Giffin 12-String
Top: Figured Redwood
Back: Blistered Maple
Neck: Blistered Maple
Binding: Tortoise with multilayer purfling
Fingerboard: Brazilian Rosewood
Bridge: ABM with anti-feedback mount system
Pickups: Humbucking Strat Style
Tuners: Gotoh
Condition: Mint
Giffin 12-String, Redwood & Blistered Maple
This spectacular guitar is a Giffin 12-String, custom-ordered, completed and sold to a friend of mine in December, 2002. If you are not familiar with the work of Roger Giffin, please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the man and his work: Career Milestones and Highlights, in Roger's own words (from Giffinguitars.com) Ok, read all that? Good. And did you take a look at some of the other guitars he's built? No? Ok, go back and do that later. I've got a twelve-string to talk to you about.
This instrument sports a curly Redwood top (stunning!), and the back of the body is of Blistered Maple. The back on this guitar has to be seen to be believed - warm and richly figured wood glows through a gorgeous orange stain. The Redwood top is also stained in orange, although the effect is more subtle. The neck on this instrument is a five-piece laminate, with the three major sections of Birdseye Maple. The entire guitar is bound with Tortoise(ol) accented by black and white purfling (check out that cap on the neck heel - exquisite!) and finished with a clear lacquer.I think one of the coolest things about this guitar is the Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard. Forget about a straight up and down longitudinal grain pattern, because Roger had other ideas - this piece of Rosewood has a grain pattern that seems to fan out across the entire fretboard. And the Brazilian continues, into the peghead overlay. It makes a very beautiful counterpoint to the other woods used on this guitar. And it feels fantastic under the fingers. But more on that later. The pickups are 'Humbucking Strat' style, and the tuners are Gotoh. Roger completes the string section with an ABM bridge using his anti-feedback bridge mount system.
Ok, so this guitar is completely stunning and finely crafted. But how does it play? Honestly, I can't imagine an electric twelve-string getting much nicer than this. I don't exactly go hunting for electric twelves, but I have always had a soft spot for the Ric 360-12, the defacto standard setter. And I can't think of a 360 I've played that would not be blown out of the water by this Giffin. String spacing is very comfortable, fretting is easy, and the guitar seems rock solid and holds tune admirably. The plugged-in tone is of course jangly and complex, but at the same time there is a really nice clarity to this guitar, and a lot of tonal variety lurking behind an ostensibly simple control scheme (5-way blade switch, master volume and master tone.)
Condition is mint. The original case is included.
This spectacular guitar is a Giffin 12-String, custom-ordered, completed and sold to a friend of mine in December, 2002. If you are not familiar with the work of Roger Giffin, please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the man and his work: Career Milestones and Highlights, in Roger's own words (from Giffinguitars.com) Ok, read all that? Good. And did you take a look at some of the other guitars he's built? No? Ok, go back and do that later. I've got a twelve-string to talk to you about.
This instrument sports a curly Redwood top (stunning!), and the back of the body is of Blistered Maple. The back on this guitar has to be seen to be believed - warm and richly figured wood glows through a gorgeous orange stain. The Redwood top is also stained in orange, although the effect is more subtle. The neck on this instrument is a five-piece laminate, with the three major sections of Birdseye Maple. The entire guitar is bound with Tortoise(ol) accented by black and white purfling (check out that cap on the neck heel - exquisite!) and finished with a clear lacquer.I think one of the coolest things about this guitar is the Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard. Forget about a straight up and down longitudinal grain pattern, because Roger had other ideas - this piece of Rosewood has a grain pattern that seems to fan out across the entire fretboard. And the Brazilian continues, into the peghead overlay. It makes a very beautiful counterpoint to the other woods used on this guitar. And it feels fantastic under the fingers. But more on that later. The pickups are 'Humbucking Strat' style, and the tuners are Gotoh. Roger completes the string section with an ABM bridge using his anti-feedback bridge mount system.
Ok, so this guitar is completely stunning and finely crafted. But how does it play? Honestly, I can't imagine an electric twelve-string getting much nicer than this. I don't exactly go hunting for electric twelves, but I have always had a soft spot for the Ric 360-12, the defacto standard setter. And I can't think of a 360 I've played that would not be blown out of the water by this Giffin. String spacing is very comfortable, fretting is easy, and the guitar seems rock solid and holds tune admirably. The plugged-in tone is of course jangly and complex, but at the same time there is a really nice clarity to this guitar, and a lot of tonal variety lurking behind an ostensibly simple control scheme (5-way blade switch, master volume and master tone.)
Condition is mint. The original case is included.
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