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Flatwounds for 8 string (4 courses, octaves)?

bholder

bholder

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#1
I could have sworn I already asked this, but can't find it now, the recent Bass VI thread reminded me - anyway, does anyone know of any flats sets for 8 string bass? I have an 8 string fretless that would really benefit from flats.

I'm thinking I'll have to resort to ordering a regular 4 set of flats, then piecing together the octaves at the right gauges.
 
#2
bholder said:
I could have sworn I already asked this, but can't find it now, the recent Bass VI thread reminded me - anyway, does anyone know of any flats sets for 8 string bass? I have an 8 string fretless that would really benefit from flats.

I'm thinking I'll have to resort to ordering a regular 4 set of flats, then piecing together the octaves at the right gauges.
Click to expand...
Im not aware of any.
You could order a custom set from Pyramid or, as you said, add four singles to a 4-string set.

Better yet, get the treble subset out of a flatwound set for 6-string guitar. The high D string may have to be wound naked (silked core only) on the post, and finding the right high G may prove tricky (it's going to be dangerously close to breakage at 34" scale).
I would start with the D'Addario ECG23 set (with a 020 G, the lightest they make), then try the Thomastik-Infeld JS111 (019 G, which should be lighter - I believe it has a silk inlay and possibly a thinner core - but may or may not break precisely because of that core), then the T-I JS112 (02o G - it could prove to be goldiloxy in case the other two fail).
 
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#3
I've certainly never seen a pre-packaged octave-course string set with flats.
For that matter, does anyone offer a a pre-packaged octave-course string set besides D'Addario?
 
#4
Made my own hybrid set, TI Jazz Flats for the low strings, regular roundwound (and a plain) from an 8-string set of D'Addario for the the octaves.

Thinking about changing the TI flats with GHS flats. As for the octaves, I shall have to check the lengths of some TI George Benson guitar flats I have lying around...
 
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#6
bholder said:
I could have sworn I already asked this, but can't find it now, the recent Bass VI thread reminded me - anyway, does anyone know of any flats sets for 8 string bass? I have an 8 string fretless that would really benefit from flats.
Click to expand...
Late to the party, but did you find a solution? I'd love flats on my 8, already got them on my 5 and my shorty.
 
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#7
LowBassDub said:
Late to the party, but did you find a solution? I'd love flats on my 8, already got them on my 5 and my shorty.
Click to expand...
I haven't yet, the fretless 8 is in storage and needs a nut trim to be playable - but still interested in finding a set of flats for it.
 
#8
I use a set of TI flats for the root strings, and the octave strings from a regular D'Addario 8-string set (round (and a plain, I think), but work well).

If you insist on all flatwound, you could build your own — many guitar strings come in flatwound, but are they long enough to fit a bass... that is the question. (Mine is an Ibanez Musician — medium scale.)
 
#9
Abner said:
Made my own hybrid set, TI Jazz Flats for the low strings, regular roundwound (and a plain) from an 8-string set of D'Addario for the the octaves.

Thinking about changing the TI flats with GHS flats. As for the octaves, I shall have to check the lengths of some TI George Benson guitar flats I have lying around...
Click to expand...
I was thinking about trying this, how did you like it?
 
#12
On my vintage 67 Hagstrom H8 I used a set of GHS Precision flats and octave guitar flats with low tension. Although it's a short scale
Would like to try a set of Labella Bass VI flats, would only need another .045 and a plain octave g
 

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