Abasi Concepts/Larada Megathread

[frank falbo]

Basically when you’re pushing toward the bridge you’re stretching the string area toward the nut, pushing “extra” string slack toward the bridge, making the note flat. Then when you pull toward the nut, you make the note sharp. It’s because of the drag between your skin and the string.

Nylon strings are thicker and have a lot of drag, and if you try to vibrato vertically on a nylon the string tends to “roll” and it’s not ideal. But you can do it on steel strings just the same.

Incidentally I talk about this string drag when adjusting intonation all the time, and what “perfect” intonation is. It’s dependent on the player. I can show someone how if you slide up to a note, it will be flat, if you slide down to that same note it will be sharp.

 

[Señor Voorhees]

I've experienced this rolling of the nylon strings. Nylon strings also make a little more sense as they're softer than steel strings, so it would stand to reason that it'd stretch/compress easier when you pull on it.

Going a little off topic, but I really do want a nylon string guitar, and I want to practice the horizontal vibrato. I tried learning violin years ago, and every time I tried giving vibrato, it just looked like I was giving an awkward never-done-this-before handy with no change in pitch.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Hmm Abasi Concepts seems cursed, and they’re trying to release a Floyd 8 guitar. The BC Rich reboot seems cursed, and they’re also trying to release a Floyd 8 guitar. Coincidence? I think not. Trying to make a 8 string guitar with a Floyd is the luthierie equivalent of looking in the mirror and saying Candyman.




* Editor’s note: Hollowway is aware that, in the actual movie, a character must say “Candyman” five times, in succession, for Candyman to appear. Hollowway is also very well aware that Schecter and Agile have, in the past, released an 8 string Floyd. He doesn’t care. He wants another one.)

On a mildly related note, Tony Todd is going to be reprising his role as Candyman in the reboot.

 

[AJS]

"Trying to make a 8 string guitar with a Floyd is the luthierie equivalent of looking in the mirror and saying Candyman."

Didn't Schecter pull this off with a Hellraiser 8 a few years ago, where it had a Floyd? I don't remember there being any issues when I tried one. Curious about that one.

 

[Vyn]

Didn't Schecter pull this off with a Hellraiser 8 a few years ago, where it had a Floyd? I don't remember there being any issues when I tried one. Curious about that one.

The only issue with the Schecter was obtaining one. The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if @Hollowway bought them all.

 

[Seabeast2000]

https://www.schecterguitars.com/vault/hellraiser-c-8-fr-2013-11-21-detail

 

[Randy]

I'm not into wonky bridge setups but I'd be all over an 8 string where just the top 6 strings dive. Floating tremolo stability is bad enough as is, two extra strings with weird tension variations that you'll never actually use to bomb/vibrato seems unnecessary.

 

[Vyn]

I'm not into wonky bridge setups but I'd be all over an 8 string where just the top 6 strings dive. Floating tremolo stability is bad enough as is, two extra strings with weird tension variations that you'll never actually use to bomb/vibrato seems unnecessary.

They (6 & 7 string trems at least) are actually incredibly stable. Rich has a good guide on his website that I've been using for years. Making sure the strings are well stretched and keeping an eye on the knife edge make all the difference.

 

[Hollowway]

I'm not into wonky bridge setups but I'd be all over an 8 string where just the top 6 strings dive. Floating tremolo stability is bad enough as is, two extra strings with weird tension variations that you'll never actually use to bomb/vibrato seems unnecessary.

I can’t remember who, but someone on here back in like 2010 modified a Rhoads V by adding two extra strings and only did the Floyd for the top 6 strings. Or something like that. I remember he edited the “8 string guitar” Wikipedia page to put a photo of his guitar on there. It was kind of a rough proof of concept, but I also thought it was a cool idea.

 

[Harry]

I can’t remember who, but someone on here back in like 2010 modified a Rhoads V by adding two extra strings and only did the Floyd for the top 6 strings. Or something like that. I remember he edited the “8 string guitar” Wikipedia page to put a photo of his guitar on there. It was kind of a rough proof of concept, but I also thought it was a cool idea.

Shit, I remember that.
I knew his username started with T. I was thinking Tom something, but after some digging figured out it was troyguitar! I clicked on his profile and he hasn't logged in since 2017 it seems.



In retrospect, pretty silly and kinda hilarious, but as you said also cool in a way.

 

[Hollowway]

Shit, I remember that.
I knew his username started with T. I was thinking Tom something, but after some digging figured out it was troyguitar! I clicked on his profile and he hasn't logged in since 2017 it seems.



In retrospect, pretty silly and kinda hilarious, but as you said also cool in a way.

Yes! That’s it. Nice sleuthing work! But yeah, definitely a crazy rough build, but a neat concept that’s surprisingly not been adopted by anyone.

I would love to see more:
1) Floyd 8s
2) Multiscale instruments with the parallel fret at the bridge so they could do a trem.
3) multiscale Trems
4) partial trems (like troyguitar’s)

 

[A-Branger]

Horizontal vibrato on the electric guitar (and any other) is a bit of a subtle thing in terms of pitch variation compared to its vertical counterpart - players who opt to use it are often prone to also exert pressure towards the board more deliberately (and release it, of course) to increase the pitch variation.

I think also its a "happy accident", as when you try to move your finger back n forth, you are accidentally moving the string up/down ina veeery small amount, small enough to help with the pitch change, because yeah, frets

 

[cardinal]

Yeah, I think a lot of folks doing that type of vibrato move their finger in a circle (at least that's how I was taught) rather than just straight back and forth.

I think Conklin has done some 8-strings with a non-locking 6-string tremolo on the top strings and fixed saddles for the bottom two. I considered trying for that but just went with the Floyd 8 as I like them better than non-locking trems anyway.

 

[remco mayer]

we have made a 8 string tremolo for multi scale and headless made out of Brass and a special harden steel for the plate and knife edge http://www.apollomusicparts.com/tremolo/

 

[cardinal]

we have made a 8 string tremolo for multi scale and headless made out of Brass and a special harden steel for the plate and knife edge http://www.apollomusicparts.com/tremolo/

Very nice. Is the stud spacing the same as the 8-string Floyd Rose?

 

[Hollowway]

Machinists and engineers: we’ve made another floating 8 string tremolo!

Luthiers: under no circumstances will we ever build a guitar with a floating 8 string tremolo.

 

[Vyn]

Machinists and engineers: we’ve made another floating 8 string tremolo!

Luthiers: under no circumstances will we ever build a guitar with a floating 8 string tremolo.

Just had a random thought - buy a 2228 (because it's already got a neck suited to a locking nut), rip the Edge III out of it, plug it up, re-route for one of those lovely titanium edges, install, done.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Machinists and engineers: we’ve made another floating 8 string tremolo!

Luthiers: under no circumstances will we ever build a guitar with a floating 8 string tremolo.

waghorn will do it

 

[Hollowway]

Just had a random thought - buy a 2228 (because it's already got a neck suited to a locking nut), rip the Edge III out of it, plug it up, re-route for one of those lovely titanium edges, install, done.

I would, but I ain’t no luthier.