Why?

[Slartibartfarst42]

I've just seen a picture on Facebook of a 9 string guitar and I can't help asking myself the question 'Why?'

I have a couple of serious objections to such guitars, though I'll grant you part of this may be fueled by the fact that I'm a bit drunk:

1) Why would I need the extra strings? Surely you end up either going so high only dogs will hear you or so low it's pointless having a bass player.

2) Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Gary Moore, Joe Satriani, Michael Schenker, Dave Gilmour etc. are all at least a billion times better than me so until I can do what they can with 6 strings, why the hell would I want more? If I ever master 6 strings as well as these guys I'll consider myself ready to move to the next level but until that point, 6 strings is more than enough.

Rant over  :D

[Dave Sloven]

I totally agree.

Maybe we are in the 'old farts club' though.

On the other hand a guitar where the three unwound strings are doubled with octave strings and the other three are not makes sense to me, if someone wanted 9 strings, rather than a conventional 12 string.

On the other hand I'm not at all interested in this stupid thing (owned by some deathcore dude):

[Slartibartfarst42]

It seems to me that's the guitar equivalent of a guy who needs a big dog or a car with a big bonnet. I just don't see the point.

Happy and proud to be an old fart  :D

[Dave Sloven]

I always wonder how in the hell these guys get their fingers around the fretboard without contorting their wrist into such an angle that within a year they end up with severe tendonitis or carpal tunnel disease.  Also the weight on the instrument must cause spine problems eventually.

I'm happy with my thin little SGs with their '60s profile necks :D

On the other hand maybe such issues will get rid of this awful trend!  I won't be listening to their music anyway, I'm sure.  What are they going to call it?  Death-djent?

[Lew]

The above guitar is an Etherial made in Australia and I think they're ace, so there :-D

I s'pose it's a bit like tattoos. The people without them are the only ones who moan about them and those with tattoos couldn't care less if you don't have any.

It's simple, really, with an erg you get to keep the guitars standard range without having to tune down a 6 and disable the range. I tune A D G C F A D on my 7 which is pretty conservative but essential to the music I play. I can't see my self playing a 9string anytime soon but I wouldn't be opposed to an 8string at some point. It's really not that hard to play. If you play a decent classical guitar then chances are your already playing a neck that's bigger than 90% of 7string necks out there.

Also, I'm very familiar with the guitarists that you referenced but they're about as relevant as listing classical musicians. I dislike Metalcore/Deathcore/Djent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw_e9im72HQ

The real question here isn't about guitars with more than 6strings it's about downtuning from standard.

[dvorak]

I've just seen a picture on Facebook of a 9 string guitar and I can't help asking myself the question 'Why?'

I have a couple of serious objections to such guitars, though I'll grant you part of this may be fueled by the fact that I'm a bit drunk:

1) Why would I need the extra strings? Surely you end up either going so high only dogs will hear you or so low it's pointless having a bass player.

2) Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Gary Moore, Joe Satriani, Michael Schenker, Dave Gilmour etc. are all at least a billion times better than me so until I can do what they can with 6 strings, why the hell would I want more? If I ever master 6 strings as well as these guys I'll consider myself ready to move to the next level but until that point, 6 strings is more than enough.

Rant over  :D

I can't add anything to what you just said. I actually think the same thing about 8 string guitars.

It's probably an ego thing, "I don't need a bassist" ;)

[Philly Q]

I've got no interest in playing multi-string, extended-range guitars, but I've got no problem with people who do.  If that's what they want to do, the sound they hear in their head, then good luck to 'em.

I really don't think it's an ego thing, "look how many strings I've got".  Except perhaps for a tiny handful of total morons.  Charlie Hunter, Tosin Abasi, even Rusty Cooley.... these are good, talented musicians, even if I personally don't enjoy what they do.




(Hmmm, can't believe I'm sticking up for Rusty Cooley...  :| )

[gwEm]

I must admit it seems like total overkill, but if it helps people make their music then I must approve of them.

For myself, I would and have considered a baritone. Don't think I'd go further than that.

Just for fun I sometimes go to drop C# which is more than low/br00tal enough for me.

[gordiji]

I think it looks good without having any personal interest here. I don't like detuned noise :x However for what it's worth i put it in with harps , hammered dulcimer etc, although it's electric.

[FELINEGUITARS]

I like the carbon weave on the front - looks good.

Too many strings for me personally and too low a tuning for my normal playing , but as ever if it inspires and good music is created then who am I to argue.

