STRING THINGS

From the Amp Room – Aluminati Guitars

August 3 2023

Welcoming a new world order in the manufacture of guitars.

OMG it’s an OMEC Teleport!

August 31 2021

Connect your guitar rig to your digital machines easier than ever before with this uniquely useful pedal that will “Teleport” a studio-quality audio interface into your rig!

Because your phone and computer don’t come with a ¼" jack.

Bridging (no pun intended) the gap between engineering and music

April 27 2021

This week, we’ll explore a wonderful relationship between Paul Reed Smith and John Mann- the man behind the hardware for the boutique guitars we know and love - it's a match that is ‘Mann-Made' in tone heaven!

This latest Mustang is a true micro [tone] machine!

April 19 2021

Let’s say you have the ultimate travel guitar, or perhaps you carry your #1 go-to guitar with you everywhere. That still begs the question: what amp can sound great, provide inspiring tones, and hopefully fit in your pocket or gig bag?

The PocketGuitar literally puts a guitar in your pocket!

April 9 2021

For years we’ve heard about travel guitars, folding guitars, portable guitars, and practice guitars. Is this new device from Aeroband the ultimate traveling guitar?

Everything You Need To Know About EarthQuaker Pedals

March 30 2021

Love pedals? You’re going to love Earthquaker Devices!

Building boutique, artistic, and cutting-edge guitar effects pedals “one-at-a-time, by hand, the hard way, in the idyllic post-apocalyptic wasteland metropolis of Akron, Ohio, USA - where the soldering smoke blocks out the sun, and the fiery Cuyahoga River pumps white-hot liquid magma into the steam engine that powers our great riff factory in the sky.”

Fender brings new meaning to the term acoustic/electric with their newest ACOUSTASONIC®!

March 22 2021

In a day and age where modelers let guitarists have countless combinations of amps and effects, Fender has put a new twist on combining the worlds of acoustic and electric guitar tones (and looks) with their all-new Acoustasonic Jazzmaster!

Give your guitar pedals the volts they need!

March 2 2021

Ernie Ball brings the power to your pedals in one of the lightest and smallest power supplies yet!

FRET12 Reviews: Hughes & Kettner AMPMAN

February 23 2021

We’ve gone from PODs to AxeFXs to Kempers to Helix, all with a smattering of virtual amp sims and plug-ins. Hughes & Kettner is taking things to the next level by condensing the entire rig, speakers and all, into one small, flight-ready box.

Here’s a fresh new take on what may be the ultimate portable guitar rig — for only $400.

Phasers, flangers, delays, oh my! It’s cold outside, so why not ‘Freeze’ those notes?

February 9 2021

In a world full of repeats (no pun intended), we want to shine the spotlight on some pedals that do things differently! In this week’s feature, we’ll be taking a look at the Electro-Harmonix “Freeze” - which lets guitarists get even more sustain than Nigel Tufnel’s ‘59 Les Paul!

When it comes to guitar strings, why not try something totally new?

January 26 2021

With a surfeit of options at our fingertips, it is truly the best time to be a musi...

What do John Mayer, Mark Tremonti, Peter Frampton, Jeff Beck, and Noel Gallagher all have in common?

January 19 2021

Just like the mythical beast, it was named after, the Klon Centaur Professional Overdrive is an elusive, mysterious, and fabled creation.

Mesa Boogie brings the iconic Rectifier into the 2020s with an EL34-inspired bang!

December 8 2020

As if the Rectifier couldn’t get any crazier, Mesa/Boogie is taking their iconic amplifier to truly ‘Bad’ new lands of tone!

Today’s ‘beginner’ guitars are yesterday’s pro models

November 30 2020

2020 is a great time for us guitarists! With more guitar brands to choose from than ever before, more diverse offerings across a wider range of models, and higher quality standards than ever before; we are faced with the great problem of “too much good stuff” - especially in the budget range!

Orange oranges are indeed orange. But what does Orange sound like?

November 10 2020

Orange brings a lot to mind, certain flavors, colors, textures, etc. But does this versatile word have a sound?

JHS 3 Series Pedals with Fret 12 on purple background

New Boutique Guitar Effects Pedals on a Budget: JHS Pedals’ 3 Series

October 19 2020

King of boutique guitar pedals, stompbox historian, and all-around lord of tone, JHS Pedals’ very own Josh Scott introduces a game-changing new lineup: The 3 Series. Seven boutique-quality pedals, 3 knobs/1 toggle/1 footswitch each, and under 100 bucks.

How to Maximize Acoustic Guitar Resonance with TruTone

October 12 2020

Acoustic guitars are amazing instruments. With just a few basic ingredients, some truly amazing sounds can be produced with nothing more than your hands and the instrument. We’re taking a look at an interesting new way to boost your acoustic’s natural tone with the Trutone!

FRET12 Journal - A review of the String Butler made by Dietrich Parts

Excuse me, Butler, please assist with these guitar strings!

September 22 2020

Let’s take a look at a simple solution to an age-old tuning problem for our beloved Les Paul style instruments!

Tremonti VS Tremonti: A Deep-Dive Into the Signature PRS Guitars

September 8 2020

With so many guitars to choose from, let's take a deep dive into everything about the family of PRS Tremonti models - featuring a special breakdown by AJ from Modern Guitars.

glass neck from morningstar glass guitars over fret12 orange and whitebranding

Glassy Tone, Literally: The beauty of glass guitars with Morningstar

August 13 2020

But why these woods? Hell, why wood at all? Good thing you asked! Some manufacturers have turned to more exotic and unique materials over time - sometimes to find something even more resilient than wood and other times to experiment with new tones. In this “experimental” world of exotic necks, we’ve come across more exotic woods like bubinga, koa, pau ferro, wenge, and others. Then there are necks that venture into the non-wood territory, such as necks built out of acrylic, aluminum, injection-molded (polymer), fiberglass, graphite (Flea) ... you get the picture!