Why did you get an 8+ string?

[xethicx]

I am a long time 7 string player and getting an 8 seemed like the right evolution.

 

[larry]

I first started thinking about what my custom guitar would be like back in 2005. among the many considerations were the number of strings. I had already been playing seven strings for six years. according to my logic, since i'm inevitably going to be paying $5k+ why not make this guitar something that was not only very personal, but also different enough to force me to explore new territory by altering my approach to guitar. so I thought it would be great to expand by adding an extra high and low string.

I began researching to find out if 9 strings were doable. at first, it was looking like a very real possibility since I was comfortable on 6 string bass. the nut width on an SR506 is slightly narrower than that of a 9 string guitar mathematically and I have large hands. the extra width of 9 strings seemed doable. I had the chance to jump on one of the agile custom runs and ordered a 30" scale 9 string to get a feel for my research results, prior to pulling the trigger with one of the luthiers i'd been courting. I had finally received the guitar from rondo music and gave it a few good long sessions. turns out 9 strings was pushing it, so I sent it back. creating an NGD thread for it was pointless, since it didn't last longer than three days.

I could have adapted my technique, but I decided that ergonomics, playability and longevity were more important to me. it also didn't help that prior to receiving the agile I had the chance to play an rg2228; which was the first big push towards 8 strings. ....then the m8m gets released ...then andreas posts a pic-healthy thread about his bubinga 8 scale. ... then I whine like a little girl about missing out on that run. ...then tech talks rob into opening up another run of 8 scales and I jump on. and finally, I buy an RG8 to help curb the anticipation for my kxk. it's a decent guitar but I hate not having a locking nut and fine tuners.. so now i'm waiting for a more appropriate 8 to finally ship in the next week or two....

 

[meambobbo]

wanted a 7 as I never had one, but then figured if i'm gonna get something might as well get an 8 in case i get the 7 then GAS for an 8. 8 has the 7 built in. i've actually been playing it mostly like a 7. i can riff all day on the lowest 6-8 strings, but i get a bit confused trying to incorporate the rest of the strings. gonna have to get more familiar with all the notes before i can really put it to work.

 

[All_¥our_Bass]

More range in the lower register without sacrificing upper range.

Less moving around the neck.

I started on bass so I missed those low notes when I got into guitar, which led to me using fifths tuning on a sixer and getting a 7 string and an 8 string guitar.

Of course, Meshuggah's 'Re-Nothing' and 'Catch 33' helped A LOT.

Also, if you guys want a really cool way to try out ALL the range on any of your guitars, wrap a hair tie around your neck at the 1st-2nd fret area, and experiment with two hand tapping, one playing lower/lowmid notes and the other playing uppermid/highs, even if it's simple melodies over a few droning notes, it breaks you out of the 'open string riffing' mentality.

 

[Anthonok]

Couldn't play 6, got a 7, sucked at 7, got an 8, still suck but love it. This RG8 is my favoritestest guitar ever. That and my Singer is obssesed with trying new unconventional things for our band (mix of pop, punk, grunge, and metal) and its really neat.

 

[berzerkergang]

Well Ive been a 7 player for a long time, 8 strings always had some allure to me but the prices on them were just too much to pay for something I may or may not enjoy playing. So I waited a while and eventually there came more affordable 8 strings and I picked one up just the other day. I absolutely LOVE it. I'm not really a djent super fan or anything but the genre made me want to see what I could do with the 8 in other genres. So, here I am, a few days after buying an RG8 and I have new pickups, new tuners and more mods ready to go!

 

[Señor Voorhees]

I wanted to bypass the awkwardness of transitioning from six to seven to eight. I like low tuned music and I like standard tuning. With an 8 I'm capable of playing songs in standard 6 tuning while also being able to go lower. On top of that, I grew insanely fond of doing fairly simple single note (as in not chords, but not breakdown type stuff) and layering it with an identicle riff (both double tracked) an octave lower. Dropping the 8th to E makes it incredibly easy to do that and it's low as fuck so it's nice and heavy.

