All Dutch ships except for the smallest frigates had two complete decks, until the 1660's, when the first three-decked ships appeared. The smaller Amsterdam Directors' ships seem to have had a lower tier of mixed 12pdr and 8pdr guns. The better ships had either a complete lower tier of 12pdrs or 12pdrs with a few larger guns.
One example is the Kroon Imperiael, commanded by Cornelis Janszoon Poort and sunk at the Battle of Portland. On 27 March 1652, the Kroon Imperiael is listed with 20-12pdr guns, 14-6pdr, and 4-4pdr guns. The probable armament scheme was probably a complete lower tier of 12pdrs, the 14-6pdrs on the upper tier, with an unarmed waist, and the 4-4pdrs on the quarterdeck. From 8 November 1652 until her loss, she apparently had 2-brass 24pdr and 16-12pdr on the lower tier and 12-6pdr on the upper deck with an unarmed waist. The guns on the quarterdeck were now 4-3pdrs.
Another ship, the Groote Liefde, had the same armament from the beginning. On both 27 March 1652 and on 8 November 1652, the Groote Liefde had 2-brass 24pdr and 18-12pdr, all probably on the lower tier. The upper tier had 14-6pdr, probably with an unarmed waist. She also had 4-3pdr on the quarterdeck.
The Moor lacked the 24pdrs. We know that on 28 January 1653, she carried 20-12pdr, probably all on the lower tier and 12-6pdr, probably all on the upper tier with an unarmed waist. She only had 2-3pdrs, probably on the quarterdeck, although possibly on a forecastle.
Other ships had a more mixed armament. For example, the Prins Maurits, commanded by Nicolaes de With and wrecked by bad piloting on 19 November 1652, had a more heterogenous armament. On 12 March 1652, when hired, she had 18-12pdr, probably all on the lower tier. She probably had a mixed upper tier, fairly sparsely armed and with an unarmed waist, having 6-6pdr and 6-4pdr. She also had 4-3pdr, probably on the quarterdeck. By 8 November 1652, she had 18-12pdr, still all probably on the lower tier, and now had 10-8pdr with 4-6pdr, probably on the upper tier with an unarmed waist. I would speculate that the 8pdrs were aft of the waist and the 6pdrs forward. She now had 2-3pdr, probably on the quarterdeck.
The Dutch were amazed at the Battle of the Kentish Knock, when they encountered what they considered to be small frigates armed with some 18pdrs. They really felt that they were out-gunned, especially given that the 2nd Rates had 32pdr demi-cannon and the two 1st Rates had 42pdr cannon. Their best ship, the Brederode, only had four 36pdrs, some 24pdr and 18pdr guns, probably all on the lower tier. The upper tier was armed with 12pdrs, with 6pdrs on the quarterdeck. The Dutch responded by adding guns to their ships. The 120ft-long Prinses Louise was upgunned to 46 guns by December 1652. This clearly was over-arming her, and they seemed to have backed off to a more reasonable number. Still, Pieter Florissen's ship, Monnikendam, went from 32 guns to 38 guns, and Jan Thyssen's Witte Lam went from 32 guns to 40 guns, when she was De Ruyter's flagship in 1653.
