Schaller M6 mini's - hole spacing for a 12 string

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 6:54 pm

Okay Im pondering over set out of M6 mini machine heads on my 12 string. I plan to set the hole centre 13mm back from edge of the headstock. What I need advice on is spacing between adjacent madhine heads. Initial plan is to go for 25mm. What do others in here use?

TIA Martin

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 8:14 pm

Hey Martin,

Just mic'd up an old Ibanez 12 string for you to see what it came in at, 24.5mm centres buddy.

Cheers

Kim

Bob Connor · Post by **Bob Connor** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 8:54 pm

Martin

The Grover minis have the smallest footprint that I could find which is why I used them.

I used 25mm centres.

I'd love to find an open back alternative that's lighter.

Bob

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 8:57 pm

Thanks Bob and Kim,

25mm it is then. I just made up a cardboard mock up of the headstock with 25mkm spacing and it looked ok.

Cheers Martin

Dominic · Post by **Dominic** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 11:09 am

Hey Martin, I have been getting into playing Oceans by John Butler and i absolutley must have/need an 11 string guitar now.

Where did you get your plans from and/or what are good plans for a 12 string.

Looks like you are nearly up to stringing it up. Let us know how it sounds.

Cheers
Dom

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 11:21 am

Nowhere near stringing up the thing Dom,

Body is closed up and bound. Headstock getting bound at present and then Ill rough out the neck and cut the dovetail.

The plans.....I draw them up myself using ideas from lots of places. The body is a standard dreadie (original shape from an instrument I borrowed years ago and traced). Headstock is same as on the 6 string Im building at the moment...think the design came from a picture in a Big Red Book.

Cheers Martin

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 3:01 pm

G'day Martin,

I too used 25 mm. between tuners , which seems ample.

I installed Gotoh mini's. They seemed a tad on the heavy side , so swapped out the knobs for their ebony replacement knobs. B.T.W. I think from memory , the Ebony knobs cost bloody near more than the tuners !
It reduced the weight considerably !

Anyone want some Gotoh gold mini knobs ?

Here's my GROOVY picture

Cheers , Craig

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 3:30 pm

Beautiful work as usual Craig.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 3:51 pm

Craig..ya bastard!!

Just when I think Im doing a half decent job on my 12 string you go and post up those bldi pics.

Kim Strode · Post by **Kim Strode** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:27 pm

Great 'CL' inlay Craig. At some stage can you show a novice like me how you go about in inlay in the headstock like yours.

Regards, Kim

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:47 pm

kiwigeo wrote:Craig..ya bastard!!

:

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:30 pm

Kim, I'll have to give the inlay thing some thought. I'm fairly busy with the adjustable neck thing at the moment . I'm sure there are others here who can help as well.
Not trying to fob you off here Kim but a search through some of the American forum archives on the subject will give you lots of information to start with. I'll help where I can, but don't really qualify myself as an experienced inlay artist to give a tutorial. Keep reading up on the subject and give it some practice runs.
Here is a picture of my very first inlay which took me a REALLY long time to finish.

Cheers Craig

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:35 am

Craig L wrote:
kiwigeo wrote:Craig..ya bastard!!

:

Bldi South Sea Pom!! :bum

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:56 am

kiwigeo wrote:
Craig L wrote:
kiwigeo wrote:Craig..ya bastard!!

:

Bldi South Sea Pom!!

Bloody South Sea Pom Geologists with their bloody Argyle socks !

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:46 pm

Dominic wrote:Hey Martin, I have been getting into playing Oceans by John Butler and i absolutley must have/need an 11 string guitar now.
Dom

I'm right with you there Dom !. I reckon they are 'Tops ' !

" Funky Tonight " .... WOW !

I hardly play my six stringers since I started getting into them . I'm still using twelve strings though . Why does he takes off the high 'G' ?

Cheers, Craig

Dominic · Post by **Dominic** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:35 pm

Craig, I suppose it sounds better. The songs that I know he uses them (11 stringers) such as Oceans are in open C tuning(high-ECGCGC-low). There are 2 Gs so maybe the 2 high Gs screw each other up. Not sure. If I had a 12 I could do the experiment myself.

But while I have you here, can you point me to a nice bracing pattern for a 12?

Cheers
Dom

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:40 pm

On my current build Ive used a standard X bracing with 3 tone bars across the lower bout

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:46 pm

Craig L wrote:Why does he takes off the high 'G' ?

Cheers, Craig

I don't know for sure Craig but it may have something to do with the fact that the unwound "G" is so thin and under such tension when at pitch it has a tendency to break if an ant farts too close. Maybe he decided that with his style, having it there to snap mid performance and muting out everything it touches is more of a hindrance than a help.

Cheers

Kim

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:35 pm

According to my string pack ( D'Addario ) the High 'G' has 27.9 Lb tension. The highest tension in the set, and also the thinnest. Maybe he's just sick of breaking them

I really like the high 'G' myself . I haven't got around to altered tunings as yet , but reckon there are a lot of possibilities.

Man this John Butler ( and his fellow members ) ROCK !

He has me dancing around the workshop playing my 12 . I don't know what I must look like. I'm certain he has made 12's more popular by demonstrating what they are capable of. My 12 is so alive ! I adore it !

I compensated each individual string at the saddle which I now think to be worth while ( not that Mr. Butler's is ,,,,,,as far as I know ). It means that it sounds more in tune up the neck than other 12's . This may be part of why some players pass over 12's.

Dom, I studied the Taylor bracing mainly , but looked at others as well. I did much as Martin ( our Martin

) has done. I made the third tonebar very small in the end . I also included A -Frame bracing between the soundhole and neckblock. The rest of the braces were increased barely 10 % in dimensions from a six string. My bridgeplate is a lot beefier though . Bigger in footprint and thickness.

Have a look at my "12 string finished " thread here on the forum ( Oct. last year ) . I think there is a pic of my bracing there . I won't post it here on Martin's thread or he'll call me a bastard again !

P.M. me if you want more details.

Everyone should make a 12 string or you're a bum !,,,, period !

]

Cheers Craig

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:42 pm

Post away Craig, would love to know everything about that 12 string of yours. The headstock shape is very appealing.

Cheers Martin

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:50 pm

No , I don't think that the right thing to do Martin . This is your thread on your build , and it's looking fantastic Too !.

Besides I don't want you to start calling me a bastard again and hurl Kiwi abuse in my general direction !

I don't know if you can revive my old thread or not , but that would be the way to go in my opinion.

Martin what sort of bridge are you doing ?

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Schaller M6 mini's - hole spacing for a 12 string

Schaller M6 mini's - hole spacing for a 12 string

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