List of 12-string guitar players

The twelve string guitar is an acoustic or electric guitar with twelve strings (four tuned an octave apart), which produces a richer, more ringing and jangly tone than a standard six-string guitar. Notable performers include:

Acoustic

* Daron Malakian
* Tony Banks (Genesis)
* Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd)
* Robbie Basho
* James Blunt
* David Bowie
* Tim Buckley
* John Butler
* Glen Campbell
* Dave Cousins
* Chas Cronk
* David Crosby
* Steve Howe (Yes, Asia)
* Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age)
* Barbecue Bob (also known as Robert Hicks)
* John Allan Cameron
* Reverend Gary Davis
* Chris de Burgh
* John Denver
* Denny Doherty
* Melissa Etheridge
* Glenn Frey (The Eagles)
* Noel Gallagher (Oasis)
* Bob Gibson
* Arlo Guthrie
* Steve Hackett (Genesis)
* George Harrison (The Beatles)
* Jimi Hendrix
* Karen Dalton
* Levon Helm (The Band)
* Roger Hodgson (Supertramp)
* Mississippi John Hurt
* Earl Klugh
* Leo Kottke
* Greg Lake
* Daniel Lanois
* Lead Belly
* Alex Lifeson (Rush)
* Gordon Lightfoot
* Shane MacGowan (During the early years of The Pogues)
* Dave Matthews
* Brian May (Queen)
* Barry McGuire
* Sarah McLachlan
* John McLaughlin
* Ralph McTell
* Blind Willie McTell
* Colin Meloy
* Pat Metheny
* Matt Nathanson
* Fred Neil
* Charlie Parr
* Tom Petty
* Anthony Phillips
* John Phillips
* Jimmy Reed
* Happy Rhodes
* Keith Richards
* Mike Rutherford (Genesis)
* Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi)
* Tom Scholz
* Dan Seals (England Dan & John Ford Coley)
* Pete Seeger
* Paul Simon
* Robert Smith (The Cure)
* Red Sovine
* Cat Stevens
* Billy Strange
* Taylor Swift
* Mick Taylor (The Rolling Stones)
* Pete Townshend (The Who) [http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/equipment/guitar/equip-guild12.html]
* Stevie Ray Vaughan
* Roger Whittaker
* Nancy Wilson (Heart)
* Neil Young
* Warren Zevon
* Paul Brett
* Freddie Mercury

Electric

Rickenbacker

* Daron Malakian
* Wally Bryson (Raspberries)
* Jeff Buckley
* Peter Buck (R.E.M.)
* Jonny Buckland (Coldplay)
* Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)
* Eric Clapton
* The Edge (U2)
* Les Fradkin Beatlemania (musical) and solo career
* George Harrison (The Beatles)
* Jimi Hendrix (He also played a twelve stringed acoustic guitar)
* Wayne Hussey (The Mission)
* Brian Jones
* Daniel Johns (Silverchair)
* Greg Lake
* Geddy Lee (Rush) played a doubleneck 12-string/4-string bass on live versions of the songs "A Passage to Bangkok" and "Xanadu"
* John Lennon (The Beatles)
* Johnny Marr (The Smiths)
* Jeff Martin
* Jim/Roger McGuinn (The Byrds)
* Anton Newcombe (The Brian Jonestown Massacre)
* Mike Pender (The Searchers)
* Tom Petty
* Mike Rutherford played a custom made 12-string/4-string Bass double neck
* Alan Sparhawk
* Elliott Smith
* Paul Weller
* Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane)
* Carl Wilson
* Marty Willson-Piper
* Pete Townshend (The Who)
* Fred "Sonic" Smith (MC5, Sonic's Rendezvous Band)
* Tommy Shaw (Styx)
* Steve Howe (Yes)
* Gary Moore
* Jeff Watson Night Ranger

Gibson EDS-1275

* Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
* Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)
* Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips)
* Don Felder (The Eagles)
* Ace Frehley (Kiss)
* James Hetfield (Metallica)
* Gordie Johnson (Grady)
* John5 (Marilyn Manson) (Rob Zombie)
* Denny Laine (former Wings member)
* Alex Lifeson (Rush)
* Jeff Martin
* John McLaughlin
* Tom Morello (Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine)
* Matthias Röhr
* Claudio Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria)
* Slash (Guns N' Roses/Slash's Snakepit/Velvet Revolver)
* Pat Smear (The Germs/Nirvana/Foo Fighters)
* Johnny Winter
* Mike Ward
* Zakk Wylde

