BEAD 8 string?

[chokeslam512]

Greetings all, I was fortunate enough to pick up a Schecter Omen 8 string for dirt cheap that definitely needs some new strings. I usually play a 5 string and I think it would work better for my band if I had the lower range (we do some drop d stuff and I would rather use the five string than tune down.). I know that it would require nut "adjustment". Can anyone chime in as to what the octave string gauges should be?

[FunkMetalBass]

D'Addario 8-string sets use:
.045/.018 .065/.028 .080/.040 .100/.050

You could probably get away with a .135/.070 for the low B, but it'd be quite cluttered and there's more than likely be some unwanted string smacking. Maybe consider a second octave higher for the B?

[chokeslam512]

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

D'Addario 8-string sets use:
.045/.018 .065/.028 .080/.040 .100/.050

You could probably get away with a .135/.070 for the low B, but it'd be quite cluttered and there's more than likely be some unwanted string smacking. Maybe consider a second octave higher for the B?

Oh yeah, I never thought of that. It would probably get a little close to the A string as well.

[FunkMetalBass]

I'd really like for Skip or Jaquo to chime in on this one. I could be completely wrong in my thoughts.

[ixlramp]

Hey this is an interesting one ...

The B octave string can be less than half the gauge of the B string. Why? At half the gauge the B octave string will actually be slightly tighter (see the tension charts), and this is unnecessary. In fact, since the B octave string has very roughly 1/4 the mass of the B it is less prone to floppiness, it needs less tension to keep it's mass in check with a tight vibration.

I'm thinking a .135 .055 combination would work okay. The .055 would have roughly 25 pounds of tension, which I feel is enough to keep it in 'tight' vibration. This way you might not even have to widen the octave B slot.

A little bit of string smacking might sound really good ... ?

[FunkMetalBass]

I came up with my ~.070 figure based on the tension calculation of the .050 octave E-string. .055 would probably be way too light for an octave B.

[ixlramp]

Yep it might be, but it's worth a try since there's not much space available for widening the nut slots. A .055 octave B will have roughly 25 pounds of tension. In my experience this is enough, I've been using strings of a similar gauge at 25 pounds and they sound fine and do not flop about

[ixlramp]

Rotosound have the right idea, the octave strings are lower than half gauge:

Rotosound Swing Bass 66 RS668 8 String 20-105
20-30-35-45
45-65-80-105

[ixlramp]

Okay, I recommend building a tension-balanced light set from singles, this way you can create a superior set. The problem with using BEAD strings from a 5 string set is the tension imbalance:

XLB065 D 0.065 51.3 pounds of tension
XLB080 A 0.080 42.0
XLB100 E 0.100 36.5
XLB130 B 0.130 34.5

20 pounds more tension on the top 2 strings! Although 8 string basses are built stronger, the neck is under massive tension, so I feel it's important to reduce the tension by using a light set, and spread the stress evenly over the neck by making that set tension-balanced.

2 more good reasons to use a light set: Firstly, fretting 2 strings with one finger is hard work. Secondly, smaller gauges means less widening of the nut slots, helping to maintain a good string spacing.

So starting with .130 B at 35 pounds, equalising the tensions creates this set:

D .050 30.0 pounds tension
A .070 33.7
E .095 34.4
B .130 34.5

You may not even have to file the .050 and .070 slots.

With octave strings a little less than half gauge:

oD .022w or .018p
oA .028w
oE .040
oB .055

Again, you may not have to file any of these slots