Courses and tuning
The conventional arrangement combines octave-paired lower courses with unison upper courses. Alternative arrangements need their own string and tension assessment.
Steel / Instrument family
12-string
Six paired courses, with the body and string arrangement chosen together.
The playing brief
What makes this direction different?
For the texture of paired strings in accompaniment, fingerstyle or a personal tuning. OM, Grand Auditorium and Jumbo are documented body directions, with each instrument carrying its own scale, spacing and setup.
Body choice
An OM, GA and Jumbo differ in proportions. Choose the body with your physical reach and intended playing in mind, then establish the paired-course setup.
Twelve strings, not twelve frets
Twelve strings describes the number of strings. A 12-fret joint describes where the neck meets the body. The archive includes twelve-string instruments with a 12-fret joint, but the terms are not interchangeable.
Choose the format
OM, GA or Jumbo.
Completed instruments
The work, in detail.
These photographs, measurements and films belong to the numbered guitars. They are reference instruments, not a fixed specification or a statement of current availability.
No. 322 /
Luthier’s OM 12-string 12-F acoustic guitar no. 322
- Body
- Orchestra Model, 12-strings, 12-frets to the body
- Type
- Vintage (Slotted)
- Nut
- Hand-shaped and polished bone, 47 mm (1.85″) width
- Scale length
- 25.5” (647,7 mm)
No. 315 /
Luthier’s GA 12-string 12-F acoustic guitar no. 315
- Body
- Grand Auditorium, 12-strings, 12-frets to the body
- Type
- Modern (Open)
- Nut
- Hand-shaped and polished bone, 46 mm (1 13/16″) width
- Scale length
- 25.5” (647,7 mm)
No. 490 /
Luthier’s 12-string acoustic guitar no. 490
- Body shape
- Jumbo, Full (no-cutaway)
- Body Joint
- 12th fret
- Scale
- 660 mm
- Nut
- 51 mm (2″), natural bone, hand-shaped and polished
Before you choose
A few useful answers.
Will the extra strings make the neck difficult to play?
Nut width, spacing between courses, spacing within each pair and action all affect the feel. We discuss those measurements explicitly rather than scaling up a six-string neck.
Can I tune below standard pitch?
A lower tuning can be part of the brief. Specify the intended pitches and preferred gauges before the scale and setup are finalised.
Made for your playing
Your 12-string.
Tell us what you play, what feels right on your current instrument and what you would change. The specification, price and anticipated timing are agreed before the build begins.
Discuss an instrument