# My 8 String In Progress!



## bulb (May 9, 2006)

Hey guys! 
This is the place to officially post this i guess.
I am getting an 8 string built by Mordecai Guitars
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=60939090

[email protected]

and its really starting to look awesome
so far here are my specs:
Thin Maple Body
Ebony Veneer
5A Quilt Maple Top
30 Inch Scale (for the low F tuning)
2 Lundgren M8 Pups
7 Piece neck (i forget all of the woods but there is a center piece of flame maple and i belive bloodwood if im not mistaken)
Cocobolo Fretboard with 24 Jumbo Frets (and it has a nice blonde streak to give it that "melted conklin" look haha)
hipshot 8 string thru body bridge
2 volumes
no tone
1 killswitch

I designed the body and the headstock (which is still being designed, but its going to be a mix of Blackmachine and Parker Fly headstocks) but the rest is really up in the air right now. One thing is i can get it lacquered, but i dont know if i want to or not, since oil finishes are sexy too. What do you guys think? What do you guys think i should add or change or whatever?

here are pix:


----------



## David (May 9, 2006)

DAMN, that top is amazing! That looks like it's going to be a BEAST.


----------



## Jason (May 9, 2006)

that top is


----------



## noodles (May 9, 2006)

Very unique choice of woods and way of blending them together.


----------



## rogue (May 9, 2006)

thats amazing, i have a novice question. since your mixing woods on the neck, is there any risk of it braking. when it gets hotter or colder different woods expand/contract slightly different amounts, is this enough to effect it. i know its done on lots of guitars, was just wondering if there is a process or something?

thanks


----------



## metalfiend666 (May 9, 2006)

Nice work. I'd say stick with an oiled finish.


----------



## Chris (May 9, 2006)

Oil finish all the way.


----------



## WayneCustom7 (May 9, 2006)

Nice, now wait a sec, the guy who built it is ony 22? Fuck me!


----------



## D-EJ915 (May 9, 2006)

WayneCustom7 said:


> Nice, now wait a sec, the guy who built it is ony 22? Fuck me!


Umm no thanks...

That body is sexy as hell though.


----------



## bostjan (May 9, 2006)

rogue said:


> thats amazing, i have a novice question. since your mixing woods on the neck, is there any risk of it braking. when it gets hotter or colder different woods expand/contract slightly different amounts, is this enough to effect it. i know its done on lots of guitars, was just wondering if there is a process or something?
> 
> thanks



The idea is that the different expansions and contractions make it less susceptiple to changing weather, but you could debate this either way. Since the glue used to bond the pieces is very strong, they won't break apart at the seams.


----------



## Michael (May 9, 2006)

WOW 

Looks like it will be one sweet ass guitar!


----------



## Nik (May 10, 2006)

All these are 8-string threads in recent days are giving me major GAS... And man, that top is unbelievable. Congrats!


----------



## bulb (May 10, 2006)

hehe glad you guys like it!
regarding the multipiece neck, i was actually wondering the same thing, jesse (the luthier) says that it actually will make it more durable and sound better! 
He really likes doing exotic necks like that, i would have been happy with a simple maple oiled neck haha!
But as for the body, i have been giving it some thought and i think i will agree with you guys and do an oil finish!


----------



## Jesse (May 10, 2006)

I want one :'(


----------



## Karl Hungus (May 10, 2006)

It looks nice, but jesus... 30" scale? Most of the higher strings could be practically unplayable!


----------



## metalfiend666 (May 10, 2006)

Karl Hungus said:


> It looks nice, but jesus... 30" scale? Most of the higher strings could be practically unplayable!


 
The first frets of the low strings are a hell of a reach too. I tried the Blackmachine 8's at the London Guitar Show. The fanned fret model is a lot more manageable due to the 28" scale on the bass side.


----------



## Papa Shank (May 10, 2006)

My Ergo 9 was 30", didn't really pose any problem.


