Detail 01
12 strings
Four courses of three: a fundamental plus two octave strings. Every note arrives pre-chorused and much wider than a standard bass.
Product detailSKU #1273887987635
DeanRhapsody 12 12-String Bass Guitar - Transparent Black
warmsustainaggressivehigh outputmodernmetal
1/2
Independent shopping perspective
The Korena take
Twelve-string bass with mahogany body, walnut neck and active electronics. For players building a huge chorused low end, not a first bass.
Strong match
Who this is for
- Big-arrangement rock where one bass needs to fill everything
- Studio work needing octave shimmer without a second track
- Players covering John Paul Jones-style layered bass parts
Consider the trade-offs
When to look elsewhere
- Beginners — string tension and spacing are demanding
- Tight funk or fast fingerstyle lines needing clean articulation
- Anyone on a small combo amp; this asks for real headroom
What matters in use
The specifications, translated
Catalog numbers tell only part of the story. These are the details most likely to change how this product feels, sounds, or fits into a setup.
Detail 02
Active pickups
Onboard preamp with more output and usable onboard EQ. Needs a battery, and a dead battery means no sound.
Detail 03
Mahogany body
Dense and warm, pushing midrange weight underneath all those octave strings so the low end stays anchored.
Detail 04
Walnut neck
Stiffer and denser than typical maple, which matters when twelve strings pull hard against the truss rod.
Detail 05
Rosewood fingerboard
Slightly softer attack than maple. Takes some edge off the octave strings' brightness.
Detail 06
Double cutaway
Upper frets stay reachable, which is worth having on a long-scale instrument this wide at the nut.
Final check
Know before you order
- 01Twelve-string bass sets are specialty items — source spares before you need them
- 02Active circuit needs a 9V; keep one in the gig bag
- 03Setup and intonation on twelve strings is a specialist job, not a quick tweak
Product questions
Before you decide
Straight answers to the questions shoppers most often ask about this product.
01Do I need a special amp for a 12-string bass?
You need headroom. Three strings per course plus active output hits the input hard, and the octave content pushes tweeters and horns more than a standard bass.
02Can I tune it like a regular bass?
Yes — the four courses are E A D G. Each course adds two strings tuned an octave above the fundamental.
03Is it harder to play than a 4-string?
Yes. Total string tension is much higher, the neck is wider, and fretting cleanly across three strings per course takes hand strength.
04What does it actually sound like?
Bass and 12-string guitar at once. The octave strings add shimmer and width on top of the fundamental, so chords and sustained notes get very large.
Reference
Full specifications
The complete catalog record, organized around the decisions musicians make when comparing gear.
1 detailsPickups & controls
- Pickup Configuration
- Active
3 detailsBody & build
- Body Material
- Mahogany
- Color
- Black
- Neck Wood
- Walnut
