New Double Six with Trem

[Bill Bowley]

Got an email from Dave at Globe Guitars (NZ Burns Distributors) says he will have the new Double Six with RezOTube trem as used by Hank on the present tour in stock come June if anyone is interested down under. First three will be going for a substantially discounted price he says.

Website is: http://web.me.com/nightingale08/GlobeInc/Start.html

[dave robinson]

Having heard it in action I can't see as there will be much demand, as it didn't sound anything like the old Double Six on the records on which it was featured. When asked for his opinion, Hank commented to a colleague of mine backstage at Liverpool that it was "adequate". I have the cheap version of the Double Six and having owned the 'real thing' back in 1969, this is a better guitar than that one was. I think the reason that it doesn't sound as expected when playing those Cliff numbers, is that the guitar was strung differently back then, with heavier strings that were tuned down to the bottom 'E' of a bass guitar at the lowest point. I remember reading once that Hank said it was a bugger to play (or words to that effect) but those songs that I'm talking about 'Don't Talk To Him' - 'On The Beach' and 'I'm The Lonely One' , all featured the Double Six back on the original recordings (though Hank opted not to use it for 'Lonely One' on the tour) and the sound is unique and not achievable without that heavy stringing.

It maybe of interest to those who feel the need to have one because Hank used one on the tour, but soundwise it didn't do it for me.

[Nick Allan]

I was interested to see the double six pictured on the site Bill has posted because it shows the model with a scroll headstock like the custom double sixes, not the one Hank used. Barry also told me the new issue double sixes would have a flat headstock. Has Barry changed his mind? I must say I prefer the scroll.

Also, and I am wondering if this might be relevant to Dave's point about the sound, it does not seem to have trisonic pickups.

My custom double six has the scroll headstock and also the trisonics and I think the sound is great with those. I can't comment on the sound with the different stringing that Dave mentions, neither have I tried the new version, but the custom has a wonderful sound. Could it be the pickups, at least in part ?

I find the custom version very easy to play, certainly for a twelve string - indeed it is my main instrument in my band - finger style as well !

All the best,

Nick.

[Nick Allan]

Silly me,

The guitar I saw on Bill's site was not the double six - ignore my comments, but the custom version is great.

NIck - who should be more observant !

[Bill Bowley]

Guys,

Have a listen to Hank on the Double Six prototype in this clip - note that it also has the 'Jazz Guitar' tremolo not the RezOTube. I am often amused when I hear the D6 referred to as a 12 string 'Marvin', it really came from the Jazz Guitar line, the body is not even the same shape as the 'Marvin'. I think this one is using the original octave down string set, hence the deep 'gutsy' sound that the original was known for.

[Bill Bowley]

Here's an original advert for the D6 - if you can read the writing there it tells you that the strings are 'octave down' - which IMHO is what makes it a 'Double Six' and how they should be unless you simply want a 12 string guitar.

[Mikey]

I have the modest Club Series Double Six but it sounds closer to Hank's original 12 string tone than the guitar he used in the tour. I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed by it's sound. There was no "chime" to it.

[Graylion]

Hi Bill, I have the same advert in Burns catalogues I collected as a lad in 1961 - 1970. As you say, it was tuned with an octave-down set of strings, although 'standard' stringing was said to be available. No standard string sets were advertised, only the special low set. In that period I never saw anyone play with a standard 12-string tuning - that was the whole poit of the D-6! Hank apparently doesn't refer to it as a "12-string" for that reason. A shame they didn't have individual bridge pieces then or he might have kept going with it! It was a complete bitch to keep in tune!

[BrianD]

I had a Barry Gibson built Double 6 Legend which was made for me in '97. It was a great guitar. The pick-ups were powerful (Tri-Sonics) and the Rez-O-Tube trem worked really well. The neck and action were superb and I used it on many numbers when i was gigging. I really loved that guitar but when I stopped gigging in 2003 it came out fairly rarely so I sold it a couple of years ago. I was very disappointed by the sound of Hank's new one as used on the tour and thought it sounded very weak compared to the Strats.

Brian

[Bill Bowley]

As a matter of interest, is the original 'D6' 'octave down' string set still available from any string manufacturers these days, or would you have to 'make up a set' yourself? Must be somebody using the original set up somewhere out there........????