To Multiscale or not.. that is the question

[hodorcore]

Hello there

I'm currently in the market for an 8 string, preferably one that's made in the USA.
I need a nice 8 string for my studio that will last and has all the features i want already (locking tuners, nice pups, simple looks, good playability (flat neck and cutaway).
My main concern is the scale length. I'm not looking to go down any lower than Drop E, so will a regular 27inch scale do it for me or do I need to go multiscale?
Any of you guys out there that own both a regular and a multiscale 8 string, can you give me some input as to how you're using them any differently? Or any input would be welcome

Cheers

Niko

 

[I play music]

Personally I want at least 28 inch for a low F# and even longer for E. But it's a bit matter of taste. If you can, try a guitar with a long scale like the M80M and one with a 27 inch scale and you'll hear the difference.

 

[mattchristensen]

I have a legator ninja that's fanned fret and it handles low tunings really well.

They're dirt cheap and play great. Once you get a taste of the fanned fret you'll never wanna go back it just feels so on your hands.

https://www.legatorguitars.com/product/nrf8-200/

 

[Winspear]

Personally I want at least 28 inch for a low F# and even longer for E. But it's a bit matter of taste. If you can, try a guitar with a long scale like the M80M and one with a 27 inch scale and you'll hear the difference.

Agreed. Well, I'm happy with 27" F# but like 28.5" or more for E. At 27 you are forced to choose between low tension or dark tone. Yes the majority of 8 string players get by with low tension and it's fine on record, but it's not something I can enjoy playing long term personally.
Multiscale is not a necessity if you go longer. That is to say, you could get a straight 28" Schecter for example. The high E with a 9 gauge will still be looser than a 10 gauge is on 25.5. Multiscale is only a necessity if 10's on 25.5 are already too tight for you.

That said it's always an improvement to the tone by making things more balanced and reducing the gauge range. It also makes the guitar feel quite a lot smaller which is nice. But don't worry about restricting your choices or suffering other specs yo don't like as much, to get multiscale. 28 or 28.625 straight is fantastic. M80M is a good choice too though high E (if tuned to E not downtuned) begins to become unchangeably tight at that scale.

As you can tell, it's very personal. Pick up some heavy gauges or get your hands on whatever you can to judge your own opinions.

 

[spudmunkey]

will a regular 27inch scale do it for me or do I need to go multiscale?

This question doesn't actually make any sense to me unless you're talking about one specific model that only comes in 27" straight scale and also only one multiscale option. There are 26-27.5" multiscale. 25.5-27" multiscale. 26.5-28", etc etc.

 

[hodorcore]

thanks for the responses guys

i gather that a lot of it comes down to personal preference. I'm wondering if a 28inch scale is really that much more stable than a 27 inch.
I've been offered a very nice rg2228 and a jackson juggernaut ht8 but i'm willing to look into guitars with different specs. but it needs to be on par with a prestige ibanez in terms of quality.

how stable are your 27 inch 8 strings at F sharp and respectively at drop E?

 

[Winspear]

Stability isn't the issue - there are always bigger strings. It's the fact that bigger strings (and shorter scales) sound darker that makes it an issue.
I use a 48 low E on 25.5 as my tension ballpark, minimum 46. To hit that tension in F# at 27" needs an .080, which sounds good enough (like I said, I'm happy with 27" F#). However the same tension in E needs a .090 on 27". Sounds really very dark. I'd compromise with an 85 but it's quite loose and anything less is far too loose, for me. The 85 can be comparable to a 44 E @ 25.5.
28 is 3.7% longer than 27 - you can reduce the gauge by 3.7% which gives a clarity increase, and the added length adds clarity too. So I'm happy with 85 instead of 90 for E on 28. 28" makes the 85 tighter and brighter.

Without playing one yourself, you can get an idea for your ideal tensions. What strings would you usually run? how loose can you stand them? Can you try testing bigger gauges too? More tension only becomes more important the lower you tune, in my experience.

