Playing a 12 String with only 6
 

Other than a wide nut (and probably looking dorkey), how do you feel about taking the octave strings off a 12 string?

I've been looking a few years for a Breedlove Maple jumbo (J350) and have run across a J350 12 string. I'm tempted to get it and try playing it as a 6 string.

I haven't yet been able to wrap my mind around paying $10 to post a wanted ad for a J350.

Ooops, posted this in wrong forum, thought I was in the general area.

JW;

You're good here; There are a lot of 12 stringers on this forum and many carbon fiber enthusiasts actually own a wooden guitar or two.

As to your question. I'm not the best source of information regarding 12 string guitars, but I've owned a few and I have played them as six string instruments. Normally I play nylon string guitars so I am used to a wider nut and found the 12 string works as a 6.

My only reservation would be the possible loss of resonance. A 12 string is designed to take a lot of pressure and I suspect that when you remove 6 of those strings the remaining 6 may not resonate well. This is just a suspicion on my part.

While you are here, you might want to take a look at the Emerald Guitar site and check out the 12 string guitars available in carbon fiber. In any event, good luck with your exploration.

Wrong forum or not, Evan’s view makes sense. 12ers are braced heavier, so it’s likely that just 6 strings will have a tougher time vibrating the top, resulting in compromised tone compared to a dedicated 6. Because of the inherent strength of CF guitars including the tops, this may not be a factor on a CF 12.

twelve to six conversion (and back)
 

I did exactly that years ago with my Seagull S12, just to experiment with a wider neck. I believe that the Seagull 12's are 2" wide at the nut, but don't recall for sure.

A new nut and medium gauge strings worked out pretty well. After about six months, I did convert it back to twelve strings by swapping the original nut back in. I am pretty happy with the 1.8" wide nut on my old S6. FYI, I used the first six tuners nearest the nut, and without notching the saddle, the strings were a just little bit off center with the fret board, but not unpleasantly so.

BTW, the only reason the Seagull 12 ever went away was that I got a good deal on a Taylor 354-LTD. My wife put the Taylor in my hands while I was chatting with someone in the nice guitar room one day, and after a pause in the conversation, I suddenly realized that I has been playing a twelve-er! The dealer gave me a good price, and it went home with me that day -- and I still have it 16 years later. Once I have more bonding time with my new Emerald X20-12 that arrived this past week, the Taylor may go up for sale soon.

when I did that (at the time I was playing a converted 12 for instructional purposes) I felt I was playing a classical guitar because of the width of the neck.