There are some compromises that have to be made with 12 string guitar recordings. For example, the wound string and the thinner octave string next to it, depending on the direction you pluck, one will sound more dominant than the other. So, if a particular set of strings is plucked in both directions in succession (ie: down stroke with thumb, up with index) one will sound as the more complete octave in comparison to the other. This offsets the desired perfection balance that one may seek, but it is not quite attainable. There is also the issue of action. There is action that serves the slide, and action that serves the left hand. Somewhere in between, but closer to that which serves the left hand is what I prefer. The slide will not press down all the strings equally because the sets of strings on twelve string guitars are uneven (the thinner string sinks a bit lower). All of these things do have to be accepted as they are since the 12 string forces you to accept a number of imperfections, but in those imperfections is what creates the raw sound of the fingerstyle 12 string. I could do a mini-lecture on my discoveries of the 12 string guitar and its quirks. It is most definitely the hardest type of guitar to perfect in terms of intonation and note balance.
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 06:27:01 +0000