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Doubleneck - Anybody Own Or Build One?


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I'm thinking of a doubleneck project and wondered if any or you that bought or built could have some advice?

I've noticed 2 sets of angles on these- one is the traditional Gibson where the necks are exactly inline with each other and the other is the Jackson /BCR style where they are splayed a bit.

I'm curious about the practical advantages of either and if anyone has the Gibson style - how far apart ar the necks from each other?

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I have one that just came in on my last order.........

Epi G-1275

I haven't found it yet but I can provide any measurements you need once I find the right carton :D I have 12 boxes sitting here and have only had time to open one.....been one of those days!!

Let me know if this is the right guitar and if you'd like measurements of it. Also, exactly what measurements........

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Here you go BassGod.....

Distance is inside to inside on all measurements:

nut to nut = 3-3/4"

12th fret to 12th fret = 3-1/2"

20th fret to 20th fret (last fret) = 3-3/8"

BTW thanks for getting me off my hiney and opening boxes! Of course it was in the 2nd to last one :D

If you need any other measurements let me know.

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  • 2 months later...

I'm having one built right now.

Doubleneck

Personally, I dislike the "splayed" look of the BC Rich type doublenecks, regardless of any ergonomic advantage. I also don't like it when the 12-string neck is pushed forward an inch or two so that the bridge and nuts don't line up.

There are ergonomic challenges when making doublenecks. The most obvious one is the tuners. Because you have two necks so close together, the tuners that face eachother are going to be hard to get to without bumping into the other neck's tuners. My solution to this is to use Gibson Firebird banjo-style tuners for that section, so the tuners point backwards instead of towards eachother. That way I can even use a stringwinder on all of them without bumping into the other neck.

A big problem with the Gibson doubleneck design is that the necks only have 20 frets. I don't know why they still make them that way. Even the clones from Ibanez and others duplicate the 20 fret limitation. Mine is going to have the standard 22.

Another gibson problem is the cutaways. If you follow the Gibson body design and just extend by 2 frets you are going to have a harder time reaching the upper frets. So my body shape is offset farther in.

I am aware there are balance problems when you don't have a long top horn to attach the pickup strap to, but in my case I wanted to maintain a symmetrical body so I'm just going to have to deal with it.

Another problem is control placement. Some doublenecks with coil tapping and other controls have a very busy control layout that is probably ripe for accidents and is awkward to use. The only really safe area for switches is below the six-string neck. You can bump switches too easily when strumming or with your forearm if you put any controls between the necks or toward the top rear end of the body. My solution to that was to order the builder to put in recessed rotary switches behind the bridge area. If he can't wire that up he'll use flat toggle switches that can't be easily bumped. The only regular toggle is the pickup selector which is in the bottom area. I will use unified volume and tones with push-pulls for coil tapping so I'm willing to put up with having the same settings for each neck in exchange for added simplicity.

Also, you have intonation issues with the Gibson doubleneck because of the standard tune-o-matic bridge on the 12-string. There actually are 12-string tune-o-matic bridges with independent saddles. This isn't a major limitation because you can, of course, swap out the saddle if you bought a Gibson, which is why I'm listing this last. However, I have noticed that most if not all doublenecks I've seen online do not have 12-saddle bridges.

If anyone wants to find out how this instrument turns out for me when it's done, let me know.

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