Nick Lowes 8 String Bass

[Hobbayne]

I love the look of Nicks 8 string Hamer in this Dave Edmunds video (Best seen at 1.34)
We now have 5 and 6 string basses but I have rarely seen many 8 stringers these days.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT0cwGYwUzA[/media]

Edited June 2, 2015 by Hobbayne

[gelfin]

I'm currently using this Kramer 8.

[url="http://s970.photobucket.com/user/gelfin5959/media/20140910_131236_zps9986ec53.jpg.html"][/url]

Edited June 2, 2015 by gelfin

[EliasMooseblaster]

They're a bit of a rarity, certainly. I wrote a long, rambling review of my Hagstrom eight-string recently: https://thecrowfrombelow.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/gear-review-4-hagstrm-hb-8/ - first, and possibly only, eight-string I've seen in the flesh!

[tauzero]

I've got a 10-string Dean (seemed to be the obvious choice as I play 5-strings otherwise).

[Hobbayne]

Hmm! How are they strung? Is it Ee Aa Dd Gg??

[EliasMooseblaster]

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1433318929' post='2789953']
Hmm! How are they strung? Is it Ee Aa Dd Gg??
[/quote]

Typically, yes - well, actually eE aA dD gG if I were to be pedantic, as they're normally strung with the octave string towards the bass side! (I think Rickenbacker made some with the stringing reversed.) Not to say that you can't experiment with the tunings: I'm led to believe Chris Squire experimented with octaves on the E and A sets, and open fifths on the D and G.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Gotta be honest . I find them more of a novelty.
I sold the one I had , a few weeks ago.
I had tuning issues. Also I believe they're only good for single / root notes rather than busy lines.

If you pay too dollar for one , the results may be much better. They would be good in a band with 1 guitarist . Having said all that, if I had cash and saw a good quality headless one I would buy it .

[Mr Arkadin]

Do they all have shared saddles? It seems it would be a bugger to intonate, much like 12-string guitars.

[tauzero]

No, mine's a Dean Edge Hammer 10 which is at the lower end of the price scale and it's got individual saddles for every string. Having not done a lot of research on multicourse basses, I don't know which is more common, shared pairs or individual.

[Muzz]

I've had a few, and 12-strings, too. Good fun, but a luxury item, so I've always ended up moving them on. The Deans I had were great for the money. I had a Washburn B20-8 back in the day which had the most vicious neck dive of anything I've owned...

[12stringbassist]

The 8-string bass was one of two on long-term loan from Hamer.
He also used one with a clear yellow finish for a short while.
I think he still has the red one, which later had his name added to the headstock.

Edited June 3, 2015 by 12stringbassist

[toneknob]

What a fantastic song though.

Never got the hang of 8-strings. I had a Shergold double 4/8 (search around basschat enough, you'll see it a few times) and found it difficult to play. The set up was EeAaDdGg, octave strings in the lower (physically speaking) position.

[12stringbassist]

My avatar pic is the 12-string version of this bass. Edited June 3, 2015 by 12stringbassist

[HazBeen]

I have a Dean 8, love it! Cannot us it all the time, but am really glad I have it in my arsenal. Pulled the naf EQ out and replaced with passive VVT though, much better.

[EliasMooseblaster]

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1433341541' post='2790268']
What a fantastic song though.

Never got the hang of 8-strings. I had a Shergold double 4/8 (search around basschat enough, you'll see it a few times) and found it difficult to play. The set up was EeAaDdGg, octave strings in the lower (physically speaking) position.
[/quote]

I've often wondered if this arrangement makes more sense if you play fingerstyle. I think the logic behind the other setup (eE aA dD gG) was that if you played with a pick, you'd strike the octave strings first on the downstroke - so if you played with your fingers, you'd strike the bass strings first. On the other hand, it's probably easier to fret the octave strings if you can see them on top of the bass strings!

[toneknob]

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1433343660' post='2790288']
I've often wondered if this arrangement makes more sense if you play fingerstyle. I think the logic behind the other setup (eE aA dD gG) was that if you played with a pick, you'd strike the octave strings first on the downstroke - so if you played with your fingers, you'd strike the bass strings first. On the other hand, it's probably easier to fret the octave strings if you can see them on top of the bass strings!
[/quote]

That's why I had the "reverse" sense fitted, to make it easier to play fingerstyle. Worked for the plucking hand, it's hard work either way for the fretting hand!

