Thoughts about 8-string guitar

digitalkettle

I've been thinking about getting a Strandberg and, while I've mostly deciphered their product range, one big decision that I keep coming back to is: do I stick with 6 strings or add a string or two?

The obvious thing to do would be to get a 6-string with a whammy bar but I feel like this might be a missed opportunity to experiment with extended range...or am I already missing the point and overlooking the quintessential Strandberg thing?

If anyone has been here before...maybe with another brand...chime in

There are some spec-based 'strings attached':

• 6 string guitars come with Suhr pickups, 7/8 string guitars come with Fishman Fluence pickups
• 8 strings are all hardtails

Random background points:

• This wouldn't be my main guitar so there are no essential aspects
• I'm new to extended range guitars...I don't chug much
• I tend not to use 'thumb over' playing...I presume this becomes harder the more strings you add

digitalkettle

Tuning

An 8-string is typically tuned F#BEADGBE

Do you think of this as a regular guitar with two bass strings? Do you still play standard open chord shapes on it? Or do you have to let go of thinking about shapes and boxes that are based on standard open A or E chords?

It's tempting to think: F#BEADGBE has even more 4ths in it than a regular guitar...why not abandon standard and go for 4ths all the way with F#BEADGCF? That way every shape remains consistent across the entire fretboard.

carlos

I've found the transition from 6 to 7 easy-peasy. They're sort of symmetrical? With the D in the middle, and then A and G on either side, and then the other strings are mirrored. Easy! The neck is wider, but not that much wider.
On the other hand, I've tried having 8 strings twice and they never work for me. They do the chug chug but feel very unwieldy, and I struggle to play on them the things I find easy on a 6 or 7 string. I can also do the chug chug on a 7 string with a pitchshifter and then don't have to put up with how wrong they feel.

monquixote

I'd probably only buy an 8 for playing Deftones on.

prowla

:-)

Funkfingers

Eight string electric guitar is very nearly a tenor Chapman Stick. It would make sense to fit a damper next to the nut and to play by two-handed tapping. See also, Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes.

digitalkettle

Funkfingers said:

Eight string electric guitar is very nearly a tenor Chapman Stick. It would make sense to fit a damper next to the nut and to play by two-handed tapping. See also, Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes.

Ha…I actually have a Grand Stick in Matched Reciprocal tuning but the time is approaching where I should sell it…I do like ‘baritone’ sounds but I prefer playing a guitar

timmypix

I decided to go for an extra string when I got my Stranny recently. I'm the same as Carlos above in that I did find adjusting to 7 strings no problem and the Strandberg design makes it very comfortable,  but the idea of 8 strings confounds me,  and I think I'd struggle to use it or even know what to do with it. 

Now I'm not you, but if that sounds familiar then I'd heartily encourage a 7.

I'm not blown away by the Fluences in my Prog NX 7 but they get the job done. 

Unorthodox

I went with a 6 string strandberg (wanted a 7 but couldn't afford it), managed to get it switched for a 7 string and was much happier with the guitar. Neck is comfy, not too large at all and the extra string was easy enough to adjust to after a little while. I do think the Suhrs sounded better than the Fishman Fluences though.

Sporky

I still fancy building a long-scale six-string tuned in fifths - FCGDAE. That'd also make me use different chord shapes. 

CarbonCopy

It's not the same, but I recently bought an Ibanez 6 string headless multiscale bass. I usually play 4 or 5 string, but decided to give it a try. It's now become my main bass for practice and rehearsals as it's so easy to play and very lightweight.

It didn't take any time at all to get used to it. It's all tuned in 4ths like you mentioned in the 2nd post and it makes so much sense.

I'm not always using the low B or high C string, but when I want to, I have easier access to the extra notes.

Because of the success of the 6 string bass for me, I was also looking at 8 string Strandberg guitars. I had a baritone Fender Subsonic (tuned B to and found I wasn't using it much. It could have done with an extra high E string so that I could play my normal guitar repertoire on it if I wanted without shifting positions. A 7 or 8 string would solve that for me.