----------



## Pauly (May 10, 2006)

metalfiend666 said:


> The first frets of the low strings are a hell of a reach too. I tried the Blackmachine 8's at the London Guitar Show. The fanned fret model is a lot more manageable due to the 28" scale on the bass side.



I NEED that guitar left-handed, and with non-EMG's lol.


----------



## Scott (May 10, 2006)

What you NEED is to make that lefty 7, and give me money


----------



## bulb (May 10, 2006)

Yeah the 30 inch scale will be a bit of a reach (so im practicing getting comfortable with my bass hehe). I originally wanted to do a 27 or 28" scale, but my luthier did some research and found that anything less than 30 would be bad for tension. But i know someone who got a 30 inch blackmachine and he said it wasnt nearly as bad as he was expecting it to be. So i am hoping the same will be true for mine! As for fanned frets, i was thinking about those, but i have never tried them out, and as much praise as they have received i wouldnt want to get them on my 8 and possibly end up disliking them.


----------



## VforVendetta00 (May 10, 2006)

hey u bulbous bastard! i didn't know u were whoring around these parts too!


----------



## bulb (May 10, 2006)

i will follow you everywhere danny....in a really creepy way!!


----------



## Shawn (May 11, 2006)

Lookin' good, can't wait to see it finished and that top is beautiful, nice work.


----------



## evil (May 11, 2006)

Beautiful! All of this eight string talk around here really makes me want one.

Which makes me wonder..but first a search.


----------



## bulb (May 16, 2006)

Hey guys, i have the basic headstock design here:
Ebony over the 7 piece neck with maple veneers for accents in a wonderfully phallic design of my own!


----------



## darren (May 16, 2006)

W8NGCASTER!


----------



## goth_fiend (May 16, 2006)

intresting headstock


----------



## Nik (May 16, 2006)

Looks kinda like a Parker or Blackmachine headstock.

Can't wait to see the finished thing!


----------



## Shawn (May 16, 2006)

The headstock is interesting. Lookin' good so far.


----------



## Mr. S (May 16, 2006)

its a bit of a bizarre headstock, but weird is good! looks like its coming along nicely


----------



## bulb (May 16, 2006)

yeah i know the headstock would be hit or miss, but it came out better than i could have ever hoped! One thing that is good to note is the fact that i really wanted to go rev. headstock on this one since i wanted to increase the effective tension scale on the wound strings and keep it lower on the unwounds, otherwise i would have probably gone 4+4.


----------



## Mark 7 (May 16, 2006)

God that's nice! I love the look of different exotic woods together.

Please keep updating the pics as it moves along!


----------



## Josh (Jun 4, 2006)

Hey you're already here!  Ignore my last message on myspace then.  

*oogles at the 8-string madness*


----------



## Durero (Jun 4, 2006)

Absolutely beautiful!
I think you'll be very happy with the long scale - the tone should be awesome and it's still much shorter than a bass scale.


----------



## that guy (Jun 4, 2006)

unless you have teenie weenie chick hands ,you should be set ...lucky...


----------



## bulb (Jun 5, 2006)

OH NOES!!1 My hands are teenie weenie and chick-like!! 
Havent had too much progress on the guitar in general since Jesse was worried about the durability of the first neck since i wanted it to be very thin, so he made me a brand new neck with the same wood combo i believe, but this is slightly thicker and A LOT more durable. He also just ordered the Lundgrens so that he can route the body, so expect some pics soon!


----------



## Desecrated (Jun 5, 2006)

I envy you so much.


----------



## Nik (Jun 5, 2006)

Man, I can't wait to hear what kick-ass tunes you put together with this baby


----------



## jacksonknox27 (Jun 9, 2006)

the reverse headstock wont make the tension better, the strings will be more bendable...http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10364


----------



## bulb (Jun 9, 2006)

yeah i know i read that afterwards haha!
oh well its not the biggest deal in the world, according to that thread the difference is negligible, and on top of that the 30inch scale will be plenty of tension.


