Faux-Novax (aka Batking Hybrid)

[skygazer]

Anybody else have one of these? 7 string hybrid (3 bass, 4 guitar), 30-33" scale, separate bass & guitar pickups with separate output jacks. Chinese guitar factories have started making them again, and I picked one up via eBay for $370. Took about a month to get it.

I tuned it E1 A1 D2 g2 c3 e3 a3 (EAD are bass strings, gcea are guitar strings). I am primarily a bass player, but I like the ability to add some chords or fills on top once in a while. It came with all guitar strings, which I changed out for EB Stainless Flats (group 4 bass, light gage flats guitar)... 95 70 60 40 28w 15p 11p. This seems to work well for my tuning... sounds mellow and has a very smooth feel. The neck seems very good. I'm still learning how play effectively... it feels like normal 4-string bass from the bottom and a baritone guitar in A standard from the top.

Stock bass pickups were very weak compared to the guitar pickups... I replaced them with Wilkinsons & got significant improvement.
I also rewired the output jacks so I can use a stereo (trs) cable, which is much more convenient. I use a breakout Y-cable going to separate bass-guitar pedal chains, and a fuzzdog blender before going into my DI/amp.

If you have read this far, you probably are already familiar with Charlie Hunter, Novax guitars, and hybrid-guitars.com. Charlie's videos are amazing & easy to find... videos of this particular Chinese "Batking" clone-of-a-Novax are pretty rare, but Jeff Knighton has a few.

I'm digging the tone & the challenge of learning to play it well.

 

[LowActionHero]

Well. Ya don't see that everyday.
Looks interesting!

 

[logdrum]

Anybody else have one of these? 7 string hybrid (3 bass, 4 guitar), 30-33" scale, separate bass & guitar pickups with separate output jacks. Chinese guitar factories have started making them again, and I picked one up via eBay for $370. Took about a month to get it.

I tuned it E1 A1 D2 g2 c3 e3 a3 (EAD are bass strings, gcea are guitar strings). I am primarily a bass player, but I like the ability to add some chords or fills on top once in a while. It came with all guitar strings, which I changed out for EB Stainless Flats (group 4 bass, light gage flats guitar)... 95 70 60 40 28w 15p 11p. This seems to work well for my tuning... sounds mellow and has a very smooth feel. The neck seems very good. I'm still learning how play effectively... it feels like normal 4-string bass from the bottom and a baritone guitar in A standard from the top.

Stock bass pickups were very weak compared to the guitar pickups... I replaced them with Wilkinsons & got significant improvement.
I also rewired the output jacks so I can use a stereo (trs) cable, which is much more convenient. I use a breakout Y-cable going to separate bass-guitar pedal chains, and a fuzzdog blender before going into my DI/amp.

If you have read this far, you probably are already familiar with Charlie Hunter, Novax guitars, and hybrid-guitars.com. Charlie's videos are amazing & easy to find... videos of this particular Chinese "Batking" clone-of-a-Novax are pretty rare, but Jeff Knighton has a few.

I'm digging the tone & the challenge of learning to play it well.

View attachment 7527615

I hace been playing and owned one since 2020 but actually have played here and there since the late 90's

Mine is by Hybrid Guitars. I also have the eight string from Novax but currently at my luthier for some fret and electronics work- He said a month or more so no pics

Mine is tuned like Charlie Hunter GCF on the bass CFBbD on the guitar. I use tapewound or GHS flats. I use Tite'Fit DRs with a wound thrid for better balance. I play it a lot and the wood and pickguar wear is worse than the photo. I am pretty serious about it. Working with a couple singers as well as using it in my improv band.

 

[skygazer]

Mine is tuned like Charlie Hunter GCF on the bass CFBbD on the guitar. I use tapewound or GHS flats. I use Tite'Fit DRs with a wound thrid for better balance.

The Charlie Hunter or Van Eps tunings are probably better for easily reaching a bass note below an arbitrary 4 string guitar chord.
Just the same, I think I'll keep working the E bass/A guitar tuning for a while and see how it goes. I'm hoping to keep both my bass muscle memory and my guitar pattern memory.

