OGD (old guitar day)

[BluesKing777]

Just taken it off the ice:

 

 

[Denis57]

Just taken it off the ice:

 

 

 

 

Wow! beautiful vintage 12 strings !

[zombywoof]

Now just take the low two or three octave strings off that puppy and play ya some bluz.

 

I have been looking for a 12 string for a while now and have been trying to get a friend's Harmony Sovereign 1270 which although he does not play he runs hot and cold about letting go of. One day he will think about it and the next - no dice.

[dirkronk]

I have been looking for a 12 string for a while now and have been trying to get a friend's Harmony Sovereign 1270 which although he does not play he runs hot and cold about letting go of.

 

Had one of those I bought used back in the early '70s. Enormous old Sov body, about a mile wide and a half mile deep. Sounded like it, too...12 strings echoing in the canyon.

 

Dirk

[j45nick]

Just taken it off the ice:

 

 

 

Now THAT's what I call a 12-string!

[slimt]

Nice B25 12...

 

 

 

I prefer that version over the Chrome tail piece Model..

[jdd707]

How nice! Thanks for sharing. Reminds me of those old folkie days. I'd love to add such to my modest (but growing) collection.

[j45nick]

Sort of makes you want to play "Walk Right in, Sit Right Down", "SF Bay Blues", or " (when I woke up this mornin') You Were on my Mind".

[zombywoof]

Sort of makes you want to play "Walk Right in, Sit Right Down", "SF Bay Blues", or " (when I woke up this mornin') You Were on my Mind".

 

 

The We Five - one of my guilty pleasures - I have loved that freakin' song since I first heard it on my transistor radio.

 

I swear though you are right on the money with "Walk Right In." I can't recall ther last time that somebody broke out a 12 string and that song did not get played before the night was over.

 

I still prefer the Gus Cannon version myself.

 

http://youtu.be/kvd9rjFsARM

[j45nick]

I swear though you are right on the money with "Walk Right In." I can't recall ther last time that somebody broke out a 12 string and that song did not get played before the night was over.

 

http://youtu.be/kvd9rjFsARM

 

 

The popular version of "Walk Right In" would be the Rooftop Singers. That 12-string sort of jumped off the record at you. You sort of date yourself when you remember We Five and the Rooftop Singers. The strange part is that we still remember all this stuff. Another life wasted listening to and playing music.......

[BluesKing777]

Update:

 

 

REALLY sore fingers now, and sore in different spots on my fingers, but cannot put the guitar down. It has a really beautiful tone - the 'Gibson' tone in a 12 string!

 

I was hoping to play/learn some Willie McTell blues in 12 string format, but I can see falling into some turtleneck sweater music....

 

Gotta get back to playing it. Trying it with a Seymour Duncan soundhole pickup I have lying around, through my Fishman Spectrum and amp.

 

See Ya when I surface again.

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

[slimt]

Hows the Playability on the b25? is the neck at the proper angle? Thats a nice one you have....

 

I know the 67 I had was tough to play... It needed a neck set real bad.. it also had the hokey tailpiece , Glued Bridge with the adjust. saddle.. Not quite sure what they were thinking..

[Jinder]

BK, how does she sound? One of these (or maybe a vintage Guild F212) is definitely next on my "to buy" list. I love the small-body 12er vibe though. I'd love to read a review of it by your good self. Is the neck angle etc all good? I should imagine the geometry of a small 12 like this has a hard time with all that string tension...are you down a semitone or a whole tone?

[onewilyfool]

That one looks like it came out of a time capsule !! Nice get!!! Don't let Gordon Lightfoot see it!!

[BluesKing777]

This is all very new to me - a 12 string wasn't on the long term plan, but when I saw it on ebay, well.... I love my LG's and this is basically a LG3 with a 12 string neck.

 

I have only tuned it to C - 4 half steps down - I have read all the horror stories, but have no personal experience. I don't think I even know anyone with a 12 string, let alone a Gibson.

I may leave it in this tuning - Leadbelly liked it tuned low apparently. It is interesting with vocals to say the least! G is now Eb and all that!

 

It all seems ok. It has had all kinds of repairs over the years and may even have had a coat of varnish all over! I have been playing all over the neck quite comfortably - "Kind Hearted Woman' and variations up and down the neck. The tone is Gibson great.

 

I will play it for a week or two, and assess where it is, and take it to my Tech. I would like a passive u/s pickup plus a 'checkup'. (And possibly coated long life strings).

 

And Wily - Gordon Lightfoot would not have to 'Read My Mind' to know that I have already become a little bit possessive over my Gibson 12 string.

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

P.S. The photo was from the previous owner. Thanks Mike!

[BluesKing777]

Alert!

 

 

The big sister (B45-12n) for sale on eBay!

 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1963-Gibson-12-String-B-45-12N-/250915288726?pt=Guitar&hash=item3a6bb77696

 

 

BluesKing777.

[BluesKing777]

I gave my finger skins a slight rest by tuning the guitar to Open G equivalent (guitar tuned down 4 half steps = Eb) and dragging out the dunlop medium thumbpick and a brass fingerpick to play a bit of 12 string bottleneck. Fingerpicks make the guitar sound absolutely HUGE. That vibrating your teeth type of huge that travels right through the back of the guitar down to the toes.

 

The bigger sister for sale (B45-12n link above) would scare children, dogs and horses and with fingerpicks perhaps could be used as some kind of weapon.

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

P.S. Here is another pic for you:

 

[j45nick]

12-strings are a lot of fun, but they really are a different animal when it comes to playing them: almost like a piano player switching to an organ or harpsichord. You can play the notes, but they don't sound as good as they do when someone who plays a 12 all the time picks up the instrument. Plus, all your finger calluses are in the wrong place

 

I don't have an acoustic 12 right now but I do have this 1968 ES-335 12. I love the look on people's faces when you pick it up and make noise with it. It's fun just to strum a chord and then pick some notes out of it. Still working on my McGuinn stuff.

 

[BluesKing777]

BK, how does she sound? One of these (or maybe a vintage Guild F212) is definitely next on my "to buy" list. I love the small-body 12er vibe though. I'd love to read a review of it by your good self. Is the neck angle etc all good? I should imagine the geometry of a small 12 like this has a hard time with all that string tension...are you down a semitone or a whole tone?

 

 

It just returned from the guitar tech yesterday and is now a million dollar guitar instead of a cast-off. Action done, rosewood saddle with bone insert, Fishman passive pickup (I use my Fishman Spectrum), neck twisted, frets polished and new strings.

 

Wow and Wow! Played some Gary Davis up to the 12 th fret with ease (well, not that easy, but can be done).

 

I read Jinder's review of his AJ and I may try a review later, but that sure was a lot of typing and I am off to play the B25-12n til my fingers drop off instead!

 

BluesKing777.