The sound, particularly on acoustic instruments, is fuller and more harmonically resonant than six-string instruments. The neck is wider, to accommodate the extra strings, and is similar to the width of a classical guitar neck. The gap between the strings within each dual-string course is narrow, and the strings of each course are fretted and plucked as a single unit. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in octaves, with those of the upper two courses tuned in unison.

For guitars with more than six separate strings, see Classical guitar with additional strings.Īn acoustic 12-string guitar hand-crafted in 1977Ī twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. This article is about guitars with six courses.