Hagstrom Eight string questions, ideas?

Bass VI · September 13, 2008, 09:37:06 PM

OK, in a fit of..... ( well a fit anyway ) I picked up a nice Hagstom 8 string neck on the 'bay.
The question is where do I go from here? Build the body and improv on the electronics/hardware? Anyone have one for body tracings etc. Or my second thought, pick up a Hag four string ( which come up fairly often ) and mod it to the neck, the bodies and electronics look similar ( I think the pups have wider polepieces on the 8s' ) Any thoughts?

Scott

Chris P. · September 14, 2008, 02:41:45 AM

Order a Darkstar. It's Hagstrom in the end and Fred Hammon makes 'm with different spacings.

bostonguitarrepair · September 23, 2008, 01:42:39 PM

Hey - I haven't posted here in ages - been too buried with refin work and other work!

But I'm a Hagstrom fan too and I have a project 8-string - I'll check, but I'm pretty sure the body is identical to the 4-string.

I say this because my 8 string came without any guard, controls or pickups - but i was able to drop the whole assembly from a 4-string right into the 8-string body.

The 8-string pickups do look different - sorta doubled "pole pieces" - I put pole pieces in quotes because if you ever open up a 4 or 6 string Hagstrom pickup you will find a bar magnet with windings inside - and the pole pieces are small steel disks set into the plastic casing - I seriously doubt they do anything !! So any of the 4, 6 or 8 string Hag single coils should work fine for your 8 string, even if they look funky.

I do have a very beat 4 string body that might work for you - do you have all 8 tuners for the neck ??

I'll see what I have around and take a few pics.

Drop me a line through here or email me directly - I think my address is in my profile.

krishna
bostonguitarrepair

bostonguitarrepair · September 23, 2008, 06:47:15 PM

Here are a few pics - as you can see the bodies appear to be the same.

Let me know and we can work something out on the Hag body if you're interested - may be possible for me to even fabricate a guard.

krishna

Bass VI · September 23, 2008, 09:09:55 PM

Krishna,

PM'd

Scott

Bass VI · November 06, 2008, 01:02:21 AM

Well got a body ( Thanks Krishna! ), the four octave string tuners, neckplate. It almost looks like something

. I'm stripping the finish off the body, I'll post a few pics when there is something ( other than a mess ) to show.

Cheers,

Scott ( BassVIII ) get it?

Chris P. · November 06, 2008, 01:58:48 AM

Isn't it Bass IIX?

Bass VI · November 06, 2008, 03:08:35 AM

Quote from: Chris P on November 06, 2008, 01:58:48 AM
Isn't it Bass IIX?

Hmmmm...................I'll have to Google Roman numerals......................

drbassman · November 06, 2008, 05:21:53 AM

It's Bass VIII. How are you gonna do a bridge?

Bass VI · November 06, 2008, 11:12:57 PM

Quote from: drbassman on November 06, 2008, 05:21:53 AM
It's Bass VIII. How are you gonna do a bridge?

I thought that was it!

Don't know about the bridge, there's always Ebay, if I can find a four-string parts bass, I had thought about modding one of those, the baseplate looks similar. It may be a long time before enough parts come up, so it might end up with a lot of non-original parts.....electronics, bridge, bass string tuners, etc. I've got a few ideas. but I'm open to any/all suggestions.

Scott ( BassVI ) really

Chris P. · November 07, 2008, 01:26:19 AM

Hagstrom is reissueing the 8-string again. I try to get hold of one for a review, but they aren't in Holland yet. Maybe they can supply you with a bridge of the reissue?

Bass VI · November 07, 2008, 08:24:47 PM

Quote from: Chris P on November 07, 2008, 01:26:19 AM
Hagstrom is reissueing the 8-string again. I try to get hold of one for a review, but they aren't in Holland yet. Maybe they can supply you with a bridge of the reissue?

Chris,
The reissue has very little in common with the original. I'm not even sure it would work at all as it strings through the body. Something to think about and I would like to hear what you think about the new ones when you get a chance to do the reveiw.

Scott ( BassVI )

rahock · November 08, 2008, 06:08:35 AM

I'd like to get a look at the reissues too. I had a 1970 Hagstrom 8 string that I bought new and was in near perfect condition when I got rid of it a couple years ago. I sold it to get my butterscotch 51 P RI.
The 8 string was a really unique instrument with an incredible ability for high volume blow the house down power chords. It was nice on some softer jazzy things too but on most things I missed the sound of a true bass. I just didn't play it much anymore , so I let it go.
I do miss it when I get in the mood $:-\$

Rick

Dave W · November 08, 2008, 12:54:22 PM

Are you saying it didn't have enough true low end, or just that the additional strings gave it so much more up top that it didn't really sound like a bass?

rahock · November 09, 2008, 07:35:53 AM

Quote from: Dave W on November 08, 2008, 12:54:22 PM
Are you saying it didn't have enough true low end, or just that the additional strings gave it so much more up top that it didn't really sound like a bass?

It had a pretty good low end but if you want to get the most out of the guitar strings , you have to keep the treble and brightness cranked up. This is going to give you some bottom but it's going to be bright . It was a powerful,wall shaking sound of an identical guitar and bass part being played together. Absolutely great for certain pieces

.
The biggest drawback is that you really can't play most traditional type bass parts with any authority. For example, you can take a stadard three chord rock and roll piece and play some 8 string power chords that will rattle the rafters like no other single instrument I've ever heard. Open E and A chords in particular take on a pianolike sound in addittion to the guitar and bass sound it's designed to produce. It makes for an incredibly full and powerful sound. But, you're missing the walking bass line

You have a huge sound that fills the room, and for some things it works really great. But you tend to miss the dark sounding walking line on the majority of things you play. If you try to play a darker and more traditional bass line on an 8 string, it just doesn't work right for the most part. For starters, you have an identical guitar note for every bass note you play wether you want it there or not and the second thing is, it just doesn't feel like a bass and when you get one in your hands you aren't going to play it like a bass. The neck feels more like a Gibson 335 than a bass and that tends to be the way you respond to it as a player.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great and very unique instrument and I've had the pleasure to Wow some pretty good crowds , including a couple standing ovation solos that I will remember till the day I die, but it's an odd duck and it doesn't fit in most places.

Rick