12 String Capo'd

6 and 8 mostly here..... 

My first acoustic guitar was a 12 string and I learned to play on that. I don't recall ever having any problems using a capo with it. Of course, not all capos are created equal. Some may work better than others because of the material that presses against the string and how well the radius of the fingerboard and capo match up. I used an old capo my dad bought right after WW2. It worked great then, and still works great now.

Are you using a capo made to work with 12 strings?

Six string  (one of 4)






Eight string  

i use the 80/20's..0.54-.012-martin makes the best sounding ones IMO
ive seen everything when it comes to 12 strings,ive seen people come in to record on them and just say...okay,its your money.
ive even seen people string'em up backwords..with the .054 up top rather then the .032/.054.
spend alot of time fiddling w/them getting them straight,its personal experience that a 12'er out of intonation can be a nightmare to keep/tune.

i strongly suggest straightning out the neck before anything,tighten the truss rod till you have only a slight dip.
this is the mistake i see most.
the truss rod not tight enough or over tightened.
w/out a dip youll get fret buzz,w/too much of a dip youll get out of tune chords in some spots.
its also about comprimise unless your playing the best 12 ever made.
find the box your playing in and tune it up,the general is from 1-3-5 frets.
i have a martin and i still have fluctuations in the 7-9 region of my frets where im off a small amount.
capo isnt the exeption exept finding that box i spoke of.

Yeh Its a very nice Takamine EF385.  Neck is in perfect shape, low action and no buzzing at all all the way up the neck.
Ive played 12 strings for a long time but unfortunately that time thing is what is getting me now (Arthritis)  LOL
Intunation is right on the money-no issues at all with chords anywhere.

This is my first time being new to the recording side of really seeing what it takes to prep one for actually tracking. I find even with a 5 to 10 degree room temp change throughtout the day-Check or Retune OFTEN.
As for the song we are working on, the chords that are being played doesnt allow for bar chords and capo'd open chords just really add that sound/tone we are after.
Just kind of an eye opener with it being the first time attemping to achieve a good recording of a 12 for me.  
Glad to hear its the norm and all the thoughts on the capo thing.
I appreciate the other suggestions and info as well. Knowledge is priceless
 
Forgot to add that this is also my first time with trying the capo on a 12'er as well. I have a couple but I guess I need to look at something just for 12s. Wasnt sure if there was more tension and a softer bar on them or ???  But theres gotta be a big difference.
Ive seen a few others play with them on 12s for a few sets without any probs at all.

You might find you'll be better off recording the song in sections, moving the position of the capo as you move between different sections.

Are you using a "quick" capo or the kind that wraps entirely around the neck with the screw clamp? I find quick capos can sometimes not apply enough pressure evenly on all the strings... even on a six string guitar. Might be something to consider. And yeah I'd look around to see if you can find a capo specifically designed for 12 string. Also spend a little more on a quality capo. It may seem silly for such a simple device but in the studio you want accuracy. It'll save you more time doing takes and trying to brighten deadened tones. Cheers.

There are a couple of companies that make capos specifically for 12 strings. I've always had good results with Shubb capos on guitars and Dobros.

You can check 'em out here, if you're interested: http://www.shubb.com/