Interesting tailpiece on a 12-string bass. And very interesting electronics on the Explorer-style, too.

@northernbassist
I know nothing about 12-string basses like this. Looking at the string diameters, it's clear that the additional strings are meant to be tuned to much higher. Are the two smaller strings tuned in unison an octave above the main string?

@voltronic

i believe so. guessing that it takes a lot to get the ring that they'd be looking for. Trying to keep the octave strings tuned to different notes sounds like a nightmare.

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@northernbassist
It also seems like the octave strings are way closer than adjacent strings on a 12-string guitar or a mandolin. Wouldn't you be at risk of the main strings buzzing against them?

I'll have to check out their website. I'm really curious what this instrument would sound like. I imagine it's most useful for solo work because it would have way too much going on to play an actual bassline as part of an ensemble.

@voltronic @northernbassist I think the actual ratios might make the higher strings "closer" but the playing is still limited by Fingers and the other instruments are much smaller.

@voltronic

Cheap Trick's bassist, Tom Petersson, played a 12-string bass on a lot of their stuff. He's the only guy I can think of off the top of my head who used a 12 a lot.

Think you really have to be yanking the strings for them to physically interact with eah other.

@MrGoat @northernbassist
And now I know what funk music played on a harpsichord would sound like.

@voltronic @northernbassist

I play a lot of bass chords, on the A D G strings (E just muddies things up too much) and you need roll off the Bass freqs and push the mids and treb a bit on a Rickenbacher 4001 and you get both a nice bottom and can play some nice rich complex chord tones..

I could see this working okay.

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