A six-string light set pulls on the order of 160 to 180 pounds. The 12-string sets on this page publish figures from 251 pounds to 324 pounds. That is the entire story of the category: the same bridge, the same top, and nearly twice the load trying to fold it.
Which is why this page ranks on published tension first and tone second. Anyone can tell you a set sounds bright. Only two makers here tell you what it is doing to your guitar.
What the makers actually publish
Elixir publishes the most complete data in the category: per-string tension for every course plus a total of 251 lb for its light 12-string set, and — uniquely — the basis for those numbers, stating that tension is an approximation based on a 25.5 inch scale length in standard tuning.
Martin publishes totals for its whole range: 261.7 for the extra-light 12-string and 324.0 for the light. It does not state the scale length those totals assume, so they are not strictly comparable with Elixir's.
D'Addario publishes per-string tension for its 12-string sets on its own product pages — the EJ38 light set lists every string from .008 to .047 with its own figure — but it publishes no set total and no scale length.
Ernie Ball publishes no tension figure at all, for any Earthwood set, in a category sold on how hard it pulls.
324 lb vs 251 lb
Published total tension: Martin's light 12-string set against Elixir's
Seventy-three pounds separates two sets that are both sold as 'light'. Gauge names do not transfer between brands on a 12-string, which is why the published number matters more here than on a six-string.
The criteria, in the order they decide it
1. Total tension, against what your guitar can take
Martin publishes the clearest statement of the risk anywhere in strings: "Martin does not recommend heavy gauge strings for any Martin guitars" and "heavy strings can cause too much tension on the top, which may cause irreversible damage". That is written about six-string sets, and Martin's own light 12-string already carries 324 lb.
If your 12-string is old, lightly built, or simply unknown to you, the lighter set is the conservative choice and the one we would default to. Many vintage 12-strings were designed to be tuned below concert pitch, and the tension figures above assume standard tuning.
2. The octave strings, which are where sets break
Each course pairs a normal string with a much thinner octave string — Elixir's light set pairs a .023 wound G with a .009 plain, and D'Addario's EJ38 pairs a .023 with a .008. Those thin plain strings are the ones that snap at the ball end, and they are the reason a light 12-string set is not simply a quieter medium one.
D'Addario also publishes the detail most players get wrong: the top two courses are unisons, not octaves, because "modern string technology is not advanced enough to provide octave strings for either the B or E".
3. Alloy, which decides the voice more than the brand does
Phosphor bronze — Elixir and the Ernie Ball set here — is warmer and holds its tone longer against corrosion. Ernie Ball publishes the exact composition: 92% copper, 7.7% tin, 0.3% phosphorus, over a tin-plated hex steel core. 80/20 bronze — the Martin set — is brighter and more immediate, and fades faster. Phosphor bronze vs 80/20 covers that choice in full on six-strings; nothing about it changes here.
4. Coating, which matters more on twelve strings than six
Restringing a 12-string is the same job as a six-string done twice, with more ball ends to seat and more slack to wind. Anything that makes it less frequent is worth more here. Coated vs uncoated sets out the trade honestly: longer life and a slicker feel against a higher price.
5. What a gauge change asks of the setup
Elixir publishes the warning plainly: changing gauge, especially going heavier, may change tension enough to require adjustment to the setup of your guitar. On a 12-string that is not a formality — the neck is carrying twice the load already. Fret buzz covers the measurements that tell you whether the neck has moved.
Published figures, side by side
What each maker publishes for its light 12-string set| Set | Gauges | Total tension | Scale stated | Alloy |
|---|
| Elixir 16152 NANOWEB | 10-47 | 251 lb | Yes — 25.5 in | Phosphor bronze, coated |
| Martin MA190 SP | 12-54 | 324.0 | No | 80/20 bronze |
| Ernie Ball P02153 Earthwood | 9-46 | Not published | — | Phosphor bronze |
| D'Addario EJ38 (reference) | 10-47 | Per string only | No | Phosphor bronze |
The D'Addario row is there for comparison rather than as a pick: its published per-string table is the most detailed in the category, but the only listing we could verify on Amazon was a three-pack with almost no stock, so we have not featured it.
The picks
Elixir 12-String NANOWEB — best 12-string set
Light gauges at 251 lb published total, per-string figures for every course, and the only stated scale length in the category. The NANOWEB coating then addresses the practical complaint about 12-strings, which is how often you have to restring twenty-four of them.
Against it: several times the price of a plain bronze set, no winding type published, and the coated feel is not to everyone's taste.
Martin MA190 — fullest sound, highest tension
Heavier gauges, 80/20 brightness and Martin's published 324.0 total. On a modern, well-braced 12-string in good health this is the set that fills a room.
Against it: that number is the highest here by 73 lb, Martin does not state the scale length behind it, and the Amazon listing contradicts itself by describing a set of six strings. Buy it for a guitar you know is built for it.
Ernie Ball Earthwood 12-String — lightest and cheapest
Nine to forty-six, phosphor bronze, with the alloy published to the decimal place, at the lowest price on the page. For an older 12-string, or one whose history you do not know, the lightest published gauges are the sensible default.
Against it: Ernie Ball publishes no tension at all, so you are inferring the load from gauges alone. The .009 pairs are the most break-prone strings on any 12-string. And uncoated means you are back at the restring sooner.
Fitting a 12-string set without losing an evening
Change them in courses, not in order. Doing both strings of a pair together keeps the neck load even and stops you mixing up octave and main strings.
Do not take all twelve off at once unless you are cleaning the fretboard. Releasing that much tension in one go moves the neck more than a six-string does.
Watch the octave strings at the bridge. Thin plain strings kink easily at the ball end, and a kinked string breaks at the worst moment.
Retune everything twice. Twelve strings settling against each other takes longer than six — how to change guitar strings covers the stretching routine.
What we would actually buy
A modern 12-string you play often: the Elixir light set, for the published tension and the longer life between restrings. A well-built guitar where you want volume: the Martin MA190, accepting 324 lb. An old or unknown instrument: the Ernie Ball 9-46, because the lightest published gauges are the safest thing to put on a top you cannot inspect.
What we did not doWe have not played any of this gear. Every guide in this category says it tested twenty tuners; we would rather say plainly that we tested none. What we did instead is on this page in full: published specifications with their sources, the makers' own manuals read rather than paraphrased, and a note wherever a company publishes nothing at all.