----------



## bulb (Jun 12, 2006)

Good news! I talked to my luthier and since he hasnt finished carving the headstock out of the new neck he is building me, he will make it a non rev headstock! He says it will be a bit of work since he will had made the preparations for the rev headstock, but he doesnt have a problem doing it! I love this guy haha!


----------



## nyck (Jun 12, 2006)

Sweet deal.


----------



## Durero (Jun 12, 2006)

bulb said:


> Good news! I talked to my luthier and since he hasnt finished carving the headstock out of the new neck he is building me, he will make it a non rev headstock! He says it will be a bit of work since he will had made the preparations for the rev headstock, but he doesnt have a problem doing it! I love this guy haha!


That's great!
I think your headstock design will still look awesome!


----------



## bulb (Jun 12, 2006)

thanks man!
what guitar is in your avatar? im guessing its that "raven" in your description, do you have any large pics of it haha?


----------



## that guy (Jun 13, 2006)

bulb said:


> Good news! I talked to my luthier and since he hasnt finished carving the headstock out of the new neck he is building me, he will make it a non rev headstock! He says it will be a bit of work since he will had made the preparations for the rev headstock, but he doesnt have a problem doing it! I love this guy haha!




unless i missed something ,wouldnt reverse headstock work better???

i guess i need to read that thread


----------



## Durero (Jun 13, 2006)

that guy said:


> unless i missed something ,wouldnt reverse headstock work better???
> 
> i guess i need to read that thread


yeah that's a misconception that keeps coming up every once in a while here. I think it's an understandable mistake - longer strings seem like they ought to be tighter - but it's actually the opposite: once you're past the nut or bridge any additional length starts making the string feel looser.

Anyhow that thread should make it clear why that is 



bulb said:


> thanks man!
> what guitar is in your avatar? im guessing its that "raven" in your description, do you have any large pics of it haha?


Yup - that's what it is. I'll post some pics as soon as I can - have to borrow a digital camera from my girlfriend but I've been too busy writing music these days


----------



## Roland777 (Jul 4, 2006)

Durero said:


> Yup - that's what it is. I'll post some pics as soon as I can - have to borrow a digital camera from my girlfriend but I've been too busy writing music these days



Clips in addition to the pics!!!


----------



## JPMDan (Jul 8, 2006)

30" scale is not needed

Shannon's EKG 8 - 25.5
LGM's 8 - 27
Nyck's Drop tuned Agile Intercepter to F# - 27"

Thats more than enough votes to prove that a 30" isnt the only way to go.


----------



## darren (Jul 8, 2006)

Well, that's not exactly a great precedent.

Shannon bought a pre-existing 8-string neck, so didn't really have choice in the matter.

Jeremy had to be badgered into even offering 27" scale on the Leviathan line.

Those who have a lot of experience in developing and playing 8-strings have said over and over that long scale lengths are necessary for getting clarity on the low F#. A 27" scale should probably be regarded as an absolute minimum if you want to tune your 8 at the low end of the scale.


----------



## nyck (Jul 8, 2006)

JPMDan said:


> 30" scale is not needed
> 
> Shannon's EKG 8 - 25.5
> LGM's 8 - 27
> ...


I have to say, if you want the optiumum performance out of the low F# on a guitar, your best bet is going with a 30" scale. But at that length, I personally feel it's a bass/guitar hybrid. Like I said before, if you want it to stay shredable, 27" is a good compromise.


----------



## darren (Jul 8, 2006)

With those laminations in the neck, i'd be a _little_ concerned about having a Parker-style headstock. Half of the headstock is going to be held on with nothing but a small patch of glue, with a fair amount of torsional force applied to it.


----------



## bostjan (Jul 8, 2006)

The glue isn't the problem so much as the boundaries. When you change from one material to another, there is a material incontinuity, and as the mechanical properties change drastically, there will be a strain.

