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 How easy is it to setup/change tuning on an SB8? 
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Post How easy is it to setup/change tuning on an SB8?
Hey folks

Someone has been in touch about an SB8 they have. I'm still waiting for a Railboard but if the price is right I'm considering getting this in the meantime.

It's currently strung in straight fourths across the whole board. How easy is it if it's an SB8 (around 1500-1600 serial number, nut is height adjustable screws) to restring it with (say) Interior Classic or Interior DBR etc?

Mark

EDITED: I had it in my head this was an 80s SB8 (my error) but Stick enterprises clarified they started in 1998, so I've edited the subject to not confuse the issue.

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Last edited by mcgrahamhk on Fri Dec 15, 2017 2:47 am, edited 2 times in total.

Thu Dec 14, 2017 6:29 am
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Post Re: How easy is it to setup/change tuning on an 80s SB8?
mcgrahamhk wrote:
Hey folks

Someone has been in touch about an SB8 they have. I'm still waiting for a Railboard but if the price is right I'm considering getting this in the meantime.

It's currently strung in straight fourths across the whole board. How easy is it if it's a 80s SB8 (around 1500-1600 serial number, nut is height adjustable screws) to restring it with (say) Interior Classic or Interior DBR etc?

Mark
If you are planning on reselling it, you may want to leave it as is, and just work your right hand hard in the 4ths.

If you do set it up as you are thinking, you may want to try a custom tuning that emphasizes the chordal aspect of the 5ths instead of the bass aspect.

This might work well, melody are the bottom 4 strings of Matched Reciprocal melody and the bass strings are the top 4 of Matched Reciprocal bass.

G
D
A
E

G
D
A
E

Take notes and photos on how it was set up in case you want to return it to that state.

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Thu Dec 14, 2017 2:35 pm
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Post Re: How easy is it to setup/change tuning on an 80s SB8?
greg wrote:
mcgrahamhk wrote:
Hey folks

Someone has been in touch about an SB8 they have. I'm still waiting for a Railboard but if the price is right I'm considering getting this in the meantime.

It's currently strung in straight fourths across the whole board. How easy is it if it's a 80s SB8 (around 1500-1600 serial number, nut is height adjustable screws) to restring it with (say) Interior Classic or Interior DBR etc?

Mark
If you are planning on reselling it, you may want to leave it as is, and just work your right hand hard in the 4ths.

If you do set it up as you are thinking, you may want to try a custom tuning that emphasizes the chordal aspect of the 5ths instead of the bass aspect.

This might work well, melody are the bottom 4 strings of Matched Reciprocal melody and the bass strings are the top 4 of Matched Reciprocal bass.

G
D
A
E

G
D
A
E

Take notes and photos on how it was set up in case you want to return it to that state.


Thanks for the sage advice Greg! It really is the chordal aspect of the inverted 5ths that I am looking to exploit on the Stick.

Just to clarify, are those older style height adjustable screws and bridges good enough for setting up another way, or is it legitimately tricky?

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10 string Railboard #7076 (Currently in DBR)


Thu Dec 14, 2017 2:46 pm
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Post Re: How easy is it to setup/change tuning on an 80s SB8?
Our first "Stick Bass" models were made in 1998 and SB8 #1600 was finished 10/3/98. Serial numbers are consecutive with all Stick models shuffled into the same numerical series except for NS/Sticks, which have their own sequence based on setup date expressed backwards (yr/mo/day), always moving forward to larger numbers.

If that's not complicated enough, we have three sets of serial numbers, having started over again at #001 with the first adjustable truss rods in 10/89, and later adding together the two sets in 7/02 (leaping from #2121 to #4794), just to keep it honest.

Bass relief at the lower pitched half of the collective fret tips is always scooped under the lowest bass strings, wherever they fall in the tuning sequence of strings. Standard SB8 tuning is in uniform 4ths with the low B at the outer edge (toward the players right side) as on bass guitar. Fret "dressing" (scooping, filing and crowning) is up close to that outer edge on SB8s unless a Stick like melody 4ths with inverse bass 5ths is ordered. Then we scoop the bass relief close to the middle (under the interior low bass strings) as on regular Stick models.

You can of course experiment with any tuning, flipped, reversed, exchanged, on any Stick but for optimum setup you'll need the bass relief under the lowest bass strings. Re-tuning an SB8 without such a fret dressing job will get you there for playing, but not with the magic that comes from an optimum setup.


Thu Dec 14, 2017 3:37 pm
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Post Re: How easy is it to setup/change tuning on an 80s SB8?
BSharp wrote:
Our first "Stick Bass" models were made in 1998 and SB8 #1600 was finished 10/3/98. Serial numbers are consecutive with all Stick models shuffled into the same numerical series except for NS/Sticks, which have their own sequence based on setup date expressed backwards (yr/mo/day), always moving forward to larger numbers.

If that's not complicated enough, we have three sets of serial numbers, having started over again at #001 with the first adjustable truss rods in 10/89, and later adding together the two sets in 7/02 (leaping from #2121 to #4794), just to keep it honest.

Bass relief at the lower pitched half of the collective fret tips is always scooped under the lowest bass strings, wherever they fall in the tuning sequence of strings. Standard SB8 tuning is in uniform 4ths with the low B at the outer edge (toward the players right side) as on bass guitar. Fret "dressing" (scooping, filing and crowning) is up close to that outer edge on SB8s unless a Stick like melody 4ths with inverse bass 5ths is ordered. Then we scoop the bass relief close to the middle (under the interior low bass strings) as on regular Stick models.

You can of course experiment with any tuning, flipped, reversed, exchanged, on any Stick but for optimum setup you'll need the bass relief under the lowest bass strings. Re-tuning an SB8 without such a fret dressing job will get you there for playing, but not with the magic that comes from an optimum setup.


Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions and clarify my misunderstandings - very helpful!

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10 string Railboard #7076 (Currently in DBR)


Fri Dec 15, 2017 2:25 am
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