Running flats on this beast is a little problematic. I think your Hybrid 7 is slightly shorter scale (25 1/8 - 28 1/4"?) than my Faux-Novax (30-33"). The centermost string on mine was just over 40" total length, so a standard guitar string barely won't fit. I took a chance and drilled the hole for the through-body ferrule on that string about an inch deeper into the body, which allowed about a turn-and-a-half of string on the tuner. Not ideal, but it works so far. I would use a baritone string if I could get a flatwound single ~40w

I wanted to use LaBella LTF bass & Jazz Flats guitar, but LaBella service was pretty firm that they will break if loaded through-body. LaBella "Stang" flatwound bass strings are about an inch too short ball-to-silk on the low string... and if I drilled the ferrule holes so they fit, the ball-end silk would extend past the bridge.

TI Jazz Flats standard bass strings will work (I have a set and measured it), but they don't list the ball-to-silk length of their Jazz Swing guitar strings. I have doubts that they would fit, and buying a full set is a rather expensive experiment. (I suppose I could buy from Amazon and just return them)

That's why I went with Ernie Ball... their guitar flats have no silk, and a full set is $20. I'm happy so far.

 

[logdrum]

The Charlie Hunter or Van Eps tunings are probably better for easily reaching a bass note below an arbitrary 4 string guitar chord.
Just the same, I think I'll keep working the E bass/A guitar tuning for a while and see how it goes. I'm hoping to keep both my bass muscle memory and my guitar pattern memory.

Running flats on this beast is a little problematic. I think your Hybrid 7 is slightly shorter scale (25 1/8 - 28 1/4"?) than my Faux-Novax (30-33"). The centermost string on mine was just over 40" total length, so a standard guitar string barely won't fit. I took a chance and drilled the hole for the through-body ferrule on that string about an inch deeper into the body, which allowed about a turn-and-a-half of string on the tuner. Not ideal, but it works so far. I would use a baritone string if I could get a flatwound single ~40w

I wanted to use LaBella LTF bass & Jazz Flats guitar, but LaBella service was pretty firm that they will break if loaded through-body. LaBella "Stang" flatwound bass strings are about an inch too short ball-to-silk on the low string... and if I drilled the ferrule holes so they fit, the ball-end silk would extend past the bridge.

TI Jazz Flats standard bass strings will work (I have a set and measured it), but they don't list the ball-to-silk length of their Jazz Swing guitar strings. I have doubts that they would fit, and buying a full set is a rather expensive experiment. (I suppose I could buy from Amazon and just return them)

That's why I went with Ernie Ball... their guitar flats have no silk, and a full set is $20. I'm happy so far.

Not sure where you are getting your data from, Van Epps and Charlie Hunter tuning aka G tuning are completely different. My Novax and Hybrid 7 string are the same scale at 29 inches on the lowest bass and 25.5 - 24.75 on the 5th-8th string respectively ) and here they will be the thinnest strings ) In actual practice intonated correctly it is actually more. I am going to tune the Novax to normal bass guitar and guitar tuning. My 7 string can also be tune that way. The reason to tune to a G is to get more pop to the bass. I am an alto and baritone sax player -- so no issues transposing to concert key. I do it all the time. I set my action fairly high because the thumb is much stronger than the other fingers. E tuning should be fine. Some of Charlie's virtoustic work was one when he was tuned in E and playing 8 string

There are absolutely no issues running flats even though I only have large diameter guitar tuners on the 7 string. Get light GHS Precision flats or La Bella DTF short scale and the E strings on those are .095 and .096 but the D'Addario tapes are .105 are tight and probably the thickest, But Clay Conner said he is running LA Bella Short Scale black tapes and those are at .110 . Flats are definitely better as it provides timbre separation from the guitar strings. , I think 29 with the through string is a good compromise, I was able to use a La Bella DTF FS (.100) but if you want to be safe use GHS. They are better on this bass than La Bella anyway

My guitar is an early build and that body is made of a block of Spanish Cedar which they do not use anymore, The Novax is Ash

 

[skygazer]

In a moment of whimsy, I gave the headstock an emblem. FN in this case means "Faux Novax", rather than Fabrique Nationale.