NBD - Warwick 8-string

[Iristone]

I sort of bought it as a clickbait to lure local bands into recruiting me. Let's see how it works out

Seriously, I've been thinking of an 8-string on and off, ever since I've listened to The Who. The Warwick is an easily available and good-sounding option, but my previous experience with a Fortress Rockbass had left me meh. To be fair, I was hoping it to be a PJ Bass, whereas it's actually got another character.
The new alder bass is not huge or heavy, and balances nicely across my lap (haven't tried strapped yet) without digging in my thigh like the Fortress. Still getting used to the almost flat fretboard (my classical guitarist girlfriend could've liked it) and octave courses, but the slim, rounded-back neck is quite comfortable.
The bridge is sturdy and super adjustable, you could adjust individual course height, per-string intonation and even the distance between each paired strings! Even better than the Schaller 3D. I still need to tweak the string heights before a thorough plugged-in test, but the acoustic sound is nice and even, a good match for the octave courses.
I'll report back later on, maybe tomorrow after I play it plugged-in extensively for some time. Then I'll probably give it some Rotosounds some day, but even the Red Label strings aren't as bad as I remembered!

 

[Iristone]

I sort of bought it as a clickbait to lure local bands into recruiting me. Let's see how it works out

This part has already worked out The guitarists from two of my previous bands and me are working together. We'll find a drummer and a keyboardist and work from here.

 

[12bass]

Looks like a nice 8-string. The bridge is better than most octave course basses, including Hamer, Waterstone, and others.

 

[woodyng2]

Very nice! Is it always-on active electronics/pickups?
Love the flat radiused fretboard, and the nongloss finish. Big fan of the pan control vs 2 volumes as well.
Looks like a fairly skinny nut….1.5”?
Would advise against using high tension Rotosounds, unless you’re just into corporal punishment!

 

[Iristone]

Very nice! Is it always-on active electronics/pickups?
Love the flat radiused fretboard, and the nongloss finish. Big fan of the pan control vs 2 volumes as well.
Looks like a fairly skinny nut….1.5”?
Would advise against using high tension Rotosounds, unless you’re just into corporal punishment!

Thanks! The pickups themselves are active, and the preamp doesn't seem bypassable (unlike the Fortress). The 1.5" nut actually isn't hard to play, and Hagström also uses a 40mm narrow nut for their 8-stringer.
Are the Rotosound RS668 very high tension? The RS66LD regular gauge aren't too taut for me. Maybe I could build my own set with a lighter RS66C low set and British Steel guitar strings (tied to extend a bit of length) as the high set.

 

[bholder]

 

[JRA]

wow, impressive --- and good looking, too! congratulations on your new instrument!

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I sort of bought it as a clickbait to lure local bands into recruiting me. Let's see how it works out
View attachment 7212375View attachment 7212376
Seriously, I've been thinking of an 8-string on and off, ever since I've listened to The Who. The Warwick is an easily available and good-sounding option, but my previous experience with a Fortress Rockbass had left me meh. To be fair, I was hoping it to be a PJ Bass, whereas it's actually got another character.
The new alder bass is not huge or heavy, and balances nicely across my lap (haven't tried strapped yet) without digging in my thigh like the Fortress. Still getting used to the almost flat fretboard (my classical guitarist girlfriend could've liked it) and octave courses, but the slim, rounded-back neck is quite comfortable.
The bridge is sturdy and super adjustable, you could adjust individual course height, per-string intonation and even the distance between each paired strings! Even better than the Schaller 3D. I still need to tweak the string heights before a thorough plugged-in test, but the acoustic sound is nice and even, a good match for the octave courses.
I'll report back later on, maybe tomorrow after I play it plugged-in extensively for some time. Then I'll probably give it some Rotosounds some day, but even the Red Label strings aren't as bad as I remembered!

Congrats.
I had a Covette STD (the really heavy one) for a while,. You are corrects about their bridges. I also agree with your earlier assessment of their Red Label strings. Compared to DR LO Riders = Yuk! Play on!

 

[Iristone]

The bridge isn't as straightfoward as I'd thought. There's the 8 saddles, 8 saddle holders, and the bridge plate assembly. Seems that I need to pull up the saddle and manually lock it into place for height adjustment.

 

[Iristone]

Congrats.
I had a Covette STD (the really heavy one) for a while,. You are corrects about their bridges. I also agree with your earlier assessment of their Red Label strings. Compared to DR LO Riders = Yuk! Play on!

Maybe after I install Rotosounds I'll find out how bad the stock strings are.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Maybe after I install Rotosounds I'll find out how bad the stock strings are.

Rotos sound awesome.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

Always wanted to try an 8 string.
Someday.

 

[Iristone]

Changed the string to Rotosound 66 lows, La Bella Bender highs. They are long enough and sound well-balanced - except for the plain high G which is too loud at lower frets and too quiet at higher solo positions. I'll try some Rotosound nickel singles next time with a wound G, since the material-correct British Steels and the series-correct RS668 still come with plain high G's.
The plugged-in tone is nice and clear. A brighter amp sim reveals a bright, clear top end that can get a bit shrill with the plain high G - maybe it'll play well with an Alembic-style filter preamp. As with most (not all - maybe except a P pickup?) true active pickups, the blended tone sounds fatter than neck-only. The MEC pickups are very nicely made, but I'm not sure if I'll stick with the active J and 2-band format forever.

 

[HaphAsSard]

I'll try some Rotosound nickel singles next time with a wound G, since the material-correct British Steels and the series-correct RS668 still come with plain high G's.

Long scale? Unless you plan to downtune, you'll be dealing constantly with breakage of the highest string if you want it to be wound.

 

[12bass]

Found an 0.018" plain G-string a reasonable compromise on my 34" scale 12-strings. Wound Gs work on my 30-1/2" 8-string, but the tension is too high for 34" (breakage). Also tried 0.020", but preferred 0.018". While there is a bit of tonal difference using a plain string, I'm not sure there is much choice for long scale basses.

 

[Iristone]

Long scale? Unless you plan to downtune, you'll be dealing constantly with breakage of the highest string if you want it to be wound.

There's a wound .020 Roto string. I wonder if it could work? The RS668 has a .020 plain high G, but it should be able to take more tension than a wound one.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Changed the string to Rotosound 66 lows, La Bella Bender highs. They are long enough and sound well-balanced - except for the plain high G which is too loud at lower frets and too quiet at higher solo positions. I'll try some Rotosound nickel singles next time with a wound G, since the material-correct British Steels and the series-correct RS668 still come with plain high G's.

It's funny, but when I used to dabble with piccolo basses, I would obsessively cobble together string sets with a wound G, because I hate the sound of a plain G string...but I've been playing 8-string basses for over 35 years and it never once occurred to me to string one up with a wound octave G!
Let us know how it works out.