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This came about in the Devin Townsend 8 String Guitar thread but it started to get off topic so I decided to create this thread so everyone could voice their opinion on various matters such as guitars with extra strings and the whole stigma surrounding them or discuss their preferred guitar and why.

In reality this thread might not get used at all but I thought I'd put it up anymore just in case

Anyway, discuss away

Erm...huh? Can you explain a little more why you have created this thread?

I for one like guitars with many strings. At least 4.

Ok I hope this makes a little more sense then my initial explanation which was a little poor (sorry!).

Right, well a few of us were talking in the Devin's 8 String thread and the discussion eventually led onto our opinions of 7 strings and 8 strings as opposed to standard 6 strings (and of course incoporating standard basses as well) and why people have a reluctance to use them (for example the whole nu-metal thing) so I thought rather than clog up one thread with a discussion that some people may pass over and was slightly off the topic in my opinion, I thought it would be better to have somewhere where people could discuss advantages and disadvantages of guitars or basses which have more strings than the norm and what their personal opinion is on these instruments.
I suppose I was hoping it would help anyone who would be looking into getting a guitar or bass with a few more strings by seeing the opinions of those who have handled them before and perhaps find good starting points to go from.

After reading all that my head now hurts, and it certainly has changed a lot, I think the original idea which Archetype gave me was to have a discussion about 7 strings and nu-metal but as you can see (or at least I hope you can) it has progressed from there

Sorry if this is all a tad bit confusing, head is all over the place today but if I deserve a slap (which I probably do), please administer one promptly

Personally, I love my 7 string, and I don't think I'll be going back to 6 strings unless I have to. I'm not the best person in the world at writing music, only been doing it since November last year, and only seriously for the last few months, but I've found I've had a lot more new ideas since buying my 7 string.

Unfortunately, it's just a cheap Peavey predator, as I'm saving for my wedding at the moment, but I'll be getting something a bit better once I can start saving again. Still, if a budget guitar with stock pickups sounds so good. I can only imagine what a decent guitar would sound like.

I don't understand people who are so hostile to the idea of 7 strings. I understand people who downtune, and don't really miss the upper range that much, not being that plussed by them, but some people seem to be completely hostile to the idea, and don't understand how anyone could possibly want one.

It's just a tool to make sound.

I will never use a 7 string as "mainguitar". The reason for this is that my fingers disslikes them

And I think they sound diffrent even when the lowest string is not played(allthough it might be in my head) I once had a livevideo of some band. The first time I put it on I was distracted and looked away so I just heard it. During the guitarsolo I thought it was a 7 string. When I watched the video later it was a 7 string but the solo was just played on the 5 upper strings. And I did not like that at all. For rythm its ok though.

And 8 string guitars are just insane. Noone in their right mind are using those.

The Oid wrote:Unfortunately, it's just a cheap Peavey predator, as I'm saving for my wedding at the moment, but I'll be getting something a bit better once I can start saving again. Still, if a budget guitar with stock pickups sounds so good. I can only imagine what a decent guitar would sound like.

Well sometimes you don't always have to splash out to get a good guitar, if you find something on a budget which sounds awesome then I say go for it.

Personally I like having the lower range of the extra B without having to compromise on losing some upper range. I can understand why some people prefer just downtuning though, for some the transition isn't always easy, I remember when I first played on a 7 string it was quite a strange feeling but luckily I got used to it as I'd played bass for quite a while so I was already used to larger necks.

I do agree with you though, I too do not understand why some people are hostile towards the instrument for no good reason other than a stupid music movement. Initially, the electric 7 string was built for shred so it shows how much time has changed.

I still wonder why people are that hostile sometimes....

Centurion wrote:And 8 string guitars are just insane. Noone in their right mind are using those.

Other than bands who wish to be like Meshuggah (and they are not in their right mind those crazy swedes ) I think extending that low is starting to push it, although my opinion could change upon playing one

People who want 8 string guitars have got it wrong. What they realy need is a piano..

Centurion wrote:People who want 8 string guitars have got it wrong. What they realy need is a piano..

*Imagines Meshuggah done with pianos*

Hmmmm intriguing......

I don't see think it's that insane, presumably an 8 string would have the bottom string tuned to G, which is the same pitch that Devin Townsend tunes the bottom string of his 7 string to, because of the tuning he uses.

Oh c'mon now! 8 strings aren't for peopel who are out of their minds... and Meshuggah done on piano? That would be totally awesome. Imagine an orchestra performing 'I'... via the way of Stravinsky.

For more strings, I got a 7 because of Dream Theater's A Change of Seasons. That song really did it, not to take anything away from Awake. It was just an adjustment and really its only one more string. We have 6 new strings when first starting right? After years of having 6 and 7, I use the 7 strings more now and have sold all but a few of my 6 strings.

Anyways, I think 8 strings are a great idea. There are plenty of cool options as well. For tunings...

F#BEADGBE would be the standard, you could drop E the F# and have another whole octave right there.

EGCGCGCE
EAEACEAE for open tunings

EAEADGBE for doubling up on octaves to get that wall of sound on the lower power chords.

If you go on http://www.haloguitars.com they have the best prices for 8 strings. Check it out, I'll preach this company.

*Imagines sitting in some posh theater listening to "I" being performed by an orchestra*

Ahhhhh

A Change of Seasons is what made me want to get one initially, such an awesome song, but after looking into it more I found that a lot of people used seven strings for various different reasons and at that point I thought "Hell I've gotta get me one of these!".



And 8 strings are a good idea but I think you have to use them carefully so you don't start sounding like everyone else who uses them

The tuning possibilites are tempting to say the least

I really don't know anything about guitars and music theory and tunings and octaves and all that. But I would say that adding strings extends the range, which adds possibilities which can only be good, can't it?

Biert wrote:I really don't know anything about guitars and music theory and tunings and octaves and all that. But I would say that adding strings extends the range, which adds possibilities which can only be good, can't it?

Sure, if you can handle the change in neck size... Personally I just can't play a 7-string, the neck is way too much for my hands. Feels massively clunky. Plus, I suppose you'd have to be able to avoid the temptation to just wail on the lowest string all the time, and get used to basing your playing on other strings, etc.

I'm going to go with Biert; the more strings, the more you can do with your guitar. The whole reason I changed to open tunings is that I was bored with the standard EADGBE tuning. There's only so much you can do with that tuning. Adding a B and even an F# gives the opportunity for bigger sounding chords and larger scales. Also, guitarplaying is for about 50% about sound, and low strings give you a really bombastic huge sound (if the right strings gauges are used ofcourse), and this is all a question of taste if you like it or not.
The main problem for me always has been that you're in the way of the bassplayer's frequency when using low tuned guitars. Arranging music for bass becomes one helluva job. If you're not using 5-string (or rather 6 string) basses, you're fucked.

On the other hand, 7 and 8-string guitars are mostly used in metal these days. I know a few jazz guitarists who play jazz on a 7-string guitar in dropped A, but that's about it.
The whole nu-metal discussion is bullcrap, you like the music or you don't like the music, but there have been some great riffs written on 7-strings in the nu-metal scene from '96 to 2000.