10 Best 12 String Electric Guitars (2024)

This is my review of the best 12 string electric guitars.

Twelve strings strings add an extra dimension to your guitar sound. Chords sound fuller and reverberate beautifully in space, with more harmonic resonance and chime. The frequency range is greater and, in addition to chords, you can solo in a way that cannot be matched with a 6-string guitar. Who better than Eric Johnson to demonstrate to us the beautiful sound of a 12-string electric guitar?

12-sting electric guitars have been around some time. They rose to prominence in the guitar scene of the 1960s, by the use of bands like The Beach Boys, The Byyrds and the Beatles. During the late 1970s and early 1980s alternative rock, pop, and indie musicians resurrected the electric 12-string guitar. Today, the 12-string electric guitar is somewhat of a niche instrument. Having one will make your guitar collection complete and will allow you to create unique, awesome tones.

The twelve-string guitar can be played in the same way as a six-string guitar since players use the same notes, chords, and guitar skills, but advanced techniques may be challenging because players must play or pluck two strings at the same time.

Top Picks: best 12 String Electric Guitars on the market

• Best high-end 12-string electric guitar: Rickenbacker 330/12.
• Best value-for-money 12-string electric guitar: Ibanez Artcore AS7312.
• Best budget 12-string electric guitar: Harley Benton RB-612.

1. Rickenbacker 330/12

Best High End 12-string Electric Guitar

This is the best high-end 12-string guitar. A one-of-a-kind guitar with exceptional craftsmanship and sound.

The Ricky series has several models, but the red-and-yellow 330/12 and the 360/12 are the most iconic. The Rickenbacker 330 is slightly cheaper than the 360. The main difference is that the 330 has a standard mono output while the 360 has a stereo output that allows you to assign the signal from the different pickups to separate amplifiers. The other features are practically identical: maple body, rosewood fretboard, hi-gain pickups, 24-fret neck. In terms of acoustics, the Rickenbacker is everything your ears have ever dreamed of: lots of sustain and the archetypal jangle with a balanced tonal range.

The neck has a slim profile and is particularly suited to playing chords with great comfort. With the three-way-selector you can switch between neck and bridge pickup and a combination of the two. There is a fifth tone pot for the (lead)volume of the neck pickup, which can also serve as a bass/treble equalization control. The Schaller tuners are located differently on the headstock, so you can quickly and easily see which string you’re playing. A clever design that works great in practice. A six-way adjustable bridge with saddles for each string and the iconic ‘R’ tail-piece for easy re-stringing complete the design.

Rickenbacker 330/12

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2. Gretsch G5422G-12 Electromatic

This guitar is truly fantastic to look at and without a doubt the most beautiful guitar in our list of the best 12-string electric guitars. Its gold hardware and pickguard complement its natural finish and fully bound body. And the gold “G”-cutout tailpiece is very luxurious.

The arched thinline hollow body provides enough volume for living room practice without an amp. The blacktop Filter’Tron pickups deliver chime and jangle without sacrificing punch or warmth. The hollow construction helps with this. The string spacing is well-judged for strumming and arpeggiating. Bass sounds firm, trebles are bright but not strident, and string-to-string balancing needs no compression. The 5422G-12’s neck, bridge, and tuners are sturdy: once you have tuned it, it will stay in tune and with good intonation.

Like most 12-strings, it can be neck-heavy, but Gretsch’s strap buttons keep it well balanced. With a comfortable strap, your back will be more than happy. Gretsch’s solution to the strap lock question is to use threaded inserts so the “buttons” screw down over the strap, keeping it secure.

The neck is a compromise between a traditional acoustic 12-string and an electric guitar. It is easy to play, but if your fingers are a bit chubby, you’ll have to get used to it. Flat-picking on this model is a joy; speedy runs and arpeggios require little thought or practice.