As for scale length, the longer, the better, as far as low F# goes, but 27" should work. It won't be the best clarity, but it ought to be livable. I'm still a firm advocate of fanned frets. As long as cost is not the major issue, any eight string, either with low F# or with high A, deserves a compound scale length. This way, you can get a long enough F# or a short enough A without compromising the character of the rest of the instrument. 2" or 2.5" can make a huge difference for those extended strings.


----------



## metalfiend666 (Jul 9, 2006)

I'm with Bostjan on the fanned frets. The Blackmachines I played were both great instruments, but as I've said many times before here the 30" scale was too long. Far too much like a bass for my tastes. The fanned fretted version with a 25.5 to 28" scale was very manageable. It was also clearer that the 30" because of the fanning. I'd heard before that fanned frets are clearer because the clang tones of each string are different, which I was a bit sceptical about. Having played a fanned instrument, it's true. The difference is truly astounding.


----------



## dpm (Jul 9, 2006)

metalfiend666 said:


> I'd heard before that fanned frets are clearer because the clang tones of each string are different, which I was a bit sceptical about. Having played a fanned instrument, it's true. The difference is truly astounding.


 
I had the exact same thing happen. Until I heard the clarity of fanned frets first hand I thought the 'clang tone' thing would be barely perceptible - at best. Totally wrong, it's very obvious.


----------



## Oguz286 (Jul 9, 2006)

WTF?! That thing looks friggin sexy! Way to go Mischa! 

Now you're gonna make EVEN MORE BADASS songs


----------



## nyck (Jul 9, 2006)

What's the update on this thing?


----------



## nyck (Jul 9, 2006)

Hey bulb, could you explain to me why you chose Maple for the body?


----------



## bulb (Jul 10, 2006)

no updates because the luthier is teching for melissa etheridge for the next few weeks and the lundgrens were on backorder anyways. 
Hopefully it should be complete within a month of it getting back.
i still dont know what to do finish wise, i have decided to go satin vs. laqcuer, but i dont know what color(s) the guitar should be stained...

and nyck, i chose maple cuz i wanted a wood that can handle low frequencies and manage to keep em tight. So this will have a tighter low end than swamp ash, and it will be a lot brighter too so the the low notes wont be muddy. Swamp ash or alder would have been my second choice, but i have always wanted a maple guitar, and the body will be thin so that it doesnt weigh TOO much, tho this will definitely be a beast haha!


----------



## Durero (Jul 10, 2006)

A black stain with the grain still visible is my personal favorite.


----------



## nyck (Jul 10, 2006)

bulb said:


> no updates because the luthier is teching for melissa etheridge for the next few weeks and the lundgrens were on backorder anyways.
> Hopefully it should be complete within a month of it getting back.
> i still dont know what to do finish wise, i have decided to go satin vs. laqcuer, but i dont know what color(s) the guitar should be stained...
> 
> and nyck, i chose maple cuz i wanted a wood that can handle low frequencies and manage to keep em tight. So this will have a tighter low end than swamp ash, and it will be a lot brighter too so the the low notes wont be muddy. Swamp ash or alder would have been my second choice, but i have always wanted a maple guitar, and the body will be thin so that it doesnt weigh TOO much, tho this will definitely be a beast haha!


Sweet man. Thanks for the info.


----------



## bulb (Jul 11, 2006)

Durero said:


> A black stain with the grain still visible is my personal favorite.



do you think the quilt is too dark for a blue denim color finish?
those are ultra sexy!
and what color should the maple edge be?


----------



## JPMDan (Jul 11, 2006)

nah the blue will show throught that quilt but it may be a bit darker as for the edges I'd do black on the edges.


----------



## nyck (Jul 11, 2006)

I would personally do a satin finish of some type. All natual.


----------



## TheIllustratedLuthier (Aug 6, 2006)

oh and by the way, Charlie Hunter is amazing. However, I'm not sure if you're referring to using a fan fret system. We're going straight equal temperment with this one. Also.. the bridge isn't intonated yet.. obviously.. .... just clearing that up!