 

[Dayn]

RG2228 here. 27" with a Kalium .090 for E. Tight and snappy with a lot of high end.

Through a lot of experimenting, I personally wouldn't go below E for 27". Things quickly deteriorate beyond that. But it's perfectly fine for E. I also do a lot of chordal work on it too, so going longer would be far too much of a pain. It's just long enough, but just short enough to still be a guitar that you can do everything on it. It's really in that sweet spot.

If you're not doing many long stretches and are using few chords, then you'd probably want to go longer than 27". More benefit for less loss.

I use a 48 low E on 25.5 as my tension ballpark, minimum 46. To hit that tension in F# at 27" needs an .080, which sounds good enough (like I said, I'm happy with 27" F#). However the same tension in E needs a .090 on 27". Sounds really very dark. I'd compromise with an 85 but it's quite loose and anything less is far too loose, for me. The 85 can be comparable to a 44 E @ 25.5.

I'd hasten to add that it also depends on the string construction. I've used GHS and D'Addario .080s for E, and they sounded darker and flubbier than a Kalium .090. La Bella also had brighter heavy strings, too.

 

[Avedas]

Tosin did drop E with his RG2228 and 27" sigs. I've tuned down to E on my RG8 and it was fine.

I'd say try any 27" at E1 for yourself, because tons of people on this forum are scale-snobs

I don't play 8 strings outside of guitar stores but the fanned Abasi 8 I tried a few months ago was killer. Easily the best feeling 8 I've laid hands on. Conversely, even though they're fanned and I'm used to the Endurneck, Strandberg 8s do absolutely nothing for me.

 

[Vuurius]

My 8 string Strandberg got a 26.5" - 28" scale and it's perfect. Much better than the Ibanez rg2228 that I had. I don't have big hands so the fanned frets really help!

I also have a 6 string Strandberg with a 25" - 25.5" scale and in my opinion that's just stupid!

 

[Avedas]

I also have a 6 string Strandberg with a 25" - 25.5" scale and in my opinion that's just stupid!

It functionally does nothing but I love the aesthetic.

 

[Vuurius]

true but if you play on the G, B & A string on the last like 6 frets it's not so comfortabel.
but maybe it's just me haha

 

[diagrammatiks]

if you have the choice always multi scale.

 

[Hollowway]

I've got a number of 8 strings, and I've got guitars with8s ranging from 27" to 31", and I'd say it's very likely you'd be ok at 27". I find that 27 or 27.5 is the sweet spot for F# for me. If you have the option of 28", go for that, as it can't hurt. Factor in the other things, and that will help make the decision. For instance, if you want a trem, you have far fewer option sin scale length because of limited options.

 

[lurè]

I play drop E on an RG 2228 using daddario nxyl 80-09. I have a relatively light picking but I've found that is probably the best set you can go on a 27" for drop E without going past 80 with the 8th string.

I'm also considering a multiscale instrument and the best option I've come across is probably the Kiesel multiscale which is 27.5-26.

 

[Bearitone]

Drop E? I would get a 30” scale length. No question about it.

If you want multiscale get a custom agile 82730.

If all you want to do is play low, you do not need an 8 string. Save yourself the money and get a used Bass Vi style guitar

 

[Bearitone]

Double post

 

[777timesgod]

Shouldn't you test all the available scales? This way you can see what fits your playing style, a certain scale may fit your sound but if you cannot play it, then it is useless.

 

[Bearitone]

Shouldn't you test all the available scales? This way you can see what fits your playing style, a certain scale may fit your sound but if you cannot play it, then it is useless.

Good luck with that. All the baritones (especially 8 strings) I’ve tried in stores are set up like garbage with strings too thin to actually enjoy.

OP, you’ll likely have to get something and see if it works for you after setting it up and putting your preferred gauge strings on (which you may have to experiment to find as well).

Normally I would say start with a 28” or 28.625” scale and then go up or down from there depending on your experience.

But if you want to go all the way down to drop E and actually enjoy it i would just get a 30” scale