Daryl Jones
non-practicing pacifist
Seems to me nobody (or seldom anyway) talks about 12 string guitars. And I get it since PRS doesn't do acoustic 12 strings (that I know of anyway) and the double necks I've seen are always private stock/custom builds.
Obviously I don't have a PRS PS 12 string or double neck so I play a Seagull S12 Concert. Just wonder who might also play (or like me play poorly haha) a 12 string guitar.
What I have found is while I truly enjoy the unique sound and tones of the 12 string, to play them well there are limited songs that I find really suit these incredible machines. And the ones that were written for or with them (we all know the most popular/famous ones) are no brainers. Just every once in a while I find a song that I think would be great on my 12, turns out to sound like crap on it. I get that the octave pairings won't work for absolutely everything, it's the nature of the beast. I just get a tad frustrated when the song turns out that way.
Now I'm no consummately professional player by any means, but I really want to increase my repertoire of songs that are suitable for public (if small) performances with my 12 string. Especially for times when it's just myself playing a small solo gig. I use backing tracks but I try and keep it as simple as I can so that I can make them as pleasing and full as possible. And the recorded versions that are done in a slightly different pitch drive me nuts trying to tune to them to learn the damn song!
I know that playing a simpler song exceptionally well certainly outdoes doing one that's really intricate half a$$ed. Not that I'm above taking one on the chin up there, I'll never be past the occasional "oh s**t!" moment. I've seen far better players than I'll ever be eat it on stage.
Obviously I don't have a PRS PS 12 string or double neck so I play a Seagull S12 Concert. Just wonder who might also play (or like me play poorly haha) a 12 string guitar.
What I have found is while I truly enjoy the unique sound and tones of the 12 string, to play them well there are limited songs that I find really suit these incredible machines. And the ones that were written for or with them (we all know the most popular/famous ones) are no brainers. Just every once in a while I find a song that I think would be great on my 12, turns out to sound like crap on it. I get that the octave pairings won't work for absolutely everything, it's the nature of the beast. I just get a tad frustrated when the song turns out that way.
Now I'm no consummately professional player by any means, but I really want to increase my repertoire of songs that are suitable for public (if small) performances with my 12 string. Especially for times when it's just myself playing a small solo gig. I use backing tracks but I try and keep it as simple as I can so that I can make them as pleasing and full as possible. And the recorded versions that are done in a slightly different pitch drive me nuts trying to tune to them to learn the damn song!
I know that playing a simpler song exceptionally well certainly outdoes doing one that's really intricate half a$$ed. Not that I'm above taking one on the chin up there, I'll never be past the occasional "oh s**t!" moment. I've seen far better players than I'll ever be eat it on stage.
