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Octave spread strings at the saddle can be in the same plane across the tops, the bottoms, or centerlines depending on preference.
any 12 stringers have strong preferences?
Most I see are set up coplanar on the bottom, most likely because it's easier to set up but I have heard players say even tops makes for smoother strumming and even volume between the octaves.
Thoughts?

Well, I've never done any other way than even on the bottom, and this is the first I've heard of any other way than that.

I would think that having two different string heights would be really annoying, but who knows, maybe it's the cats meow?

For serious fingerpickers playing Leadbelly, Dave Ray, Willie McTell and other dead 12 string blues players, I always set them up with the strings "co-planer" across the bottom. Can't see it any other way. Gives just the right sound. Don't know about finger-stylists or strummers.

I just made and set one up. Not knowing any better I set them "co-planer" across the bottom.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Action rules supreme --- bottom

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

Thanks for the replies.

I can understand a pick having a more even crossing of level tops but I'm checking how common a set up that is. So far sounds like not very.
I worried it was a 12 string idea everyone knew about but me.

To Ken's point I think that having the pairs match at the top would really make the lower four octave strings hard to fret. I never tried it that way so I could be wrong.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

I'm of no help at all…. My old Martin D12-18 is set up with Single E and A and unison pairs on the D, G, B, e…. so I guess the are co-planer symmetrically.

So I guess it is technically a Martin D 10-18.

The idea is just at the saddle, not the nut end.

Raising a .026" up to the plane of a .042" would be .008" higher at the 12th and virtually nothing at the first.
I'm not advocating it. Just trying to understand somone who claims to like it and wonder if there are others.
Few want to give away action height for no reason but It doesn't seem too outlandish.

But hey, what do I know? I have enough trouble with 6 strings

My three twelves are set up differently. The old Martin D12-28 has a standard saddle, radiused on top to the match the fretboard and is uncompensated. Works fine, not my favorite guitar. My OM-12 is set up for finger picking, saddle is still radiused to the f/b but each course is individually compensated. (Fwiw, nuts on both guitars have slots "coplaner - bottoms of the strings are the same height above the first fret).

The ladder braced Stella clone has the tops of the strings at the fretboard radius (20 inch) at both ends - but then it also has a slotted saddle because of its tailpiece. This guitar sees a lot of action with a slide and it seems a little easier to play that way. The saddle is also individually compensated - looks a bit like a rip saw blade.

I have very little experience play 12 strings but I made one with fully compensated nut and saddle with strings co-planar at the bottom. With my crappy playing, I found I was often missing the octave strings when picking (plectrum) so I adjusted the saddle to make the strings co-planar at the top at the saddle (still co-planar at the bottom at the nut otherwise intonation is way off).

I found it easier to play with fewer misses of the octave strings. A good player may not benefit as much from such a change.

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Richard

Thanks Woodsy23.
Was this a solution you came up with on your own, or something you heard from other 12 string players?