String setup on 8 string alembic basses

[jazzyvee]

On 8 string alembics what is it that determines whether a bass is made with the thin strings under the thick strings compared to the other way round.
In my simple thoughts i would think you would have the thin strings underneath if you use fingers to play and thin above if you used a  pick but thats just a guess.


Here are two recent images that appeard on the forum where I noticed the difference.
The first is on a JPJ



the second is a Spyder

[growlypants]

Wow - I never actually noticed that difference!  On 12-string guitars, the thinner string is on the bottom of the pair, but I suppose on bass, as rare as it is, I'm sure you can get away with whatever the heck you like!!  Interesting...

[edwardofhuncote]

On my Martin 12-string, the smaller gauge string is on the top of each course.

Though I never really had it confirmed, I had always just assumed with using a pick, the smaller string wouldn't be struck as effectively if that were reversed. I'd be willing to change it for an experiment, but making a 12-string nut is such a major P-I-T-B.

[gearhed289]

The "standard" is thin string on top. Rickenbacker does it the other way around (most of the time), and with Alembic, anything goes! Thin on the bottom seemed like a good idea, but my first 8 (Warmoth neck, Mighty Mite body) was set up that way, and I found it harder to keep both strings pressed down. My next one, a Kramer, had the thin on top and I liked it much better. When I got my current Ric 8 string, I was happy to find that someone had already replaced the nut for thin on top. And just FYI - I'm about 50/50 fingerstyle/pick in general, but it's always a pick on multi-course basses.

[hieronymous]

The "standard" is thin string on top. Rickenbacker does it the other way around (most of the time), and with Alembic, anything goes! Thin on the bottom seemed like a good idea, but my first 8 (Warmoth neck, Mighty Mite body) was set up that way, and I found it harder to keep both strings pressed down. My next one, a Kramer, had the thin on top and I liked it much better. When I got my current Ric 8 string, I was happy to find that someone had already replaced the nut for thin on top. And just FYI - I'm about 50/50 fingerstyle/pick in general, but it's always a pick on multi-course basses.

Likewise. My first 8-string was a Japanese-made Tune with octave on top and I loved it. Got a Rickenbacker with octave on bottom, it was really hard to play! Had it restrung octave on top and so much better! Something to do with the shape of my fingers?

I'm also exclusively a pick player when I play 8-string. It would be interesting to hear from someone that plays 8 (or 12?!!) with fingers, also to hear some actual examples.

Here's some Rickenbacker trivia - the tuners on Ric 8-strings are all the same size - apparently they did it that way so that the owner could set it up the way they want - octave on top or bottom - it worked for me!

[growlypants]

Yikes - I stand corrected.  Thin string on the top of the pair!!  (It's been awhile, and I do apologize.). I used to play a 12 string Mosrite. - with a tremolo, no less.  Pretty cool instrument.  As I recall, the string attachment on the tremolo bar was closer to the guitar itself for the higher string of each pair, resulting in much less pitch shift for that particular string.

[keith_h]

On my Hagstrom 8 I have the thin string on top. I've noticed it works better for me finger style as it allows the main string to not be overpowered by the octave string. When I use a pick I've found the octave tends to be stronger than the main due to it being higher in frequency. The only time this wasn't the case was many years ago when I used a felt pick for a while.

[mica]

For most people, the octave on the top works the best. Some people that never use a pick prefer the octave on the bottom.

[hieronymous]

Just saw this video of a guy playing a 12-string Dean - pretty interesting, he plays it both with fingers & slap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S8XfTcGEyo