Basically it's something I knew I wanted from the beginning, so I learned on one. It was a cheap omen 8 and the pickups were shit, but it did its job well. I still have and use it, though the pickups have since been swapped.

 

[Johnathan]

I got my first 8 string because i was bored to hell playing with 6 strings and found myself in a position where i always wanted go lower in octave than i could on a 6 string. And i could not be happier, the 8 string has had a big impact on my progression as a guitar player and the way i compose music.

 

[strelok]

I had a 7 string due to Vai/azagthoth(mainly azagthoth)..

saw the rg2228 in a shop in my hometown in 07, had to have it. removed the credit card from the wallet, and walked out with it.

pretty funny as the guy has only put it out an hour before.

i was/am big into Z tuned DM (mortician/nile/malignancy etc etc etc)

i knew meshuggah had experimented with hagstrom eights.. but thats it.

tried it.
loved it.
bought it.

in 2013, broke it (bridge ripped out) just got it back from the shop.
all repaired.
in love again.

 

[Konfyouzd]

It's still amusing to me when I see my "virtuoso" buddy pick up an eighter. I'm a shit guitarist. I know NOTHING about scales or theory. But my buddy Garret operates on that level. However, the minute he holds an 8 string, there is zero comprehension. He does not understand the instrument. He cannot play it. I'd figure it would be generally simple for a person of his aptitude to just pick it up and figure it out in minutes. Transpose his scales down two strings. But no such thing. I think it's the only time where I actually feel like I'm better at something concerning guitars than he is!

If he knows the scales and intervals that well the this is very confusing to me.

 

[MarcHxC]

I got mine because of Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza. Freaking crazy music.

 

[hand amputation]

Honestly, I bought mine on a whim because I wanted to try something new...

Now I can't put it down. A 6 string almost feels foreign to me.

 

[jonajon91]

I'm sorry, but ... Vagina decliner?
In all my time in the depths of the internet has anything amazed me so greatly! I ... just ...

 

[MetalBuddah]

I got a 9 string because I just wanted more range and I have big hands. Simple as that. Also....having an instrument that not a lot of music has been written on helps me write music more efficiently

 

[DoubleAA]

I originally started thinking about an 8 string because of Charlie Hunter, but everything was always way too expensive back then. Forgot about it for a while, then found out about Animals as Leaders. Ibanez should probably give Tosin and the guys from Meshuggah a dollar every time someone buys an 8 string.

One of the guys from Strictly 7 posted a bunch of images of recent 7 and 8 string builds on facebook last week and I started thinking about how having some extra low would be cool in my crazy-ass band. After browsing around on here you guys got me GASing for an RG8. Cheap enough to just have around if it didn't become my main guitar, but moddable enough to work live. Found a dent & scratch deal at ams last weekend for less than some of my pedals cost new, and it showed up on my doorstep a couple days ago. I'm totally hooked now.

 

[Murch]

I wanted a 7 string because my first guitar didn't go low enough for the music I was writing, and also because I wanted to play some Dream Theater songs. While looking, I learned about 8 strings, tried one, and fell in love. And now a friend is making me a custom 9, which I'm really excited about.

 

[silent suicide]

Natural progression, bought a 7 about 6 months after I started playing guitar.
And now after 7 years of playing and selling some gear and having an awesome deal on it, I Just went with it..
Also more notes, I am the first guy that experimented with a 7 and 8 in my friend circle and they think I am the strange one >.> *waves fists angry at them*

 

[strelok]

dont want to sound like a "vagina decliner" but i think 9 would be to far for me.. heh

 

[stuglue]

My 8 string gas has been saited. I'm not getting the same vibe for a 9 string simply because I'd need a crazy multlscale to get a tight low f# and a high A. I think you'd be looking at 28 on the low side and 25.5 on the treble