Double neck guitars have become popular in the music scene ever since some of these types were used by popular musicians in their performances. There are definitely a number of advantages of double neck guitars – one of which is being able to use two guitars with each having different numbers of strings.
The most common combination is that of a twelve-string guitar, and a six-string guitar. This concept of incorporating two guitars into one gives the guitarist the ease and convenience in switching from one guitar sound to the other, without changing guitars.
Usually, double neck guitars are electric, but there are also some acoustic makes. Moreover, combinations for double neck guitars are multifarious. A fretless guitar may actually be combined with a regular guitar. The combination may also include the tuning used on each neck. Furthermore, double neck guitars provide a countless fusion of the number of strings for variations in sound. Each string combination produces a unique sound.
With the rising popularity of double neck guitars, double neck bass guitars have also found their place in the market. The amazing thing about double neck bass guitars is that these could be used for diversified tuning.
More and more musicians and artists have succumb to the idea of being able to use two different sounds and pick- ups in just one guitar. The most popular artist that used a double neck guitar in his performances is Jimmy Page – the lead guitarist of Led Zeppelin which popularized the songs, Stairway to Heaven, and the Rain Song.
Many other types of double neck guitars and even multi-neck guitars have been produced for various artists. Chris Squire used a multi-neck bass guitar in his rendition of the song, Awaken, and is currently displayed at the famous Hard Rock Café.
The guitar makers that have patronized the production of double neck guitars include the Gibson Guitar Corporation, and the Richenbacker International Corporation. These guitar makers have designed and produced multi-neck guitars for well known musicians and guitarists.
Perhaps, the most complex multi-neck guitars are those that are popularly referred to as, “The Beast”, which are actually forty-string guitars. It may sound unbelievable, but these guitars are a combination of two 6-string, 12- string, and 7- string guitars, and 5- string, and 4-string bass guitars. These remarkable limited numbers of multi-neck guitars were produced by Hutchins Guitars in the United Kingdom.
With regards to the actual equipment, there are many options out there to choose from in customizing your own setup. This can include various types of pickups, built-in equalizers and even various plugs.
The pick-guard was of a unique design that was developed to allow all of the electronics other then that of the jack plate to be surface mounted for easy access. While the design has gone through a number of changes over the years as a means of improving sound and usability, but many guitarists still prefer the feel of the older designs.
Their most popular electric is the Les Paul which was made popular by Charlie Christian during the earlier years of the 1950s. While producing a popular line, they were not able to stay afloat and by the end of the 1960s Gibson had been consumed by the Norlin Corporation. It was not until 1986 that the name would become well-known once again after the original owners rescued the company and its guitars from certain doom. As a side not, while being named after Les Paul, the guitarist had very little input into its development but rather he was paid to endorse it.
There are many authorized and unauthorized copies of the Gibson guitars available throughout the world. Many guitarists choose to collect the older Gibsons due to their rarity. As with any older guitar, the values of a well-used Gibson electric guitar is greater then that of a new one. Some fanatics will go all the way to completely restore an old Gibson if they happen to come across one somewhere. The company holds a number of firsts in the industry which has allowed them to continue to be a very popular choice for many musicians today.