Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I live in Monroe, Michigan between Detroit and Toledo. Does anyone know where I can take my 12-string close by to have it restrung? I'm getting ready to sell it. Thank you!!!

Don't be a wimp, restring it, yourself. It's not rocket surgery.

Maybe not rocket surgery but what a pain. I'm a bass player but I play guitar on my demos. I always put off changing strings on my guitars till the highs are almost gone. I don't want to think what a pain 12 strings would be!!!!!

Just sell the guitar when the strings get old and buy a new one.

If I was rich I would consider it. But alas I have this strat a friend put together out of his spare parts bin. It's quite possibly the ugliest guitar in existence, but I've fallen in love with it. I guess I'll just have to keep changing strings...sigh............

You're right! I can do it!

Nothing new, but a capo can serve another purpose.

...wisdom

You must simply plan to take an hour and do it correctly yourself. It is the responsibility of owning a 12-string.

If you have an 'R' tailpiece here's a little tip...

Lay the tailpiece upside down, lay the strings into the slots, and then tape them in place. This way, you can flip the tailpiece over right side up and the strings will stay put. Once tuned up simply remove the tape.

Much easier than trying to find those slots one at a time if stringing the 'conventional' way.

My 620 is a 6 string so doing a re-string is no big deal even with the "R" tailpiece. last time I changed strings I used a capo which did help. If you were planning on keeping the 12 string, I'd suggest converting it to a trapeze tailpiece...much easier to re-string. You can use the tape method of holding the ball ends in the taipiece w/o removing all the strings by just tearing off a small piece of masking tape and sticking it under one string at a time (there's enough room under the tailpiece to do this w/o having to flip it back).

Restringing a 12 with the R tailpiece - no problem. Restringing both necks of a D-10 pedal steel, now that's a smidge harder.

Seriously, though, I don't understand all this "it's so hard to restring a R tailpiece" stuff. A Bigsby is way harder than than a R tailpiece, for cryin' out loud....

Special tools and tricks help, but aren't essential. The biggest problem I have had in restringing a Rick 12 is remembering to not cross the octave strings over the next lowest string at the peghead, instead of under like it's supposed to be. But that's just me going on autopilot and not paying enough attention. It's really not that hard to me, honestly....

pacealot wrote:Restringing a 12 with the R tailpiece - no problem. Restringing both necks of a D-10 pedal steel, now that's a smidge harder.

Seriously, though, I don't understand all this "it's so hard to restring a R tailpiece" stuff. A Bigsby is way harder than than a R tailpiece, for cryin' out loud....

Special tools and tricks help, but aren't essential. The biggest problem I have had in restringing a Rick 12 is remembering to not cross the octave strings over the next lowest string at the peghead, instead of under like it's supposed to be. But that's just me going on autopilot and not paying enough attention. It's really not that hard to me, honestly....

Agreed.

Not to mention, how often do you change them?

2010 370/12, just changed 'em out for the fourth time. Took about two hours using a capo. Did 'em the hard way, one at a time.

About average, given it's use. Unless I suddenly get me a regular Byrds-ish gig, I'll be doing it again just before NAMM 2016

Oddly enough, I never though of one-at-a-time as harder - yes, when you do them all at once you can do the tape trick, but you still have to contend with loose bridge syndrome, so, to me, it evens out.

It took me about an hour or less to do 9 of the 12 once at a time (juststrings.com was out of bulk .010s so I couldn't change those). I use a small screwdriver to push the ball end into the slot (being careful not to touch/scrape the guitar), and as long as I don't accidentally knock it back out (I'll try the capo trick next time), it's easy-peasy from there....

It's times like this when I really appreciate playing bass!!!