I just find that it makes the singer's job really hard if he wants to sing in a normal range and not just growl/grunt or rap

[Slartibartfarst42]

I guess I just doubt if it's really needed. Some of these guitars go so low they must surely be encroaching on the bass player's territory. I admit that a lot of this is down to my own experiences. The guitarists I referenced are as good as it gets in my view so if they didn't need guitars with more strings why should I? The other thing is that in all the years I've been playing I've never yet tried to learn a song where I've thought: 'Oh bugger, I need more strings!'. Fair enough, that probably says as much about my taste in music than anything else. Djent/Death/Doom/Stoner etc. etc. blah, blah, blah hold no interest at all to me because I don't find much that's very musical in it but maybe I'm just too old to 'get it'. I find it's much the same with 'screamo' singers; to me it's just that they can't actually sing so they shout instead. Rappers 'talk' to me and 'screamo' vocalists shout at me but neither seem at all musical and neither actually seem to be able to sing. Now that I'm in the final year of my forties, I really am starting to feel older  :(

[dvorak]

I've got no interest in playing multi-string, extended-range guitars, but I've got no problem with people who do.  If that's what they want to do, the sound they hear in their head, then good luck to 'em.

I really don't think it's an ego thing, "look how many strings I've got".  Except perhaps for a tiny handful of total morons.  Charlie Hunter, Tosin Abasi, even Rusty Cooley.... these are good, talented musicians, even if I personally don't enjoy what they do.




(Hmmm, can't believe I'm sticking up for Rusty Cooley...  :| )

Well said mate! My comment about the ego thing was just a joke.

And also following gwem, everything thing that creates music and inspires is a good thing.

I actually bought a tele baritone a month ago, and it's really cool. I don't detune it, I actually have it i C standard. The cool thing is that it sounds so clear and defined compared to a standard range guitar in that tuning. I can highly recommend it.

[Philly Q]

Djent/Death/Doom/Stoner etc. etc. blah, blah, blah hold no interest at all to me because I don't find much that's very musical in it but maybe I'm just too old to 'get it'.

Guys in doom and stoner bands are unlikely to be playing 7 or 8 string guitars.  They may downtune a bit but they'll probably be playing vintage-style guitars.  And I don't think you need to be young to get it, it's all a throwback to the '70s!  :)

Djent and death I know less about.

[Lew]

I guess I just doubt if it's really needed. Some of these guitars go so low they must surely be encroaching on the bass player's territory. I admit that a lot of this is down to my own experiences. The guitarists I referenced are as good as it gets in my view so if they didn't need guitars with more strings why should I? The other thing is that in all the years I've been playing I've never yet tried to learn a song where I've thought: 'Oh bugger, I need more strings!'. Fair enough, that probably says as much about my taste in music than anything else. Djent/Death/Doom/Stoner etc. etc. blah, blah, blah hold no interest at all to me because I don't find much that's very musical in it but maybe I'm just too old to 'get it'. I find it's much the same with 'screamo' singers; to me it's just that they can't actually sing so they shout instead. Rappers 'talk' to me and 'screamo' vocalists shout at me but neither seem at all musical and neither actually seem to be able to sing. Now that I'm in the final year of my forties, I really am starting to feel older  :(

Well there's lots there that I disagree with but then I find most white boy blues repugnant and conceited 8)

Age has nothing to do with it, though. The heaviest music I like is made by people in your age bracket! Christ, Suffocation are only a few years younger than you and they are $%&#ing savage!

Djent/Death/Doom/Stoner etc. etc. blah, blah, blah hold no interest at all to me because I don't find much that's very musical in it but maybe I'm just too old to 'get it'.

Guys in doom and stoner bands are unlikely to be playing 7 or 8 string guitars.  They may downtune a bit but they'll probably be playing vintage-style guitars.  And I don't think you need to be young to get it, it's all a throwback to the '70s!  :)

Djent and death I know less about.

What Philly says.

[dave_mc]

If other people want to play them, that's great, but personally I've never even tried a 7 string, let alone anything more than that. The vast majority of stuff I play is on 6 strings, admittedly. EDIT: what philly said, basically.

The other thing that slightly concerns me about them is I'd be scared of them putting me off the six string (because of the different neck size etc.). Having recently got a bass (which I was also worried about for a similar reason) I suspect that's more paranoia than anything based in reality, though. :lol: