Regarding alternate tunings: I used to fool around with open D tuning and I found if I tuned the higher string of a string pair down to a (perfect? I forget my music theory) 5th of the lower string then you get a rich, full bodied chord and a beeeutiful sound. I think I had stumbled onto a tuning that Leo Kotke uses sometimes. Anyway, if this is unclear, here is what the strings would be, starting from the 12th string ( lower case letters represent the 'even' string or higher srting of a string pair, upper case the 'odd' or lower string of a string pair)down to the 1st: aDeAaDdF#eAaD.

It's been fifteen years since I picked up a 12-string so my memory may be a little faulty, but seems like I remember something about not being able to tune the first two string pairs to this interval for some reason, but then again maybe you can. Try it and see. I assume you could do this with other open tunings also, but there may be a point where doing this causes 'buzz' or the string has to be tuned unusually high to get the interval, etc. I didn't fool around with other open tunings much. I gave the 12-string away to a Navajo Indian in Denver, CO in exchange for some mechanical work to a '77 Chevy.

Have fun,

Neil