Double Neck Guitars

[LucSulla]

A post over on the For Sale board reminded me that I was curious if anyone had any experience with Epiphone double neck guitars. I might be getting a Zeppelin project - tribute band is a bit far, probably just some of us older farts having fun here locally - going soon. If we do it, I want to do it as right as I can without spending an assload of money for something I probably will use a bit here and there and eventually move on down the road. 

Gibby doubles (or amazing Hamer Calis) are just way too out there on price for what the point is here, but the Epiphones are pretty reasonable if they are actually OK guitars. Curious if anyone here has any experience with them. 

[Dave Scepter]

9 hours ago, LucSulla said:

Epiphones are pretty reasonable if they are actually OK guitars. Curious if anyone here has any experience with them. 

They play fine &  "look" great but have plywood bodies 😒 at least every one I've played 

I had a chance to buy one for $400 but the plywood bothered the living shit out of me... I guess I should've bought it to flip

[Biz Prof]

You've bought some amps from Thomann, Jason.  Why not a doubleneck?

https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_dc_custom_612_cherry.htm

[Steve Haynie]

I see Epiphone guitars on stage with touring bands, so there is quality level that is good enough for pro musicians.  An Epiphone doubleneck is going to be OK for your project. 

[Jeff R]

PITA to tune and and even bigger PITA to restring. The headstocks are so close together that the adjacent headstock inhibits use of a string winder on the one on which you're working. I start cussing the minute one lands on my bench. If there was ever a guitar that was a candidate for extended life coated strings, it's an EDS or its clone.

Get a wide, grippy strap too. They tend to be neck heavy and divey.

[LucSulla]

3 hours ago, Jeff R said:

PITA to tune and and even bigger PITA to restring. The headstocks are so close together that the adjacent headstock inhibits use of a string winder on the one on which you're working. I start cussing the minute one lands on my bench. If there was ever a guitar that was a candidate for extended life coated strings, it's an EDS or its clone.

Get a wide, grippy strap too. They tend to be neck heavy and divey.

Yeah, I'm not too keen on the concept, but if we're going to do this thing, I'm willing to put up with it for the sake of a cool show, so long as I don't have to spend $10k on something.

[LucSulla]

4 hours ago, Biz Prof said:

You've bought some amps from Thomann, Jason.  Why not a doubleneck?

https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_dc_custom_612_cherry.htm

That's a great suggestion and exactly what I think I'm going to do. 

[topekatj]

Mmm, roasted jatoba fingerboards, delicious 

[LefThanDed]

[Jim85IROC]

if you're looking for a more budget-based option, Harley Benton and Firefly offer a 1275-style doubleneck affordably.  They're like 1/3 to 1/4 the cost of the Epiphone, so probably worth your time to take a look.

 

Firefly is $400 (with the hard case) and is available in a bunch of colors.  I like the white, because I'm a Don Felder fanboy.  Here's the Zeppelin-approved model:

https://guitarsgarden.com/collections/fflg

 

Here's the Harley Benton, which is $500 with hard case:

https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_dc_custom_612_cherry.htm

[crunchee]

I once had a Danelectro doubleneck 6/Baritone RI, I didn't keep it for long...it was heavy even though the body was just a hollow plywood frame with Masonite sides (even so, probably still lighter than the solidbody doublenecks), plus it was like strapping on a damn coffee table.   You could possibly source a stand for one, for it to sit on and play it while standing,  provided you really trusted it's stability when it's unattended.  The big question is; do you really need it for playing, or are you just trying to impress your audience?

[LucSulla]

1 hour ago, LefThanDed said:

I also own a Corvette and a Harley. Thank god for scissoring. 

[cynic]

7 hours ago, Jeff R said:

The headstocks are so close together that the adjacent headstock inhibits use of a string winder on the one on which you're working.

This guitar came very close to solving that but for some odd reason they didn't face the six-string tuners appropriately.  Had they placed both cutouts in the facing sides all would be well.

[Feynman]

Just say no to that little bit of performance-correctness and avoid having to own a stupid double neck guitar.

 

 

[stobro]

I had a double neck guitar for many years. I never actually played it beyond checking it to make sure everything worked and was set up properly. When I got it it didn't have a case, so I made one for it. It then sat in that case basically untouched for over a decade. My recent and ongoing medical issues helped me to decide to start getting rid of some of the surplus gear I've acquired. That double neck is now someone else's problem.

 

[Willie G. Moseley]

During Ibanez's 'copy era' one guitar salesman at a music store I trusted warned me about too much stress on the 12-string neck of those models (which I'd purchased elsewhere) and urged me to put a capo on the second fret and tune down to D. Didn't do it, didn't have any problems, but didn't keep the guitar too long 'coz it figured into a trade (which I was I hadn't done, some 48 years later)

The Ibanez guitars had bolt-on necks. 

And everything Jeffro said above is on target, too. Photo taken October 1974

 

[Brooks]

Zep project? I'm jelly!

I had a custom built doubleneck back in the 90s for a jazz trio project. For various reasons (budget, weight, & my 5'7" frame) I used short scale necks from Fernandes & Rogue, which inadvertently removed the tuning peg string winder dilemma. My dad built a case for it. I ended up selling & shipping it to Mexico.

Here it is onstage at the Pourhouse in Raleigh ~1999, the giant homemade case is on the right;

[LucSulla]

^Looks like you could use it for a table when not using it for the guitar, haha. 

[Brooks]

2 hours ago, LucSulla said:

^Looks like you could use it for a table when not using it for the guitar, haha.