Extended Range Acoustic?

[rockwarnick]

So I was spacing out at work today thinking about bass as usual and I someone came to the thought of acoustic basses with 6+ strings. I realized I haven't seen any above 5. I feel like there are some good reasons for it if there aren't(tension possibly?). Im suprised I havent seen a 6er.
Please, enlighten me. Does anyone know of an acoustic bass with more than five strings? pics would be appreciated of course.

 

[mheintz]

Azola Deco:

Link Removed

 

[Don W]

Azola Deco:

Damn you!

I've been hoping someone would make an acoustic six string for a while now. Must, resist, urge to buy.

 

[bearfoot]

There are low-end 6-string acoustics on ebay, probably an intonation nightmare between the low B and the high C as they don't have the intonated bridge as the guitar pictured above. They even have them fretless, and a few other bizarre variations of ABG that just kind of make you stand there and say, why? Doublenecks, upright guitars!?, 8-strings unpaired, 8 strings paired - now the 8 strings paired sounds like a good idea for acoustic application, like a bass mandolin (but not a mandobass).
I'm not too interested in their basses but they do have a 12-string classical guitar that gets my GAS...

 

[Brian Barrett]

Daniel Fernandez Builds ERB Acoustics and he is amazing, but they aren't cheap!

 

[spade2you]

Rob Allen makes a semi-acoustic 6 and I have seen a 9 string semi-acoustic by Veillette. The only really limiting factor with ERB ABGs would most likely be with the strings. Since both ERB and ABGs are fairly limited in demand, that sort of string could be hard to find.

 

[Eric S]

I imagine that many luthiers who make 4 and 5 string basses could also do a 6 as a custom order.

Checking my ABG pics folder, I see 6ers from Jon Shuker, Fumi Nozwa, moonshine, Overwater and of course the Guitarron.

spade2you - ABGs can use any available electric bass guitar strings.

 

[spade2you]

spade2you - ABGs can use any available electric bass guitar strings.

Can you use electric strings? Sure. Would I? Nope.

Rob Allen, for example, could build you a bass with as many strings as your hands can handle. Unfortunately, LaBella doesn't make the various nylon wound strings you'd need for an f# or a nice high F string in terms of having consistent tension with the rest of the strings. Piezos are very picky about even tension to get even output and response.

 

[Andy Brown]

I believe someone here has commissioned a 6-stringer from Kinal

 

[GobBass]

They had a 7 string acoustic on eBay but I heard the build quality was very poor.

 

[Eric S]

spade2you

I've been playing only fretless ABG for over 20 years. I don't even play electric bass. Any string made for electric bass will work. After that, It's just a matter of personnal taste. I've tried the Nylon Thomastics and in the 90's, I worked with Savorez here in France on prototype Nylon core strings for acoustic bass guitar.

In my opinion, the nylon core strings sound great when you play one note. For faster runs forget it, they tend to spin under my fingers and as a jazz player, I can't dig in, they are like rubber bands...sloppy.

Rick Turner uses custon nylon Thomastics on his piezo Renaissance basses but, he told me recently in an email conversation that a lot of guys prefer Thomastics flats or Labelas tapewounds for instance on hos basses.


I like GHS bright flats, light gauge, very well broken in.

It's just a matter of style and taste.
To each his own.

 

[john turner]

Azola Deco:

Link Removed

wow, awesome.

 

[spade2you]

spade2you

I've been playing only fretless ABG for over 20 years. I don't even play electric bass. Any string made for electric bass will work. After that, It's just a matter of personnal taste. I've tried the Nylon Thomastics and in the 90's, I worked with Savorez here in France on prototype Nylon core strings for acoustic bass guitar.

In my opinion, the nylon core strings sound great when you play one note. For faster runs forget it, they tend to spin under my fingers and as a jazz player, I can't dig in, they are like rubber bands...sloppy.

Rick Turner uses custon nylon Thomastics on his piezo Renaissance basses but, he told me recently in an email conversation that a lot of guys prefer Thomastics flats or Labelas tapewounds for instance on hos basses.


