Had occasion to change strings on my JF 30-12 yesterday, and was pretty sure I remembered that all the lower octave strings had been inserted into the front row of bridge pins. Actually, the staggering of the pins from front (closest to saddle) to back row made that the logical choice. Anyway, I took a gander at the Martin string change video for 12's, and was surprised to hear the guy changing strings say: " The lower octave strings go to the rear." Upon stopping the video and looking closely, I could see that the pins on the Martin he was re-stringing were offset opposite what the ones on my Guild are, and definitely would have affected where they usually contacted the saddle had I followed what he was saying. My back row of pins is offset toward the top of the lower bout while the back row on the Martin was offset to the pickguard side (bottom) of the lower bout.
I later read an review of a Martin D-12 35 50th anniversary 12 string that made this statement : "And, missed at first, the strings are reversed at the bridge pins from the old Martin 12-strings. The strings with the lower pitch are anchored in the front row holes, nearer the saddle. The octave strings are delegated to the back row. This is the opposite configuration from that found on Martin 12-strings from the 1960s and later." One thing I noted about the Martin D-12 35 being referenced was that the bridge pins were offset in the same direction as my JF 30's.
Anyway, I strung it up with all the lower octave strings anchored in front; and, of course, aligned everything properly at the nut slots and tuning pegs. Sounds great, but just wondering if anyone has noticed any variations in front & back row pin alignment with different models of 12 string guitars - or even in 12 strings by the same manufacturer?
I later read an review of a Martin D-12 35 50th anniversary 12 string that made this statement : "And, missed at first, the strings are reversed at the bridge pins from the old Martin 12-strings. The strings with the lower pitch are anchored in the front row holes, nearer the saddle. The octave strings are delegated to the back row. This is the opposite configuration from that found on Martin 12-strings from the 1960s and later." One thing I noted about the Martin D-12 35 being referenced was that the bridge pins were offset in the same direction as my JF 30's.
Anyway, I strung it up with all the lower octave strings anchored in front; and, of course, aligned everything properly at the nut slots and tuning pegs. Sounds great, but just wondering if anyone has noticed any variations in front & back row pin alignment with different models of 12 string guitars - or even in 12 strings by the same manufacturer?