4 string to 8 string

[Jornan]

I have thought about making my 4 string bass an 8 string (double strings). Is it possible? The two main problems I've been thinking about is if the neck will break because of the string tension, and if it's wide enough.

Is it possible to buy an 8 string nut, or is that something I'll have to make?

[jordan_frerichs]

a lot of this depends on the bass in question. what type of bass is it? can you show a pic of the headstock? how wide is the nut? don't forget the bridge. unless you have a local luthier that can help you with the nut, you should get a good set of nut files, and a brass nut (brass is best so the material in between the strings don't break). ideal nut size is about 1 3/4" much less may be uncomfortable. depending on the bridge unit you get, you may have to slot the metal saddles, which brings us back to a good nut file set. have you played octive basses before, and are you comfortable with them? is the bass you wish to mod a junk bass, or somthing you can't afford to mess up? i have not been able to play an 8 before, however i have been looking into them very extensively because my current build is an 8. there is a link to it in my sig. Darkstrike put in some helpful specs on 8 string nuts and string spacing, that should help as well.

[Jornan]

It's a Morgan bass, looks like a Jazz Bass, but with a different headstock.

I haven't got so many pictures yet, but here's one of the body:
http://bildr.no/view/340990

The nut is approximately 4 cm wide (1,6 inch). I found a 8 string bridge on eBay, and found out that it's as wide as the original 4 string bridge, and therefore, I'll guess the neck will be wide enough?

The bass is a very cheap bass I bought just to try and mod it, so it's not a huge problem if something goes wrong =)

[mikeyswood]

It can be done

4 String:



8 String:



You will need to make a nut that fits your bass and keep in mind that four more tuners might make it neck heavy.

[ctmullins]

Go for it, especially if it's a cheap instrument! I did this recently with an old pawn-shop Ibanez:

Ibanez Destroyer 8-string conversion

I'm totally grooving on it!

[Jornan]

Thanks.

Mikeyswood: what are all those knobs and switches used for on the bass?

ctmullins: did you use regular guitar tuning keys for the thin strings?

[ctmullins]

Originally Posted by Jornan

ctmullins: did you use regular guitar tuning keys for the thin strings?

Yup. Grover guitar tuners for the octave strings, and Gotoh compact bass tuners for the fundamental strings. I like the way the shape of the Grover tuner buttons neatly meshes with the shape of the Gotoh tuner buttons.

Be aware that most guitar strings will be too short for use on an 8-string bass. You can purchase 8-string sets from the usual online suspects (that's what I did), or you can purchase a set of piccolo bass strings and mate them with your existing set of bass strings.

[Jornan]

I'll order a new bridge, a new set of tuning keys and a new nut soon. If everything goes well, I might make it look a bit more special by replacing the knobs and tuning keys with dices, add EBMM Straplocks and an EBMM strap. And a matching dice jack-cable! Sounds good? I might also paint it, but I am not sure if it will look so good since I've never done it before. Any tips on painting to make it look good?