[tauzero]

I play fingerstyle and the bB eE aA dD gG setup works OK for me. Which also means I don't have to try and swap the tuners round, which is nice...

[Donnyboy]

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1433341541' post='2790268']
What a fantastic song though.


[/quote]


I forgot about this - great song - Billy Bremner on guitar?

I'm liking the root note 8 string idea!

[Skybone]

GAS after Gelfin's Kramer!

[gelfin]

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1433939773' post='2795258']
GAS after Gelfin's Kramer!
[/quote]

It's a keeper. It took me 18 months to persaude it's last owner to sell it to me.

Medium scale makes it a bit easier to play than long scale 8's. Humbuckers with coil taps give immense tonal range.

Can be played subtle or monsterously ott.

[FlatEric]

After trying several, some long and some medium - I went for the Ibanez Studio.

A really nice bass, medium scale, active and lots of tone.

The only problem I have found, when I have been to see bands using an 8 string, is the
eq seems to be set up for a 4 and there is just not quite enough mids and top, to clearly
pick out the octave strings.
Shame

They sound great unplugged - just noodling - piano like tones.

Love the look of that Kramer!

[James Nada]

[quote name='FlatEric' timestamp='1434005122' post='2795765']

The only problem I have found, when I have been to see bands using an 8 string, is the
eq seems to be set up for a 4 and there is just not quite enough mids and top, to clearly
pick out the octave strings.
Shame
[/quote]

This is exectly the reason 12 string basses evolved in the 70s.

Any 12 string love on here?

Edited June 11, 2015 by James Nada

[Wolverinebass]

[quote name='James Nada' timestamp='1434043794' post='2796241']


This is exectly the reason 12 string basses evolved in the 70s.

Any 12 string love on here?
[/quote]

Yeah!! I love my Hamer. My 8 string Explorer is fantastic as well. I find it hilarious when people try to use the same settings with a 12 or an 8 that they'd use with a 4 and expect themselves to cut through with the octave strings. You just don't. A prime example is of course Jeremy by Pearl Jam. Sounds great in the intro, but if you picked the song up halfway through you couldn't be certain what he's playing. It could be a four as you can't hear the octave strings.

My own personal experience is that you have to use split signals. Whether that be a guitar amp with your bass rig (I could never get that to work quite the way I wanted to) or use a crossover and apply some distortion and processing to the top end only. It's what I do and if done right it is absolutely devastating. Full signal distortion doesn't work for a 12 but ironically works with my 8 reasonably better. Fuzz is a no go as it just turns the top end to mush.

The way I have mine is that the signal is clean up until about 300Hz and above that there's some rather brutal tube distortion going on as well as maybe flanging or chorus or whatever. Chorus tends to bring a certain zing back into play and if you want some chime that's how I get mine.

You can play then just as easy or complexly as a 4. I can do slap on a 12 and I'm in no way amazing at it. The nature of it does lend itself to using the instrument more as a sledgehammer rather than a fencing sword, but such is the way of things. It depends what you like.

12 strings totally rule though. Such a pity that Hamer went under. Thanks for that Fender.

[James Nada]

[quote name='Wolverinebass' timestamp='1434048339' post='2796310']

12 strings totally rule though. Such a pity that Hamer went under. Thanks for that Fender.
[/quote]

Did Fender buy (and shut down) Hamer? I didn't know that.
What are the chances of Fender doing a Precision 8 or 12 string? I'd love one.

[Wolverinebass]

[quote name='James Nada' timestamp='1434054029' post='2796366']


Did Fender buy (and shut down) Hamer? I didn't know that.
What are the chances of Fender doing a Precision 8 or 12 string? I'd love one.
[/quote]

The Kamen group which owns Fender bought Hamer and shut it down. In 2012 when I decided I wanted to get a 12, I phoned up Fender GB as they were (and still are) listed on Hamer's website as their UK arm enquiring about how to order one. Bear in mind that a new B12L cost £3K or something ludicrous at that time. I had the money and the response I got was, "they aren't sold anymore." When I asked why as they were still listed on Hamer's site, plus i had the money, the reply I got was "It's too similar to the basses we make." I don't even know if Fender have even made an 8 let alone a 12.

You can't make that up. I do believe that Hamer had become less profitable, but were still in the black. From what I understand, the rot started to really kick in when Jol Danzig left. Then when Kamen came in they looked at it and realised they could take all the craftsmen from a company that maybe had seen better days, so they shut it down. Nowadays, 12vers (decent ones) just don't exist. At least, not in my opinion.