Editing Twelve-string guitar (section)

==Tuning==
[[File:100 5623.JPG|thumb|right|upright|200px|[[Dave Mustaine]] of [[Megadeth]] playing a [[Dean Guitars|Dean]] twin neck. Note the machine heads for the 12 string secondary strings on the edge of the body.]]
The most common tuning, considered standard today, is a variation on the standard six-string guitar tuning: {{nowrap|E<sub>3</sub>•E<sub>2</sub> A<sub>3</sub>•A<sub>2</sub> D<sub>4</sub>•D<sub>3</sub> G<sub>4</sub>•G<sub>3</sub> B<sub>3</sub>•B<sub>3</sub> E<sub>4</sub>•E<sub>4</sub>}}, moving from lowest (sixth) course to highest (first) course.<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq0Ok8lA3xY&t=30s  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/Fq0Ok8lA3xY| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live| title=What Is The Difference Between A 6-String & A 12-String Guitar|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Lead Belly and some other players have doubled the lowest course two octaves above instead of one, producing a third string in unison with the top course, and some stringing the third course in unison as well, and some others all courses except the top in octaves.

Some performers use [[open tuning]]s and other non-standard [[guitar tunings]] on 12-string guitars. Some performers have experimented with tuning the two strings within a course to intervals other than octaves or unisons: jazz guitarists such as [[Ralph Towner]] (of [[Oregon (band)|Oregon]]), [[Larry Coryell]], and [[Philip Catherine]] have tuned the bass courses of their 12-string guitars to the upper [[perfect fifth|fifths]] and trebles to the lower [[perfect fourth|fourths]] instead of octaves and unisons;<ref>Whitehill; ''Alternate Tunings for Guitar''; p. 8</ref> [[Michael Gulezian]] tuned strings in the top two courses to whole-tone intervals (and possibly some of the other strings an octave lower) to achieve a very rich, complex sound.<ref>Whitehill, Dave; ''Alternate Tunings for Guitar: A Comprehensive Guide for Over 300 Tunings''; p. 12. {{ISBN|0-7935-8219-9}}</ref> The greater number of strings offers almost endless possibilities.

===Nashville tuning===
[[Nashville tuning (high strung)|Nashville tuning]] is a way of simulating a 12-string guitar sound, using two six-string guitars playing in unison. This is achieved by replacing the lower four courses on one six-string with the higher octave strings for those four courses from a 12-string set, and tuning these four strings an octave higher than normal tuning for those courses on a six-string. [[double tracking|Double-tracking]] this guitar with the standard-tuned six-string is commonly used in recording studios to achieve a "cleaner" 12-string effect.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.daddario.com/Resources/JDCDAD/Videos/DAddario_Nashville_Tuning.pdf | title=High-Strung/ Nashville Tuning | access-date=2017-03-05 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329053027/http://www.daddario.com/Resources/JDCDAD/Videos/DAddario_Nashville_Tuning.pdf | archive-date=29 March 2017}}</ref>

===Mexican 12-string tuning===
[[Mexican twelve-string guitar]]s, also known as requinto style or Sierreño style, are modified 12-string guitars that can approximate the sound of a [[bajo sexto]] or [[bajo quinto]] and play regional Mexican styles, such as [[Norteño (music)|norteño]] (music of Northern Mexico), [[Tejano music|Tejano]] (Tex-Mex), and [[conjunto]] (música mexicana-tejana). In a traditional 12-string setup, the lower four strings (E, A, D, and G) have octave pairs, while the top two (B and E) have unison pairs. However, for regional Mexican styles, all strings are set up with identical unison pairs instead of the traditional octave courses.<ref>{{cite web |title=Takamine 12-String Setup - Requinto-Style |url=https://www.esptakamine.com/articles/2013823-takamine-12-string-setup-requinto-style |website=ESPTakamine.com |access-date=2 October 2023}}</ref> This configuration yields a resonant timbre reminiscent of the venerable bajo sexto, but adds significantly more tension on the bridge and neck. Furthermore, it usually requires the nut to be modified, the neck compensated, and the bridge to be reinforced.<ref>{{cite web |title=Matched-Course 12-Strings and Other Norteño and Sierreño Instruments |url=https://reverb.com/news/a-guide-to-norteno-and-sierreno-instruments#:~:text=This%20modification%20adds%20a%20lot%20more%20strain%20on%20the%20bridge%20and%20neck%20and%20usually%20requires%20the%20nut%20to%20be%20modified%2C%20the%20neck%20to%20be%20compensated%2C%20and%20the%20bridge%20to%20be%20reinforced%20with%20aftermarket%20products. |website=Reverb |access-date=2 October 2023}}</ref>