Best bass for an 8 string conversion

[fezzza]

Afternoon Chaps

I'm after a 8 string bass a lá John Paul Jones/Dug Pinnick but I'm feeling rather lukewarm about a lot of the budget models on the market and since a Hamer is a little out of my price range I really want to try my hand at a conversion, question is, what to use, I need something with a rather wide fretboard and would find tuning pegs on both sides of the headstock useful! Want to pay somewhere in the region of 500 for said bass, what does everyone suggest?

[Happy Jack]

I'm very happy with this:

http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/library/Basses%20CURRENT/Dean%20Edge%208-string%202006%20CURRENT

Prices vary, but most dealers will haggle.

A lot.

[Beer of the Bass]

I did this with a cheap Precision copy, plugging the holes in the headstock and re-drilling for an odd 5+3 layout with guitar tuners for the octave strings. It worked OK for about three years, then the neck succumbed to the extra tension and went banana shaped. But in terms of nut width and headstock room a P-bass could work. If you started with a better bass than I did, and veneered the front and back of the headstock to hide the plugs you could probably come up with something quite good.

Edited March 25, 2016 by Beer of the Bass

[James Nada]

I've spent time thinking about this myself and I've come to the conclusion that the best thing to do is buy one of these Warmoth 8 String necks, which have a standard Fender pocket fit, and fit it a Fender/Squier body of your own choice.

http://www.warmoth.com/Bass/Neck/8String.aspx

Should come in around your budget too.

[NancyJohnson]

A long time ago I read a thread about a guy who converted an OLP Stingray 5 to a 12-string; it looked pretty good, so would work for an eight string. The main work was plugging the machine head holes/redrilling and cutting a new nut. The bridge was a stock Schaller thing.

*Edit. Search Adam Fogo 12 string bass on Google. You'll find the details easily.

Edit#2:


He also did something very clever with the pickups. He offset the bridge pickup so that the poles were over fundamental strings. The neck pickup poles are over the octaves. It should, in theory, phatten up the octaves a bit and make them less ringy.

Edited March 25, 2016 by NancyJohnson

[Dood]

Just reviewed Spector's Legend Classic 8 - that's a nice bass that should be on your shopping list!

[Rich]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1458916773' post='3012107']
A long time ago I read a thread about a guy who converted an OLP Stingray 5 to a 12-string; it looked pretty good, so would work for an eight string. The main work was plugging the machine head holes/redrilling and cutting a new nut. The bridge was a stock Schaller thing.
[/quote]
Ooh yes, I can see that working well. Wider than a 4 string neck but not as wide as a normal 5.
Bloody hell. Just when I didn't want another project...

[Bassassin]

My first though was that I'd base it on a 5er - wide neck & designed to take extra string tension.

Maybe I should try this on my Peavey Zephyr...

Jon.

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1458911146' post='3012057']
I'm very happy with this:

[url="http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/library/Basses%20CURRENT/Dean%20Edge%208-string%202006%20CURRENT"]http://s1128.photobu...02006%20CURRENT[/url]

Prices vary, but most dealers will haggle.

A lot.
[/quote]

I had a go on a Dean 12 string and was impressed with how well it played. Very well built basses.

[alyctes]

Start with an Ibanez 6-string? Something like an SR506.

[HazBeen]

Buy a Dean Edge 8 or Rhapsody 8..... The BC member that bought mine was really happy.

[Wolverinebass]

I'd get a Dean Edge. At the budget end, it's the best one.

If Dood is talking about the Spector 8 string that they had at the recent bass show, I'd avoid. The neck profile is wrong as its just a thin C neck with 8 strings. At 1.65 inch at the nut your hand will bunch up. Lastly, the active eq I found to be lacking. Okay, it was only £400 or so, but it was still just a 4 string neck with 8 strings and more than a tad pants. I say that and I like Spectors.

If you were really wanting a conversion, get the neck from warmoth and Schaller 471 bridge. Job done.

[NancyJohnson]

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1458920811' post='3012149']
Just reviewed Spector's Legend Classic 8 - that's a nice bass that should be on your shopping list!
[/quote]

I didn't know Spector did an eight string. Looks pretty. Where's the review? Any idea of UK price/availability?

