I think I need an 8 string

mc2NY · March 12, 2016, 05:58:18 AM

Yeah, I have a Dean 10-string that I had to shim the neck on.

I prefer 8's over 12vers....much easier to amp and control the sonic space they take up.
If I need a 12ver sound, I just throw a chorus pedal on the highs...I split the signal with
a crossover pedal to keep the low end solid. Can also get away with just one amp if you have to.
And cheaper/easier to string.

But I do have some 12vers.

Despite being the best know 12ver player and seen playing one for most live work, Tom Petersson almost never used one to record with.

Granny Gremlin · March 13, 2016, 09:07:46 AM

Quote from: the mojo hobo on February 29, 2016, 05:58:12 PM
Brand new ESP for 451.46 and if you act today you can get 15% off for their leap day sale, and if you don't like it you can send it back!

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/esp-b-208fm-8-string-bass-with-flamed-maple-top

Missed the boat; out of stock. .... why the hell to most 8 strings have to be so hair metally?

Pekka · March 13, 2016, 12:32:02 PM

Quote from: mc2NY on March 12, 2016, 05:58:18 AM

Despite being the best know 12ver player and seen playing one for most live work, Tom Petersson almost never used one to record with.

1997 released "Cheap Trick" album has probably the highest percent of studio 12-string work per album. Excellent album BTW, almost as good as it's namesake from 20 years earlier.

mc2NY · March 13, 2016, 03:47:33 PM

Yeah, that is a good album.

Looking forward to see what the new one coming out will be like, after they get inducted into the RnR Hall of Fame. I'm tempted to go, since they are supposed to play live with Bun E. and it's a half hour from me.

mc2NY · April 25, 2016, 03:42:29 AM

Quote from: mc2NY on March 13, 2016, 03:47:33 PM
Yeah, that is a good album.

Looking forward to see what the new one coming out will be like, after they get inducted into the RnR Hall of Fame. I'm tempted to go, since they are supposed to play live with Bun E. and it's a half hour from me.

Hey Granny......I just realized that I have a spare 8-string that might work for you sitting here. Mint and cheap. Drop me an email.

Granny Gremlin · April 25, 2016, 06:26:45 AM

PMed.

In related news I spent some time with one of these crazy beauties in a local shop the other week:

Nevermind the crazy body; at CA$1600 I don't even get a chance to reject her. MAybe it was the setup or the ancient and super-large guage/stiff strings, but she was really hard to play (even for an 8 string). Long scale definitely was not a help.

gearHed289 · April 25, 2016, 09:14:22 AM

Quote from: Granny Gremlin on April 25, 2016, 06:26:45 AMNevermind the crazy body; at CA$1600 I don't even get a chance to reject her. MAybe it was the setup or the ancient and super-large guage/stiff strings, but she was really hard to play (even for an 8 string). Long scale definitely was not a help.

Those 24 fret Kramers are short scale FYI. I had a super rare, possibly one of a kind Kramer 8 with the XL-9 body style. I liked it a lot and only sold it after I got my Ric 4003S/8.

Granny Gremlin · April 25, 2016, 09:29:40 AM

The one I played did not feel like a shortie. I didn't measure so I could be wrong, but I tend to be able to tell when I start chording. Also heavy as hell, but that don't bother me.

uwe · April 25, 2016, 04:05:52 PM

Aren't all alu neck Kramers medium scale?

66Atlas · April 25, 2016, 06:46:20 PM

The 24 fret necks are shorties. The 20 fret ones were something just under 34" IIRC the Flying Vs, Wedges, Dukes, production Axes and 8 strings all were short. The 8 stringers came in two body styles, I think both of which had long scale 4 string counterparts.

gearHed289 · April 26, 2016, 08:58:55 AM

Quote from: 66Atlas on April 25, 2016, 06:46:20 PM
The 24 fret necks are shorties. The 20 fret ones were something just under 34" IIRC the Flying Vs, Wedges, Dukes, production Axes and 8 strings all were short. The 8 stringers came in two body styles, I think both of which had long scale 4 string counterparts.

This ^^^

Uwe, I've been meaning to ask if you could measure the scale length of your wedge bass. I'll measure my 20 fretter. I believe it's like 33-5/8''.

66Atlas · April 26, 2016, 06:58:14 PM

Since the topic came up I started wondering so checked mine. I got the same, 33 5/8 on the long scales and 30.5 on the shortie V.

Did they offer a medium scale too at any point? I've heard them referred to before but always assumed people were talking about the long scales being slightly under 34.

Granny Gremlin · April 27, 2016, 06:09:31 AM

Huh, really didn't feel like a shortie. ... though I suppose since that's not a pic of the actual bass I played but rather just one I google imaged later, I wonder - was there a 20 fret version of the same body style and I just google-goofed?

uwe · April 27, 2016, 08:49:35 AM

Quote from: gearHed289 on April 26, 2016, 08:58:55 AM
This ^^^

Uwe, I've been meaning to ask if you could measure the scale length of your wedge bass. I'll measure my 20 fretter. I believe it's like 33-5/8''.

Hmmh, are we all having misconceptions? My "Flying Broom" XKB-10 is 24-fret (one of the reasons I bought it back then in Deeeetroit), in fact I've never played an alu-neck Kramer that wasn't 24-fret and medium scale (I've played an 8-string alu Kramer once, that felt exactly like my XKB-10). And when I mean medium scale, I mean medium-medium scale, not sissy-long scale like a Ric or short scale.

My Kramer XKB-10 is a classic medium scale: The E-string already suffers while D and G do not yet have short string agility. Worst of both worlds so to say.

That's coming from me as someone who thinks medium scale pretty much redundant. But I played the Kramer for years as my main bass in the early 80ies without realizing that it was not long scale until someone told me. Then I realized: Oh, that is why the E string sounds a little duff ...

gearHed289 · April 27, 2016, 09:44:12 AM

I think you need to break out the tape measure.