I like GHS bright flats, light gauge, very well broken in.

It's just a matter of style and taste.
To each his own.

What sort of strings do you use for f# or anything above a high C?

Glad you mentioned you use flats. I'd think it would be a pain to play with roundwounds on a piezo. It takes a lot of discipline to silence the finger noise, especially when fretted.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

Azola Deco:

Link Removed

I think you missed out on those. I inquired on behalf of Oscar Stagnaro last year who really liked my 4 but prefers 6's in general and Steve says he's not building the Deco 6 anymore. You could always ask but if he's saying no to a well recorded Berklee professor........

 

[Eric S]

spade2you

Actually, GHS bright flats dispite the name are half rounds, that is, round wound strings ground down to have a flat outer surface. You probably know that.

Oddly, almost all stock "industrial" ABGs that you see in stores are strung with phosphore bronze round wounds. Truly terrible zingy strings in my opinion. They are used to make the ABG sound brighter and louder. More like a big tin can if you ask me. I have a student who is studying jazz.. He has an Ibanez fretless ABG with the original bronze strings and I must say though that after about a year they sounded pretty good when dead. He changed though to Chromes (flats) for the feel.

If you look at sites like juststrings.com, all thje ABG strings listed (except the Elixers) are bronze roundwounds...so lame!

Once you are resigned to amplifying an ABG, you need to chose better strings that sacrifice a little zingy metalic volume in exchange for better tone.

 

[MKS]

I have been using TI Acousticore nylon core strings on my 5-string ABG strung E-C. Their six-string set is very nice. I take the point about them being almost too flexible though. I love 'em, YMMV.

 

[Richard Lindsey]

Damn you!

I've been hoping someone would make an acoustic six string for a while now. Must, resist, urge to buy.

I've had a lined fretless 6 string ABG for a few years now, made by Jon Shuker and Antonio Lamaq. These aren't being made anymore, to my knowledge.

Lokire of this board is getting one made from Kinal.

Brian Goode is working up a design for an ABG that can be done in 6 strings. Link Removed

Probaly there are a number of other people who would at least consider it if you paid them a LOT of money.

 

[mheintz]

Brian Goode is working up a design for an ABG that can be done in 6 strings. Link Removed

Brian seems like he is on the right track. The design looks like it can really push air. I exchanged an email or two with him and at the time, he said that he's not quite ready to take orders, but he is working on a six-string for someone.

If you had a stack of cash, Doolin might be willing to make one. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] Currently, he only offers 4 or 5 strings, but he certainly builds a lot of other interesting, experimental designs.

 

[ROGI]

ARIES

http://aries-basses.com/

 

[spade2you]

I

Lokire of this board is getting one made from Kinal.

Brian Goode is working up a design for an ABG that can be done in 6 strings. Link Removed

Probaly there are a number of other people who would at least consider it if you paid them a LOT of money.

I am considering a Rob Allen mb2 6 string sometime in the near future, pending my response to fretless 6 string in general.

spade2you

Actually, GHS bright flats dispite the name are half rounds, that is, round wound strings ground down to have a flat outer surface. You probably know that.

Oddly, almost all stock "industrial" ABGs that you see in stores are strung with phosphore bronze round wounds. Truly terrible zingy strings in my opinion. They are used to make the ABG sound brighter and louder. More like a big tin can if you ask me. I have a student who is studying jazz.. He has an Ibanez fretless ABG with the original bronze strings and I must say though that after about a year they sounded pretty good when dead. He changed though to Chromes (flats) for the feel.

If you look at sites like juststrings.com, all thje ABG strings listed (except the Elixers) are bronze roundwounds...so lame!

Once you are resigned to amplifying an ABG, you need to chose better strings that sacrifice a little zingy metalic volume in exchange for better tone.

Yeah, not a fan of the stock sound of most ABGs, especially the fretted variety.

When you said earlier that there are companies that make ERB strings, did you mean just 6 string or beyond 6?