8 string bass?

[Iristone]

I play a Warwick 8-string. With proper adjustment it can be very comfortable to play, but it features some very Warwick-ish quirks: almost flat fretboard, huge frets, and the very bright (piercing) but still fat tone of the stock electronics.

 

[Ritter667]

My main is a 28.6" scale 5 string bass, that is tuned in tenor bass, A standard tuning, that is A1 to F3, and further more run through a Boss XS-1 with a 1 octave up effect dialed in, occasionally 1 octave down instead, blended with dry signal, to simulate an effect somewhat similar to that of an 8 string, octave course, bass.

And I find it perfect for what I do.

Which is sort of "I wish I was Michael Manring" solo bass pieces, and sort of folk and doom/stoner rock, with my bass sort of filling out both a bass-esque and guitar-esque role.

 

[2strings2frets]

I can't work out if this thread is about a 4×2 string bass — EADG doubled at the octave — or about an 8 string bass tuned, say, F#BEADGCF

Sorry I wasn’t clear, it had 8 individual strings,not 4 sets of 2. The neck was very wide, as some have said here it would take some work to play it well. At the pawn shop it was tagged as a guitar but it was at least as long as my 5 string bass and the body was a slab the edges not rounded very much at all. Thanks for the reply’s I had never seen one before so I had to ask.

 

[steve_ss]

This is my Rickenbacker 4003S / 8. (Not to be confused with the Rickenbacker 4008) The octave strings are flipped compared to the Ibanez.

 

[eyvindwa]

Sorry I wasn’t clear, it had 8 individual strings,not 4 sets of 2. The neck was very wide, as some have said here it would take some work to play it well. At the pawn shop it was tagged as a guitar but it was at least as long as my 5 string bass and the body was a slab the edges not rounded very much at all. Thanks for the reply’s I had never seen one before so I had to ask.

No photos?

 

[Lo-E]

Sorry I wasn’t clear, it had 8 individual strings,not 4 sets of 2.

Aha!! Glad you clarified. That’s not at all what I was picturing.

I don’t know how I would utilize such a thing. Seems to me like a solution in search of a problem, but who am I to judge?

 

[ctmullins]

Aha!! Glad you clarified. That’s not at all what I was picturing.

I don’t know how I would utilize such a thing. Seems to me like a solution in search of a problem, but who am I to judge?

Yeah, I have zero interest in eight individual strings (and loads of interest in 4x2 strings!). I’m out; see y’all later…

 

[ElectricBass72]

8-string: 4 standard, 4 drones @ octave higher
12-string: 4 standard, 8 drones @ octave higher

Can be tuned to standard EADG, DADG or open tunings.... just like a 4-string.

 

[el murdoque]

The only extended range Ibanez 8 string I'm aware of is the M8M.

That's technically a guitar, but it has a neck through construction and the sheer width of the neck lets one think about an extended range bass.

Apart from that, I only know of 7 string BTB's from the Ibanez lineup.

 

[Why Nautilus‽]

Sorry I wasn’t clear, it had 8 individual strings,not 4 sets of 2. The neck was very wide, as some have said here it would take some work to play it well. At the pawn shop it was tagged as a guitar but it was at least as long as my 5 string bass and the body was a slab the edges not rounded very much at all. Thanks for the reply’s I had never seen one before so I had to ask.

I’m not aware of an Ibanez 8 string model like that. But I can send you some players if you’d like to hear what people do with them

 

[80jazz]

This is a 8 string, inexpensive bass I bought. The E string is not as strong a a 4 string bass, I rarely play it.

View attachment 7352776

I have a fretless version of this and I plan to replace the pickups at some point.

 

[ole Jason]

My favorite 8-string bassist:

That's super cool

 

[Wyrdlow]

Like this?
View attachment 7352485View attachment 7352486

The standard bass notes, with additional octave up strings. Unusual, but not rare. Hagstrom made one back in the 60’s that was used by both Noel Redding and Jimi Hendrix, then Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick took the concept further by adding yet another octave with a 12-string. Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam picked up on it as well.

The point is to fill space with guitar-like tones. I had an 8, made by Wolf, great instrument, but you really have to dedicate yourself to the technique changes, so I passed it along and just use octave boxes.

Currently, the most recent 8-string player I know of is Sara Johnston of this goofy Canadian band, the Boojums…

That Ibanez is absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Watchootognbout]

OP is talking about 8 individual strings.
Like the N/S Stick or SB8.
Not four courses of two.

 

[eyvindwa]

That's super cool

Yeah, they are great, right? Should be a much bigger band, IMHO

 

[ElectricBass72]

My bad.... I thought this thread was about 8-string basses with drones. OP looks like he's interested in the 8-strings with super wide necks and standard non-drone strings.

 

[BassicJazzy]

My bad.... I thought this thread was about 8-string basses with drones. OP looks like he's interested in the 8-strings with super wide necks and standard non-drone strings.

Yeah, that's what I thought too. I guess I draw the line at 6, will stick with 4, but if I was to start fresh would probably have picked up a 5 instead, just for the efficiency of left hand movement that fretboard provides. I say if you want 8, why not go for more, get a Warr Guitar!

 

[ElectricBass72]

Yeah, that's what I thought too. I guess I draw the line at 6, will stick with 4, but if I was to start fresh would probably have picked up a 5 instead, just for the efficiency of left hand movement that fretboard provides. I say if you want 8, why not go for more, get a Warr Guitar!

6-string bass is a challenge for me.... keeping the strings not being played deadened is tough. 5's are perfect for me.... but it's cool to mess around with a 6.

 

[Bob_Ross]

8-string: 4 standard, 4 drones @ octave higher
12-string: 4 standard, 8 drones @ octave higher

Captain Pedantic wants to point out that strictly speaking those aren't "drones" because on instruments with drone strings (e.g., sitar, harp-guitar) the drone strings are rarely plucked, and never fretted/stopped, by the performer. Rather, they resonate sympathetically when the main strings are vibrating.

What you have are instruments with "octave courses" where the pairs (or triads) of strings are designed to be plucked and fretted/stopped simultaneously.

 

[ElectricBass72]

Captain Pedantic wants to point out that strictly speaking those aren't "drones" because on instruments with drone strings (e.g., sitar, harp-guitar) the drone strings are rarely plucked, and never fretted/stopped, by the performer. Rather, they resonate sympathetically when the main strings are vibrating.

What you have are instruments with "octave courses" where the pairs (or triads) of strings are designed to be plucked and fretted/stopped simultaneously.

Cool. I didn't know the proper terminology for the "octave" strings on an 8 or 12-string. I've heard them called drones by other 12-string bassists.