To get the High Bass 4th on a Classic Tuning, do I just tune down the 12th sting from B to A? Or do I need to buy a different gauge string for that A?

Does anyone have any specific examples on how this tuning is an advantage vs. the regular 12 string Classic tuning?

I tune the 12th string down from B to A and go up to a .013 plain for a little better volume balance and matching string tension with adjacent strings. Initially I thought about putting a Scruggs or Keith banjo tuner cam-operated gadget w/2 tunable presets on the 12th string so I could go back and forth quickly between the 4th and 5th:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZAMvf7JhVk

But once I got used to it as a 4th and all the new chord extensions I can get with one hand, I never found a reason to tune it back to a 5th. If you're a chord freak like me, It adds a one-hand reachable tri-tone to the bass side which allows you to get chords like Dom7#9, min13th, min9th, Dom7b9, so-called power chords with a 1-5-1 stack on the highest 3 strings, and much more. 90% of all the combinations you could get before with the standard 5th are still within reach. Another useful alteration to the classic 6+6 tuning with more upsides than downsides is to tune the whole melody side down a whole step to Matched Reciprocal. It opens up an additional right hand playing position (relative to the left hand) that makes cross handed playing much more productive by adding more accessible low end melody side real estate. And the markers still make sense. Only downside to MR is you lose the 2 highest notes on the 1st string (C# & D). So with MR, the lowest note on the bass side is C1 and the highest note on the highest string is C6 - a neatly laid out 5 octave range and a very versatile instrument in my view.

You can do this with no ill effects if you have medium or heavy strings, Tuning a light gauge 12th string down a whole step makes it pretty loose and hard to play in tune. I use the medium set made for the high bass 4th, and sometimes tune it up to the 5th, and that works okay, too, but I wouldn't do that with heavies. I mostly do that when I'm teaching someone who uses all 5ths in the bass.

Here is a pdf that explains the new chord voicings available to you:
http://www.greghoward.com/free_hands/lessons/HighBass4thChords.pdf

It's a little early in the year, but my favorite recording using this tuning is still this one... The advantage is in the chord voicings you can get with the left hand by itself...

@greg Do you have any views on the suitability of High Bass 4ths tuning for a raw 'understands a guitar fretboard in 4ths but never touched a Stick before' beginner?

I've just ordered a Railboard & decided to go for 12 string (I like the idea of the extra possibilities, I figure a lot of people seem to end up going that way in due course, I don't mind a challenge, & at least it will save on later 'conversion' from 10 ). I've opted for RMR tuning. I was oscillating about specifying a High Bass 4th, but hearing that folk successfully de-tune as & when required decided to stick with a plain vanilla medium set, then experiment with the High Bass 4th if I feel so inclined.

Obviously I'll have a huge hill to climb when the instrument eventually gets here. Would I just be adding unnecessary complication to factor in a High Bass 4th too?

Thank you everyone for answering my questions

David, to tell you the truth, (my perception of truth, maybe it's fake news), if you're getting a 12-string play with the 6 strings in bass 5ths, and IF there's a chord YOU HAVE TO HAVE that you can't complete w/ the right hand, then tune down to the 4th on the 12th. (?) Really, I mess with it from time to time, but until you explore the instrument, and the instrument explores YOU, don't put all your chickens in an egg basket. (cryptic, know?)
Oh, BTW, you have time, I hear strings cost lots of $$$ to ship across the pond, you might want to order extras and/or find out where Brits get their strings. PM some of the Scots...

That sounds like a very reasonable approach to me.

Sort of a contextual variant on "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", a maxim I'm generally all in favour of!.


That's a thing I'd wondered about, and a very good point.


I already know of Newtone Strings in Matlock, England. They offer one 10 string set & two 12 string sets 'off the shelf'. They show the gauges for those sets on that page but not which tunings they relate to. Presumably they'd tell me if I asked, & maybe they could supply others if the spec was established?

Even so, at least starting off with a 'genuine' spare set would be an excellent move - and just a small addition to the substantial initial bill...

Thank for your thoughts.

This is a very enlightening thread! I'm planning on getting a 12-string grand in the future and was unaware of the high-bass 4th tuning. After hearing Greg's demo in the Free Hands Friday video, posted above, I'm fairly certain that this is the tuning for me...

But when exploring the tuning options on SE's site, I came across some other tunings that I'm interested in combining. So as to not hijack this thread, I'll start a new one.

Ted