The Venerable Stella 12 String

[Haans]

OK, this isn't a very good clip, sound is through a pinhole mic, but it's the best I can do for now. Hope to get a better recording for the website in a couple of months when it breaks in a bit. It is full sounding right now, but the trebles will come in more later and will get that red spruce "edge" to it...
http://s723.photobucket.com/albums/ww234/ivoroid/Sound%20clips/?action=view&current=L1020294.mp4
Ignore the big red X and blurb and click on the first clip...

[Chris Wood]

Haans,

Those three all sound awesome. Listened to the Stelle, the MJ and the GC. I'm lusting for one.

Chris.

[Chazmo]

Great to see this, Hans. Hope you're feeling well and enjoying the build.

[Neal]

I could not get any of them to play, even ignoring the red x..

But worked on the download, I love the sound of that Haans.

[Neal]

While I have a long scale 12, like your Stelle, the video I found MOST interesting was the short scale 23 (I think it was)12 string.

My goodness! What a sound coming from that one.

This is not to lessen the long scale Stelle, that was, and will be, what that guitar SHOULD sound like. I was just taken aback by the other one. short scale, low tuning.. thus the off-topic post. sorry, continue on...

Wow.


Edit: When are we going to hear you no more for awhile? The.... OP? Soon? Perhaps yesterday? Tomorrow? The leg, it needs to be broken!!

[Haans]

owwwie! how's that, neal? hurt's like he!! got good drugs though, and the best one is one that reduces anxiety and makes me not give a chit about much.
while the 12 string prairie state is a good sounding 12 (i like it because it's EXTREMELY easy to play), it is well broken in, something that plays a large part in my instruments. they need to be played in. red spruce takes a long long time to break in. as i said, the stella will take a good turn in a few months after i can play again, the trebles will come out and the instrument will project more. what is hard to hear is the LARGNESS of the sound in the clip. i was still playing around with strings also, and i think i was a bit farther away with the camera. with a mic that small, a foot probably makes a large difference. since the stella is brand spanking new, too, everything is a bit "jumbly", everything is all mixed together. note separation comes along with some playtime and as the time increases, the clarity does also.
chaz, i'm feeling better than i was an hour ago! i am (well, was) having a lot of fun with these 12's and am very excited about the holzapfel, i've got a couple of months to think about the next gc 6 string.
chris, thanks for the kind words! folks that play them like them a lot. that lust factor starts up!
better stop typing now as it's a real pain one handed and it's gerting herdert amd harter ot sprell...

[ChuckS]

Hans,
Hope the recovery is quick and the results successful!

You mentioned you would be getting better recordings for your website sometime in the future; I assume those will be done at a studio. In the meantime, if you'd want me to bring my portable recording stuff over to your house we could probably get something a bit better. Let me know.

[Edbuff]

Nice job Hans all three of those are nice. I esp like the mini jumbo. Any idea how that sounds with just 6 strings. And have you made a long scale version of that?

[Haans]

thanks, chuck! i will likely wait till i can put some time on it. dave hull has a full studio, but i'm not sure just how well he can play a traditional 12 string tune.
ed, thanks! i have a 17" maple 12 string version of the 16", email if you are interested. i have a personal 16" 6 string, BRW & red spruce that is wonderful with light guage strings, but few can adapt to the short scale easily. it's a spectacular box size as it is so comfortable in your lap. these are all ladder/X bracing too...
i might try to adapt a 24.5" scale to it, but there is little room for the bridge to be moved back...might have to stretch it a bit or might have to build a 15-16 fret instrument! Hmmm...

[Rollie]

Your 12ers are all sounding great, Hanns ... I gotta try one.. one day ...
I hope your operation is a success and your recovery is quick..

[Haans]

thanks rollie!
i have some clips on a zoom h-2 recorder that i will try to listen to this weekend, maybe there are some better sounding shorts on there...
looks like i'm recovering well as i can move my thumb and fingers ok. i think they may have done my tennis elbow too as it hurt like he!! for a while and i think i can feel stitches AND it sure itches back there! wish i could take the cast off, though...8 more days...ugh.

[Haans]

Finally!
Finally got some time and a sunny day to take some photos of the Stelle 12.
So, here's my version of this great 12 string.







Ribbon stripe sapele...



Peghead...



Non traditional neck heel and neck. Sorry about the dust...





Bridge. Need to drop the action a tad more and set the bone pins farther into the bridge...



Soundhole and edge trim...

[Neal]

That is the prettiest thing I've seen all day. ...wife ain't home yet.

[ChuckS]

I don't know much at all about 12 strings, but it sure does look good; especially the rosette and purfling.

[Haans]

Wow, Neal, that's quite a compliment! Especially from someone with the Del Arte...
Thanks Chuck, but what about those perfectly cut fingerboard inlays?