The artist I manage is keen on getting a 12-string electric guitar to supplement her Les Paul and Strat. I have seen a Danelectro DC59 12-string at a very good price. I’m not a musician myself but from what I can see on the internet, it’s a fine-sounding and well thought of instrument. Peter Buck is apparently a big fan and Page, Hendrix, Clapton and Beck have all used Dans. Apparently the pickups are very good.
I was thinking of getting this axe for Ese as an early Xmas/birthday present-cum-investment as she seems rather keen on it.
Kev wish I could add something here from a voice of authority on 12 strings but they are a rare beast indeed and a B to tune - all unisons and octaves. But their sound is unique.
The Daneletro is a great guitar for the money and really that is the issue - you get what you pay for in terms build quality and brand name. But you are really going to struggle to get anything at the price of the Dan with their build and name quality.
Your next step up is a fender which is going to be around £800.
If I was gigging and wanted a 12 string then I’d probably go for the Dan - it looks great, plus their cache from the artists you mention does give them a reasonable re-sale value.
This Rickenbacker is the classic 12-string electric. 12-string electrics are a pretty specialized guitar, though. One needs the right use for them, or they risk just becoming ornaments. They’re about the 4th electric guitar type I’d add to my quiver. Ahead of them, I’d want to already own a Strat-style, an LP-style and a semi-hollowbody guitar.
Plus the Rickenbackers have notoriously small fretboards - such that Roger McGuinn only uses 2 fingers over 3 strings to make an A chord. It is also wise to keep them tuned down a half step and capo the first fret, because the amount of tension from 12 strings over the years can reek havoc on a neck. (Another McGuinn suggestion).
I had one, and inasmuch as it was only useful for a limited repertoire, I sold it to a guy in Belgium who was looking for one for his son.
The issue with loads on 12-string (and other) necks can readily be addressed by manufacturers. A friend of mine makes guitars with carbon-reinforced trussless necks. Also carbon lattice soundboard reinforcement. You can’t see the the carbon fibre, they just look like regular guitars. It’s a neat application of the technology. If Rickenbacker 360 12s still have fragile necks, it’s a pity. Something that expensive should last for generations.
For interest, see also carbon-reinforced high-end bows for violins and cellos etc. where the use of carbon has meant less need to throw away very rare, but slightly imperfect, exotic wood. It wasn’t that the bows themselves used a lot of wood for the final product, but the rejection rate from a given slab was extremely high.
Not with this non-supinating left hand it isn’t. (Once went to an orthopedist about it, and the offered solution was to cut off the proximal end of my radius…I passed.)
