathedral sound from a 12. Very harpsichord-like, especially if you keep it tuned to D.

Cheers,
Joe

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Another vote for a mahogany 12...it just don't get any better than that! 8)

 

[evenkeel]

Right now I'm w/o a 12'er, having sold my Martin D12-1. Spruce top, mahogany back and lam mahogany sides. I loved the tone of that guitar, very warm, bright tone with lots of those 12 string chimey sounds.

FWIW you can find those D12-1's for $500 plus or minus and are a pretty good value.

 

[chazmo]

What about maple?



Bluepen, I can only tell you that there is no answer to your question. It's all a matter of taste and perhaps whether you're recording or not... And the shape, soundboard, and bracing all have huge impacts on tone.

My 5 12ers run the gamut. My "goto" axe for the last couple of years has been my (rosewood) F-512 which is about as warm and responsive as a guitar can get. Anyone who hasn't played one of these simply must -- you just don't realize how *big* a guitar can sound until you pound (or pick) on one of these. Anyway, I love it for finger picking since it has so much projection for such little effort. When I want a dry, bright sound, like say Floyd's "Wish you were here", I put down the F-512 and pick up one of my maples (Taylor 655 or JF-30-12). My Ibanez series I Artwood is mahogany, and that is about the most well-balanced sound of the fleet; perhaps the most versatile guitar I have (and also was my first 12 string that I bought with hard-earned college summer employment money.

It also matters which strings you use. I have 80/20 bronze strings on my G-312 (rosewood dread) and that seems to give more high harmonics on the wound strings than phosphor-bronze that I have on the F-512. The G-312 is a really sweet, well-balanced axe too. It does seem to get the least playing time in the stable however.

 

[jgmaute]

I'm thinking of maybe getting a beater Yamaha on eBay for a few hundred, just to see if I really want to invest in the long run in a nicer 12 string (Larrie, Guild, Taylor, etc.)
Thanks in advance for your thoughts...
If this has been rehashed a thousand times over please just direct me to the thread.
But then again, it seems that "Fans of 12" REALLY like to talk about 12s... :wink:

I recently heard David Jacobs-Strain a young blues player who is amazing...Hurricane Railroad, Neon Star and had some time to hang out with him. He plays a Yamaha 12 from the 70s...he found one just like it in the studio where he recorded his last CD, when he asked the owner what it was about the old 70s Yamaha 12s that made them so good the guy replied, "don't know, guess they had great plywood"...

my 12 is rosewood, I like it as much for the nice small size as the tone from the rosewood, but then all my guitars are rosewood except my M-20
btw, David loved my M-20

 

[killdeer43]

Heck, I love your M-20, too. When can I have a turn? I need to set aside some time so please let me know. :wink:

But seriously, your M-20 is one for the ages. It's just a beautiful piece of work, and the story behind it just adds to the aura of that little Guild classic.

I'm sure you're enjoying it, and I hope you do so for a long time.

Take care,
Joe

 

[bluepen]

Thanks for your thoughts...I'm going to try to find some to play.

Any thoughts on mahogany TOPPED 12ers?
Larrivee makes one that looks intriguing...I'm tapping that forum for info, but wondered what folks here thought....

P

 

[bluesypicky]

Thanks for your thoughts...I'm going to try to find some to play.

Any thoughts on mahogany TOPPED 12ers?
Larrivee makes one that looks intriguing...I'm tapping that forum for info, but wondered what folks here thought....

P

If you find out on that, please share your thoughts, I'm curious about an all hog 12er.....

 

[count savage]

Rosewood, bluepen! I tried to post something at the Larrivee site, but it never went through. This site works. I'm on the exact same page with Chazmo. The Guild F512R in my estimation sounds unto itself and has never been matched. Which is pretty amazing for a factory produced acoustic. Certainly there are other 12s, great ones, customs, but speaking from my vantage, the F512 is the one that stays for good with me. The complexity of the rosewood tone is unmatched in other 12s. Go back and listen to Ralph Towner with Oregon or his solo, all Guild rosewood, F512R. I will admit that the definitive steel string guitarist of our time, Leo Kottke, prefers mahogany, hence the Taylor Kottke. But I'm a believer in the Guild rosewood. I will say that I played a used Larrivee 12 er once, probably an L-03, and it was simply an excellent 12-string, and I'd love to have it, as a second, but there's no competition for me with number one. The Guild. I have a hog '64 Gibson. It does have a sort of warmer rounder tone, but as you know I'm really big on the D-03R, which is also rosewood. Rosewood Guild. The only way to go.