It's going to be a jangly one

[oldfrets]

Neck: roasted flame maple with Macassar ebony board and ivoroid binding, stainless 6105 frets, boatneck profile, will be receiving chrome Hipshot tuners.

Body: hollow VIP of roasted swamp ash with birdseye maple veneer, ivoroid binding, will be getting a chrome AMB tune-o-matic with 12 individual saddles, two "staple" P90 pickups.

I already have an electric 12-string - a 1966 Guild Starfire XII - but this is going to be a very different-sounding guitar. I also like the boatneck profile better. I recently recorded a whole album of Byrds-influenced music and plan to do another, so it'll be nice to have a variety of jangle on hand. Time to put a fresh battery in the compressor pedal!

 

[TBurst Std]

I like!  Also grab a battery for the treble booster.  I’m contemplating putting a jangle box (they now have internal circuits) into my Ric when I get some work done on it.

 

[ghotiphry]

Oh, that's a purdy thang, ain't it.  Not enough jangle in the world.

 

[DangerousR6]

Very nice, first time I think I've seen someone build a 12 string VIP.... :icon_thumright:

 

[oldfrets]

It's alive!

Or 90% there. Looks like I'll have to shim the neck and do a little work on the nut for a proper setup, but at least it's making pretty noises. Turns out that ABM bridge needs conversion posts, but I've installed this other bridge until they arrive. I've used these pickups in other guitars and expected them to be a lot brighter, but this guitar really puts out a lot of bass; a couple of caps in line with the pickups rolled that back.

 

[PhilHill]

Very, verrrryyy, nice. I Salute!........ :headbang: :headbang:

 

[TBurst Std]

I’ve always experienced Staples pups as warmer.  I was curious about that pup selection.  Thus the reason I suggested a battery for the treble booster.

 

[Rick]

Where did you get the bridge?

 

[stratamania]

Looks good, I have not seen a 12 string VIP either.  :icon_thumright:

 

[oldfrets]

I fixed most of the teething problems today: ran a bridge ground (don't ask how I managed to forget that yesterday), shimmed the neck, and replaced the tone control with a 3-way rotary bass roll-off switch. The guitar has a much larger range of usable sounds now. A treble boost just would have accentuated the wrong frequency without taking care of the bass; these pickups have plenty of high end already.

It's playing better as a result of the neck shim, though I still have to tweak the nut. I can't wait to install that ABM bridge - I think it will do wonders for intonation. The bridge pictured is a fairly cheap one from WD Music.