8 & 9 String guitars....

[Djentkitty]

I don't understand the total hate for 8 and extended range guitars. I mean it's fun as hell to play!!! Isn't it all about having fun?!

Yea! I found more fun in playing the 7 string as to the 6 string, but they both kickass like I said. I was looking at this the other day and it looks really exciting! Also some very nice stats IMO except maybe could have better pickups(like stated in the OP, a comparison would be nice for 8 string guitar pickups or some experiences with them). I don't shit about 8 string guitar pickups . I was thinking maybe Blackouts since they have so many good reviews for the 8 string(heard the EMG 808 on the bridge didn't cut it enough).

What do you guys recommend for pickups on the 8-string?

 

[Nimvi]

Guitars are very much like razorblades. Add 1 blade every year and act like it's an amazing discovery

Seriously though, I get why people like this stuff and I can imagine it's fun to play, but to me, the magic will always be in the good ol' sixstring. I don't ever tune below D standard either. I guess I like simplicity.

 

[cyril_v]

The point on using 8 strings is that your "psicologically" forced to use only the low strings...not all the guys but a good 95%. And another problem is that playing an 8 string the results is always a Meshuggah ripoff

meh, I guess if you're only looking for djent bands that use 8 strings, then thats all you'll see.

check out:
Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Pig Destroyer, Ihsahn, Tony MacAlpine, Scale the Summit, Scar Symmetry, Beyond Creation, Fear Factory, Divine Heresy, Deftones, Molotov Solution... etc etc

I wouldn't say any of those bands sound anything like meshuggah and thats just a short list of bands I have on my media player. I mean, we aren't going to say every person that picks up a 6-string is going to sound like Tony Iommi, so I don't see how this logic would apply to 8 strings.

/2 cents

 

[Terminus]

I would rather have a 6 string baritone guitar than one with extra strings.

/\

Had a 7 string before, always ended up playing chug riffs for some reason.

 

[Adari]

I'm just going to leave this here:

 

[Arsenu,]

why buy a guitar with 3 extra strings?

6 string here, E standard or drop D, don't need any other tuning.
7 string is nice as well, but never lower than that

 

[Vendo]

You know..

that would possibly explain why tosin "needs" 8 strings... he secretly wants to play bass ....

 

[Benalthel]

I'm using a 6-string 27" baritone, tuned to C standard. I've played 7 string before but I just feel it's annoying with the extra string there. Wouldn't want to use an 8 or 9 string ever.

 

[Josh Burgess]

Some of you guys sound like some incredibly narrow minded fuckheads...

Here are the reasons I like my 8 string:

1. 27" baritone scale. I know you can get 6 string baritones, but many 8 strings come at 27"... I find it really comfortable, I enjoy the slightly sharper/brighter tone, and intonation is much better across all strings. If I ever got another 6 or 7 string I'd probably want the scale to be at least 26.5"...

2. The clean tones are beautiful. Some of the EMG equipped 6 and 7 strings I've had in the past sounded great for distorted riffing but terrible clean... The 27" scale + the pretty warm sounding/kinda low output (compared to other emgs) 808s give a nice balance of clarity and warmth for clean tones...

3. Resonance. The larger body, larger bridge, and wider neck seem to add sustain and resonance.

4. Tuning stability. I do like using floating tremolos, and used them on 6 and 7 strings, but dealing with setting them up is definitely annoying. My RG2228 has probably the most stable tuning of any guitar I've owned. Double locking fixed bridge with fine tuners = awesomely stable for recording.

5. And last but not least,the 8 string includes a 6 string AND a 7 string right there on the same guitar! You don't always have to play the 8th string, but I think having it available is cool. I can play Meshuggah-like rhythms on the low strings, Loomis/Becker/Malmsteen style shred on the high strings, and nice sounding crystal clean jazz chords in the same song using the same guitar.

I admit it's a challenge getting anything below F# or F to sound clear while keeping it playable, but I like challenges.

 

[Djentkitty]

Some of you guys sound like some incredibly narrow minded fuckheads...

Here are the reasons I like my 8 string:

1. 27" baritone scale. I know you can get 6 string baritones, but many 8 strings come at 27"... I find it really comfortable, I enjoy the slightly sharper/brighter tone, and intonation is much better across all strings. If I ever got another 6 or 7 string I'd probably want the scale to be at least 26.5"...

