Bruce...that was really funny!

I generally tune the thing open and then check first position octaves and I survive alright that way, but the guitar is properly set up and intonated well to start with. The only strings which seem to require extra attention are the pair of Ds which sometimes don't match the D on the second course, third fret. The problem is slight and easily compensated for, but I do notice it. Some additonal compromises seem to be necessary when tuning most 12s simply due to scale length and string guage relationships, but getting close enough for most ears is possible.

I shopped for years (literally) for a decent 12 string, and though I found some nice ones like a Martin slothead, and some one-off small shop wonders, I was disappointed until I had one made. To counter some of the tuning and tension concerns it is a 12 fret design which also (with lighter ebony machine buttons) improves the balance. The bridge is further back on the belly of the top, and the body is somewhat tighter waisted than most 12s (body volume is as great as most due to it being deeper). The builder is Marc Beneteau of St. Thomas Ontario Canada. The guitar is pure magic.

I can and do tune this one to standard with light guage strings as it was designed to be, but I don't hesitate to tune down and half or whole step with medium strings. It stays in tune as well as my other guitars.

It is very important with 12s to tweak the setup, particularly the saddle and nut slots, but don't overlook fret crowning and polishing as a way of refining the intonation. The string spacing over the saddle needs to be consistent from one string change to the next as moving the place the string rests on the saddle may change the intonation ever so slightly.

For the curious, I think this 12 is pictured in the Mudcat photos.

Peace, Mooh.