How do you tune it?

[picker]

Whilst browsing through a MF catalog, and I chanced upon a sight indeed wondrous to behold!

 

It would appear that Schecter is making an 8 string electric guitar. EIGHT!

 

I gazed in mute dumbfoundedness at this unexpected dent in the envelope of guitar design manufacture, and the thought came unbidden to my bewildered mind;

 

How do you tune THAT? If you push a string lower than the low B on a 7 string through most guitar amps at stage volume, you're gonna cook a lot of speakers. And, a string tuned higher than the high E on any guitar would be so thin as to break if you looked at them funny.

 

So, how would you tune an 8 string guitar? Does anyone know? And what tuning is used on those 10 string classical axes people like Narciso Yepes play?

 

It's gotta be a weird tuning...

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

I have more than enough trouble with six.

[The Geoff]

It has to go down, so a 7 has a B below E, so I suppose it's an F# below B. Not far off a fender Bass VI.

 

G.

[Caevan O’Shite]

Is this the guitar in question?

 

Schecter Blackjack C-8 ATX Limited 8-String Electric Guitar

 

(There are a couple of other 8-string Schecter guitars listed by MF, like the Schecter Hellraiser Devil-8, but no info is provided on their respective 'pages.)

 

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/3/5/6/648356.jpg

 

If so, 'says there:

 

The extended 26-1/2" scale length lets you get the full tonal impact of the low C# and B notes of the 7th and 8th strings...

 

Tuning: C#/B/E/A/D/G/B/E

 

...Which seems kinda strange to me; that doesn't seem to make much sense at first- perhaps it's a typo?

 

EDIT: Nope, guess that's right- at least, it says the same thing on the Schecter 'site...

 

 

Strung with D'Addario strings

(gauges: .074/.064/.052/.042/.030/.017/.013/.010)

Tuned (low to high) C#/B/E/A/D/G/B/E

 

Hmmn, must be a reeeaally low Low-C# below that Low-B, huh?

[Billster]

Hmmn, must be a reeeaally low Low-C# below that Low-B, huh?

 

Well, you have to consider the fingering options you would get from that. It may be easier to grab a chord shape with a choice of either of the two low strings than if there was only a single added low string.

 

Other than that, the tuning listed is still only advice - you could tune whatever way you wanted. Two groups of 4 strings, or 5+3, 6+2. Overlapping tunings. All kinds of things come to mind. Think of the arpeggio voicings you could design!

[Caevan O’Shite]

Hmmn, must be a reeeaally low Low-C# below that Low-B, huh?

 

Well, you have to consider the fingering options you would get from that. It may be easier to grab a chord shape with a choice of either of the two low strings than if there was only a single added low string.

 

Other than that, the tuning listed is still only advice - you could tune whatever way you wanted.

 

Oh, yeah, of course you could try other gauges and tunings, all kinds of things. Though I hadn't thought of the possibility of adding a string below the 7th-string instead of committing to one or another tuning, and having both available to choose from.

[super combinator]

8 strings! Man cant they start making guitars with less strings instead for people like me

 

Maybe I shud just buy or make myself a Didly bow

[harvey]

Looks like fun...

 

I'd imagine the metal kids would tune string 8 to an E, so they play those one fingered power chords.

 

 

BTW

There is an australian Luthier named Charles Cilia who makes 6 strings in a similar scale so he can tune to C# with 10s and retain a 'normal' feeling tension. He's a metal guy, too.

[picker]

Is this the guitar in question?

 

Schecter Blackjack C-8 ATX Limited 8-String Electric Guitar

 

Same body, different paint job,

 

 

 

 

[Larryz]

I'll stick with six so I never have to worry about tuning one of those 8 strings (or 7 for that matter) but if I must, I'll go with B E A D G B E A (low to high) as a starter and then play around with it from there...

[Caevan O’Shite]

I'll stick with six so I never have to worry about tuning one of those 8 strings (or 7 for that matter) but if I must, I'll go with B E A D G B E A (low to high) as a starter and then play around with it from there...

 

I'm with you, going with one added below and one added above Standard tuning; but you'd have a hard time finding a string light enough AND strong enough to tune up to that High-A without breaking all the time, even on the more common of shortish-scale guitars. Although, there was a guy who posted here (and over on the Bass Player's Low Down Lowdown forum) a few times, who said he had come up with some custom string-wire for really tough high-tuned, light-gauge applications on wild 11-string basses and guitars like this...

 

Or, especially if on a long extended-scale like that Schecter, perhaps you could try essentially the same tuning a whole-step down, A D G C F A D G, lo-to-hi, with a .009" or .010" for the High-G. G would be more forgiving than A...

[harvey]

I remember George Lynch describing a 7 string with a high A he was designing with ESP. Don't know if that ever eventuated...

[GuitarPlayerFL]

How do you tune THAT? If you push a string lower than the low B on a 7 string through most guitar amps at stage volume, you're gonna cook a lot of speakers. And, a string tuned higher than the high E on any guitar would be so thin as to break if you looked at them funny.