----------



## bulb (Aug 6, 2006)

ladies and gents: my luthier! haha! he's good people cmon give him a warm welcome, the man's a genius!
as proof i present to you my NEW cocobolo fingerboard, if this isnt pure sex then i dont want to know what is hahahah!


----------



## Pauly (Aug 6, 2006)

T3h S3XXoR!!

No really, that's sweet as.


----------



## b3n (Aug 6, 2006)

Yup, that's one hell of a fretboard.


----------



## Seedawakener (Aug 6, 2006)

wow, havent seen this thread before... that is awesome! wow, greatlooking guitar!


----------



## nyck (Aug 6, 2006)

Incredible fretboard man.


----------



## Jason (Aug 28, 2006)

Any updates bulb?


----------



## 7slinger (Aug 28, 2006)

that is a wicked looking board


----------



## bulb (Sep 1, 2006)

not really any updates yet, i mean i have changed a few things around, and i think im going to go for a lacquer finish but not a very reflective one, sort of a soft finish which wont stick when your arm gets sweaty, and i will be going for a sort of faded denim look as far as colors go. He has the lundgrens and last i heard he was making the molds for them or something, i should ask him what the progress is, i think it will actually be a couple more months to tell you the truth especially since i will be going with a lacquered finish.


----------



## JPMDan (Sep 1, 2006)

well get us more pictures we must see more!!!!


----------



## Ryan (Sep 7, 2006)

good idea with the blue. i would have chosen that also.. or trans. dark green ;D


----------



## Shawn (Sep 7, 2006)

bulb said:


> ladies and gents: my luthier! haha! he's good people cmon give him a warm welcome, the man's a genius!
> as proof i present to you my NEW cocobolo fingerboard, if this isnt pure sex then i dont want to know what is hahahah!


Very nice. It's looking good so far.


----------



## bulb (Sep 25, 2006)

Hey guys i have some new pics of the top to which Jesse (the luthier) said he "worked some magic" with, and just when i thought my top was already gorgeous too. Also my pickups arrived finally!
Here are some pics!













Jesse said he will be working on the guitar all day today, so i might have some more pix a little later!


----------



## darren (Sep 25, 2006)

Wow... gorgeous woods! It's really starting to come together. Personally, i think the point on that "armrest" cutaway would be very uncomfortable, but i presume you've designed it and tested it to work with _your_ playing position.


----------



## bulb (Sep 25, 2006)

i dont really rest my arm on the guitar so much as the bridge so im not one of those people who gets bothered by that section of the guitar so much haha, i designed it that way so that the input jack would be in there facing up so that i could wrap the cable around the strap without twisting the cable.


----------



## Elysian (Sep 25, 2006)

is the guy building that a roberto-venn graduate? doesn't say on his myspace, but he's in chandler, az, so makes me wonder...


----------



## nyck (Sep 25, 2006)

Wow, that's very cool. Definitely coming together now!! You will be posting clips right?


----------



## bulb (Sep 25, 2006)

i dont know if he is is a graduate from that school but i will be sure to ask, i do know he worked at esp custom shop for a year and a half before this tho...

clips? NO CLIPS FOR YOU!!

haha of course i will man, i cant wait to get my hands on this!


----------



## Nik (Sep 25, 2006)

Hot damn that is gorgeous  

Looking at all the amazing and cool things you do with 7-strings, I'm extremely excited to hear what you do with 8


----------



## bulb (Sep 25, 2006)

aww thats nice of you to say, but im actually really nervous that i wont do it justice, im really going to have to up my game on this one!


----------



## Jason (Sep 25, 2006)

bulb said:


> aww thats nice of you to say, but im actually really nervous that i wont do it justice, im really going to have to up my game on this one!



well that should push to be a better player for it.


----------



## nyck (Sep 25, 2006)

bulb said:


> aww thats nice of you to say, but im actually really nervous that i wont do it justice, im really going to have to up my game on this one!


