mountainpicker Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 I haven't had a 12 fretter in my stable for awhile now and I'm thinking about having a 12 fret slope shoulder built. I know that a lot of you here have JB's, Smecks, and a few of you have one of those recent 12 fret SJ's. And maybe there are other things produced I don't even know of. What is the model you have, the scale length, wood combinations, etc.? What do you like and dislike about your 12 fretter? What would you like changed on it if you could? If you don't own one and haven't spent time with one please refrain from tossing in your 2 cents. Thanks. I'm particularly interested in wood and scale length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 The JB has a short scale neck, 1.82 wide, and is very good both finger style and strummed. This has Walnut back and sides - who'd of thunk, but it sounds really good. Very deeply robust - if that makes any sense. Good luck in your hunt ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motherofpearl Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 I have had a JB model red spruce over walnut. I had 2 Collings Ds1 one with red spruce over hog which I still have and one with Sitka over hog both standard "long scale" I also have a Scgc D12 with Sitka over Hog which is standard scale and my goto guitar for everything. I love 12 fretters. If I could change something on the JB it was the nut width. The Collings would also be the nut width. The cruz is perfect. Both Collings had 1-15/16 nut my cruz is 1-3/4 Btw sorry if you were just looking for gibsons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Well, we have several -- we really like them all, albeit for different reasons. We have two old Smecks -- a 35 RSRG (rw) and a 36 RSSD. Both of these are super strong guitars in a way seldom found outside of the mid 30s. Both have two unscalloped tone bars. The RSSD has a big raw tone -- to my ear too raw for bluegrass but ok for old time. It is the only guitar we own that can stand in a bluegrass session and hold its own with a finger pick lead -- but I can only hold up doing that for maybe an hour because of the wide neck. My good friend David Dugas heard all that power as responsiveness, and thus showed me how to find something I had missed. The RSRG also has a huge sound -- deeper and less raw than the RSSD but with a fine RW roar. This is one of the three Gibsons we own that I would put in the same class as our prewar herringbones -- the other two are our 36 AJ and our much repaired 35 Jumbo. Ours has a replaced neck so it can be back converted if desired. We also have four Martin -- 67 D-35S, 68 D-18S, 68 D-12-35 six string conversion, and 95 HD-28SO (sing out). These are fine guitars, but even though their specs are similar, they sound like Martins, so they are good IMO for different stuff. My wife likes to use them for the simple folk revival style stuff she learned and performed in the 60s These are also included in the large guitar demo video album (ordered by year) https://vimeo.com/album/65895/page:1/sort:preset/format:thumbnail and our folk revival stuff on 60s guitars (If anyone wants to wander through all of our video musings, it can be done here https://vimeo.com/tpbiii/albums ) I am glad to answer questions if I can. Best, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 i have played several slope 12 fretters that i like. i have never had one call out to me in a way that i had to buy it though. i DO have a 12 fret L-00. she is wonderful. with the slopes, i always think about it being a 12 fretter and sounding different..... in a way that never quite fits. with the L-00 I never think about any of it. the feel, the look, the sound... nothing. just right. my 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainpicker Posted October 14, 2013 Author Share Posted October 14, 2013 What a few of you have mentioned about the neck width at the nut is why I'm looking to have a guitar built. Anything bigger than 1 3/4 inches is just more than I want to deal with. I'm not at all interested in Martins or the Martin tone so all the S-series dreads are out too. I'm curious about how all of you like the scale length of your guitars.? Twelve frets with a short scale is not liked by modern builders as they think I think it will be "too floppy". I like short scale guitars though (how can you like Gibsons and not like short scale?). Is there really that much difference in feel with a short scale 12 fret? Modoc_333, what is the scale length on your L-00 twelve fretter? Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 What a few of you have mentioned about the neck width at the nut is why I'm looking to have a guitar built. Anything bigger than 1 3/4 inches is just more than I want to deal with. I'm not at all interested in Martins or the Martin tone so all the S-series dreads are out too. I'm curious about how all of you like the scale length of your guitars.? Twelve frets with a short scale is not liked by modern builders as they think I think it will be "too floppy". I like short scale guitars though (how can you like Gibsons and not like short scale?). Is there really that much difference in feel with a short scale 12 fret? Modoc_333, what is the scale length on your L-00 twelve fretter? Thanks all. The short scale does give a floppy feel, but I don't find that is an issue. When we converted our RSRG, we re-necked it and changed the bridge. You can do that to any guitar. Best, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibson101 Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 While not a dread my L-1 has a 25" scale which is right in between a short scale and a standard length. It works well for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 The JB is short scale. It lives tuned down a whole step, but I don't detect "floppiness" , or at all sloppy. It's easy to navigate. It was setup by Woodsong to be in"D". I don't specifically know what they did, but it worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 The JB is short scale. It lives tuned down a whole step, but I don't detect "floppiness" , or at all sloppy. It's easy to navigate. It was setup by Woodsong to be in"D". I don't specifically know what they did, but it worked. What gage strings ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 The JB is short scale. It lives tuned down a whole step, but I don't detect "floppiness" , or at all sloppy. It's easy to navigate. It was setup by Woodsong to be in"D". I don't specifically know what they did, but it worked. What gage strings ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 What gage strings ? 13s. Was elixir nano web, now it's Lifespans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 13s. Was elixir nano web, now it's Lifespans. Our RSRG has that same geometry, and although I would not call it really floppy, I certainly can feel it. Do you really not feel it at all? 56 13 80/20 Martin Best, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Our RSRG has that same geometry, and although I would not call it really floppy, I certainly can feel it. Do you really not feel it at all? 56 13 80/20 Martin Best, -Tom Of course I feel it, but it feels easy, not sloppy. Feels much like my J45 with 12 s. The action feels low, and there is a faint appearance of buzz when it's really strummed hard, but only faint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 What a few of you have mentioned about the neck width at the nut is why I'm looking to have a guitar built. Anything bigger than 1 3/4 inches is just more than I want to deal with. I'm not at all interested in Martins or the Martin tone so all the S-series dreads are out too. I'm curious about how all of you like the scale length of your guitars.? Twelve frets with a short scale is not liked by modern builders as they think I think it will be "too floppy". I like short scale guitars though (how can you like Gibsons and not like short scale?). Is there really that much difference in feel with a short scale 12 fret? Modoc_333, what is the scale length on your L-00 twelve fretter? Thanks all. it's 24 3/4. but that's normal for a Gibson. being a 12 fretter doesn't change the tension any vs a 14 fretter. the neck and bridge are just set deeper into the body. this WILL give a different "feel" as far as response is concerned because the bridge is in a larger more open part of the body. it doesn't change the string tension though like scale length does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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