make a 6 string sound like a12 string

[John Haldane]

Hi
If you like playing rythme guitar this is a way to make a 6 string sound like a 12 sring Acoustic or electric, it's called nashville tuning, the way to restring the guitar is as follows
(E) 010
(B) 014
(G) 009
(D) 012
(A) 018
(E) 027 Wound
Tune as for normal tuning, I purchased a 12 string set and use the one's needed from the set.
Regards
John H

[shindig]

Hi,

This tuning (string guages) is well-known and gives a good result for many types of musik. For a gigging musician it is however easier to use a pedal like Boss GT-8. Only in studios and the like I would go for that extra guitar.

Regards

Knud-Erik

[JimN]

A string with gauge 0.008" (better still, 0.007") is a better bet for the octave G.

Finding a 7 is difficult; the 8 less so.

JN

[cockroach]

It occurs to me that while it would be nice to own different types of classic guitars to get all the different sounds, it's often unrealistic for hobby or amateur players to actually obtain and own one of each type, unless you are a session player or a professional member of a touring band, and need to own and use a number of different types of guitars for different styles etc.

I'd love a Rick 12 string, but after I've played a few Beatles, Byrds and Who tunes on it, I know it would get put back in the case again! Same if I owned, say, a Fender Bass VI, do a few Jet numbers etc then away it goes for another year!

I know that using an ordinary guitar with some sort of effect , or re-stringing and/or detuning etc will never give the real sound or the buzz of playing 'the real thing' - nor look as cool in front of the bedroom mirror!- but it is surely necessary to sometimes be realistic about acquiring more and more stuff....or am I on my own with this view?

[Alan Prudhoe]

The RFX2000 has a creditable 12 string effect.

[John Haldane]

Living on a small budget, I have to make the best of what I have available,therefore Icould not go out and buy a guitar just to turn a 6string into a12 string.I know there are various pedals and echo machines that do the job for you,but again that is not a route I can go.
I realise it is not ideal for a giging musician,but the reason I did it was to see what recording two rythme parts would sound like using normal tuning and this tuning, have not tried it yet,so cant tell you what it sounds like.
Regards
John H

[RayL]

To hear a good example of Nashville stringing alongside, but contrasting with, a standard guitar, listen to Billy Joe Spears' Sing Me An Old Fashioned Song. The track opens with just the two guitars. The Nashville stringing is on the left and plays the 2 and 4 beats in the bar, the standard guitar on the right and plays the 1s and 3s. Only after the first verse does the bass guitar join in, and it's a real 'Click and boomp' country music bass which is panned left to fill in the lower end left vacant by the Nashville-strung guitar. A clever arrangement and a good demonstration of how a Nashville guitar can provide contrasting tone colour.

Ray L