learntoplayguitar.eu

Twelve string guitars have been around since the end of the 1800s. They have always lent a big sound to the human voice adding an orchestral feel to accompany singing. They have backed singers for decades and still are very popular with players and singers alike.

With a double set of strings, they can fill listeners\’ ears with a big sound almost like two guitars at once. They can be tuned slightly lower than a standard six string guitar giving a singer more latitude. Having a big sound offered by a 12 string means that a performer can have a full sound without having to share the stage with anyone else.

Because of their large sound, 12 string guitars were also very popular with Tex-Mex \”Tejano\” musicians playing in streets. These were so loud that a single \”busker\” or street performer, could play alone and still have a large sound to command attention of people passing by.

The acoustic 12 string was made famous by early blues musicians like Blind Willie McTell and Hudy \”Leadbelly\” Ledbetter. They played early model Stella guitars, made by Oscar Schmidt. They were fairly inexpensive and could take the demanding abuse of touring during the years before the second world war. The sound of these instruments added a full dynamic range to their voices placing them above the crowd of other blues artists.

Twelve strings fell out of favour until the fad of folk music in the early 1960s. When someone wanted a different sound they turned to the 12 string again. The Weavers had a player named Pete Seeger who helped bring the 12 string back to popularity. It soon replaced the five string banjo as the unique sound of folk bands.

Folk Rock changed the face of 12 strings. Guitars that once were acoustic were now electric 12 strings. Fender, Gibson and Gretch made several different models with different features. These also had different price ranges.

Undoubtedly the most famous electric 12 strings guitar ever played on earth to date was the Rickenbacher. It was played by Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, George Harrison of the Beatles, Slash of Guns and Roses and many more great players. This is The Rickenbacher electric 12 string guitar, the one that everybody wants to play at least once in their life. It handles well and plays like a dream.

Yancy Leserge has been playing, collecting and trading acoustic and electric 12 string guitars since he was a teen. He still plays, discusses and shares his knowledge all about these expressive guitars at his web site: http://www.12stringsguitars.com. Be sure to stop by to see just what he has up his sleeve.