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NON-DOUBLED EIGHTS

GODSBASSMAN

GODSBASSMAN

Feb 2, 2005
1,840
128
S. Carolina
#1
Of those owning a non-doubled 8 string bass: can't find pics on these beasts much. There are listed in stickies 38 8 string owners and 7 fretless 8 string owners. Can we start a thread for the viewing and reviewing of these basses? Tell a story how you came to own such a thing, inspiration from which artists, who built yours, techniques, venue, etc. What you say can matter.
As for me: I am a church musician of varied genres, backing the choir, solo artists, groups, whatever I am called to do. Also area school concerts for backing choral ensembles/choirs. Started on 4 string, to 5 to 6 fretted and fretless (currently use both fretted/fretless 6ers)
but have an inquiring mind and ears. Thinking to build a fretless 8 to cover a lot of situations. Anthony Jasckson is a total inspiration but for 8's all I really know is Yves Carbonne.
Anyone chime in, please.
 
#3
Consistency: Are you referring to string longevity, evenness of tone, volume, tension or something else.
I did take my fretless and remove a couple or 3 strings and played just to familiarize self of "What would it sound and feel like?" for curiosity sake and I liked it a lot. Granted there was the gap being strung F# B E G C F or E A D G C F or F# B E A D G or B E A D G C. For any lack of volume there is the big rig to use. If the smaller strings wax old earlier than the large there is the library of strings on hand new and old. I play out regularly and severely miss if there is not my 6er to play BEADGC; F# just gives freedom higher up the finger board position saving to shift down. The higher strings make chords easier to play and the guitarist jealous cause now I am in his territory (How do you like it?) LOL
 
#4
ok, here's mine 8string Warr. BEADGCFBb. larry robinson inlay


100_0951.jpg

100_0959.jpg

100_0961.jpg
 
#12
GODSBASSMAN said:
spade2you, How do you have that 7 tuned?
Click to expand...

BEADGBE (octave below 7 string). The 32" scale helps a lot with the upper register, but how much you'd like a high A or A# is in the eye of the beholder. No clue how well a low F# would work in 32" scale, but I'm not too likely to try it. I'm currently using a 0.025 for my high E, but will likely try a 0.020 due to the high tension. That would more than likely leave me with an unwound high A, which immediately loses a lot of the girth of most common fretless sounds.

I'm very happy with my fretless 7, but not likely too try to get more range. Several luthiers have told me that some of the problems are remedied by frets.

Regardless, here is my bass.

cb7.jpg
 
#13
Got to love those Bordwell basses.
I will go for starting with an F# for sure and up from there. Am going to get some light gauged strings for experimentation, especially the plain ones to see their impact on tone as a fretless.
Do y'all use these 8's for soloing or chords or both. Does anyone ask you "what kind of guitar is that?" ?
Are you a better bassist owning one? (self discipline/more thought into what is played). What is it like to play these?
 
#14
GODSBASSMAN said:
Got to love those Bordwell basses.
I will go for starting with an F# for sure and up from there. Am going to get some light gauged strings for experimentation, especially the plain ones to see their impact on tone as a fretless.
Do y'all use these 8's for soloing or chords or both. Does anyone ask you "what kind of guitar is that?" ?
Are you a better bassist owning one? (self discipline/more thought into what is played). What is it like to play these?
Click to expand...

Speaking only for myself.. Tapping. Tapping bass while holding a chord on the high end.

GODSBASSMAN said:
Are you a better bassist owning one?
Click to expand...

I think you are looking at this the wrong way. the extra strings increase the range. In most cases, it allows you to go across the fretboard instead of up and down.

I think the better way to look at it is this, a keyboard player with a 60 key board as opposed to an 88 key board.
 
#17
I was actually never inspired by anybody to take it to the extended range. After I bought a few 6-strings, I found a Conklin GTBD-7 for a good price and decided I wanted just one more string and a 35" scale. After seeing JC's work on the 6-string fretless Ritter Roya copy, I decided I wanted him to make it for me.

A year(ish) later, and this was in my possession:

quilted55.jpg


It's had quite a few changes in the amount of time that I've owned it - Aguilar OBP-3, passive tone control, Gotoh Res-O-Lite tuners, and most recently had some new 6-way bridge saddle pieces made to retrofit the Hipshots for side-to-side string spacing (although they need some slight modification). I plan on upgrading the pickups whenever finances will allow (which is unfortunately not in the immediate future).
 
#18
GODSBASSMAN said:
Do y'all use these 8's for soloing or chords or both. Does anyone ask you "what kind of guitar is that?" ?
Are you a better bassist owning one? (self discipline/more thought into what is played). What is it like to play these?
Click to expand...

I use it like a bass. I have tried to get into tapping a bit more, but this bass just plays so well that I like to keep my heavy strings on it and rock it at shows.

Like so:
SG1S7557.jpg
 
#20
I think you are looking at this the wrong way. the extra strings increase the range. In most cases, it allows you to go across the fretboard instead of up and down.


I already play 6 string for that very reason; stability of hand position. But I was thinking of acquiring an 8 for the study and practice of chordality, tapping and other such techniques on the higher notes in a fretless mode. And still have the low notes at hand without changing out with another bass.
 

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