What gauge strings do you use on your 12-string?

[F-412Spec]

Setting up an "old-school" Guild F-312 tuned all the way up.

I put .012"s on there. Sounds crazy-good to me, but it feels way stiff. I guess I'm now looking at .010" or .011" high E strings. What's everyone using these days?

 

[GGJaguar]

.010s on all mine although Martin specifies 10s with a heavy bottom (.054) on my Grand J40-12.

 

[Neal]

I use 12's, but tune down a full step and capo up.

 

[HeyMikey]

I use 10-47 lights on my F312.

EJ38 Light 10-10-14-14-23-08-30-12-39-18-47-27

It is also a good idea to buy a couple extra single 08’s to have on hand as they are the most common string to break.

 

[Brad Little]

I used 12s on my F212 for years, always kept at pitch. Lately I've gone to lights, still sounds great, plays a bit easier. Agree with HeyMikey on extras for the octave 'G,' although I haven't broken one in a long time.

 

[twocorgis]

I use 10-47 lights on my F312.

EJ38 Light 10-10-14-14-23-08-30-12-39-18-47-27

It is also a good idea to buy a couple extra single 08’s to have on hand as they are the most common string to break.

Exactly what I do!

 

[GGJaguar]

It is also a good idea to buy a couple extra single 08’s to have on hand as they are the most common string to break.

I keep a bunch of .09s on hand because I replace the .08s with .09s when I put on new strings. They don't break, they stay in tune better and, IMHO, sound better than the .08. I do this on electric 12ers as well.

 

[HeyMikey]

I keep a bunch of .09s on hand because I replace the .08s with .09s when I put on new strings. They don't break, they stay in tune better and, IMHO, sound better than the .08. I do this on electric 12ers as well.

True. I’ve used 09’s as well when out of 08’s.

It’s odd that on the extra lights and lights D’Addario uses 08’s, but on the mediums they use 10’s. I wonder why they don’t use 09’s in the light sets?

 

[portsider]

I'm a wimpy old guy. I use EJ41 Ex lights or Earthwood lights. They are similar and I can play them comfortably tuned to pitch.
They sound great, or I've adjusted my perception. Either way I like them. I tried EJ38s a couple of months ago and they were just too stiff for my playing. I disliked them enough that I changed them after two days. You know I didn't like them if I was willing to do an extra string change on a 12.

 

[chazmo]

I use light gauge (John Pearse) PB on most of my 12 strings ... .010, .014, .023/.010, .030/.012, .039/.018, .047/.027. I like the idea of using a .008 or .009 on the high G string (6), because that is the string that gets extra pull on it and tends to break in my experience. When I have singles lying around to do that, it's what I use as replacements.

As Neal said above, if you're down-tuning, you can go with 12s, but for standard tuning to pitch, I'd stick with light gauge.

As a matter of fact, I find that light gauge sounds awesome when tuned down a half or whole step off pitch. I haven't come up with a good reason to meander off that light gauge path.

 

[Cougar]

Regular .010s tuned to standard pitch.

 

[Nuuska]

Found an old paper w a note - I used to have a 14-14 18-18 29-10 39-20 49-25 59-39 set on my F512 - of course it was tuned one full step down and open tunings still lower.

But that sound - was it John Fahey who said that a guitar can sound like a church? Mine did.

 

[Treem]

I use .11s on my JF65-12 and I love it. Sustains for days!

 

[jeffcoop]

I use 12's, but tune down a full step and capo up.

Same here, though I'mnot playing an older model. As I age, I find that my voice is very happy to have a guitar on hand that's tuned down a full step.

 

[12 string]

.010-.047, standard tuning. I custom blend sets for higher tunings by decreasing gauges proportionally and lower tunings by increasing gauges proportionally.

 

[SFIV1967]

New Hartford shipped the Orpheum 12 string with Guild® L-1250C 12-String Standard Tension Coated Phosphor Bronze, .010-.047 Gauges. And yes, they had a G .009 in the past and later only a .008.
I need to test the D'Addario NB1047-12 Nickel Bronze set (.010-.047) next.

Ralf

 

[jromano]

I run 10s on vintage stuff usually tuned down.

 

[Westerly Wood]

Once I owned a Guild F212XL. I went with D'A .10-.47 phos bronze.

 

[Rocky]

0.010-0.046 electric, 0.010-0.047 acoustic. Concert pitch.

 

[Bluewhale]

When I switched to 10's on my F-212 it made all the difference on these old hands.