2. The clean tones are beautiful. Some of the EMG equipped 6 and 7 strings I've had in the past sounded great for distorted riffing but terrible clean... The 27" scale + the pretty warm sounding/kinda low output (compared to other emgs) 808s give a nice balance of clarity and warmth for clean tones...

3. Resonance. The larger body, larger bridge, and wider neck seem to add sustain and resonance.

4. Tuning stability. I do like using floating tremolos, and used them on 6 and 7 strings, but dealing with setting them up is definitely annoying. My RG2228 has probably the most stable tuning of any guitar I've owned. Double locking fixed bridge with fine tuners = awesomely stable for recording.

5. And last but not least,the 8 string includes a 6 string AND a 7 string right there on the same guitar! You don't always have to play the 8th string, but I think having it available is cool. I can play Meshuggah-like rhythms on the low strings, Loomis/Becker/Malmsteen style shred on the high strings, and nice sounding crystal clean jazz chords in the same song using the same guitar.

I admit it's a challenge getting anything below F# or F to sound clear while keeping it playable, but I like challenges.

Thank you sir, this post was pretty much what I was looking for. I'm really keen on getting this one because all the specs seem just what I want; the 28.625 scale, that tremolo, extra jumbo frets, ebony fretboard, neckthru, and looks fucking badass. My only concern was the EMG 808's. Not really sure which pickups to get for an 8 string. I'm basically gonna be playing Messhugah + cleans + djent + Animals As Leaders + a bit of jazz/classical stuff etc..

Have you tried any other pickups for the 8 string?

 

[Uros]

I am not against 8 or 9 string guitars per se, but I am when it comes to distorted tones. It simply CAN'T sound clear enough (and this is coming from a guy who is not so fond of modern tiiight tones, which are loved by many on this board). Guitar is a mid freq-focused instrument, it's as simple as that.
Also, 8 or 9 string guitars have bigger and fatter necks, which influences speed&mobility in a bad way.

On the other hand, I can see how it could be beneficial for jazz/fusion, all those counterpoint and bass&guitar-all-in-one lines, which are mostly clean.

But for metal - no. (I have a 7 stringer, and have tuned to A, but anything lower than that is too much IMO). Maybe if you tune the 8/9th string in B/A, and tune the 1st string in F or something, but tuning the lowest string any lower than A - no point, it's where the bass guitar is best at.

 

[Djentkitty]

But for metal - no. (I have a 7 stringer, and have tuned to A, but anything lower than that is too much IMO). Maybe if you tune the 8/9th string in B/A, and tune the 1st string in F or something, but tuning the lowest string any lower than A - no point, it's where the bass guitar is best at.

I know, I have a 7-stringer too, anything lower than A kind of almost sounds the same. Like, I have mine tuned to drop G right now, and have been to Drop E etc.. there is alot of mud down there, which is what I meant by, 'sounding the same kind of'. Because it's harder to hear the actual note inside all that mud.

But still, it's possible to get a nice sound out of a Low F# on an 8-string. Both clean and distorted. I've seen it.

As for 9 strings though, I did a-bit of research and found that they are tuned really wired. The two lowest strings are the two lowest strings on a standard 4-string bass(so E, A) then + 7 string standard tune
So that's: E A B E A D G B E
I really don't like that. I would rather tune it like a regular standard/dropped interval
Like so: C# F# B E A D G B E
Or: B F# B E A D G B E
Another way to tune the 9 string is to have a high A instead of a low C#/B. The idea of this looks cool but it's not possible on a 30" scale neck. Correct me if I'm wrong but a .07 or .08 gauge will break at around G, G# at that scale. Hence why we have those multi-scale guitars, but I really don't need a high A honestly. So that's my reason why I'd get a 8 stringer instead of a 9.

Also, one more thing that makes me want to go for the 8 stringer instead of the 9, is because I can't even find any songs that played on a 9 stringer with the low C#....let alone drop the tuning with a 'low B'

 

[Robert W]

Had an Agile 8 for a while. Think they are outstanding values for the money. If you're in the US and aren't looking to spend more that $750-ish, I don't think you'll find a better 8 string for the price.

 

[TomMartin]

Extended scale guitar are ghey.

Here is a mathematical equation: the pitch you tune to is inversely proportional to the size of your penis.

Struggling with this one, can't figure out what 1/B is. Seems really important too.


