History of the 12 String Guitar

It is unknown who developed the first 12 string guitar. There are some theories that he may have been Italian as this country has a rich history of wire string, double course musical instruments. Another theory is that he may have been Mexican as there were a large number of 12 string guitar types developed there.

Blind Willie McTell is probably one of the early pioneers in 12 string guitar playing. He created some new sounds with his Stella 12 string in the 1920's. The strongly made Stella seems to be the guitar he played, judging from the few photo's of him.

Another Stella player was Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter. Leadbelly was attracted to the 12 string aound 1912. He spent some time in prison on a murder charge, however, his singing and guitar playing earned him a pardon. He knew many old folk songs from the South, and partnered up with John Lomax, a song collector. Lomax was interested in old time folk songs. Together they toured America, until they had a falling out over money.

In the early 60's a musician called Pete Seeger picked up where Leadbelly left off. He used the 12 string guitar to great effect, drawing crowds to him. The 12 string guitar was having a kind of a re-birth. It was an instrument people weren't familiar with anymore. He held the crowd spellbound in concert as he sang "We Shall Overcome". A rousing rebel song.

After Pete Seeger re-introduced the 12 string a host of other well known artists picked up the instrument in the 70's. Musicians like John Denver, Paul Simon and Lonnie Donegan. After this the 12 string became sort of commonplace.

The 12 string was re-invented as an electric guitar by Rickenbacker and played by George Harrison in the film "A Hard Days Night". George said of his instrument that it was "the only 12 string you can change when you're drunk". The electric 12 string was probably created because of the popularity of the acoustic 12 string. Rickenbacker was the company to develop the first 12 string electric around 1963.

The popularity of the 12 string lives on and continues to evolve. Keep your eyes open, and you will find guitarists today playing the 12 string guitar! Maybe you will be the next musician to top the charts playing this magnificent instrument.