[pete.young]

There was a conversion by I think John Shuker for sale a couple of years ago here which used banjo tuners for the octave strings. That's quite a neat idea and would work well with most 2x2 headstocks.

[Dood]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1458986158' post='3012568']
I didn't know Spector did an eight string. Looks pretty. Where's the review? Any idea of UK price/availability?
[/quote]

I've just completed the review video so it will be in a future issue of the magazine and a link will appear in my thread in my signature too. I'm not sure of the pricing off hand! I thought I had written it down. As for availability, the Spector Uk distributor is brilliant so I would expect the model to be available at the usual outlets.

[Dood]

[quote name='Wolverinebass' timestamp='1458982546' post='3012531']
I'd get a Dean Edge. At the budget end, it's the best one.

If Dood is talking about the Spector 8 string that they had at the recent bass show, I'd avoid. The neck profile is wrong as its just a thin C neck with 8 strings. At 1.65 inch at the nut your hand will bunch up. Lastly, the active eq I found to be lacking. Okay, it was only £400 or so, but it was still just a 4 string neck with 8 strings and more than a tad pants. I say that and I like Spectors.

If you were really wanting a conversion, get the neck from warmoth and Schaller 471 bridge. Job done.
[/quote]

I'd disagree - I have massive hands and found that playability wasn't a problem, even though I have never played an 8 string in anger. I had more problems with my picking hand, none with my left. But hey, everyone is different and that's fine with me.

[Wolverinebass]

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1459009154' post='3012829']


I'd disagree - I have massive hands and found that playability wasn't a problem, even though I have never played an 8 string in anger. I had more problems with my picking hand, none with my left. But hey, everyone is different and that's fine with me.
[/quote]

Very true mate. I suppose I'm used to wider necks per se and although a 1.65 inch is fine for a 4, it was just feeling to cluttered for me at the nut end. Looking at the specs for the Spector now I see it's 1.57 at the nut. Since I dislike Jazzes for that I guess I can see why I didn't like it on a simple playability level. Ironically, I don't have massive hands, but I just can't get on with necks that are thin at the nut and taper widely to the heel.

It's not like it wasn't well put together or anything, but the neck profile sadly put me off. I didn't like the preamp that much either, but that's not something that would be a big deal to change.

I would still say the Dean Edge is a better 8 string for the money, but that's only my view.

[tauzero]

Schecter also make (or made) an 8-string which I thought was a good player when I had a go on one.

[BigRedX]

Out of all the modern budget 8-tring basses IMO the Schecter one is the best. Apart from the body shapes they are all pretty much the same bass in terms of hardware etc.

[MindGoneBlank]

[quote name='Wolverinebass' timestamp='1458982546' post='3012531']
If Dood is talking about the Spector 8 string that they had at the recent bass show, I'd avoid. The neck profile is wrong as its just a thin C neck with 8 strings. At 1.65 inch at the nut your hand will bunch up. Lastly, the active eq I found to be lacking. Okay, it was only £400 or so, but it was still just a 4 string neck with 8 strings and more than a tad pants. I say that and I like Spectors.
[/quote]

I would respectfully disagree too. I'd go with the Spector for the very reason that it has a 4-string neck. The Dean and ESP use 5-string necks so your whole left hand technique has to change. I've tried the Dean and couldn't get on with it. Everything was in the wrong place. The stretches were too far. And I'd need to watch my fretting hand. Particularly if you're playing other basses (highly likely) it's just not something I could get used to. I even tried a Dean 12 string and that used a 6-string sized neck. It was ridiculous. I've not played the Spector but do want to. I've played the Hagstrom which was nice (4-string sized neck) but was short scale which I don't want. But, having a normal sized (width) neck meant it was easy to play, unlike the Dean.

With regards to the electronics in the Spector, the Tonepump is a love it or hate it circuit. It doesn't work like most preamps but, once you're used to it, you can get decent sounds out of it. Otherwise it's easily replaceable!