It’s easy to set up the neck and bridge pickup volumes with individual volume controls, a master volume knob, and a master tone control. This makes it easier to settle on distinct lead and rhythm sounds without having to touch a volume knob when swapping pickups or adjusting the overall level. You can dial in blended tones if you want a smoother lead or chimier rhythm.

Some players may conceive of a 12-string as a one-trick pony, but this guitar is great for many styles: jazz, blues, rock, and pop. The guitar does it all from clean to overdriven sounds!

Gretsch G5422G-12

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3. Ibanez Artcore AS7312

Best Value-For-Money 12-string Electric Guitar

The 12-string AS7312 is based on the AS73 guitar. This series has rocker-friendly semi-hollow jazz guitars. These axes have compact bodies to let solid-guitar players switch. The fact that the guitar is semi-acoustic adds to its appeal, since it allows users to play without the use of an amplifier.

AS7312’s maple body is double-cut. Carved, creme-bound top. It has bound “f” holes on each side of the bridge. This model only comes in gloss Sweet Transparent Cherry. Ibanez inserts an ART-1 bridge with stoptail bar on top. Bridge and hardware are chrome-plated. Active, versatile ACH humbuckers.

The Ibanez Artcore AS7312 has a comfortable neck and bonded rosewood fretwork that allows players easy access to all frets. Mahogany neck with Artcore contour. Rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium-sized frets and dot inlays. The guitar’s fret size is medium, making frets and bar chords more accessible to individuals with less experience. Other features such as individual volume and tone controls, as well as a 3-way pickup selector, ensure that the Ibanez Artcore AS7312 can suit the sound needs of a wide range of guitarists.

Would you like to add a semi-acoustic 12-string to your collection and do you prefer an affordable one? Then this AS7312 Artcore by Ibanez offers you a very fine price-quality ratio.

Ibanez Artcore AS7312

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4. Hagstrom Viking Deluxe 12-String

I love the look of the Hagström guitar line. Hagström is a Swedish brand that produced all of its guitars until the early 1980s in Lvdalen, central Sweden. This guitar is a great choice considering the great tone, playability and the overall value for money. The Viking Deluxe looks really deluxe too: beautiful dark wood that transitions to a lighter tone, solid knobs, a comfortable neck profile with the two HJ-50 humbuckers made specifically for the 12-string.

The fingerboard is composed of resonator, a composite material. Hagstrom created this composite which is made up of various discarded wood pieces a well as non-wood components. It’s a fantastic fingerboard with an excellent surface. It has an Ebony-like feel and sound to it. It’s clean, punchy, and smooth-sounding, and Hagström deserves credit for their environmental efforts, as it helps to preserve the world’s valuable wood supply.

As with all of the Hagstrom guitars I’ve played so far, this feels and sounds fantastic. The neck is made of Maple and is reinforced with Hagstrom’s unique H-Expander TrussRod, which is a very small, very thin TrussRod that allows Hagstrom to keep the Viking’s neck profile compact whiled still ensuring that the neck can withstand the incredible pull and resistance of the twelve strings. If you can rationalize adding a twelve string electric guitar to your collection this one is a great choice. It has a funky retro aesthetic that looks amazing on stage and gives your chord sequences and riffs a whole new perspective. Also with a distortion pedal, this guitar sounds fantastic.

Hagstrom Viking Deluxe

12-String

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5. Guild Starfire IV-12  

The Guild Starfire’s double-bound f-hole-guitar is made of laminated wood. Like a Gibson ES-335, it sports a double-cutaway chassis with a wooden center block. The Starfire IV is a 335 with double the strings.

The set mahogany neck has a Gibson-style 24.75-inch scale. The 240mm (9.5-inch) radius fingerboard is either Indian rosewood or ebony, depending on the manufacture period. The Starfire has cream neck binding and pearloid dot inlays.

The guitar’s bridge and tailpiece are anchored and tune-o-matic. Twelve 18:1 sealed tuners are nickel-plated to match the other metal parts. That includes the Guild LB-1 ‘Little Bucker’ pickup covers. The wire loom has two volumes, two tones, and a three-way pickup selector.

