Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

2 questions:

What do you tune your 12 to?

What would you reccomend to help keep your 12 in tune?

Graham: Tune your 12 string to standard pitch.

Once you allow for a very short break in period and, provided your strings are installed properly, you should not require anything special to keep you Rickenbacker 12 string in tune.

Ongoing fluctuations in humidity, one way or the other, will affect the pitch of the strings as the moisture or lack thereof interacts with the body of the instrument.

We could analyze this in more detail, however, I hope this addresses the question adequately.

I'll just add that I'm amazed at how well my 360/12 holds its tuning. Completely unlike the various cheap 12-strings I've played.

Peter has it in a nutshell, but I would add that the best thing to keep any gtr in tune...is to play it! Regular playing seems to keep gtrs in tune, but irregularly played gtrs seem to need a settling in period. If you play regularly & it doesn't keep tune, then a trip to your luthier is probably in order.

I use standard tuning with a slight difference in the first and second sets' pitch: one of the pair is tuned very slightly above pitch and the other, very slightly below pitch. By my Seiko chromatic tuner, these variations in pitch are only 2-3 cents, but it makes the strings chime better, at least in my opinion.