Baby Needs New Strings...

[qwezirider]

... and 12 of 'em at that! My new toy...gads, what a beast to handle!

A Waterstone TP12

[woodyng]

that's both gorgeous AND frightening! my left hand is cramping just looking at the fretboard...

[jingle_jangle]

Yep, I picked one of those up from Bob Singer, Waterstone prez, who's also a customer of mine...mine is very close to FG--a Cherry burst fading to amber in the middle. Beast is the word, no question...my daughter makes me cover it up when I'm not playing it...

[Scastles]

And, exactly how does one go about playing it?

[sloop_john_b]

MAN that is nice. Let us know how you like it - i'd like to get one but they do look pretty beastly.

[qwezirider]

How to play? Pick or fingers seem to be working this afternoon. Obviously different results from either. I'm not much of a pick player, so that is taking some getting used to. The pickups seem very bright (overly bright to me) when all knobs set at full speed ahead. I've found one of two things to help that. Obviously the tone knobs. But also playing the pick on an upstroke rather than down so as to hit the fundamental string first, rather than the octaves. So in that regard, it does seem quite flexible in tones available just based upon how you choose to play it.

Very heavy too. I don't have a scale handy, but I'm guessing a good three to five pounds heavier than my 4004? The shipment said 22 pounds, and that was only with a box, stuffing, and a gig bag, no hard case. There is considerable neck dive, but not unmanageable. The sound makes the dive worth it. The thing rings for days on end. I'm looking forward to seeing how well it fits into a live band this weekend.

And the strings are really not too difficult to fret. Not anywhere near as painful, to me, as playing a 12 string acoustic guitar. More surface area on the fingers to mash, I suppose.

It would look nice in a "glo" of some kind.

[qwezirider]

Let us know how you like it - i'd like to get one but they do look pretty beastly.

Review time

Not so good - The thing is so heavy that both Schaller strap buttons are loose, the bottom one being stripped from a previous owner really tightening it down too far. Some repair work is in order with that. I think I would've designed it with something a bit more substantial than the screw that comes with the Schallers, but oh well...not the end of the world. Neck dive is substantial.

Not too bad - Neck dive is manageable. Neck pickup is tremendously hotter than the bridge due to being close to the strings by at least a good 1/8th inch, if not more. As expected, the fretting arm gets a hell of a workout. Interestingly enough, the fingers do not, at least in terms of strings cutting into fingers. Definitely requires some concerted effort to remember how to finger properly rather than relying on the heel of the thumb/palm area for leverage. Too easy to slip into grasping it like a baseball bat.

The Good - DAMN, what a sound!!! It's not for every song, but for those it works on, sustain and fatness for days on end. I tried using the pick a couple times and actually preferred finger playing. The sound was not as harsh that way, although I suppose I can learn to get a better tone with a pick over time. Finger playing also allowed me to play just the fundamental strings when I wanted to, leaving out the octaves. That requires some precise playing, but it can be done.

All in all, very much worth the effort if you're looking for a different sound to add to the arsenal. I was told by Jim Morgan of Waterstone that this one could be considered a "prototype" as he recognized in on E-bay as one of seven made in that run while trying out ideas. So I wonder if some of the shortfalls I dealt with have been addressed in regular production. Overall, I like it. Going back and forth all afternoon in a rehearsal between it and my 4004Cii 4-2-5 made the 4004 feel like a twig. And the string spacing felt like the Grand Canyon on the 4004 after playing the 12 string for a while.

[jingle_jangle]

I have played mine on one song in our repertoire--"The Creature", and it changes the whole feel of the song, making it dark and pretty nasty. Next time we play out, I'm going to use it outdoors, turned up...should be a hoot. Hope to get an mp3 of it.

I just picked up a factory second Eastwood "Sidejack" baritone ( normally tuned a fourth below). Put locking Sperzel bass tuning keys on it, and a set of Fender BassVI strings; tunes now to an octave below. This will be used on a couple of surf tunes, too, for some punch on the bottom end.