Double neck guitar: what combo?

[_nash]

Considering a double neck project. Haven't landed on what combo of two guitars I think would be most useful. In the poll, the first option would be the guitar on top.

[s_mcsleazy]

this reminds me of a conversation/photo from my old band. me and my bandmates counted how many different tunings/instruments i used during one run of the set. we worked out that if such an instrument existed, i would have needed a bass, a baritone guitar, a guitar in drop d and a guitar in standard. here is a picture taken at one practice. you can see the bass on my back and my main drop d guitar in my hand.


nowadays, if i needed a double neck instrument. i think it would be bass vi and a jazzmaster

[marqueemoon]

If I ever got a doubleneck (highly unlikely) I’d want baritone 6 string and standard 6 string.

[oid]

If I ever do get back to playing shows I will most likely do it with a double neck, full scale bass/guitar, it just suits the things I want to do, most people are not willing to not play when they are on stage and I do not want two guitar and a bass always playing, so doubling solves the issue nicely and a double neck makes it easier. I do also have a bit of a thing for multi neck instruments, especially the old and forgotten sorts.

The Harpolyre


A mandolin on one side, a mandola on the other.


1690! I do like the way they did it in the Baroque era, the guitar is in the midst of mitosis.


The lute dyphone, lute players are weird.

[Gordon]

Full-scale 34"bass on top, sopranino ukulele on the bottom. Now that is a show stealer.

[Shadoweclipse13]

I think a Bass VI on top with a 6-string guitar on bottom would be ace. I voted 12-string on top, but my addendum is that you should do it with ONLY the coupling (thinner) strings, like a baritone mandolin...

[oid]

I think a Bass VI on top with a 6-string guitar on bottom would be ace. I voted 12-string on top, but my addendum is that you should do it with ONLY the coupling (thinner) strings, like a baritone mandolin...

So a bass VI and a 6 string in Nashville high? That would be a fun setup!

[Shadoweclipse13]

Is that what that's called, when you don't use the regular guitar gauge strings, but only the higher octave strings from a 12-string? My thought was to get a custom set of the high strings, with 2 quantity of each gauge, strung in regular EADGBe (EEAADDGGBBee).

[oid]

Is that what that's called, when you don't use the regular guitar gauge strings, but only the higher octave strings from a 12-string? My thought was to get a custom set of the high strings, with 2 quantity of each gauge, strung in regular EADGBe (EEAADDGGBBee).

ahh, got you. Nashville high is just the octave strings of a 12 string, so you want a double course of Nashville high, that would be fun as well, would give you a slightly thicker sound since the courses would never stay in perfect tune with each other.

[Shadoweclipse13]

Ah. Interesting. I'd never heard that term before. I'm assuming tension is the answer, but why wouldn't they stay in tune?

[oid]

Ah. Interesting. I'd never heard that term before. I'm assuming tension is the answer, but why wouldn't they stay in tune?

A course is a string or a group of strings that are fretted at the same time, so a standard guitar is six single courses, a 12 string is six doubled courses with an octave on the 4 low strings and a unison on the high strings, your idea is six double courses of unisons tuned in Nashville high, you could even do an octave on the E and A strings. Isn't it fun how there is word and terminology for everything, so much to learn!

And yes, string tension, it is more or less metal fatigue, same reason if you bend a paper clip back and fourth it will break, you stress the same spot enough it breaks. The string under tension is under stress that is distributed along its entire free length, this takes its toll and the string loses some of its elasticity causing the string to drop in pitch, just like a rubber band that has been over used, it no longer springs back to its original size and is larger than when new. You also have slippage at the tuning post and the loop end of the string which also cause pitch to drop as well as the string catching at nut and saddle which causes a raise in pitch, although it sometimes masquerades as a drop in pitch! So unless you have strings that are matched at an anal machinist level, they will drop in pitch at different rates and give that nice slight phasing sound of two pitches almost in unison. The two strings would also intonate differently along the fretboard but this would be a n insignificant difference as long as the strings are the same brand.

