Ibanez Concord 12 string

Wessel

My father bought this guitar from a blues player somewhere in Cape town in the 70's, I think. Over the years some off the tuners have broken and needs to be replaced.

Im shure I won't get the origanil tuners.But what tuners would be a good replacement ?

Apparently the guitar is worth allot,but the sentimental value I attach to it out weighs that. I really want to restore it to its former glory.

AlanRatcliffe

I know the Concords quite well. You can still get the same style tuners as they were originally fitted with. They come in 12-string sets, or you can just use two sets of 3-a-side. They are fairly cheap and while not great, if you fit a better set of sealed Gotoh/Schaller/Grover, etc. the weight is an issue (you can add over a kilogram to the headstock using heavy tuners).

First thing to check with a Concord 12 is that the top is not bellying (where the top bows upwards, lifting the action up high). Older 12-strings (and especially the string sets) were not designed for tuning to E, but were supposed to be tuned to D. Most people tuned them to E anyway and the tops would start bowing quite quickly. I've yet to see a Concord 12 that wasn't bellying. Fixing it properly is a major job, but there are workarounds to get them playable.

Spyke

Slightly off topic.

Something I've never found out: What is the tuning of a 12 string? Alan you say D tuning is preferred / ideal. D G C F A D...? What are the other strings tuned to?

AlanRatcliffe

Alan you say D tuning is preferred / ideal.

I meant to mention that modern 12-string sets are much lighter, letting you tune to E with fewer problems. They last much longer, but acoustic 12s are still a bit of a problem in the long run, as the bracing can only be so heavy.

What are the other strings tuned to?

High E and B courses are both tuned in unison, while the thinner string in each of the other courses is tuned an octave higher than the other. So it's still E A D G B E - just an octave higher.

Also, If you have a spare six string guitar lying around, you can try Nashville or high strung tuning:
http://ratcliffe.co.za/articles/nashville.shtml
...great for recording.