That sounds right to me. Lowest strings on the left tuning (or closest) machine. The low ones the 48 and its closest match (or maybe even lighter gauge--eg the 30 might be more appropriate as your 5th main string, ie, your A string. Heres the maon point: low E A and D strings doubled should be tuned up an octave. The three higher pitched strings GBE should be tuned in unison. That is the traditional approach anyway.
The Heaviest string of each string pair is placed at the top (closest to your nose). In fact, if you look at the nut, (the notched thingy that spaces and holds the strings at the right spacing up by the tuning pegs) the notches in nut are wider than the paired string for this reason. That may not be true on all 12 strings but it is on mine. So the typical arrangement is heavy string, matching string. Heavy String, matching string. Except on the bottom 3 pairs where the actual string thickness can be the same. One caution note here....when tuning a 12 string, tune it a whole step lower. So rather than tuning it at EADGBE, tune it at DGCFAD then use a capo on the 2nd fret to bring the tuning up to EADGBE.
The reason for tuning a whole step lower is because on the top 3 pairs of strings you normally tune the thinner string an octave higher to give that 12 string sound. So if you start tuning at EADGBE, those thinner strings for the top EAD strings are going to be pretty tight and they will snap. So much safer to tune a whole step lower and just use a capo!!! Good Luck
SOURCE: which string used for epiphone gibson lea paul special II guitar
This is really a personal choice as long as the strings are made for an electric guitar there are hundreds of different kinds, it mostly has to do with the thickness of the strings and how the thinner the string the easier it is to manulipulate, you should go to a good music store and tell them what type of music you play and they will give you some choices.
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Holding the guitar, looking down on the neck, wit h the neck pointing to the left...The heaviest string (48) is the string closest to your nose!! I'll refer to that as the "top" string. The heavier string usually goes at the top and it's really only critical on the top 3 pairs because the notches in the nut (the notched piece that spaces the strings properly up by the tuning pegs) are typically wider to hold the thicker string. So the heavier/thicker string is closest to you, then the 40 string, then the 30 with it's matching 26 string etc. As you get to the lower 3 pairs of strings it doesn't matter as much because if you look at the nut for the bottom 3 pairs, the notches in the nut are pretty much the same, so for each string pair you could (if you want to) put the thinner string closer to your nose. But generally, the heavier string is closest to your nose. Also, when tuning a 12 string, be careful when tuning it because the thinner string for each of the 3 pairs of strings is TUNED AN OCTAVE HIGHER so you could snap the strings. So for example, the STANDARD TUNING of: E A D G B E for the top 3 pairs means you would have to crank the thinner top most string to an octave higher which means it more likely to snap when tuning. Anyway, sorry if that was confusing, but let me put it to you this way...when first tuning the 12 string...tune it a whole step lower D G C F A D, then put a capo on the 2nd fret to bring the tuning up to E. Trust me on this one...I think the first time anyone tries to tune a 12 string they snap a string! :) So tune it lower, and use a capo to get up to standard tuning. Good luck!
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