Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
Post Reply
User avatar
bessieboporbach
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 283
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:40 am

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by bessieboporbach » Thu Aug 06, 2020 8:21 am

X-Ray Spex wrote:
Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:34 am
bessieboporbach wrote:
Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:30 am
X-Ray Spex wrote:
Wed Aug 05, 2020 8:33 am
So is anyone playing these as a 6 string yet? Always loved the pickups and the shape but 12 strings is just 6 too many for me.
I tried it. Sounded and felt really nice. Honestly as a 6-string it just kind of sounds like a much less noisy Jazzmaster. The really wide fretboard helps deal with the string spacing issues that some JMs have.
Good to know it's a viable option, I wonder if there'd be any long term issues for the truss rod from the lack of tension.
If anything it's probably better for the neck in the long term. 12-strings of all kinds are notorious for developing unfixable bows over the years.

User avatar
burpgun
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 826
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:15 am
Location: east coast

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by burpgun » Thu Aug 06, 2020 8:23 am

Jubaea wrote:
Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:54 am
burpgun wrote:
Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:50 am
Hey folks, you can get a replacement pick guard for your AR XII now, in just about whatever color scheme you want. Wavering between black and pearloid for my white XII. https://www.wdmusic.com/wd-custom-pickg ... tails.html
$29 for the pickguard, $103 for shipping, are they crazy ?
How'd you get that price? I just paid $9 for shipping for a pearloid guard for a sherwood green Mustang bass and got it in three days. It was the cheapest option too.

User avatar
Jubaea
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Jul 13, 2019 1:39 am

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by Jubaea » Thu Aug 06, 2020 9:47 am

burpgun wrote:
Thu Aug 06, 2020 8:23 am
Jubaea wrote:
Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:54 am
burpgun wrote:
Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:50 am
Hey folks, you can get a replacement pick guard for your AR XII now, in just about whatever color scheme you want. Wavering between black and pearloid for my white XII. https://www.wdmusic.com/wd-custom-pickg ... tails.html
$29 for the pickguard, $103 for shipping, are they crazy ?
How'd you get that price? I just paid $9 for shipping for a pearloid guard for a sherwood green Mustang bass and got it in three days. It was the cheapest option too.
I'm in France, and they only offer me UPS ... the last time I bought a pickguard from WD, I paid $ 36 for shipping to France with USPS.
@vargasrockmusic

User avatar
SignoftheDragon
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2314
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2010 11:06 am
Location: Utah, USA
Contact:

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by SignoftheDragon » Fri Aug 07, 2020 8:09 am

bessieboporbach wrote:
Thu Aug 06, 2020 8:21 am
X-Ray Spex wrote:
Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:34 am
bessieboporbach wrote:
Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:30 am


I tried it. Sounded and felt really nice. Honestly as a 6-string it just kind of sounds like a much less noisy Jazzmaster. The really wide fretboard helps deal with the string spacing issues that some JMs have.
Good to know it's a viable option, I wonder if there'd be any long term issues for the truss rod from the lack of tension.
If anything it's probably better for the neck in the long term. 12-strings of all kinds are notorious for developing unfixable bows over the years.
I just want y'all to know that this is heresy of the highest order. We've waited DECADES for a real Fender XII reissue, and y'all are already talking about clipping their wings?

Re: the neck-bowing issue- I think that for the most part that notoriety comes from cheaply made and poorly cared for instruments. Sure, I've come across a few bowed necks in my time, but maybe just barely over the average you'd see on 6-string guitars. My (all-time-favorite) Surfcaster 12-strings have the most obscenely thin necks of any 12er i've played, (think Ibanez shredder-guitar thin) but I've never found one with a neck-bow issue. I'm pretty sure that most manufacturers of the last several decades have figured out ways to compensate for the extra string tension, etc.

User avatar
Musjagjazz
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 447
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2013 8:57 am

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by Musjagjazz » Fri Aug 07, 2020 12:56 pm

SignoftheDragon wrote:
Tue Jun 16, 2020 8:33 am
Alright- the case question:

I bought 2 Gator GW-JAG model cases (Best Offer'd on ebay - $110 each with free shipping) and they will work splendidly- after a slight modification.

The interior of the case has some foam padding at the butt end that needs to be compressed ALL THE WAY to the wood to make room for the tip of the headstock to clear the top of the case when it closes. The case specs actually read an inch short for the 42" long guitar, but there's about 1 1/4" of padding combined at the top and bottom ends.

