12 x 12 - The First 12-String Bass Compilation Album

12 x 12 - the 12-string bass compilation

 

  • Artists

  • Locations

  • Title

  • Released

  • Genres

  • UPC barcode

  • Bassists

  • 12-string basses

  • Songs including the 12

  • Various 12-string bassists

  • USA, Canada

  • 12 x 12: The 12-String Bass Compilation

  • 2002

  • Rock

  • None

  • See below

  • Hamers

  • All except ‘Killed By You’

12 x 12 is the first compilation album to feature 12-string bassists. It includes nearly a full hour of original music from bands in the USA and Canada. The original Hamer Quad bass is shown on the front cover with a close-up of Philip Snyder’s Hamer CH-12 bass on the back cover.

This project was initiated by Odell Robinson, Jr. in early 2002 and was completed late that year. The intention of this project was to include 12 songs recorded by 12 different 12-string bassists, hence the album title. It is interesting to note that Hamer 12-string basses were used on every song (except one, see below). The influx of Asian-made 12’s had just started in earnest in 2000 and had not yet found their way into the 12ver community to any great degree. Prior to 2000, if you wanted to tackle the 12-string bass then Hamer 12’s were pretty much the only option available.

Photos of all the bands and 12-string bassists participating in this project were not accumulated at the time this album was released so we’ll just include details about the song titles and bassists:

  • Hate Myself

  • Teenage Passion Killer

  • Plastik

  • Rain

  • Smell My Denim

  • Take Me Under

  • I’m Free

  • Get Strange

  • Traces

  • Flying High

  • Fifteen Days

  • Jeff Talley from Flint, Michigan, USA

  • Sean King from St. Louis, Missouri, USA

  • Dan “Bassfreak” Vashaw from Atlanta, Georgia, USA

  • Odell Robinson, Jr. from Suisun, California, USA

  • Bobby Lee Mattingly from Florida, USA

  • Bill Kron from New Jersey, USA

  • Mark “Surf Rat” Rowe from Bigfork, Montana, USA

  • Jack Capitano from Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

  • Stevie Conlon from Chicago, Illinois, USA

  • Bob Nimmo from Winnebago, Illinois, USA

  • Kevin Macza from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

This album is no longer available.

Editor’s note: All songs on this album were recorded using 12-string basses except the song ‘Killed By You’ by the band Toys - it has been removed from the list above. This song was misrepresented by Toys' bassist Jon Maye as being a tune that included a 12-string bass. After the album was released it was learned that the song was actually recorded with a 5-string Leduc bass. Maye had an endorsement deal with Leduc which required him to use the 5-string bass in live performances and in his recordings. Maye is even shown playing the 5-string Leduc in the video for this song, which can be found on YouTube. Weird......