12 string set

[Pelagaard]

I'm finally getting around to making the 12 string I've wanted for years, and I've got a question about strings. I use D'addario Jazz Medium 13-36 set on all my guitars, and I'd like to keep it as the primary strings on my 12. Obviously the unison strings will be the same as the main set, but what about the octaves? Is there a rule of thumb for those? 1/2 the gauge? 1/3?

Any advice about building the set is appreciated.

 

[mayfly]

Hi there,

I'm a happy user of the D'Addario EXL150 12 string set.  The nominal gauge is 10-46, but the octaves are 26, 18, 12, and 8.  This makes for octave ratios of 1.8, 2, 2.2, and 2.2.  Applying this to your set (which is actually 13 - 56 correct?), you get 31, 23, 16, 12. 

That's a big set! 

 

[Fat Pete]

...That's a big set! 

It certainly is - probably about 350 lbs of tension too. A 12 isn't going to feel like you're other guitars anyway, so I'd suggest going a little lighter - if you're after that electric 12-string 'jangle', you may not really get it with chunky strings.

D'Addario's acoustic 12-string sets go up to 12-54 so you could try matching those (or adding a thou or 2, if you're set on sticking with the 13s).

Whatever you end up with, I wouldn't fancy trying to get anything thicker than 0.01" up to that octave g.

 

[Pelagaard]

It is a big set, but I should've added that I tune my guitars to C standard or an open C variant (CGCGCE), so the tension isn't quite so intense.

13-13
17-17
12-26w
16-36w
23w-46w
31w-56w

Definitely sounds like what I'm looking for.