New Ibanez 9 String Guitar

[PlatypusBassist]

it's neither a bass or a guitar

[steve_rolfeca]

Originally Posted by PlatypusBassist

it's neither a bass or a guitar

Or, it's both a bass AND a guitar...

[Tituscrow]

Who cares what tools are used, as long as the final product - ie the music - ticks your boxes?

The evolution of all musical instruments is one of exploration and innovation.

The pick-up, the distortion pedal, the tremolo...they were all prototypes at one point and have led us to the plethora of sounds at our our disposal today.

When I was first blown away by Meshuggah 20 years ago, at no point did the fact they were using 7 string guitars with low-tuning alter the fact that the sounds these guys were making were just simply awesome.

Still the best band on the planet.

[shadowtippy]

They should add a few more strings and call it a harp.

[Nashrakh]

I think it's cool. For those of you who think this neck is fat though, check out yves carbonnes' 12 string basses. Ridiculously large but playable. So I don't have doubts a 9 string git will find use.

[champbassist]

Originally Posted by Stilettoprefer

I only have 4 fingers to use on the fretboard, and playing chords on something like that would be ridiculous. Im assuming that this is only for shredding and the lower tuned strings would accommodate the super low tunings that most metal bands use.

You're right: apparently, it's marketed towards the djent crowd, so chords are irrelevant anyway

Originally Posted by Bloodhammer

It's not like we are all required to play one of these merely because they exist: Guy playing a nine-string bass

Indeed, but it is a bit strange to see a major guitar brand come up with a production model 9 string guitar. To counter myself, it probably shouldn't be a surprise as they are catering to a particular trend in music with this. I'm betting that if this gets into production, I'm going to see a bunch of them in my city, especially, given that djent is the pretty much the only thing metal bands seem to want to play.

[Lackey]

WOW those pickups are incredible looking! From a purely aesthetic / minimal perspective those things are badazz.

[JamesGoodall]

Originally Posted by Lackey

WOW those pickups are incredible looking! From a purely aesthetic / minimal perspective those things are badazz.

Lace pickups look amazing! If/when I get my next bass built it's getting Lace Jazz pickups in it!

To all those saying it's almost a bass, I challenge you to do this:
When the model hits GC sometime (maybe years from now...who knows) Take one. Plug it into the amp/cab of your choosing. Then hit that C#1 string. Simultaneously, take a 5er, plug it into your favourite Ampeg head and 810, and play the same C#1. I guarantee it does not sound the same in the slightest. Timbre is the key here, my friends. Timbre.

I have friends playing in Drop E (as in an octave lower than normal guitars) currently, with the bass still an octave below. They're using Circle K's, and the guitar still sounds like a guitar, and the bass still is audible and defined and obviously different sounding than the guitar.

Also, bass cabs have 10" speakers usually (at least mine does, and I run a C#0 through it) and guitar speakers almost exclusively run 12s... Why does everyone have this notion that you need bigger speakers for lower notes? Sound waves are measured length-wise, not height-wise I thought.. Maybe I'm misinformed though, could someone explain this concept to me?

Also...I'm just not a fan of Ibanez's shape...It's just...not curvy enough for me persay...I prefer an Oakland Axe Factory