If this kind of guitar had existed back when I was an active pro guitar player I might not have discovered the Stick. I love playing Stick now, but man, I would have loved this thing in 1978. Anyone tried something like this?

http://www.wlguitars.com/instrument/8-acoustic-steel



-Eric

Wow! Want!

No prices on the website. That always makes me assume I probably can't afford it

Well, Charlie Hunter has one so that's another hint.

I still want one!

And another Stick!

And more gear!

Sigh...

-Eric

I used to listen to 2 or 3 jazz pickers from the 50s to the 70s who played 7 string guitars with a low A or B string and tried it myself twice w/a Guild 7 string jazz box and years later a Schector solid body. 8 strings could work depending on who you are and how you play it but even Charlie doesn't get as much bass going as you could with a Stick technique and that seems like what he's trying to do. Lenny Breau had a short scale 7 w/a high A and that worked for him. Standard guitar technique with pick and/or fingers tops out for me at 7 strings. Why I didn't stay with it was because I had issues going back and forth between all the other 6 string guitars in my collection. To really do it in depth it was gonna be one or the other and I couldn't commit. Also I came to realize that 6 string guitar has evolved where it is over a 500 year period from lute to its present layout and range for good reasons. When I played in a band w/a 7 string the bass player was always complaining and telling me to "stay in my lane". I know the sludge metal guys are sludging away on 7 & 8 stringers but they're not achieving much music with them if you ask me. This thing looks interesting and the fan fret idea works pretty well. I've played a 5 course 15" scale mandolin/mandola like that and again I'd have to stay with it and eschew all others to really master it. The right guy could get a lot of music out of this one and I guess you could tap it but it's no substitute for a Stick. I like weird cool shit and that's why I went all the way weird and got a Stick. My 2 cents.

Two different animals. I've played with Charlie as well s Bucky Pizzarelli and Howard Alden. They each have their own unique approach to the 7 string guitar but none of them tap independent parts which creates a different flavor than The Stick.
All good
Steve A

Yo no comprendo! What do you do with those fan frets?!? Looks like something Salvador Dali would have played.

Fanned frets are advertised as giving better intonation
Steve

Fanned frets provide a range of scale lengths across the strings so each one is at it's optimum tension. None are too tight or too floppy which can happen to low tuned strings. Fanned frets are a luxury on 4ths tuned instruments but can be a lifesaver on the mandolin family of instruments where you have more than 4 pairs of strings tuned in 5ths. That's why zouks and citterns are rarely tuned in 5ths. Either the low strings are too loose or the high strings are about to break. Most players find the fan fret spread is a very finger friendly layout also although it takes some getting used to. Let's just say it's best not to watch your left hand if you can help it. I'd certainly love to pick it up and try it.

So can you play guitar chords on a thing like this?

Yes I have, and I think the fanned frets makes playing more convenient. Or should I say ergonomic? It also makes sense, sound wise, to allow longer strings for the thicker lower tuned. I'm not going to buy a fanned fret guitar though since I sometimes double up with a glass slide and that would be a nightmare on this box