The Starfire IV ST-12 looks great. Maple strip along the neck adds quality. The Art Deco-style stepped pickguard and reflector control knobs are stunning.

Guild’s ST-12 boasts a small neck profile and easy-to-manipulate D’Addario EXL150 Nickel Wound Super Light strings. The factory-set action is pleasant and allows the strings to ring out. I expected finger/wrist fatigue. I’m OK hours later.

The LB-1 ‘Little Bucker’ pickups are modeled on 1960s versions and are tuned between a single coil and PAF-style humbucker. On clean, the bridge unit sounds old-school. Overdrive fattens the tone. Palm muting reduces the 12-string drone and gives you a powerful rhythm sound.

This guitar can play wide open chords and jazz progressions. This guitar plays blues. Robert Lockwood Jr. was Guild Starfire XII’s finest exponent. He played 12-string licks. Bend ST-12’s strings. Yes, even simultaneously. This guitar has more string space than a classic Ricky. This new Guild guitar has a 43mm nut. Rickenbacker 360/12 nuts measure 41.4mm. Ricky’s neck and string spacing too narrow? ST-12 has greater wiggle room.

This Guild Starfire IV ST-12 is a great choice for a semi-hollow guitar without spending $3K to $6K. If the player adapts, it’s a versatile guitar. It’s gorgeous, fun to play, and weighs 3.6kg (8lb). It’s cheaper than a Rickenbacker and fancier than a Danelectro ’59X 12.

Guild Starfire IV-12 ST

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6. Danelectro 66-12

This guitar’s bridge/tailpiece includes six saddles with intonation adjustment. It has classic Kluson-style machineheads and UFO volume and tone knobs. It also has a F-hole binding, Danelectro pickups, it’s all in vintage style. Furthermore: A 1966’s bolt-on maple neck with 22 medium frets. The ’66’s alder body is semi-solid.

A fat single-coil at the neck pickup. Like the bridge unit, it has a master volume, master tone, and three-way pickup selection. The ’66 features a C-shaped neck. The retro zero fret regulates string height well. This guitar is well-organized. 😀

The semi-hollow alder body, 25″ scale, and lipstick bridge pickup create a Rickenbacker-like jangle. The neck pickup sounds like a P-90 and is perfect for jazz and blues, demonstrating the guitar’s versatility. I like the ’66’s clarity.

It’s well-made, flexible, and easy to play. I appreciate the semi-hollow construction’s bright and vibrant resonance, and the hardtail makes the guitar exciting to pound with your right hand.

Danelectro 66-12

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7. Danelectro 59 Dano 12 Vintage

Best Budget Vintage 12-string Electric Guitar

An affordable 12-string electric guitar with beautiful aesthetics and vintage tones.

The guitar body has a Masonite-covered laminated pine frame and a maple neck with a Pau Ferro fretboard. The hollow body is resonant, and this model has a typical f-hole. The 12-string boasts a comfortable neck and low, in-tune movement. Fully adjustable chrome bridge rests securely on body.

Two Alnico lipstick pickups, master tone and volume controls, and a three-way toggle selector. The bridge pickup gives a 60s 12-string tone. It’s a bright sound, yet it matches the vast tone palette, and you still hear mid and bass. The tone control lets you roll off the top end to create a flatter, back-in-the-mix sound with lots of presence. The twin-pickups are wired in series, so instead of hum-bucking phase cancellation we get a rich, rounded sound with a hi-fi flavor.

The neck pickup is deeper and more acoustic-sounding. A little roughness is occasionally essential if you’re trying to replicate The Beatles or The Byrds, as this represents the era’s amplification. Compression and spring reverb also help.