 

So, how would you tune an 8 string guitar? Does anyone know?

 

I think Bob Conti tunes low F# and B. At one time he tried a Peavey guitar amp with a 15" speaker, but now uses a PreSonus Bluetube preamp. Not sure what speaker setup.

 

[video:youtube]XIdQGN45tOU

[Valdolopezz]

I tune this 27" scale baritone to C#-G#-E-B-F#-C#-F#, its low like 8 string guitar. I have to use 0.70 or 0.68 7th string for F#, if i use less gauge, then there is a risk to pick noodles *)

 

http://www.ljplus.ru/img4/v/a/valdolopezz/RTA-3-D-small.jpg

[harvey]

I tune this 27" scale baritone to C#-G#-E-B-F#-C#-F#, its low like 8 string guitar. I have to use 0.70 or 0.68 7th string for F#, if i use less gauge, then there is a risk to pick noodles *)

 

http://www.ljplus.ru/img4/v/a/valdolopezz/RTA-3-D-small.jpg

 

spell it with me everyone...R - O - C - K!

 

cool axe!

[Caevan O’Shite]

I tune this 27" scale baritone to C#-G#-E-B-F#-C#-F#, its low like 8 string guitar. I have to use 0.70 or 0.68 7th string for F#, if i use less gauge, then there is a risk to pick noodles *)

 

Hahh! Do you mean, if you use less gauge, the strings are loose like noodles?

 

(Cool guitar, too! What is it?)

 

And, I take it that you tune that C#-G#-E-B-F#-C#-F# high-to-low, am I right?

[Caevan O’Shite]

I tune this 27" scale baritone to C#-G#-E-B-F#-C#-F#, its low like 8 string guitar. I have to use 0.70 or 0.68 7th string for F#, if i use less gauge, then there is a risk to pick noodles *)

 

Hahh! Do you mean, if you use less gauge, the strings are loose like noodles?

 

(Cool guitar, too! What is it?)

 

And, I take it that you tune that C#-G#-E-B-F#-C#-F# high-to-low, am I right?

[doc taz]

I'd tune the low 8th string to E, as someone here suggested. Or I could tune the low 3 strings EAD, like a 4 string bass, and leave the high strings in standard tuning, starting from A. That would make it like the 8 string tuning that Charlie Hunter uses. (He's back to using 7's again at the moment.)

[Eric Iverson]

Well, the low string on a 7 string is usually a B(Van Eps tuned it to a low A); and Lenny Breau had a 7 string where he tuned the lower strings normally and had a high A string on there, if I remember correctly. That would take care of the 8.

I wonder what gauge you'd use for the high A.

[Caevan O’Shite]

Well, the low string on a 7 string is usually a B(Van Eps tuned it to a low A); and Lenny Breau had a 7 string where he tuned the lower strings normally and had a high A string on there, if I remember correctly. That would take care of the 8.

I wonder what gauge you'd use for the high A.

 

Lenny Breau's 7-strings were extra short scale-length instruments, particularly his electric steel-string, to accommodate the High-A with less tension (the other was a classical, and it's High-A was fishing-line); you probably won't be able to go with a High-A on "normal" guitars without it constantly breaking. And on a long-scale axe like that Schecter? No way, no how!

[Larryz]

I'll stick with six so I never have to worry about tuning one of those 8 strings (or 7 for that matter) but if I must, I'll go with B E A D G B E A (low to high) as a starter and then play around with it from there...

 

I'm with you, going with one added below and one added above Standard tuning; but you'd have a hard time finding a string light enough AND strong enough to tune up to that High-A without breaking all the time, even on the more common of shortish-scale guitars. Although, there was a guy who posted here (and over on the Bass Player's Low Down Lowdown forum) a few times, who said he had come up with some custom string-wire for really tough high-tuned, light-gauge applications on wild 11-string basses and guitars like this...

 

Or, especially if on a long extended-scale like that Schecter, perhaps you could try essentially the same tuning a whole-step down, A D G C F A D G, lo-to-hi, with a .009" or .010" for the High-G. G would be more forgiving than A...

 

I could see dropping a half step (SRV style)or even a whole step down and maybe use a .008 to get the high A, G or G# if the strings kept breaking on A...the reason(s) I like staying with standard tuning is to keep all the intervals the same for scale work and playing around with partial chords/triads/doubles, etc...and not worrying about where they are as an old dummy like me will be able to find them...I don't think having the high A string above the E will get in the way of any lead work and would maybe open up new doors to include new bass riffs using that low B...it would keep me busy...

[Caevan O’Shite]

Hey, I briefly tried a partial version of that Schecter tuning on my LP- C# B E A - and it actually works well for chord voicings. I didn't spend much time with it, though. Maybe another day! In any case, I think that they are on to somethin' there; that could work...