Acoustic Guitar - Convert 6-String to 12-String

Cymbaline · Post by **Cymbaline** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 6:40 pm

Wanting to drill one of these out and turn it into a 12-string.
Has a 24.96" scale, and a 1.75" nut - should be OK to squeeze the strings on.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ ... MgodsVwAsQ

Anyone ever done this? Yes I know there will be more tension but I'm planning on putting this one in Open G and Open C. The shorter scale length should help too.
Any tips or advice?

I LOVE the way these all-hog ibanezes sound, and they are dirt cheap. I don't want a guitar with a gallon of shellac coating on it, and I want a mahogany guitar.
So this sounds like the way to go about it!

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 6:46 pm

Sounds like a dreadful idea to me but I'd be delighted if it works.

Those Ibanezes look good too, never noticed them before.

Chris Fleming · Post by **Chris Fleming** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 11:01 pm

I'd say it's not a great idea... most twelve strings are built like tanks so they can cope with the increased
tension of the extra strings. Your idea would work fine perhaps for a while but it will almost definately rip
it's self to pieces in due course. Also you'd have to do fair bit of work, perhaps even refit, the bridge to
to get the spacing right.

There a few twelves in the same sort of price range. Why not buy one of them, and if you like the look
of this so much (not sure I think it's the right type of wood for a soundboard as I've not played a good
ones as yet) just leave it as is. Nobody I've ever met uses twelve strings for much of anything. Nice to have
right enough

Chris Fleming · Post by **Chris Fleming** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 11:12 pm

Sounds pretty good in the Youtube clips I looked at. Might look into building something along those lines?

Cymbaline · Post by **Cymbaline** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 8:29 pm

Hey Chris which youtube vids?

I would probably just buy a replacement bridge off eBay theyre only like $15.
So I could spend maybe $100 and DIY, rather than spending $650 for the only one I can find, the Guild D-125-12.

I'd get probably this one:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ ... aQodHQ4AeA

24.96" scale, 1.75" nut, will be tuned to Open G or Open C, should be able to handle it.

George · Post by **George** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 8:47 pm

I don't imagine a mahogany dreadnought is gonna be a great match for a 12 string personally. All dark and earthy, but each to their own. People might be right to also have concerns about tension. 1.75" is the perfect 12 nut width but the profile might be too slim. Hard to say

Bear in mind that you could put all this work in and it might just sound cack as a 12, and you can't hide behind pickups with acoustics, and you'd have no resale.

Cymbaline · Post by **Cymbaline** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 8:53 pm

Well I own an Ibanez all-mahogany dreadnought, same product series, and the sound is just out of this world, sounds better than $1000 guitars that are drowned in shellac.

Re-sale isnt even a factor. My current 12-string is a Dean exotica quilted ash, has a unique voice, but is very bright. I want a darker, beefier sound - and I want a guitar with no finish, just bare wood because the resonation and projection and tone is SOOOOO much better. Ive considered having my Dean 12 stripped to open the sound up more.