Trust me dude. You're gonna make the most badass stuff ever on that fucker.


----------



## bulb (Sep 26, 2006)

as for the color jesse is going to experiment on some the leftover pieces of the top's wood, but im personally thinking a mix of these two colors with the "deep" look of the first one
for example a mix of these two tops (color wise)

http://cgi.ebay.com/USA-BRIAN-MOORE...384QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item270032712666

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=N

and im thinking maybe make a very thin whiteburst then and im undecided on what color the surrounding wood should be...
and i was thinking maybe there should be a very thin whiteburst to contrast with the "binding" from that ebony veneer, still undecided about what color the maple body should be tho...

what do you guys think?


----------



## noodles (Sep 26, 2006)

You live in the DC area? We definately need to meet up at some point for a beer. 

To those of you not near DC: Ha! I get to see it in person! Eat a dick!


----------



## bulb (Sep 26, 2006)

haha yeah dude, i live in van ness if that means anything to you, we definitely should dude, and i want to see your KxK dammti haha!


----------



## noodles (Sep 26, 2006)

bulb said:


> haha yeah dude, i live in van ness if that means anything to you, we definitely should dude, and i want to see your KxK dammti haha!



Yeah, I used to work at Fannie Mae, so I know about where you're at. I currently work right near the Capitol building.

You gigging? I'll come check you out. I'll have to drag you out to a show at some point. Then you can check out four different sevens.


----------



## Drew (Sep 26, 2006)

darren said:


> ownage



 I got the sense Jeremy finally decided to offer the 27" scale as an option for the 8 and (I believe) 7 largely to get the seven stringers on Jemsite to shut up, and less because he believed it was necessary. Operative word being believed - luthiers seem to be by-and-large unwilling to deviate from 24 3/4 or 25 1/2 unless they absolutely have to, even ones like Jeremy who are otherwise pretty free from the constraints of tradition. 



dpm said:


> I had the exact same thing happen. Until I heard the clarity of fanned frets first hand I thought the 'clang tone' thing would be barely perceptible - at best. Totally wrong, it's very obvious.



Hmm. Now I'm really intrigued to play one.


----------



## metalfiend666 (Sep 26, 2006)

Drew said:


> Hmm. Now I'm really intrigued to play one.


 
Do it! Find somewhere/someone that has a fanned fret instrument for you to try and you'll be blown away. The only downside is you may find yourself wanting to sell everything you own for one.


----------



## bulb (Sep 26, 2006)

noodles said:


> Yeah, I used to work at Fannie Mae, so I know about where you're at. I currently work right near the Capitol building.
> 
> You gigging? I'll come check you out. I'll have to drag you out to a show at some point. Then you can check out four different sevens.


yeah man, tho until recently i was on drums, now we have a drummer and he should be up to speed in a couple weeks, so we will be playing some shows then.
Actually when Jeff Loomis last came to town we hung out and he got me and my band some guest passes to the show, so we ALL saw you guys open up for Nevermore! The first thing i noticed was the KxK on your headstock haha!


----------



## TheIllustratedLuthier (Sep 28, 2006)

Just wanted to say thanks for all the nice comments on Misha's project. One thing I wanted to comment on was the structural integrity of the neck. A lot of people don't realize that the joint between wood and wood glue is stronger than the natural grain of wood. So, as long as there's a solid glue joint, the more laminates the stronger! This is a very strong and very.. phallic, headstock. No worries! This glue issue is also a reason why many high end builders use scarf joints to make stronger neck / headstock joints!


----------



## bulb (Sep 28, 2006)

OK guys got a WHOLE BUNCH of new awesome pics for you to check out!
This is torture to have to look at these right now....


----------



## Mark. A (Sep 28, 2006)

WOW dude that looks mental!


----------



## metalfiend666 (Sep 28, 2006)

Very nice dude, I love the multi layer fretboard.


----------



## Michael (Sep 28, 2006)

That's look really nice.


