Any 8 string bangers besides Stew and John here?

[Bassman316]

I had a Rogue LX408 8-string for a good while, but had to part with it due to some tight situations money wise. For me the transition from years of playing only 4-strings was fairly easy... I actually like the feel of the double strings. And the sound, oh man. I love the sound of an 8-string. As I type this, I have a Brice 8-string from Rondo on its way that I'm pretty stoked about. Rock on....

[Bassman316]

Originally Posted by Dave Muscato

Talking about courses (4x2), or 8 strings tuned in 4ths?

I guess I should have asked myself the same question before I went on my ramble about octave 8-strings. Oh well... same number of strings, right?

[mark beem]

Originally Posted by Lo end PUNCH

I've seen that Stammie here quite a few times, even for sale at one time I believe, a beautiful, great looking instrument. What way do you tune it?

Yup, tried to move her a couple of times.. Lots of interest but no bites..

Oh well, I've since got another 7 string (Conklin GTBD7) so I decided to hold onto her..



Oh and it's tuned Low F# to high F...

[Flintc]

A week ago I acquired a Bee 9-string fan-fret, strung low F# to high A#. After a lot of play, I've decided the F# string just isn't going to do it for me. It makes a nearly non-tonal thud sound anywhere on the neck. My personal opinion is, a good solid B string is about as low as I can hear or that I'd want to have available.

So I'm going to shift all the strings down and add a high D# string (this is a .007 super-light guitar gauge string! Conklin sells all these). I'll still have the 5+ octave range, but will have a total range that goes from the lowest note on a 5-string bass to the highest note on a 22-fret guitar.

[sei24bass]

I moved from 5 string fretless to 8 string fretless approx 9 months ago. I had my 5 string strung with a low F# string for 12+ months to check I really liked it before placing the order.

My bass is the SEI 8 string:



I went to 8 strings because the low F# string had transformed my playing, I wanted my G string back and thought it best to go for as many strings as my small hands could play in order to maximise the flexibility of this custom built bass.

I chose SEI to build the bass as I already had a SEI 5 string and personally consider Martin Petersen to be the best luthier in the UK (where I live). String spacing is 17mm at the bridge, 9mm at the nut. No neck problems because my reasearch showed the dual truss rods, graphite reinforcing bars and purpleheart stringers I specified for this bass would ensure its rigidity (which it has). It weighs 11.7lbs, which is fairly reasonable.

Transition has been surprisingly easy, though damping all those strings that are required continues to take a lot of work and changes in playing style and approach.

I love ERBs and the playing flexibility they provide me, though they do not make me a better player (its taken considerable time and effort just to sound as good as I previously did on my 5 string). Interestingly the Stingray bass at my local church where I play feels big, heavy, cumbersome and hard to play when I switch back to playing my SEI 8. I have also placed an order for a SEI 9 string fretted...let me know if you want any further info!

[Lo end PUNCH]

Always loved Sei mainly because they still do headless stuff. Has anyone else had a problem with the sound of the F# string not producing an identifiable sound?

[sei24bass]

Originally Posted by Lo end PUNCH

Always loved Sei mainly because they still do headless stuff. Has anyone else had a problem with the sound of the F# string not producing an identifiable sound?

No, but I did have problems with the low C# string I tried on the SEI 8. I just couldn't get a decent clear clean sound out of it (strange as the whole design concept for this bass was clear, clean, ultra deep bass which it excels at for the other strings). I have to admit I was not particularly impressed with the quality of both of the two low C# strings I tried . I've therefore tuned it from low F# to high F, which I'm finding is a wonderful range for my fretless playing.

I played a SEI 5 headless fretless bass for about 14 years...really nice bass.

[JAUQO III-X]

Originally Posted by sei24bass

No, but I did have problems with the low C# string I tried on the SEI 8. I just couldn't get a decent clear clean sound out of it (strange as the whole design concept for this bass was clear, clean, ultra deep bass which it excels at for the other strings). I have to admit I was not particularly impressed with the quality of both of the two low C# strings I tried

It wasn't necessarily the strings that were the problem.

[Want a 9]

Dang! That Sei fretless 8 string looks like it is almost all neck with little body to it.

[sei24bass]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

It wasn't necessarily the strings that were the problem.

Sorry, bad original posting by me. What I was trying to say that it just did not work out too well for me...it is a unique string that is very different from all others I've tried.

The Sei 8 has a 3 octave neck, hence the extended lower cut away and the all neck, little body look...

[Dirk Diggler]

Well it's not quite the same as the others here but it has to count.

It's a Warrguitar that I use for tapping and it's tuned from Low B on up.
Dirk

[LeftyRickBass]

I have a Rickenbacker 4003s8-string. The string pairing is the traditional 4pairs of 2.
The difference between Rick 8-strings and 8's made by other companies is that Rickenbacker pairs their strings in the reverse manner, i.e. Octave/Root.
I was VERY lucky to find this bass as it is a left-handed model.

I had wanted to try an 8-string ever since I heard John Entwistle and Chris Squire use them. It DEFINATELY is an adjustment!!!!!

Those single string 8's pictured on this thread SCARE me with their oversized necks and bodies. More power to you guys who can handle/play them!!!!!!!


LeftyRickBass

[jkdahlman]

Love the Warr! I've been playing my Stambaugh 8 for a while now.
I've got an Ergo 8 as well. The Stammie is B~b flat, works great for duo gigs. It is heavy, though. I tend to play it sitting if it's more than 3 or 4 tunes (yeah, I'm getting older). The Ergo is F#~f, great for scaring people.
Pics on my web site.

[DNote13]

I have a Galveston 8-string. Tuned F#-F. I had played an Antoniotsai 7-string bass and wanted the extra thunder of a low F#. As far as problems with the low F#, I want something lower, the LOW C#!!!! Jauqo-III-X can give me advice and encouragement with that!

[trothwell]

After playing mostly 5-string basses for 16 years, I presently have only 4-string basses. I almost never played anything lower than the E-string, occasionally down to a D or so.

For you folks with low F# or low C# strings, how do you best make use of that extended range? Is it a frequent occurrence, or more for occasional effect, or ?...

Perhaps the styles of music I play are simply not well-suited to such pitches!

[JAUQO III-X]

Originally Posted by trothwell

For you folks with low F# or low C# strings, how do you best make use of that extended range? Is it a frequent occurrence, or more for occasional effect, or ?...

I pretty much use it as a groove tool and on occasion I'll take a solo with it.