Has anyone made a 12 String HollowBody into a Nashville Tuned 6 String?

PittPastor

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I have an Ibanez 12 String Hollow body that doesn't get much playing time. The mid strings sort of seem a little muddy, so I've never really liked playing it. I've been fooling around with some travis picking and learning Dust In The Wind. Since Kansas actually recorded that with a 6-String in Nashville tuning AND a regular 6 string, I was thinking it might be cool to set up a Nashville tuned guitar.

So... Why not the Ibanez 12?

Any thoughts or cautions I should know about?
 

Cougar

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....Since Kansas actually recorded that with a 6-String in Nashville tuning AND a regular 6 string, I was thinking it might be cool to set up a Nashville tuned guitar.... So... Why not the Ibanez 12?

Took me a while to figure out what was going on with this Nashville tuning, but it makes sense you've got to use the first four upper-octave strings from a 12-string set. That'll make a unique sound, alright. You're just going to have a bit wider nut on that 12-string....
 

PittPastor

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Took me a while to figure out what was going on with this Nashville tuning, but it makes sense you've got to use the first four upper-octave strings from a 12-string set. That'll make a unique sound, alright. You're just going to have a bit wider nut on that 12-string....

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. And the Ibanez has a surprisingly small nut. According to GC it is 43mm, which is actually 1 11/16th if my math is right (and don';t hold me on that!). Thanks Cougar! I'm going to give it a whirl.
 

marcellis

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I've done it w/12-string acoustics. How much acoustic tone do you get with that hollow-body?

I've kept a Nashville-tuned guitar handy for years. But its usually a 6-string.

A 12-string will do it just fine as long as (1) Your fingers can handle the change and (2) the unused tuners don't rattle at the top. But I wonder about the acoustic volume on the hollow-body.

Right now, a Vietnamese dread is my Nashville tuned guitar.

I saw Mickey Gilley last year. His acoustic player had a Nashville-tuned guitar. There was no other acoustic on the stage.
 
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PittPastor

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I've done it w/12-string acoustics. How much acoustic tone do you get with that hollow-body?
A 12-string will do it just fine as long as (1) Your fingers can handle the change and (2) the unused tuners don't rattle at the top. But I wonder about the acoustic volume on the hollow-body.

Oh, hardly any acoustic at all. This thing might as well be solid body for the acoustic tone... But it will be plugged in, so that shouldn't matter. I made the transition tonight with the strings I have on it -- man, those are sharp! So thin and you really notice it when you don't have double strings. I have a new set ordered. I'm anxious to see how they do.

But I have to say, that sound is kinda cool. I will play it with the other guys in Tuesday for practice. Looking forward to it!
 

marcellis

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Oh, hardly any acoustic at all. This thing might as well be solid body for the acoustic tone... But it will be plugged in, so that shouldn't matter. I made the transition tonight with the strings I have on it -- man, those are sharp! So thin and you really notice it when you don't have double strings. I have a new set ordered. I'm anxious to see how they do.

But I have to say, that sound is kinda cool. I will play it with the other guys in Tuesday for practice. Looking forward to it!

Yeah - you’ll have to play around w/eq. Most uses of high-string or Nashville tuning I’ve heard are w/acoustics. On an acoustic, I think it sounds better than a 12.

In recording, it’s more flexible than a 12 string. 2 There may be some parts of
a song that would sound better w/o the lower octave strings. But session players
usually play it in place of a 6 string.

If you’re curious, I played 2 parts panned here. It sounds like a 12. But the lower 6 are panned to 1 side. The high strings are panned to the other. I don’t know how you could do that w/a full 12. I used a D25 regular and a Vietnamese Guitar w/hi strings. On some parts, you’ll hear the D25 alone.

On 12-string recordings a Nashville-tuned guitar can can allow the player to do stuff
he or she could never do on a full 12.

http://music.marcellis.net/Bonne_Annee_copyright_2008_Marc_Ellis.mp3
 
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