Danelectro 59 Dano 12

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8. Schecter Wayne Hussey Corsair 12

Wayne Hussey has almost 30 years of experience with The Sisters of Mercy and The Mission. Wayne Hussey is a 12-string guitar expert. This guitar is high-quality. Maple body, ebony fretboard, set-neck construction give it natural tones. The Schecter Diamond Tubebucker sounds great. Beautiful Ivory guitar with gold hardware and Mission UK inlay.

The 2016 semi-hollow guitar has a short 24-3/4″ scale, semi-hollow construction, and gold-plated hardware.This 12-string’s body and C-shaped neck are constructed of maple. The neck has a 22-fret ebony fingerboard with unique inlays.

Schecter’s Diamond Tubebucker pickups include separate volume and tone controls. Push/pull switches on tone pots divide coils. Features include a Diamond Adjustable 12 bridge and Grover tuners.

Schecter Wayne Hussey Corsair 12

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9. Harley Benton RB-612

Best Tiny Budget 12-string Electric Guitar

This model offers great value. The sound is clear, crunchy, and full-bodied. The instrument’s neck is comfy, and it’s light and easy to play. This guitar looks suspiciously like a Rickenbacker.

Some guitarists say the guitar wasn’t playable out of the box (out of tune when trying to get to the octave, strings attached to high from the fingerboard, bad pull of the strings). You must be willing to adjust the guitar or take it to a luthier. A guitar builder’s setting fixes everything.

Get this Harley Benton if you want a good 12 string electric guitar for a few hundred dollars. Bring it to a guitar builder for excellent setup.

Harley Benton RB-612

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10. Gibson Custom EDS 1275 CH

Best Double Neck 12-string Electric Guitar

Just for fun we end this list ending with the priceless double neck Gibson guitar. It’s the 2019 Slash EDS (Electric Double Neck Solid body) 1275 signature. Jimmy Page became famous with his red-and-black double-neck. Gibson, Slash decided to release his model in all-black. He needed a double-neck guitar for the song Knockin on Heaven’s door.

The guitar has a mahogany body, maple necks, rosewood fingerboards, Vintage Gibson tuners, a 3-way selector, and a tune-o-matic bridge. Gibson PAF humbuckers are used. Gibson Custom Shop in Tennessee makes the EDS-1275s.

Holding this guitar makes you feel like a rock star. It stimulates new ways to play. You may feel the guitar’s vibrations throughout your body. It weighs 11-12 pounds, despite appearances (some Les Pauls weigh more than that). It has big, strong necks. The guitar is neck heavy, but you’ll get used to it if you play correctly (rock star pose).

Below the neck selector switch are volume and tone knobs. A toggle switch for picking combinations. They even aged pickup screws to fit the guitar’s finish.

The guitar is great for rock. Neck pickup creates a strong sound. Beautiful sound, with or without driving or effects. This Gibson was constructed to last and can withstand live performance. It’s a perfectly setup guitar.

Gibson Custom EDS 1275 CH

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12 String Electric Guitars: Buying Guide

It is helpful to know a few things if you are used to a 6-string guitar and are switching to 12-string electric guitar. The basic feel of guitar playing is the same (picking, fretting, strumming), but in terms of playing technique there are some important differences.

Playability
A 12-string guitar can be slightly more difficult to play. Since you are always pressing two strings at once, you have to apply a little more pressure to the frets to play the strings. Also make sure that the spacing between the string pairings is consistent at the nut and the bridge. Soloing is a bit more difficult on a 12-string guitar: this type of guitar is mainly designed as a guidance instrument and to add more texture. But don’t be put off: soloing is certainly possible and gives a unique effect.

To handle the 12 strings, these guitars are built slightly differently: The headstocks are a bit longer, the necks a bit wider and the fretboards are a bit flatter. You should look for the most comfortable neck that suits your hand. Also experiment with softer strings: they can vastly improve your playing experience.

Tuning
The most common tuning of strings is an octave difference between the lowest four strings (E, A, D, G) with the highest strings (B and E) tuned in unison. The micro differences in the tuning of the strings create the natural chorus effect for which 12-string guitars are known.