Official Luthiers Forum!

Here are some shots of a 12 string I've been working on since last October. Myrtle back and sides, Ebony bindings, fretboard, and bridge, spalted Maple and Ebony rosette, Sitka top. This guitar will be heading to it's new home in Hawaii in a couple of weeks.

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It will probably be alright.

Nice! Lucky new owner...

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Really beautiful. How's it sound?

Nice looking guitar! I like the matching headstock crest and bridge belly shape. Also the burly section on the back. I can't decide exactly what it looks like, but it definitely has eyes

I shudder to think what that many closed gear tuners must weigh, though I was just holding the neck from one of my early failures, with bolts to attach, closed gear tuners, and two way truss rod. Feels like lead to my spoiled hands One of these days I need to build a 12 string, but I doubt it's possible to get the neck weight as low as I'd like it to be

Actually I could start a 12 string right now... I've been debating what to build next, since it's too humid to work on my in-progress bunch. I'd almost settled on a nylon harp guitar, but hadn't really considered a 12...

Beautiful work. What is the width of the lower bout? How about the scale length. And how does it sound?

Ed

Thanks guys. The Monarch has a 15.75" bout and a 25.5 scale length. It sounds pretty good, very bright and clear with great projection and tons of sustain. The sitka top is a really good one but of course with a 12 string there is going to be extra structural mass. This is my first 12 and I made the top about 20% thicker and stiffer than I would have for a 6 string with this same top. So the bass is not as warm as it would be if the top were tuned lower. But it sounds good and I expect it to get better as they always do when they begin to break in. I have .010's on it and the top deflection is good and holding steady.

As for weight, the tuners are Gotoh 510 minis and they aren't really that heavy. The guitar feels pretty balanced in my hand. I have an older Guild JF-65 12 string and there is no comparison... you practically need a block and tackle to hoist the Guild into playing position. I've always loved the Guild 12's (the Westerly Guilds that is) and consider them to be some of the better commercially made 12 strings for tone. You would expect a larger sound from a jumbo and this is indeed the case. But this Monarch has better clarity IMO.

I am going to try a set of D'Addario silk and steel strings on it to see if I like them for increased warmth.

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It will probably be alright.

Great guitar Greg. A real class act!!!

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Yowza! Beautiful piece of myrtle on the back. That's one tasty looking guitar