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Topic: Moving up to 8-strings? |
Tony Harris
From:
England
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Posted 16 Dec 1999 7:04 am |
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| I've been playing 6-string C6 tuning for about a year and am amazed how well it suits Western Swing, country, Hawaiian and jazz. (Try "Skylark" or "Where or When" - they're both built around a sixth as a starting chord.) I've borrowed an 8-string and find the strings very close together, causing much fumble-picking, and making bar-slants much more difficult (greater angle required). Do the advantages of the extra strings make it worthwhile me struggling on? |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 16 Dec 1999 9:49 am
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| You have NO IDEA what you're missing. -MJ- |
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Bobby Lee
From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
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Posted 16 Dec 1999 1:52 pm
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Not all 8 stringers have narrower spacing. The new lap steel from Sierra, for example, has very wide spacing. I think that most Rickenbackers and Gibsons have fairly wide spacing, but Fenders are pretty narrow.
If you're gradually moving towards pedal steel, I would suggest using a Fender Stringmaster. It's not hard to go back and forth between a Stringmaster and a pedal steel. It sometimes takes me a while to adjust when I switch from pedal steel to the Sierra lap steel, because the difference is radical.
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Bobby Lee  www.b0b.com/products
Sierra Session S-12 E9th, Speedy West D-10, Sierra S-8 Lap |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 16 Dec 1999 4:47 pm
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When I first started playing my Fender Deluxe 8, I found the string spacing to be much narrower than on my Fender Champion (or any of my other six string lap steels). I kept with it though, and now I feel that I handle six string steel much better because of it. I'm used to the narrower spacing; the wider spacing seems to give me even more room to breathe.
As far as the extra notes go, you'll definitely find them useful.
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Brad's Page of Steel:
www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars
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Mark Durante
From:
St. Pete Beach FL
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Posted 16 Dec 1999 6:45 pm
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I agree with Bobby that Stringmasters have a closer spacing similar to a pedal steel.
But I really enjoy playing Rickenbackers with the wider string spacing, and I've always wondered if the narrower spacing is a real advantage or not. |
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mikey
From:
New Jersey
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Posted 16 Dec 1999 11:08 pm
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I have found the string spacing on a fender 8 to be a problem if I don't play it for a while, but like anything else, you oil up the creaky parts after a while...If I were to be in the market for a new 8...I would definately look into the Sierra just because of the string spacing alone....If you get an 8 with a comfortable spacing to you....It is definately worth the 2 extra strings...IMHO
Aloha,
Mike |
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Mike Dennis
From:
Stevens Point WI.
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Posted 18 Dec 1999 8:34 am
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check this one out....
www.melobar.com/lapsteels_cc8.htm
you wont be disappointed....
the string plalcement is real comfortable...
the tone is rich. |
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Murray Cullen
From:
Irvine, CA
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Posted 20 Dec 1999 8:04 pm
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| I think six is better, nicer spacing, less bar friction, and you can still play all the tunes. |
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