Good information there, Claymore, but a couple of very important things should be considered. First of all, most 12-string guitars are built like a battleship:   heavy strutting and strong. And even though a particular 12-string may be built solidly enough to take the stress, most of the 12-string players I know tune their 12's well below standard guitar pitch. Pete Seeger, I understand, tunes his 12-sting a major 3rd low (the lowest course [pair of strings] tuned to C two octaves below middle C and the other courses relative to that).

Walt Roberson had an incredible 12-string guitar made by Pietro Carbone (at the Village String Shop in New York). Huge guitar. Amazing sound. Walt tuned it a full step low, partly to save stress on the guitar, but largely because he wanted the growling bass (4.5 on the Richter scale!). But even so, it started to pull apart, and it wound up spending more time in one repair shop or another than it did being played.

But most important. I believe leeniea said that both of her guitars are built for nylon strings, so her options are limited. The wide variety of string gauges just isn't available.

However, there are options.

I have three guitars. A regular classic, a very good quality Japanese made guitar imported and sold by San Diego luthier José Oribé. It looks exactly like the concert Ramirez that Segovia played. I've played it before the Seattle Classic Guitar Society, and they (some of whom own real José Ramirez's) assumed—from both it's appearance and its rich, full sound) that it was a concert Ramerez. I use D'Addario EJ45 normal tension strings on it. I may try the EJ45C composite strings on the next change.

My second guitar is an Arcangel Fernandez flamenco guitar, which I got direct from the luthier in Madrid in 1961. This is a real flamenco guitar! I got it for peanuts back then, and it turns out that 1961 "Arcangels" in good condition are worth a small fortune now ($18,000+!!). I use D'Addario EJ45s on it as well (but I'm almost afraid to take it out of the house!).

And my third guitar is a little travel guitar made by Sam Radding of San Diego—a "GO-GW," made for nylon strings. It has a 24.5 string-length, and Sam recommended that I use D'Addario EJ44s (extra-high tension) on it. Sounds pretty good for such a small box and something that looks more like a canoe paddle than a guitar.

I keep them all at concert pitch (440-A).

Cranking a guitar higher than it's supposed to go?

Not in this guy's house!!

Don Firth

P. S. Regarding the fingering of the A chord with a 4 string bar and the pinky on the 5th fret: that's just one inversion of the chord. It depends on the sound that you want. For a first position A, I usually hold the 4th and 3rd strings down with my first finger at an angle and the 2nd string with my second finger. This avoids sudden leaps of the note on the top string. Works for me.