230003 – Electric 12 String with B Bender

A one of a kind Flutney Partscaster that you might never see again. This one is a Thinline 12 string (now an 11 string) with B Bender installed. In sparkling baby blue, I’ve replaced the two B strings with a single one for bending. It sounds amazing, a sort of cross between The Byrds and Brad Paisley.

Features:
— standard Alnico 3 bridge pickup
— P-90 bridge pickup has been added
— 3-position switch allows pickup combinations and a wider range of tone

The B-Bender mechanism is smooth and easy to tune. It’s a clean guitar, but it isn’t a showroom model. There are some minor scratches and blemishes here and there, but nothing that interferes with playing. Maple neck and fingerboard. The neck is wider than a normal Tele, so it isn’t fast. This is to be expected from a 12 string. Still, it’s very playable.

I have replaced the original metal tuning knobs on the sealed tuners with plastic ones, to lighten the peghead. With the metal ones, it was unbalanced and tended to “dive” from too much weight. Now it seems fine. The added P-90 pickup gives it some extra firepower and a big bottom end for tone.

I suppose there are 12 string guitars with B benders on them, but I haven’t seen one. This is definitely a “specialist guitar”, and it’s not for everyone. It sounds like an electric 12 string should sound, so it won’t have the versatility of a “normal” 6 string axe. This guitar needs to find a home with a picker who already has a “general purpose” guitar and needs something unique to add to their arsenal for performing and recording. Think twice before buying this, as its uses are limited. But if you decide you want it, you’ll have the only one like it. I doubt I’m going to make another one anytime soon, if ever.

Being a Thinline (hollow body) model, the guitar isn’t as heavy as it seems. At a little over 7 lbs (3.25 kg), it’s not as heavy as a Les Paul or a Fender bass. Again, no hard-sell here… you’ll either like this or you won’t. If you know about B-benders, you already know how cool this is. If you don’t know about B-benders, check ’em out. I’m selling these prototypes in NZ only. I don’t make very many, so you won’t see many of them around.

B Benders aren’t for everyone, but if you’re a guitar player who wants to head away from the crowd, you might want to check them out.