The Poor Man’s Doubleneck Guitar

It's not the same as a double-neck, but it does let you do some of the same tricks

by Craig Anderton

I’ll admit it: I’ve always lusted after a double-neck 6 string/12-string guitar. I love the big, rich, “chorused” sound of a 12-string, but I also like to bend notes and hit those six-string power chords. However, I don’t like the weight or the cost of a double-neck, and there’s a certain inconvenience—there are more strings to change, and let’s not even talk about carrying a suitable case around.

So my workaround is to “undouble” the top two strings, turning the 12-string into a 10-string. Remove the E string closest to the B strings, and the B string closest to the G strings. This allows bending notes on the top two strings, but you’ll still have a plenty rich sound when hitting chords. Besides, it’s easy enough to add a chorus pedal afterwards, and get additional richness on strings—producing the same kind of effect on the top two strings that you get from doubling them.

Sure, it’s not a real double-neck—but it gets you much of the way there, and best of all, wearing it for a couple hours during a performance won’t turn you into the hunchback of Notre Dame over time.

Craig Anderton is Editor Emeritus of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.