Double Course Steel Guitar

[Alan Brookes]

I built this instrument a few months ago. It's similar to one I built 30 years ago. The front neck has octave pairs, like a 12-string guitar, and is tuned A6 (standard C6 tuning but 3 half-tones down). The back neck has unison pairs, like a mandolin, and is also tuned A6.

I find that when I play C6 on a regular instrument I play a lot of octaves using two fingers. On this instrument I can play octaves with one finger. The typical C6 slide to the dominant, subdominant, or octave, sounds very rich with all the additional harmonics.

Here's another picture of it. Excuse the mess. My workshop is also used as a Model Railway room and a recording studio.

[Jay Fagerlie]

Very nice Alan
What part of Ca are you in?
North, South?
Jay

[Michael Aspinwall]

Awesome!! Howzabout some clips??

[Edward Meisse]

That double neck in the background looks like a Chandler studio 8 double neck. Didn't know they made those. I must be mistaken.

[Gary Lynch]

Roger McGuinn would love it.

[Alan Brookes]

I'm in Oakland. I work in San Francisco.

Up to now I couldn't post any soundclips, but my friend Basilh has offered to host some, so I shall post some shortly.

The instrument in the background is a Sho-Bud Crossover which I was renovating at the time.

[Phill Morris]

Hi Alan
Nice looking guitar .
I particularly like the fine details with the corner pieces and fret markers.
I am not familiar with the A6 tuning but had similar thoughts myself re 12 string . Was there any problems with the intonation on the set up for the strings?
I like the bridge and nut you made. looks really good
Phill

[Gary C. Dygert]

Yes, soundclips please! In the 1960s there were some pedal steels with double strings, but the idea scares me. With nonpedal, the sound could be great.

[Alan Brookes]

Since I posted this a couple of years ago, Basil Henriques has posted this video on YouTube of him playing a 16-string double-course lap steel which I built for him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8oFHywB-aU
(The video has gone out of sync by a couple of seconds since he posted out, so bear with me.)

[AJ Azure]

acoustic dual courses work better. electric with effects drenched on it you lose the dual curse effect and get a chorused effect instead. The guitar looks cool though

[Ferdinand van den Berg]

Hi Alan,

Very nice double neck you made there!

I just came across this 12 string at this forum, and it sounds interesting.

AJ you mention acoustic dual corses work better, what kind of acoustic dual core do you play?

Fern

[John Billings]

Alan, I'll bet it sounds great. Do things get at all wacky when you do slants? Or isn't the difference enough to notice?
JB

[AJ Azure]

Hi Alan,

Very nice double neck you made there!

I just came across this 12 string at this forum, and it sounds interesting.

AJ you mention acoustic dual corses work better, what kind of acoustic dual core do you play?

Fern

Just a standard converted jumbo shaped 12 string. By its' nature a double coursed instrument gives a chorused effect but, on electric especially with FX it becomes more of that and less of the shimmery acoustic resonance.

[Alan Brookes]

Alan, I'll bet it sounds great. Do things get at all wacky when you do slants? Or isn't the difference enough to notice?

The difference isn't noticeable.
I've always preferred to play the 12-string guitar and I have eight of them, plus four lutes, five citterns and nine mandolines, and, of course, they all have double courses.
It struck me that so much non-steel work involves plucking two strings, an octave apart, usually first and fourth, or second and fifth, etc., depending on what tuning you're using. With octave courses you can do that with only one finger. If you're using slants its impossible to play the two strings of the slant PLUS the two strings an octave below that simultaneously. With octave courses it's easy.
The other good thing about this instrument is that the two necks are tuned the same, except one neck is in unison courses and the other in octave courses, so if you want to jump from octaves to single notes you can jump necks and be in the same position.

[John Billings]

That's kinda what I figured Alan. And if one is using even the slightest vibrato, it wouldn't be noticeable either.