They sound like shit though. With latest Mesuggah album as prime example.

I know you hate them, but come on, these guitars sound really good there.

Not at all. The guitar sound on Obzen is appalling. Reminded me of this:

Guitar sound on obZen is second to the guitar tone on "I" in terms of how an 8 string should sound....unless you're going for that super muddy town like Isis has(which is also fucking awesome)

Guitar sound on obZen is second to the guitar tone on "I" in terms of how an 8 string should sound....unless you're going for that super muddy town like Isis has(which is also fucking awesome)

I dislike both sounds. An therefore I don't see the point in 8-string guitars.


It seems a bit to me as though musicians are going "Hey my dick is bigger than yours" "Yeah well... I've got more strings, so nerr "

Guitar sound on obZen is second to the guitar tone on "I" in terms of how an 8 string should sound....unless you're going for that super muddy town like Isis has(which is also fucking awesome)

I dislike both sounds. An therefore I don't see the point in 8-string guitars.


It seems a bit to me as though musicians are going "Hey my dick is bigger than yours" "Yeah well... I've got more strings, so nerr "

Well you can have your opinion but i think most people like it, do you even like meshuggah? coz if you dont why are you posting about them to people who do?

There was a pic of Devin playing a Blackmachine 8-stringer in some guitar mag about two years ago (Total guitar or Guitar World possibly).
http://www.blackmachine.net/8PicMain.htm

Guitar sound on obZen is second to the guitar tone on "I" in terms of how an 8 string should sound....unless you're going for that super muddy town like Isis has(which is also fucking awesome)

I dislike both sounds. An therefore I don't see the point in 8-string guitars.


It seems a bit to me as though musicians are going "Hey my dick is bigger than yours" "Yeah well... I've got more strings, so nerr "

Well you can have your opinion but i think most people like it, do you even like meshuggah? coz if you dont why are you posting about them to people who do?

I dont recon he does to be honest, the tone on Obzen is great IMO, now the tone on "Nothing" wasn't great but that was becuase it was the first time they had tuned that low. Now the reason they use 8-string isn't because they want to have bigger metaphorical cock's, it's becuase they wanted to go lower and still be able to play the old songs without changing guitars. Thus the 8-string is perfect, it's still has the Bb to Eb but with the Gb on top. Also the neck length is more like a bass neck in order to keep the tension of the low Gb string.

As to weather Devin using an 8-sting is a possibility, I really doubt it with the tunning he normally uses which is: CGCGCE. I think he used a 7-string in Alein etc and just added a low G and which was likes this; GCGCGCE. If he were to use an 8-String I dont see anywhere else he could go with that tunnig as the high E string is high enough and if he goes much lower than G on the low end your talking ultra-drone. Unless he tunes to a more standard tunning, then we might se him use one.

I think it's a bit daft for someone that likes Devin/SYL's later albums, to say that 8 string guitars are silly.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but due to the tuning Devin uses with his 8 string, he's only 1 semitone away from the range of an 8 string guitar in standard tuning. With such a tiny difference, I don't see how one can be silly, and the other not.

Yes, you can get a similar range on a 7 string, but not everyone wants to use an exotic tuning to do that.

8 strings are awesome. I have 6, 7, and 8 strings and like them all. They all have different qualities and different purposes. If you don't like the 8 string, you just haven't found a purpose for it. When you get lower range tunings, you also get longer scale length on the guitars which also creates a difference in tonality. This is where you hear that snapping sound on Obzen, where the guitars are approx 30 inches in scale length while your strat based guitars are 25.5 inch and les paul based 24.75 inch.

You can get a great sounding 8 string and with low tunings as well. I'd say try one out for a few hours and really pay attention to the possibilites. They are awesome.

I'm at Eb Ab Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb and use it for bottom heavy grooving. Not necessarily 'METAL!!' but heavy and big sounding.

Anyways, rock on folks!

Hey. First time posting on the forum.

Had to throw in my two cents though, as I'm an extended-range bass player, and have had this conversation a million times. Literally. One million.

I think what it comes down to is usage of all strings. Yes, there are a lot of people who will buy seven and eight string guitars just for the extra low notes. In that case, however, they probably could have gotten by just fine with a six string tuned down. A baritone six at worst. Look at Max Cavalera. He's heavier than fuck, and he plays a four-string.

But if you're a player who actually uses the higher and lower registers, like Devin does, for example, then go for it. Go nuts. Play a non-doubled 13-string guitar if you've got the fingers for it, (and an amp that can accurately and clearly handle the sonic range.)

Also, Meshuggah is tits-radd.

Hey. First time posting on the forum.

Had to throw in my two cents though, as I'm an extended-range bass player, and have had this conversation a million times. Literally. One million.

I think what it comes down to is usage of all strings. Yes, there are a lot of people who will buy seven and eight string guitars just for the extra low notes. In that case, however, they probably could have gotten by just fine with a six string tuned down. A baritone six at worst. Look at Max Cavalera. He's heavier than fuck, and he plays a four-string.

But if you're a player who actually uses the higher and lower registers, like Devin does, for example, then go for it. Go nuts. Play a non-doubled 13-string guitar if you've got the fingers for it, (and an amp that can accurately and clearly handle the sonic range.)

Also, Meshuggah is tits-radd.

Well-said. It's all about making beautiful noise.

The appeal of a 7-string for me was that I am used to playing guitar in a situation where I have to know exactly what I'm playing at all times, but I also like drop tuning. To meet both of those needs, I had a 6-string in E standard and another 6-string in drop A. After a while, I realized that I could combine the two guitars (and spend less money on strings) if I got a 7-string. Now, I have a single guitar (Ibanez RG7620) that fits both my standard tuning and drop tuning needs, and provides a lot of tonal versatility as well. It's hard to know if the situation would work similarly for someone going from a 7-string to an 8-string. I suppose that the person would have to be really comfortable using the whole range of a 7-string. I'm very happy to see that baritone 6-strings have become more widely available for players who just want to play really low. I wonder if there would be a market for an extended scale 6-string designed to be played in F# standard.

Sorry this is just me playing my 8 string but I think Dev would tune it like this. C G C G C G C E.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJZcArD9fwA&fmt=18