Hi all,
So I'm tempted by the plethora of cheaper 8 strings that have come onto the market lately--reminiscent of when 7 strings became affordable in the 00s.
The problem is I really hate a low F# string. I don't like anything below drop A (A1 on guitar or A0 on bass). It gets muddied up with the bass and kick and just...djent is not for me, especially from a mixing standpoint.
I think 8 strings impress as a solo instrument in jazz with drone notes, but in a metal band setting, say Obscura, 7 string guitars with a 7 string bass is much more effective. The parts can be more independent from a counterpoint perspective, weaving in and out of each other, and the high strings on a 6-7 string bass just sound nicer than the low F# on an 8 string guitar to my ear.
I do like the thought of an 8 string as an A E A D G B E A guitar with a high A string, probably 8 gauge. It would most likely have to be fan fret--maybe 26.5" to 23.5" or so. It would be quite a huge difference. That said, it's more important that the high A string be shorter to facilitate bending. I'm fine with a 25.5" low A string if absolutely necessary.
I know the high A string has been done. Dean had a brief Rusty Cooley model with a high A string here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGpkYhgCUnI
Floyd Rose 8 strings are here: https://www.floydrose.com/products/f...nt=29879554898
The thing is I'm not sure how you'd slant a Floyd in such a way to allow the string lengths to be staggered in such an extreme way as you do on a fixed bridge. My guess is you would need the base plate to be huge to allow the saddles for the upper strings to have a lot of forward movement and the low strings to have a lot of backward movement.
Some of us want 8 strings in the upper register for more melodic content, not in the lower register competing with the kick and bass. The thing is getting that high A to be bendable/usable with licks and able to take a full minor 3rd pull up on the whammy bar without breaking.
Hopefully one day we can get a guitar to have the same range as a concert grand piano without resorting to effects like a Digitech Whammy pedal or something in production like pitch shifting.
My hope is we can somehow develop the guitar into an 8-10 octave instrument, similar to an organ, but have it be ergnomically useful for the left hand and not be just for using drone notes (which a bass guitar can do).
I'll also be reaching out to Floyd Rose directly for input on this and will get back with everyone.
Thanks.
So I'm tempted by the plethora of cheaper 8 strings that have come onto the market lately--reminiscent of when 7 strings became affordable in the 00s.
The problem is I really hate a low F# string. I don't like anything below drop A (A1 on guitar or A0 on bass). It gets muddied up with the bass and kick and just...djent is not for me, especially from a mixing standpoint.
I think 8 strings impress as a solo instrument in jazz with drone notes, but in a metal band setting, say Obscura, 7 string guitars with a 7 string bass is much more effective. The parts can be more independent from a counterpoint perspective, weaving in and out of each other, and the high strings on a 6-7 string bass just sound nicer than the low F# on an 8 string guitar to my ear.
I do like the thought of an 8 string as an A E A D G B E A guitar with a high A string, probably 8 gauge. It would most likely have to be fan fret--maybe 26.5" to 23.5" or so. It would be quite a huge difference. That said, it's more important that the high A string be shorter to facilitate bending. I'm fine with a 25.5" low A string if absolutely necessary.
I know the high A string has been done. Dean had a brief Rusty Cooley model with a high A string here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGpkYhgCUnI
Floyd Rose 8 strings are here: https://www.floydrose.com/products/f...nt=29879554898
The thing is I'm not sure how you'd slant a Floyd in such a way to allow the string lengths to be staggered in such an extreme way as you do on a fixed bridge. My guess is you would need the base plate to be huge to allow the saddles for the upper strings to have a lot of forward movement and the low strings to have a lot of backward movement.
Some of us want 8 strings in the upper register for more melodic content, not in the lower register competing with the kick and bass. The thing is getting that high A to be bendable/usable with licks and able to take a full minor 3rd pull up on the whammy bar without breaking.
Hopefully one day we can get a guitar to have the same range as a concert grand piano without resorting to effects like a Digitech Whammy pedal or something in production like pitch shifting.
My hope is we can somehow develop the guitar into an 8-10 octave instrument, similar to an organ, but have it be ergnomically useful for the left hand and not be just for using drone notes (which a bass guitar can do).
I'll also be reaching out to Floyd Rose directly for input on this and will get back with everyone.
Thanks.
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