Other

* Joe Satriani uses a 12 string version of his acclaimed Ibanez JS series on tracks like "A Cool New Way" off Super Colossal.
* Jon Hume of evermore
* Miki Berenyi of Lush
* Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth uses the PRS Custom 22/12 guitar for live performances including 'Closure'.
* David Bowie has used the twelve-string guitar, most notably during his earlier years as seen in the "Five Years" and "Queen Bitch" segments on anthology DVD "Best of Bowie". This guitar was well known, due to the lone single coil pickup that lay in the middle of the sound hole and had a clamp shaped headstock
* Glen Campbell - Used Ovation twelve-strings. [http://www.glencampbellshow.com/ovation_1.html]
* Chris Cheney (The Living End) - Used a twelve string to record the solo for "End Of The World", as shown on the band's DVD 'The End'.
* Near the end of his tenure with The Yardbirds, Eric Clapton was required to, in order to reproduce the harpsichord, use a 12-string guitar while performing "For Your Love" live.
*Roy Clark sometimes uses an electric 12 string guitar, tuned higher than usual, and played like a mandolin.
*Lloyd Cole used a twelve-string, teardrop-shaped electric during early live performances with Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. His solo song "A Long Way Down" features an acoustic twelve-string solo played by Lloyd.
* Jimmy Page - Used a Fender Electric XII for studio use, and a Gibson EDS-1275 for live use, both cases for "Stairway to Heaven", and a Vox 12 string on "Thank You."
* Rik Emmett used an Ibanez doubleneck [http://www.ivc.ca/misc/artist/images/RikEmmit.jpg] and a similar Yamaha model following his endorsement deal with the company.
* Steve Howe (Yes) and Pete Townshend (The Who) - Have used both Rickenbackers and EDS-1275 guitars. Townshend has also used Fender 12-string electric guitars.
* Brian May used a Burns Double Six 12-string electric guitar for the song "Long Away" and a Ovation Pacemaker for the songs "'39","Love of My Life" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".
* Nicholas McCarthy (Franz Ferdinand) - Uses an unidentified guitar in the video for "The Fallen".
* John McLaughlin, Double Rainbow, custom made by Rex Bogue.
* Michael Nesmith (The Monkees) - played a Gretsch twelve string
* Rick Nielsen - Has a twelve-string neck on his five-necked Hamer guitar.
* Krist Novoselic (Sweet 75 formerly Nirvana) - Used a Fender 12 string, old guitar, from the 1950s/1960s, not like the current strat 12 strings.
* Ashmedi (Melechesh)- 12 string electric, looks like a Les Paul body - no brand.
* Mike Pender of The Searchers has used the twelve-string guitar, most notably as seen in nearly all of his studio sessions and in the "Needles & Pins" and "Love Potion Number Nine" performances on the 60s oldies reunion DVD "The British Invasion Returns".
* Steve Vai - has 2 triple neck guitars, both with a 12 string and 2 6 string necks.
* John Petrucci (Dream Theater) - Has a double-necked version of his signature Music Man guitar.
* Mike Rutherford (Genesis) - Uses a Shergold doubleneck.
* Nick Valensi (The Strokes) - Has a twelve-string Epiphone Riviera and uses it to perform the song "Electricityscape".
* Matt Slocum (Sixpence None the Richer) - Uses a Fender Electric XII (as shown in the "Kiss Me" video)
* Robin Guthrie - Used a Fender Electric XII for numerous Cocteau Twins songs.
* Tom Petty - used a Vox Phantom 12-string in the music video for "Refugee". Used a Fender Electric XII on his 2006 North American tour.
* Pete Townshend - Is seen using a Fender Electric XII in photographs of the "Tommy" sessions.
* Paul Gilbert - Has used a twin neck Ibanez in some cases.
* Carl Wilson - Also used 12-string Epiphone Riviera in addition to the Rickenbacker guitar.
* Dave Mustaine of Megadeth - Uses a Jackson V twin neck on the song Trust, and in the past on In My Darkest Hour, producing a powerful octave main riff, as seen in the live DVD 'Rude Awakening'. He also plays a custom ESP double neck guitar, although he has switched to Dean Guitars due to a sponsorship deal.
* Julian Cope formerly of The Teardrop Explodes plays a Fender XII on 'Planet Ride' and a Gibson 335-12 as a nine string with the lower pitched strings of the bottom three pairs removed.
* Robert Smith and Porl Thompson of The Cure play both acoustic and electric guitars. Examples can be found on 'Just Like Heaven' and 'Inbetween Days'
* John Butler
* Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother uses a double neck twelve string guitar for the song "White Unicorn."
*Leon Jones of Alfa9 uses a 12 string (Vox) on the song "For Your Bones"
* Wally Bryson of Raspberries uses a Rickenbacher 12-string and a Gibson SG doublenck.
* Morgan Henderson of The Blood Brothers
*Win Butler of The Arcade Fire plays a Gibson ES 335 TD12 in the song "Wake Up"
*The Rooftop Singers - 1963 chart-topping version of Walk Right In featured two twelve-string guitars.
* Nels Cline of Wilco plays a 12-string Danelectro electric on the song "You are my face".
* John Mayall
* Die of Dir en grey plays a 12-string acoustic guitar on the song "Conceived Sorrow".
* Ken of L'Arc~en~Ciel used a 12-string acoustic guitar for the unplugged version of the song "I'm so Happy"
* Nicu Covaci

ee also

*Portuguese guitar
*Cümbüş
*Guitar
*Guitarist
*Lute
*Lutenist
*Classical guitar
*Electric guitar

External links

* [http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/History/12string/12stOrigins.html History of the 12-string]
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6408630351291785061&q=jimi+hendrix+hear+my+train&pl=true Video: Jimi Hendrix plays 'Hear my Train a-Coming' on the 12-string]
* [http://www.fret-dancer.com Vintage Guitar Museum]