XII string electric recommendations?

[drjoel]

looking to upgrade from a danelectro RI. use it for beatles, "bus stop", originals, etc. rickenbacker is the obvious one to look at. especially interested in 600 series although i have never played one. have also looked at hamer eclipse and vintage fender. would like wider vs. narrower fretboard, any suggestions appreciated.

 

[Unburst]

Apart from the obvious Ricky suggestion, check out the Fender Electric XII and Gibson 335 XII-string.

Both are bargains in the vintage market imo.

 

[george4908]

I've been through a bunch of electric 12s, including a Ric 620-12 and the Hamer Eclipse 12. The new PRS 12-string is the best I've ever played or owned. Not cheap, but the search is over.

 

[arniez]

If you like the Ric sound from the octave string positioning and want better playability, check out the Hamer Newport 12'ver
ArnieZ

 

[ToneLounge]

I owned an original Ricky 366/12 but could never play it above the 5th fret (intonation problems) - now I have a Jerry Jones 12-string that has the adjustable bridge and I love it. Lots of p-up combinations and plays in tune all the way up the neck!

 

[Chops]

Originally posted by george4908
I've been through a bunch of electric 12s, including a Ric 620-12 and the Hamer Eclipse 12. The new PRS 12-string is the best I've ever played or owned. Not cheap, but the search is over.

Agreed. I owned a Rick 330-12, Rick 660-12 and Hamer Newport 12, and they were O.K., but the PRS is in another league. It sounds glorious, plays in tune, and plays very easily although it is expensive. That Newport was a pretty good guitar, though.

 

[guitarmook]

I may not be a lot of help, as I went the other way (sold the Ricky, bought a dano... works great for me)

If the thin/narrow neck is a problem, I don't think the Ricky 330 or 360 12s will work for you - you'll have to see if you can find a 450-12, or a 660-12 - they're rumored to have wider necks.

 

[KRosser]

If you're basically happy with the Dano vibe but wanta better guitar, I'd look at the Jerry Jones guitars, basically a Dano made right.

 

[haslar]

I once owned a mid-60s Gibson ES335-12, and that sure was one helluva sweet guitar.
I strongly recommend checking these out, even though they're pretty rare it seems (not that they're very much sought after either!).

 

[george4908]

>>you'll have to see if you can find a 450-12, or a 660-12 - they're rumored to have wider necks.

The 660s do have wider/fatter necks, but I have to admit I don't care for their carve at all -- square and blocky at the shoulders, whereas my left hand likes a true C shape all around. I loved the sound of my 620-12, but couldn't deal with the pencil neck, and was really hoping the 660-12 would solve that, but no dice, for me at least.

The Hamer Eclipse had a much better neck carve, full and round. Sounded fuller and warmer, too, but it was neck-heavy. Mini-humbuckers do make for a good 12-string pickup, though. A Roger Giffin 12 with minis that I played sounded great (although even more expensive than the PRS).

The PRS 12 I found to have a terrific neck, a much wider range of sounds than others out there, and -- mirabile dictu! -- it is the first solid body 12 I've had that is not neck heavy. Does it sound like a Ric? Well, it can't exactly, because it doesn't have the reversed courses that a Ric has. But it sounds glorious in and of itself, and that's more important than trying to duplicate another manufacturer's particular tone.

 

[Hackubus]

George, do you have pics of your PRS? I can't ever recall seeing a 12'ver PRS.

 

[Berlin Chris]

The Duesenberg Double Cat 12 is a great guitar too.

http://www.duesenbergusa.com/dc121lg.html

 

[landru64]

Originally posted by KRosser
If you're basically happy with the Dano vibe but wanta better guitar, I'd look at the Jerry Jones guitars, basically a Dano made right.

that's what i have, and it's very nice.

 

[Antero]

Carvin AE185-12 or DC120. They actually have room for your fingers - I tried a Rick once, and I couldn't tell where the courses were.

 

[george4908]

>>George, do you have pics of your PRS? I can't ever recall seeing a 12'ver PRS.

A couple of crappy pictures here:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/232380807/342886687LJApIQ

http://community.webshots.com/photo/232380807/342886968hNlbBB

But it's now a production model for PRS. See here:

http://www.prsguitars.com/showcase/current/custom2212.html

 

[Hackubus]

Aha! Thanks George. Nice guitar.

 

[blackburncustom]

Hi,
I really like making 12-string neck-thru's for my customers with chambered or semi-hollow wings. It's cool to get that Ric vibe going!
Peace,
Dave

 

[BadgerDave]

I thought you might like to see a photo of a Hamer Newport 12. The craftsmanship and materials are top of the heap boutique quality and the sound, with the maple body, sound chambers and Duncan Phatcats, is perfect. I haven't played the new PRS, but the Newport is significantly better than any other 12 I've played - including vintage Ricks and Fenders. One more thing, I purchased this one used, in like new condition, w/OHSC, for under $1,000. You can still find them at that price.

 

[tfire]

My wife just bought me a Double Cat 12. Like this...

It's a generally well made and good sounding guitar. The headstock is shorter than some 12 strings - it uses the alternating orientation idea for the machineheads like on Rickenbackers - and so it isn't neck heavy. The downside is that a few of the strings touch the truss-rod cover plate or part of the headstock as they make their way from the nut to the tuning peg. So far it hasn't caused any major tuning problems, but it may be something you want to look into if you're thinking of buying one. Duesenberg have acknowledged that it isn't ideal, but say that there shouldn't be problems with it.

 

[malabarmusic]

looking to upgrade from a danelectro RI.

Just curious, but why? I upgraded my Dan-O (my second one, actually) with a new nut, Duncan lipsticks, better pots, and a pro setup w/fret dressing. Given that it's a "special purpose" guitar, I'm perfectly happy with the Dan-O and the price including all upgrades was way less than most of the guitars already suggested.

BTW, the Eclipse is a beautiful instrument, but the tone couldn't be further from the "classic" 12-string sounds that come out of a Dan-O or Rickenbacker. Plus, the person who described it as neck heavy was wrong. It's EXTREMELY neck heavy.

I've owned a Jerry Jones doubleneck (nevery played his standalone 12), and "Dan-O made right" is a spot-on description. I don't care for the single cutaway look, but if it works for you by all means give this one a go.

Rickenbackers have their own thing going on, and it's never worked for me. I do, however, love the sound of other people playing them. Keep in mind that most techs are going to charge a premium for setting these up as they're a PITA to work on.

The PRS 12 is exquisite, but you can buy a couple of nice Ricks -- or about half a dozen tricked out Danelectros! -- for the cost of one. If that's your budget and you dig the electronics setup, knock yourself out. In this price range, the Giffin also looks nice, but I have no experience with it.

One final guitar to check out is the old Charvel Surfcaster. They surface on eBay from time to time and I've heard some people rave about them.

Good luck with the hunt.

- DB