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Don't hold back...How do we feel about 8 string basses?

#121
I miss my Ibanez Studio 8-string that I sold in 2003. I wasn't playing much at all and I sure didn't know what to do with that bass, and I've regretted selling it since I started playing regularly again in 2006. But I really didn't know what I was doing with it.

Love the sound of a 4-string with an octave pedal, but it's really a different thing. And the micro-pog isn't covering it, sadly.
 
#122
WalWarrior said:
I had a Hamer 12ver and the pressure needed to play that thing was unbelievable...

...Perhaps if I had the exact bass TP had, (Waterstone) maybe it would be easier to play then that Hamer I had. ( Which was a USA model btw, not a Japanese / Korean ...wherever the heck they're made.. bass ).
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Sounds like your Hamer needed some adjustment. My Hamer B12L is fairly easy to play, in part due to working with a couple of luthiers to fine tune it. Actually, I'd say it is noticeably easier to play than my Waterstone TP-12 34" (which is in for a fret level at the moment). The wide neck on the Waterstone is somewhat more fingerstyle-friendly, but a bit more work to navigate.

CopperheadLXXIX said:
It's never going to be as effortless as a 4 banger, but I think it helps a lot if you use slightly lighter gauge strings than you might otherwise and get the lowest action possible on a 12ver.
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Especially the last part.... for octaves, I usually use 0.018", 0.025", 0.035", 0.045" or thereabouts, plus not too heavy on the fundamental strings.
 
#123
Used to have an aluminum neck Kramer XL-8. Was a really cool bass and sounded amazing. Was actually "medium scale" or something 32" I think, made it easier to just use electric guitar string for the octaves. With all the switching you could get quite a variety of sounds.

However, it was terribly heavy AND unbalanced... so I sold it.

I wish I still had it though - would be fun play live for a song or two... but not the whole night.
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#124
12bass said:
Especially the last part.... for octaves, I usually use 0.018", 0.025", 0.035", 0.045" or thereabouts, plus not too heavy on the fundamental strings.
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For my Dean, I ended up putting together a set of all singles bought from Juststrings.com of DR Sunbeams. It was expensive, but well worth it as the tension between strings is balanced a lot better than an off the shelf set. I tune mine weird anyway-ccCggGccCggG; kind of adopted from when I played 12 string guitar with an open C tuning.
 
#125
Rockmusician said:
Since you said "don't hold back", I do not see the need to have anything more than a 5 string for any situation and the vast majority of the time, all you need is a 4. To me, anything more becomes a gimmick.

Bands got along fine in the 1950's, 60's 70's and most of the 80's with only 4 strings.
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I guess you don't get the concept .

These 8 strings are four strings with a smaller string tuned an octave higher like a 12 string guitar to get a different tone . Same notes , you play it the same way . It just gets a different tone . These aren't adding any extra notes higher or lower like on a five or six string bass . Saying they are a gimmick is like saying all effects are gimmicks or even different EQ settings . The Hagstorm I used in the early 70's was made in the 60's so these basses have been played and around since back then . Different strokes .
 
#126
butcher said:
Used to have an aluminum neck Kramer XL-8. Was a really cool bass and sounded amazing. Was actually "medium scale" or something 32" I think, made it easier to just use electric guitar string for the octaves. With all the switching you could get quite a variety of sounds.

However, it was terribly heavy AND unbalanced... so I sold it.

I wish I still had it though - would be fun play live for a song or two... but not the whole night.
l.jpg
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I really like the way the guitar strings are tuned at the body instead of the headstock. It allows for keeping a headstock of manageable size.
 
#135
Kinda surprised this thread made it this far without anyone mentioning Jeff Ament from Pearl Jam. He gets a great sound out of his multi-course basses and has no problem using them in a band with two (sometimes three) guitars and a keyboard player. The intro to "Jeremy" is probably the most well-known use of a multi-course bass, but he uses them pretty frequently and to great on lots of songs.
 
#138
FunkMetalBass said:
I really like the way the guitar strings are tuned at the body instead of the headstock. It allows for keeping a headstock of manageable size.
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Yeah, I liked that too. I never had any trouble tuning it. Just the weight and the sound. I think the body was mostly maple and the aluminum neck had maple stringers to help with the cold feeling in your right hand. Also had an Ebanol fretboard.
 

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