#1
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CF 12 string owners - are you tuning down?
I’ve had a WS3000 for almost eight years, and have always kept it tuned to concert pitch with no adverse effect.
I know many twelve string players tune down a half or even full step, and I did it when I had a wood 12. How are you tuning your carbon fiber 12? My brain is tiny enough to get tripped up by alternate tunings for general use.
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Ken Emerald Balor 5 string, Taylor GS-Mini Bass, RainSong SGA-FLE, WS1000 Classic N1 and WS3000 N1, Republic Resolian Style 804, Royall Teardrop Tenor Reso A few electrics, a bunch of basses Wandering the continent - CA > IL > NH > TX (for good, hopefully) |
#2
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I have an Emerald X20-12 and tune it to standard pitch with no obvious ill-effects. I would think it's the same for Rainsong 12-strings. I think the practice of tuning down 12-string guitars goes back to the days when wooden 12-string guitars weren't reinforced as well as they are today...
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Emerald X20 Emerald X20-12 Fender Robert Cray Stratocaster Martin D18 Ambertone Martin 000-15sm |
#3
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My WS3000 is kept tuned down a 1/2 step because it doesn't have a truss rod.
If it had a truss rod, so that I could actually dial in less relief, then I'd tune it to standard. The relief is unacceptably high when tuned to concert. If Rainsong ever offered a WS3000 with a 12-string version of the N2 neck (with a truss rod) I'd trade in mine in a heartbeat. The 12-string neck on my Emerald Chimaera is tuned to standard pitch. So is my Taylor GA3-12 My 1973 Guild F-212 is either tuned 1/2 step down or a full step down. I can't recall right now. It really needs a neck reset though. The Guild has two truss rods of course.
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Larrivee OM-03RE; O-01 Martin D-35; Guild F-212; Tacoma Roadking Breedlove American Series C20/SR Rainsong SFTA-FLE; WS3000; CH-PA Taylor GA3-12, Guild F-212 https://markhorning.bandcamp.com/music |
#4
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Interesting - my WS3000 with N1 has been in standard tuning for literally years and the action is fine. I wonder how the action would be tuned down a half step? Time to experiment… where did I leave my action ruler?
Do you know what your action measures?
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Ken Emerald Balor 5 string, Taylor GS-Mini Bass, RainSong SGA-FLE, WS1000 Classic N1 and WS3000 N1, Republic Resolian Style 804, Royall Teardrop Tenor Reso A few electrics, a bunch of basses Wandering the continent - CA > IL > NH > TX (for good, hopefully) |
#5
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I think there are other reasons than neck stability for tuning down on a 12. My cheap Guild 2512 (wood) jumbo sounds better down two half steps, and I don't have to replace bust high octave G strings so often. For folkies in open tunings who play with musicians like C/G melodeonistas, what was an open D tuning is now C, and D is of course still available with a 2nd fret capo.
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