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NBD! Weirdest bass I own. Sounds like a locomotive. Fun times!

#27
I used to have a Hamer 12 kinda like the photo here. We called it a manual piano.
upload_2023-12-10_22-19-39.jpeg
 
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#30
Can I ask you 12 string owners, how is the bass tuned?

Are the main strings tuned normally as EADG, and then both smaller strings tuned one octave higher than the main string? I watched the video @Hues posted above, and the video mentions tuning in this way.

I ask because I just yesterday received a Chinese made 12 string, and I need to tune it up. It seems the thicker of the two thin E strings would be hard pressed to be tuned an octave above standard E, but if I tune it the same as the main E string, it's WAY too floppy.

I'd appreciate your know-how.

Thank you.
 
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#34
GKon said:
Can I ask you 12 string owners, how is the bass tuned?

Are the main strings tuned normally as EADG, and then both smaller strings tuned one octave higher than the main string? I watched the video @Hues posted above, and the video mentions tuning in this way.

I ask because I just yesterday received a Chinese made 12 string, and I need to tune it up. It seems the thicker of the two thin E strings would be hard pressed to be tuned an octave above standard E, but if I tune it the same as the main E string, it's WAY too floppy.

I'd appreciate your know-how.

Thank you.
Click to expand...
@bholder encountered the same with his recently-acquired twelvers:
bholder said:
Heard back from the seller's techies - curious thing, they claim it's for EADG tuning, here's a tiny pic with the gauges and spec:

s-l1600-3-jpg.5136378
Click to expand...
(Whole story from this post downwards.)

It's as if they either believe the instrument sounds better, or more interesting, with unison trebles of different gauge/tension - except for the fact that, at 34" scale, it would only sort-of work with the lowest course (the bigger-treble D and G strings are too fat, yet too thin-cored, to be tuned up to the intended pitches, and the .046" A2 doesn't look long for this world either);
or they come with the pre-installed option of tuning each course as a 1-5-8 power chord...for which the gauges wouldn't be ideal either.

(Oddly enough, the diameters in the chart would be good, and not far from equal-tension, for a blues 1-b7-3 fifthless seventh chord!)

Mystery to me.
But anyway, just get a 12-string bass string set (as made by D'Addario, S.I.T, Curt Mangan and possibly other brands; as said above, they come with pairs of trebles that are identical, and roughly half the gauge of the corresponding bass string).
Alternatively, you could also get two piccolo (octave-up) sets and pair them to the existing low strings.

EDIT - Aha! I've just seen your NBD thread: same bass as Bill's.
 
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#35
GKon said:
Can I ask you 12 string owners, how is the bass tuned?

Are the main strings tuned normally as EADG, and then both smaller strings tuned one octave higher than the main string? I watched the video @Hues posted above, and the video mentions tuning in this way.

I ask because I just yesterday received a Chinese made 12 string, and I need to tune it up. It seems the thicker of the two thin E strings would be hard pressed to be tuned an octave above standard E, but if I tune it the same as the main E string, it's WAY too floppy.

I'd appreciate your know-how.

Thank you.
Click to expand...
That’s how it’s usually tuned, both thinner strings an octave up. Weird that the octave strings are different. I would replace them out of principle, because those cheap strings they use are almost always garbage.
 
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#36
JimmyM said:
That’s how it’s usually tuned, both thinner strings an octave up. Weird that the octave strings are different. I would replace them out of principle, because those cheap strings they use are almost always garbage.
Click to expand...

Not just garbage, but in this case, the strings are crap and the gauges don't even make any sense for any tuning we've tried. Just slap them on there and sell it, dude...
 
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#38
HaphAsSard said:
@bholder encountered the same with his recently-acquired twelvers:

(Whole story from this post downwards.)

It's as if they either believe the instrument sounds better, or more interesting, with unison trebles of different gauge/tension - except for the fact that, at 34" scale, it would only sort-of work with the lowest course (the bigger-treble D and G strings are too fat, yet too thin-cored, to be tuned up to the intended pitches, and the .046" A2 doesn't look long for this world either);
or they come with the pre-installed option of tuning each course as a 1-5-8 power chord...for which the gauges wouldn't be ideal either.

(Oddly enough, the diameters in the chart would be good, and not far from equal-tension, for a blues 1-b7-3 fifthless seventh chord!)

Mystery to me.
But anyway, just get a 12-string bass string set (as made by D'Addario, S.I.T, Curt Mangan and possibly other brands; as said above, they come with pairs of trebles that are identical, and roughly half the gauge of the corresponding bass string).
Alternatively, you could also get two piccolo (octave-up) sets and pair them to the existing low strings.

EDIT - Aha! I've just seen your NBD thread: same bass as Bill's.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate the info!

Yeah, I read bholder's post after I broke one of the G strings LOL!

I am waiting for a new set of SIT's. I agree, it should be easier to tune and play with a set that both treble strings are identical. I'm looking forward to trying them out.
 
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#39
JimmyM said:
That’s how it’s usually tuned, both thinner strings an octave up. Weird that the octave strings are different. I would replace them out of principle, because those cheap strings they use are almost always garbage.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

It is weird, but looks kind of cool! Oddly enough, they felt pretty good. Much better than some of the other cheap strings I've gotten on basses.
That being said, I ordered a set of SIT strings last night.
 
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