Guys,
Gord's got some funny tricks he uses for his 12 strings. He has the two, one tuned for a D tuning, as mentioned. But neither are tuned to a full E. Both are tuned down to an E flat to take the pressure off the necks and he capos up for the proper key. This helps prevent Belly Bowing which means you wind up adjusting down the bridge. On one of the 12's that was stolen he did something I did as well, bolted down the bridge with two bolts. He plays light gauge strings, but guages up the low E and A for better low end and the high G for better brillance. Another thing he does is he tunes the second B and the second high E a quarter semi-tone sharp. This is a trick he learned from the late Bob Gibson. He uses a Yamaha flat pick that is no longer available, which means he probably bought enough to last him the rest of his playing career.
12 strind fret boards are wider than normal to accomodate the amount of strings. If you're having a problem playing a 12 as opposed to a six, chances are the action may be too high, at either the nut or the bridge or both. I use a Terrada, which is B45 reproduction from Japan. Terrada only made 400 of them back in mid seventies. If you come across one grab it at any cost. I use medium guage strings (and had the neck back bowed to accomodate the pressure (275 pounds), but then I like my twelve to sound like Holy Thunder. I got that one from Bob Gibson, as well. I also use the same massive Fender triangle flat picks (thin) that Gibson used.
I have a 30 year old Yamaha FG180 as opposed to a Martin because I like the sound better. I run D'Addario heavy guage strings on it. Martin quit selling their heavy guage sets because the bridges kept coming lose on their guitars. I only use the six string for fingerpicking. I also use Dunlop thumbpicks and cultivate my nails.
Gordon uses Schubbs capos, but I prefer Kyser. Both are great.
Hope this helps.
Rob
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