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Twelve-string bass

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HAMER B12S

The 12-string bass is an electric bass with four courses of three strings each, though they occasionally have six courses of two strings.

Normal tuning is eeE-aaA-ddD-ggG, with one string of each course tuned the same as the corresponding string of the four-string bass, and the remaining two strings tuned to the octave.

The first known 12-string bass guitar, the "Hamer Quad," was designed by Jol Dantzig and built in 1977 for Tom Petersson by Hamer Guitars. Petersson's Cheap Trick bandmate Rick Nielsen reports that Petersson first conceived of the instrument in 1973, and worked with Hamer over the next few years refining the design.[1]

Notable players

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Manufacturers

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Other bass guitars with 12 strings

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Basses with 12 strings and different layouts have been built.

A bass with six two-string courses (bB-eE-aA-dD-gG-cC) was played by John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Spencer, Graham. "Cheap Trick's Tom Petersson, Inventor of the 12-String Bass, Adds to Rick's Picks Collection - Rick's Picks". www.rickspickslive.com.
  2. ^ "Tom Petersson / Cheap Trick".
  3. ^ "The Pearl Jam Reference Library - An Online Archive of Articles on Pearl Jam". www.freewebs.com.
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Six-course bass

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