I strongly suggest you buy an 8 string as I'd be interested to see how you find it!

carlos

timmypix said:

I decided to go for an extra string when I got my Stranny recently. I'm the same as Carlos above in that I did find adjusting to 7 strings no problem and the Strandberg design makes it very comfortable,  but the idea of 8 strings confounds me,  and I think I'd struggle to use it or even know what to do with it. 

Now I'm not you, but if that sounds familiar then I'd heartily encourage a 7.

I'm not blown away by the Fluences in my Prog NX 7 but they get the job done. 

Another issue I didn't mention, is that I found setting up my sound for an 8 string much harder than for 6 or 7. It's those extra low frequencies. If I tweak a good sound for the low F# with the amp and the choice of speaker, then I don't get that top end shimmer (?), twang, whatever you want to call it. It's like one or the other. And while this is fine for metal, it doesn't suit my need to switch between styles/genres in the same song.

uksaint7

FWIW Mattias IA Eklundh tunes his 8-string with a low E and A, I can imagine that might make it less confusing. His band Freak Kitchen's new tune with him playing the 8-string just came out a couple of days ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taVjuvoq8AM

CHRISB50

uksaint7 said:

FWIW Mattias IA Eklundh tunes his 8-string with a low E and A, I can imagine that might make it less confusing. His band Freak Kitchen's new tune with him playing the 8-string just came out a couple of days ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taVjuvoq8AM

That’s what Tosin Abasi does as well. 

Says it makes things much easier with chords, and easier to navigate the neck. 

If you play 6 string barre chords and just continue them on the 7th and 8th strings you have an extra lower 5th, and an octave, to the route note. Seems pretty logical. 

I quite fancy an 8 string. But I’d be buying blind. Left handedness is a pain sometimes. 

They sound immense. But also look pretty immense to play. Which puts me off buying blind! 

Stevepage

I’ve had 8 strings and I found the low string to be useless to me. It can be a great tool for inspiration but I just found them to be instruments I’d just chug on, nothing particularly special.

7 strings are perfect for me in terms of extended range and are just as comfortable as 6 strings.

Strandbergs have lovely necks on them and are very comfortable to play

ToneControl

I had a lovely 8 string. Schecter with EMGs. It was very cheap used.
I sold it after buying an almost identical new Schecter 6 string 30 inch baritone with EMGs, and I rarely buy new.
I still have the baritone about 10 years later.
I tune it 5 semitones down, sound is amazing, Extended range without having to relearn the fretboard.

OilCityPickups

I have my seven string Ibanez and love it - but I actually am rather glad I stepped back personally from getting an eight string. I think they are really super specialised and not something I have time to even scrape the surface of getting the best from.  

Funkfingers

CHRISB50 said:

uksaint7 said:

FWIW Mattias IA Eklundh tunes his 8-string with a low E and A

That’s what Tosin Abasi does as well. 

Abasi often plays the two lowest strings in a thump/slap style. Reyes uses more of a Classical thumb picking style. Either way, there is little or no room left in the frequency spectrum for a conventional bass guitar. 

guitarmangler

The 6’s and 8’s are different scales, tho. 26.5-28” rather than 25-25.5. So, quite different feel.

digitalkettle

guitarmangler said:

The 6’s and 8’s are different scales, tho. 26.5-28” rather than 25-25.5. So, quite different feel.

Yep...
6: 25 - 25.5
7: 25.5 - 26.25
8: 26.5 - 28

Having never thought about this stuff before, I noticed that the 'neutral fret' was different for each model too (not that it would affect you much):
6: 0th fret
7: 10th fret
8: 7th fret

Other more tangible stuff...string spread at nut:
6: 35mm (bit skinny...an Ibanez is something like 36.5mm)
7: 42mm
8: 49mm
(string spacing at bridge remains constant at 10.5mm)

Power_Freak

I haven't attempted to switch to 8s yet. I've played 7s for a while and I'm happy.

If I went for an 8 I wouldn't want 2 extra lower strings though, I'd set one lower and one higher. I find going too low you start competing for space with the bassist which I don't really care for.

I'm a long way away from a typical "extended range" player though.