Beginner Tips for the 8-String Guitar (What You NEED to Know)
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- Опубліковано 13 тра 2024
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With more and more people getting 8-Strings, I wanted to make a video going over some essential tips to get you started. These are some of the things I wish I knew when I first got my guitar so I hope they are useful to you!
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00:00 - Overview
00:35 - Tip #1 (Rule of Fun)
01:33 - Tip #2 (Tuning)
03:08 - Tip #3 (Strings)
06:08 - Tip #4 (Amplifiers)
08:00 - Tip #5 (Tone)
11:01 - Final Thoughts
I just noticed something about 8 string guitars last night.
I've been playing 8 strings for around 10 years and it has always felt like a totally different instrument for me. I got my first 7 string a couple of weeks ago and after playing it for a few days I noticed that the 7 felt a lot more like a 6 string guitar to me.
Last night I was thinking about it and I think for me 8 string guitar feels a lot more like a bass with added guitar strings and the 7 feels a lot more like a guitar with an added low string, if that even makes sense haha.
Really cool video!
7 feels the union of a baritone and a standard tuning 6, because tuning wise, it's just both added together. An 8 string is more like a 6 string combined with a bass VI, so that's why it feels more like a bass i think.
10 years! Damn, you were cool before everyone else, haha
I haven't had a chance to play a 7 string but I can definitely see how it would feel like 6(+1). And the way people tend to play 8-string (at least popularly in Metal) is more like a bass, so that makes sense as well. Good insight!
@@eightmetalstrings The Meshuggah addiction goes waaaay back for me haha.
I don't even play guitar but I watched this entire video because of the sheer amount of quality that your content has. You are very well spoken and seem like a great teacher!
Wow, what kind words! That comment just made my evening. Thank you so much!
Yes please. Help with tone 🙏🏼
Sweet! Will make a it a priority video
Thank you for these videos you are really helping me in my new journey with the 8 string. I also think that a tone video would be AWESOME.
Lower the bass and boost the treble and mids
I have two 8 strings. One is in EBEADGBE since Animals as Leaders and Polyphia use it. The other I have in DADGCFAD
Excellent video, thanks for putting it up. I think i have just learned everything I need to get started on an 8 string.
That's a great video and your Larada is an absolute beauty
Super pertinent information, as usual
Always love when you drop a video
A few people on the extended range Reddit were looking for a ressource to learn to adjust to an 8 string guitar
Sent them here immediately
No one does what you do
Keep it up, brother
Aw, thanks for sending people my way Dom! I have been thinking about posting there sometime, so if you think it's worth it, maybe I should!
Thanks for the love!
I appreciate all that you do, you help make an overwhelming switch much more manageable.
Thanks Rob! I appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment. My goal is definitely to bring down barriers to this awesome instrument!
Love your content and I am streadily working through your lesson videos. Keep it up!
Amazing! Thank you so much.
I more detailed video on tones please 😄
I wish this video would have been there 5 years ago :D Thank you for making it!
Ha, yes! I don't know why this stuff hasn't been covered already by a thousand people :P
Great vid and I could use help with my tone. I've been boosting the bass on my 8 string (face palm)
Noted :) Thanks for the comment. I'll aim to do that video next week now.
Hey!
For suuuure would love to see more videos about tone. I'm guessing a lot of us are using plugins so would be cool to see you dial sounds on Neurals plugins.
Perfect! Thanks for the feedback. I'll make it a priority video. Hopefully next week or the following.
Would love for you to a video about other styles of music specifically jazz and folk music on the 8 string. For example walking bass on a 8 string, maybe an intro into playing bass and melody at same time. Also maybe a look into cello repertoire on the 8 and if you really just want to do my experimentation for me looking into figured bass and the basso Contino or just how to be both bass and chords of a rhythm section. Thank you and best wishes
I am not currently an 8 string guitarist but I do have a music degree and consider myself a music educator so if you wanted any kind of collab discussing eight string for "traditional" styles of music I think that could be a lot of fun.
Those things would be awesome and I would love to eventually do videos about them! My training is also in Jazz and classical so I already have understanding of the concepts. Playing them or improvising in them is a whole other beast though. Once I finish running through the more popular techniques, I will definitely be working on these. Thanks for the comment!
I agree with you about string gauge for that 8th. For F# I use 68 on 27" and for E 74 on 27" and 28". For me 80 is too boomy and also the gap in size with the 7th is too big. Same deal with the 7th, 58 to 60, for B and A, no matter the scale length.