You are also never going to be able to fret both strings of course in the exact same way, one string will always be pressed slightly harder than than the other, this can be minimized or exaggerated through technique. A fun trick on the b and e of a 12 string is to use one string as a fulcrum, rocking your finger on it so pressure on the the other string of the course has an alternating pressure giving vibrato on it while the other string stays more or less constant.

We better throw in something on topic to finish up.
Hamer Custom 5, for those who just can not decide.

[Shadoweclipse13]

Ah. Interesting. I'd never heard that term before. I'm assuming tension is the answer, but why wouldn't they stay in tune?

A course is a string or a group of strings that are fretted at the same time, so a standard guitar is six single courses, a 12 string is six doubled courses with an octave on the 4 low strings and a unison on the high strings, your idea is six double courses of unisons tuned in Nashville high, you could even do an octave on the E and A strings. Isn't it fun how there is word and terminology for everything, so much to learn!

And yes, string tension, it is more or less metal fatigue, same reason if you bend a paper clip back and fourth it will break, you stress the same spot enough it breaks. The string under tension is under stress that is distributed along its entire free length, this takes its toll and the string loses some of its elasticity causing the string to drop in pitch, just like a rubber band that has been over used, it no longer springs back to its original size and is larger than when new. You also have slippage at the tuning post and the loop end of the string which also cause pitch to drop as well as the string catching at nut and saddle which causes a raise in pitch, although it sometimes masquerades as a drop in pitch! So unless you have strings that are matched at an anal machinist level, they will drop in pitch at different rates and give that nice slight phasing sound of two pitches almost in unison. The two strings would also intonate differently along the fretboard but this would be a n insignificant difference as long as the strings are the same brand.

You are also never going to be able to fret both strings of course in the exact same way, one string will always be pressed slightly harder than than the other, this can be minimized or exaggerated through technique. A fun trick on the b and e of a 12 string is to use one string as a fulcrum, rocking your finger on it so pressure on the the other string of the course has an alternating pressure giving vibrato on it while the other string stays more or less constant.

That tremolo/vibrato trick is neat!

I love terminology, so definitely thanks for that

As for the tuning though... It might not be technically perfectly tuned the same, but it would be able to get close enough where your average listener wouldn't notice I would think. Or like you said, a slight detuning that would fatten up the sound, like a synth.

[oid]

It might not be technically perfectly tuned the same, but it would be able to get close enough where your average listener wouldn't notice I would think.

It is called 'close enough for rock and roll,' few notice things being a bit off and those few that do, do not put food on the table of the working musician. Most 12 strings do not even bother to intonate the octaves, they are just done the same as the basses, the intonation error is part of the sound of the 12 string. Keeping the beat is far more important for the average listener.

[Shadoweclipse13]

It might not be technically perfectly tuned the same, but it would be able to get close enough where your average listener wouldn't notice I would think.

It is called 'close enough for rock and roll,' few notice things being a bit off and those few that do, do not put food on the table of the working musician. Most 12 strings do not even bother to intonate the octaves, they are just done the same as the basses, the intonation error is part of the sound of the 12 string. Keeping the beat is far more important for the average listener.

Interesting. I used to have an acoustic 12-string, and would be quite anal about tuning it, but acoustics aren't generally intonated very well (in my opinion) anyways. At least the ones I've had haven't been.

[oid]

but acoustics aren't generally intonated very well (in my opinion) anyways

They come with a generic intonation that will be alright for any sane set of strings, any decent luthier can make you an intonated saddle as long as you have settled on a set of strings, or you can do it your self if you have a few good small files and some patience.

I tried to find a good video of Boris where Takeshi abuses the double neck, but the only one I found lacked footage of it due to the the person filming having an infatuation with Wata. Oh well.
Wata and Takeshi of Boris by hajimeru, on Flickr