8-string bass manufacturers!!!

[Willem]

One day I'll get one too!

 

[Verne Andru]

Cheap Trick's Tom Petersson uses Royale 12-string basses, hand-built by Chandler. The Chandler Royale has a Super 60 P-style split-coil humbucker (neck) and a pair of Super 60 J-style linear stacked-coil humbuckers (middle/bridge). Designed in collaboration with Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick, this instrument offers outstanding tone and playability in a cool, retro package. The neck's comfortable shaping provides sufficient width for clean execution of low-register notes without being too large to play easily. Chandler's highly acclaimed finishes range from beautiful stained wood colors to outrageous Super Sparkle colors and everything in between. The SUPER 60 pickups are voiced to bring out the twang of the octave strings while retaining a solid fundamental with ringing overtones. The neck position pickup is a split-humbucking design offering deep, resonant low end. The middle and bridge pickups are large "soap bars" which give plenty of single-coil bite. Each of the pickups is located under a harmonic for best tone. Individual volume and on/off switches offer control over all possible pickup combinations. Other control layouts are available by customer request.

Yeah - the Chandler is the Rolls Royce. Had a booth next to them at NAMM a couple years ago and he had the Royale up front and centre. Beautiful instrument and I can't say enough nice things about Paul and Adrian - great people. As a little aside, Paul bought the old Fender production equipment back in the 60's or 70's when Fender moved their manufacturing overseas and is still using it to this day.

I read an article about Cheap Trick a couple of weeks ago - he says the 12's are much better for live than studio. He uses standard bass for studio stuff. As a power trio he says the extra strings fill out the live sound but are too much for recording.

I've still got a Brice fretless 8 at the top of my list. Someday...