12-string Question #1: Anyone start their journey on 12-string?

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by personatech

I've always loved the sound of a 12-string. Maybe it's my growing up in the 60s/70s - I dunno. Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone here actually started their guitar journey with a 12-string over a 6?

I started out on a nylon stringed Kay guitar for my first two years of playing, starting at age 16, and then I was able to afford a Harmony model H1270 12-string and sold off my Kay guitar. So from age 18 to age 21, when I was probably learning the most new music and skills, I had only my 12-string. At age 21, because I had paid my way through college (engineering school), my dad took pity on me and bought me a Martin D-35 on my birthday. So at that point I had both a 6-string and a 12-string.

Later, at age 27, I traded my Harmony 12-string for a used 1972 Guild F212 12-string, which I gave to my oldest son just a couple of years ago when I acquired a Guild F512.

So I have a long history with 12-string guitars. I learned a whole lot of the songs I still know today playing them on my Harmony 12-string when I was in college. I got a tremendous amount of good out of that old guitar.

- Glenn

[Oldguy64]

I’ve played on and off since I was 9 years old.
I started on six string, and made the transition to playing 12 sometime after I turned fifty.
I agree with the person who said that learning to play is hard enough with out starting out with a 12-string.
I’ll add that I see it as the equivalent of teaching a youngster to shoot, and starting them out on a .357 magnum.

Once you have learned to play and are comfortable, if not super proficient, on a six string, considering a 12 is okay.

But it will be frustrating to learn to chord cleanly on a 12-string if you can’t do it on a six string.

[zombywoof]

My first guitar was an old Martin archtop a friend of the family gave me. It is hard to recall but my first flattop may well have been a 12 string. I was a Leadbelly fan and was totally mesmerized by sound of the "Walk Right In" guitar.

[Pitar]

I began finger picking from the start with a Yamaha FG-230 12 string. I knew nothing about acoustic guitars, less about finger picking, but I bought that guitar to learn it on with the help of Mel Bay's book on Travis Style picking and a book of chords. That was 1973. The guitar was tough to play and who knew a set-up was a thing? But, knowing nothing, I thought everything was as it should be a pressed on. Ignorance really is bliss when you're trying to make something work for you and no experts are around to mess that up. After about a year I had some chops, had gone through a couple other guitars and settled on a Guild F412. I had the F412 when I stopped playing (29 years). When I picked up playing again it was 6-string only. The Guild went to a better place.

[personatech]

Originally Posted by Oldguy64

Once you have learned to play and are comfortable, if not super proficient, on a six string, considering a 12 is okay.

This would be me. Some have interpreted my question as if I were considering starting with a 12 - I'm already a 6-player (of sorts) but the thought occurred to me that some here might have started differently.

Some great stories here. Keep 'em coming!

[JSDenvir]

I’ve always loved the sound of a 12 string. But building them?

I believe I was on to nut #6 before I was finally happy with it.

But it finally worked. And here’s my friend Tom Nelson, with his band Heathcote Hill, with the only 12 I’ve built to this point.

https://youtu.be/ptey3fzRAP4

Geez, my first video appearance :-). Well, sort of.

Steve

[Tony Burns]

My first decent guitar was my '71 Yamaha 12 string -
then of course it was followed by a Guild D-55

[jnf91]

I had a 12 string within a year of picking up guitar. My dad was a player and had sold his D-12-35 a few years prior. It didn't take much convincing to get a shiny new Sigma for my birthday. We shared it until the first one imploded one night, and the second one wasn't nearly the guitar the first one was.

I ended up buying my first Guild in '94(still got it), and several Martins and Guilds after that. I finally commissioned an 18" jumbo which I still use in conjunction with the Guild, and I play them A LOT. I am a lifelong 12 string lover.

I think a well set up 12 string is perhaps easier to strum chords on for a beginner. I have my actions set really low, and they fret really easily.

[Long Road Home]

I started out with an Ovation Pacemaker, a slot head 12-string (what an adventure changing strings was on that beast), purchased from Manny's in NYC back in 1972 (I think). It was my only guitar until I took a 40-ish year hiatus.

After restarting a few years ago, I first bought a Godin A-12. I sold the Ovation and the Godin two summers ago, and resisted buying a Taylor 562e. I've been playing various 6-strings for the past 4-ish years.

[zombywoof]

I played a re-War Regal X braced jumbo 12 string for many years. This thing had the fattest neck in the known guitar universe.

If you go back far enough though you did not have a whole lot to choose from in the way of 12 strings. During the 1950s the two Harmony Stella models were it. It was not until 1961 that Gibson entered the market with the slope shoulder version of the B45-12. The Epiphone Bard and B25-12 followed in 1962. The game changer though was Guild which came out with their 12 strings starting around 1963. Martin, which had offered 12 strings in the 1930s, returned with the D12-20 in 1964 and the following year with the D12-35. So by mid-decade things were looking a lot better.

[12FanMan]

Originally Posted by personatech

I've always loved the sound of a 12-string. Maybe it's my growing up in the 60s/70s - I dunno. Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone here actually started their guitar journey with a 12-string over a 6?

Oh yes indeed! I started my guitar days with a 12 string I bought from a pawn shop. I knew nothing about guitars back then except what I could afford to spend. It was a CONRAD brand. Found out later the bridge was coming up, and someone told me the neck was warped. I don't recall what I did with it, but used some overtime pay to buy a Yamaha 12 in 1974. Both guitars were a faucet for my feelings. I'd play for hours. I played one evening from5pm to midnight, then played the national anthem and went to bed.

I don't even recall what model that Yamaha was. Gave it to a teen that wanted it, even knowing it may have had problems.

Now, when I hear a 12, it draws my heart like a cardiac magnet. So, I'm in the market for another.

[martingitdave]

I started on a Yamaha 6 string. Played that until I graduated college and bought a solid wood Larrivee D09 with my first "real" paychecks. But I think my second solid wood guitar, 20 years, later was a Yamaha 12 string. Nice sounding guitar and played well. I love performing John Denver and 60s/70s tunes on the 12-string. At home, I'll drop down a half step and play 12-string blues. Loudly.

[EZYPIKINS]

Dad got a Ventura Hummingbird 12 string copy when I was in Jr Highschool.

Learned to tune in 3rds as well as octaves..

In the land before tuners. Ended up I was playing a 10 or 11 string most of the time.

[catt]

Yes, my first steel string acoustic was a 12 str- "Tokai" I believe it was - at age 11 or 12. I'd been studying on a nylon-string with a 'jazz'-type teacher for a year or so, and i was ready to rock

I also acquired my first real rock record at 12, in 1971 or 72 - every picture tells a story - and that same year/s george harrision put out a big 12 string album, eh? I was hooked on folksy, rockin acoustic 12 string, and the local store had one. Then jimmy page ... Al Dimeola's acoustic work has been a huge influence in my adult years, Egberto Gismonti, also American style, jazz and Latin influence .. but I'll always want to rock on a bluesy, gaelic number maybe in dadgad. *This formative time with a 12 string likely fostered my persisting fondness for jangly things and double-course strings, mandolins and stuff..

[phavriluk]

When I was in my second year of college (1965) I took the notion to learn to play the guitar and went out and spent $160.00 of what little cash I has on a shiny new Framus 12-string. I never had a lesson and never learned to play.

Life intervened, but last year and this year I scratchbuilt a 12-string each year.