It's all well and good tuning down to F#, but for fucks sake, playing a bass guitar an octave lower is NOT fun at all. Even B is getting kinda shitty... the E string on my 5 string bass sounds really nice.... I wish that was as low as it had to go...

 

[if6was9]

The other guitarist in my band uses an 8 string and I love it. I play 7's but he adds in the extra low notes for certain sections that gives it a different sound and is just another tool we can use to mix things up a bit. It's not in every riff, but in the few that it does get used it certainly makes a difference for the better. We're not Djenty or Meshuggah rip off's either.
The way we intergrated it into the band was to write on 7's and then add in the use of the low F# afterwards when we've got the songs written already so it's not something we jump to when writing when we don't have an idea for a section.

 

[AD Chaos]

As for 9 strings though, I did a-bit of research and found that they are tuned really wired. The two lowest strings are the two lowest strings on a standard 4-string bass(so E, A) then + 7 string standard tune
So that's: E A B E A D G B E
I really don't like that. I would rather tune it like a regular standard/dropped interval
Like so: C# F# B E A D G B E
Or: B F# B E A D G B E
Another way to tune the 9 string is to have a high A instead of a low C#/B. The idea of this looks cool but it's not possible on a 30" scale neck. Correct me if I'm wrong but a .07 or .08 gauge will break at around G, G# at that scale. Hence why we have those multi-scale guitars

How about tuning an 8 string -like the one you posted- with an A string on top (and B on the bottom)?
I wonder if one can get away with it on the 28.625" scale, or if a multi-scale would do better for that purpose..
Because to me that would be the only reason for getting 2 more strings...



..Aside from showing off and having people believe I actually need them, of course

 

[Ola Englund]

Fuck this shit I'm getting a 9-string just to piss people off!

 

[if6was9]

You'd have to get a very light guage string for a high A on a long scale guitar. Like .6 light! A Banjo string might do the trick. Pretty sure Rusty Cooley has done this tuning with either an 8 or a 7 string

 

[Djentkitty]

How about tuning an 8 string -like the one you posted- with an A string on top (and B on the bottom)?
I wonder if one can get away with it on the 28.625" scale, or if a multi-scale would do better for that purpose..
Because to me that would be the only reason for getting 2 more strings...



..Aside from showing off and having people believe I actually need them, of course

A 28.625 for high A is really pushing it I think. For high A, I think a 24" scale or something would definitely work, but to do this, Multi-scale guitar. Otherwise a 24" scale for anything lower than a low A wouldn't cut I THINK. Correct me if I'm wrong here, I just learned that from research.

Fuck this shit I'm getting a 9-string just to piss people off!

Basically the biggest reason why I wanted a 9-string....And to have fun, ofcourse . But they really do look like fun just by looking at the pics

You'd have to get a very light guage string for a high A on a long scale guitar. Like .6 light! A Banjo string might do the trick. Pretty sure Rusty Cooley has done this tuning with either an 8 or a 7 string

The longer the scale = easier to snap?
The thinner the string = easier to snap.
Put the two together, and it's really pushing it.

However, I heard there are some special brand of strings that are 'built' for tuning up to high A. Forgot the name, I think it was Octane4 or something.

 

[Temps]

I picked up an 8 string off a friend awhile back in a trade and the thing just sits there gathering dust.. I like the sound of B and C. A isn't bad although most songs I write in drop A on my 7 string end up in drop B on one of my 6s instead. Playability has never been an issue for me with extended scales or extra wide necks.. but I dunno.

really, when you look at it from a practical standpoint, there is literally no point for most bands to play 7s or 8s. The other guitarist in Meshuggah says in as many words on the live DVD "really we should play like, four string guitars." most bands that play extended range guitars could just as easily baritone 6s in the right tuning, and they would sound better if they did. a 7 string has the same range as a 27 fret guitar tuned to drop B. you only actually need the 7th or 8th string if you are riding the open B or F# or E while still playing solos that regularly take you all the way up to the top end of the high E.

so Tosin is fine playing 8s. Him and his rhythm guitarist both use the instrument to its fullest, in different ways.. Tosin with his soloing, and his rhythm player uses it to do big chord voicings that would otherwise be too much of a shift. plus, he can play some really nice fingerpicking stuff on it using the 7th and 8th strings to do his bass line. Unearth and After the Burial need their 7s and 8s... Periphery doesn't.