(pic coming)

I bought a couple bar clamps at Harbor Freight ($4bux each) to squoosh the foam down- I'll leave them on for a few days to give it memory, and then close the guitars in to let the shape settle.

(pic coming)

The custom-build Texas Toast XII (built from the Faction Guitars template) is about 1/8" shorter than the Fender in total length- imperceptible except for the tight tolerances for the case fit. It fits ever-so-slightly easier, but they both are snug in their new hardshell cocoons!

(pic coming)
Any case pics yet?

User avatar
bessieboporbach
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 283
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:40 am

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by bessieboporbach » Fri Aug 07, 2020 7:02 pm

SignoftheDragon wrote:
Fri Aug 07, 2020 8:09 am
bessieboporbach wrote:
Thu Aug 06, 2020 8:21 am
X-Ray Spex wrote:
Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:34 am


Good to know it's a viable option, I wonder if there'd be any long term issues for the truss rod from the lack of tension.
If anything it's probably better for the neck in the long term. 12-strings of all kinds are notorious for developing unfixable bows over the years.
I just want y'all to know that this is heresy of the highest order. We've waited DECADES for a real Fender XII reissue, and y'all are already talking about clipping their wings?

Re: the neck-bowing issue- I think that for the most part that notoriety comes from cheaply made and poorly cared for instruments. Sure, I've come across a few bowed necks in my time, but maybe just barely over the average you'd see on 6-string guitars. My (all-time-favorite) Surfcaster 12-strings have the most obscenely thin necks of any 12er i've played, (think Ibanez shredder-guitar thin) but I've never found one with a neck-bow issue. I'm pretty sure that most manufacturers of the last several decades have figured out ways to compensate for the extra string tension, etc.
You're probably right, but I've heard of a lot of Strat XIIs and Danelectros that have gone screwy over the years.

The Alternative Reality XII has some beef to the neck though so I think it'll be ok. Playing it as a six-string is something I save for when it's time to change the strings. I too have been waiting decades for it and I'm happy with the way God made it!

User avatar
X-Ray Spex
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1250
Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2014 7:18 am

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by X-Ray Spex » Sat Aug 08, 2020 1:20 am

SignoftheDragon wrote:
Fri Aug 07, 2020 8:09 am
bessieboporbach wrote:
Thu Aug 06, 2020 8:21 am
X-Ray Spex wrote:
Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:34 am


Good to know it's a viable option, I wonder if there'd be any long term issues for the truss rod from the lack of tension.
If anything it's probably better for the neck in the long term. 12-strings of all kinds are notorious for developing unfixable bows over the years.
I just want y'all to know that this is heresy of the highest order. We've waited DECADES for a real Fender XII reissue, and y'all are already talking about clipping their wings?

Re: the neck-bowing issue- I think that for the most part that notoriety comes from cheaply made and poorly cared for instruments. Sure, I've come across a few bowed necks in my time, but maybe just barely over the average you'd see on 6-string guitars. My (all-time-favorite) Surfcaster 12-strings have the most obscenely thin necks of any 12er i've played, (think Ibanez shredder-guitar thin) but I've never found one with a neck-bow issue. I'm pretty sure that most manufacturers of the last several decades have figured out ways to compensate for the extra string tension, etc.
My logic is that we might've gotten the XII reissue but we still haven't gotten a proper Maverick reissue (I don't count the Dorado as a proper reissue due to the Gibson Scale, wrong bridge and wrong pickups). By putting 6 strings only on the XII you essentially get a hardtail Maverick with the correct pickups etc.
''It's not what you play, it's what you play'' - Troy Van Leeuwen

User avatar
burpgun
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 826
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:15 am
Location: east coast

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by burpgun » Sat Aug 08, 2020 8:18 am

I’m not sure if this got answered somewhere in this mega thread but are the AR XII pickups really recreations of the originals? Mine him in a way that makes me think they’re just singles separated to look like the vintage ones, which I assume were wired like P-bass pickups. Feel free to school me here.

User avatar
bessieboporbach
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 283
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:40 am

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by bessieboporbach » Sat Aug 08, 2020 1:27 pm

burpgun wrote:
Sat Aug 08, 2020 8:18 am
I’m not sure if this got answered somewhere in this mega thread but are the AR XII pickups really recreations of the originals? Mine him in a way that makes me think they’re just singles separated to look like the vintage ones, which I assume were wired like P-bass pickups. Feel free to school me here.
They are not recreations of the originals, no, but the originals were not like P bass pickups. They were not reverse wound, reverse polarity so they were not noise cancelling, unlike P bass pickups. And neither are the new AR ones.