That string muter is wild
I've got an Orange Super Crush 100, and I know it's still fairly expensive for many, my 8-string sounds incredible through it. I played through a Tiny Terror too, and it sounded great there too.
Oh sick, I bet it sounds awesome through the super crush.
I own a fender tone master, it currently has high gain amps like the dual rec, Uberschall, 5150, Friedman BE100, JCM800, and of course stuff like Plexi, Fender Amps, Mark V etc..
I want to create a tight drop E tone and a kinda glassy Polyphia tone, which amps would you recommend? 😊
I always say that you can make whatever you've got work with some fiddling and maybe a pedal or two but if you're really looking for something new, Neural DSP has a Tim Henson archetype plug-in. I imagine that's the closest you'll get without spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars and falling down a tone rabbit hole.
Always remember that most of a guitarist's tone comes from their fingers and the years of practice to develop their voice.
Dean saying "fuck you all" with His squier strat LOL
About a year or so after starting to play 8 strings I've started to experience thumb pain, something I thought I'd get used to but is happening which is making me lose enjoyment in playing anymore.
Oh brutal. I'm sorry to hear that. Sounds like a technique or positioning issue in my experience. If you want me to take a quick look to see if I can help, you can sign up for a free 20 minute consult lesson (link in the description) and I can take a look and see if I have any insights for you.
Idk, I use 9-80 rn, in my country is so hard to find anything else sadly, but I really have feeling that 9-42 + 58 + 74 would be way better than 74 as 7 and 80 as 8. Just its ll be more readable and more like guitar sound than bass.
It can be super difficult to find string gauges if you're not in a place that has them easily available. And shipping fees/restrictions can really suck, so I feel you!
Tone tone tone! lol
What guitar is that? An abasi signature or something?
Yup! Signature Master Larada
Disagree on the string gauges: for F# standard, a 74 is fine, but once you go to drop E, even on a 28in scale, the tension drops significantly (from 18lbs to around 14lbs) which feels terrible imo. When you do drop E on the abasi's 27.5in low string, it must be floppy as all hell dude, no wonder it sounds bright. I subscribe to the idea of progressive or balanced tension being best: you want your high strings to feel slinky and easy to bend and your low strings to feel tough and chuggable, not the other way around. If the tone isn't crisp enough then EQ is your friend.
9-80 sets work great on guitars with 26.5-28in multiscale which strandberg for example uses. I would love if companies like Elixir made 9-74 and 9-80 sets as well as their 10-74.
Also, you can just widen the holes in the tuner with a drill if the strings you like to use are too big. No need to unwind the ends each time.
Hey, thanks for the comment. I definitely didn't include scale length into the discussion of this and it is an important point, so thanks for pointing that out.
Drop E with a .74 actually feels fine to me on the Abasi but I don't pick super hard. So I can see how if you chug hard AND have a longer scale length, you definitely need heavier strings.
Also, it all depends on the style of music. In my own free time, I practice fusion/jazz style stuff, so I don't want big bassy strings and prefer more homogeneity between strings for more fluid playing and consistent tones for chords.
Good point about drilling the tuning peg holes too. Definitely an option and people can get it done by a guitar tech if they aren't comfortable/have the tools. Just make sure you don't have locking tuning pegs first (like I do). Could very easily eff those up, haha.
Thanks for your comments. Important points!
Yeah for sure!! I pick quite hard because although I love learning AAL, my background is with more traditional metal. You can drill out locking tuners by the way, as I did on mine. You just have to unscrew the locking nub all the way first so you don't damage it.
Unless you're sponsored by Neural DSP, it makes zero sense to recommend their overpriced plugins over free ones, like by VTar, Nalex, Neural Amp Modeler, Tonocracy or dozens more.
Also, $200 audio interfaces are overkill for beginners. A newer $50 model, like Thomann's Swissonic Audio 1, or a $100 unit, like Arturia's Minifuse 1, is more than enough.
Hey Erebos! Welcome to the channel. Thanks for your recommendations. Hopefully people who see this comment will find the ones you say useful. I'll definitely check them out too.
I'm relatively new to the metal/amp modeling/8-string world myself so can only talk about what I have experience with. So your additions are appreciated!
Also, just to clarify, the prices I'm listing are in Canadian dollars, so they aren't going to be as expensive in other countries. I realized this is maybe an issue when looking up the interfaces you mentioned and seeing they are more expensive than you say. Whee currency exchange.