User avatar
burpgun
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 826
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:15 am
Location: east coast

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by burpgun » Sat Aug 08, 2020 1:49 pm

bessieboporbach wrote:
Sat Aug 08, 2020 1:27 pm
burpgun wrote:
Sat Aug 08, 2020 8:18 am
I’m not sure if this got answered somewhere in this mega thread but are the AR XII pickups really recreations of the originals? Mine him in a way that makes me think they’re just singles separated to look like the vintage ones, which I assume were wired like P-bass pickups. Feel free to school me here.
They are not recreations of the originals, no, but the originals were not like P bass pickups. They were not reverse wound, reverse polarity so they were not noise cancelling, unlike P bass pickups. And neither are the new AR ones.
Thanks for that. Was there some reason to do the split coils then? I have zero experience with an original XII, so if there's something I'm missing out on, I have no idea. No complaints with the pickups in the AR XII, I'll add.

User avatar
bessieboporbach
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 283
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:40 am

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by bessieboporbach » Sun Aug 09, 2020 7:41 am

burpgun wrote:
Sat Aug 08, 2020 1:49 pm
bessieboporbach wrote:
Sat Aug 08, 2020 1:27 pm
burpgun wrote:
Sat Aug 08, 2020 8:18 am
I’m not sure if this got answered somewhere in this mega thread but are the AR XII pickups really recreations of the originals? Mine him in a way that makes me think they’re just singles separated to look like the vintage ones, which I assume were wired like P-bass pickups. Feel free to school me here.
They are not recreations of the originals, no, but the originals were not like P bass pickups. They were not reverse wound, reverse polarity so they were not noise cancelling, unlike P bass pickups. And neither are the new AR ones.
Thanks for that. Was there some reason to do the split coils then? I have zero experience with an original XII, so if there's something I'm missing out on, I have no idea. No complaints with the pickups in the AR XII, I'll add.
I genuinely have no idea why the original XII pickups weren't RWRP (noise-cancelling) like P-bass pickups, but there must have been a reason. Generally the rationale for Leo Fender's electronics tweaks was to reduce noise and distortion and increase treble output, so he probably thought that the split but not RWRP design of the XII would achieve one or more of those goals.

It was the last pickup he designed at Fender and he did revisit the split-coil design at G&L, so he must have thought there was something to it.

User avatar
unreal77
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 461
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:10 am

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by unreal77 » Sun Aug 09, 2020 8:54 am

Is Fender going to keep making these? I need to know so I can search for a used one in case...

User avatar
bessieboporbach
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 283
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:40 am

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by bessieboporbach » Sun Aug 09, 2020 9:48 am

unreal77 wrote:
Sun Aug 09, 2020 8:54 am
Is Fender going to keep making these? I need to know so I can search for a used one in case...
Except for earlier mock-ups, all Alternate Reality XIIs were manufactured in 2019.

As for whether they're going to make XIIs again any time soon, your guess is as good as anyone's. The custom shop makes XIIs very occasionally. Any future mass-produced model is perhaps more likely to be badged Squier.

User avatar
AnArmyOfJuan
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 2:33 pm
Location: Detroit, MI

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by AnArmyOfJuan » Tue Aug 11, 2020 7:43 pm

I'm hoping to pick one up in the next week or two (an unnamed store has two in stock that I've played previously), and I happen to already have a G&G case for my VM Bass VI that I'm pretty sure it'll fit into. I felt silly buying a $200 case for my (at the time) $350 Bass VI, but if the XII fits it'll make a lot more sense. :D

User avatar
AaronXII
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2020 4:11 pm
Contact:

Re: Fender Alternate Reality Electric XII 12-String

Post by AaronXII » Fri Aug 28, 2020 2:14 pm

Replaced pick guard with 3 Layer white guard
Switched our the 3way toggle for a 4 way rotary switch to get an extra tonal option.
+ Daka-ware leveler knob for vintage XII vibes.
  • Bridge
  • Bridge + Neck ( Series )
  • Bridge + Neck ( Parallel )
  • Neck
Image

Post Reply