----------



## b3n (Sep 28, 2006)

It looks beyond nice.


----------



## bulb (Sep 28, 2006)

metalfiend666 said:


> Very nice dude, I love the multi layer fretboard.


the fretboard is actually just a solid piece of cocobolo (tho it is a top quality piece that my luthier picked out cuz of the eye and the blonde streak)


----------



## metalfiend666 (Sep 28, 2006)

Oh, ok. I guess the pinstripe and the darker wood is the neck then?


----------



## noodles (Sep 28, 2006)

That is just insanely nice looking.


----------



## Code001 (Sep 28, 2006)

Holy fuck, that looks gorgeous!!!!


----------



## Oguz286 (Sep 28, 2006)

Ok Mischa, i hate you!  

Nah j/k , but i must say, i'm jealous, that is one BEAUTIFUL guitar!


----------



## bulb (Sep 28, 2006)

haha my bad dude, i thought you guys were talking about the top i totally forgot that he put a maple veneer in between the neck and the fretboard ahah! He has all these small cue throughout the guitar, that veneer actually goes all the way around the headstock too, so it looks really damn awesome!


----------



## D-EJ915 (Sep 28, 2006)

Dude that floating string system is gonna rock 

Anyway man, that thing is great looking!


----------



## Battle-axe (Sep 28, 2006)

Damn tht thing looks great man! :eekl:


----------



## Pauly (Sep 28, 2006)

Apart from upper fret access I deem that trU and metal as fuck.


----------



## bulb (Sep 28, 2006)

cool man, not much of a 24th fret shredder or i would have opted for a deeper cutaway and 27 frets haha


----------



## bulb (Oct 20, 2006)

Hey guys got some new pics of the progress.
The first pic is the guitar painted in the color i want it, except i wanted it to have an even more layered and deep look to it so what jesse is doing is painting the guitar and then sanding it down so the color remains in the grain so when he paints over it, you have layers!





and this is after it was sanded down the first time




and this is the back




the body i think will look nice in natural so we will keep it that way and if it doesnt then we will probably do a deeper or darker blue, but i have a feeling that the natural maple will look real nice!


----------



## Aaron (Oct 20, 2006)

looks great man good job


----------



## Nik (Oct 20, 2006)

I envy you with every inch of my body.


----------



## bulb (Oct 21, 2006)

Ahh the paint on the top is pretty much done!! And it looks better than i ever could have imagined!!
I have to admit, i suck at describing colors, but i tried my best and Jesse, like some psychic, made this color PERFECT!! I was half worried that maybe i miscommunicated what i wanted, but damn..just see for yourself!! (sorry still in shock, just got these pics about 10 mins ago!)










Now we are to determine what to do with the body color so he will send me some pics of the guitar with the neck on it and the tape on the body removed to determine whether a natural maple color or a blue body paint job would be in order!

EDIT: just to be clear, that IS tape on the body so the paint wouldnt leak thru...


----------



## Chris (Oct 21, 2006)

Oh man, leave the top with the blue, and oil the rest. That'd look absolutely amazing.


----------



## nikt (Oct 21, 2006)

natural body will look awsome, and the color is killer


----------



## 7slinger (Oct 21, 2006)

looks awesome


----------



## Mastodon (Oct 21, 2006)

I'm with Chris, leave the top the way it is.

It looks amazing.


----------



## Ryan (Oct 21, 2006)

i cant stop looking at it! thats amazing man


----------



## b3n (Oct 21, 2006)

Mastodon said:


> I'm with Chris, leave the top the way it is.
> 
> It looks amazing.



I think he's talking about the back/sides of the body, not the top.

Awesome finish there


----------



## keithb (Oct 21, 2006)

Wow.....that is just amazing looking.


----------



## Nipples (Oct 21, 2006)

Awesome color choice.

Cant wait to hear it in action.


----------



## Desecrated (Oct 21, 2006)

Make the sides and the back the same color, or black.


----------



## bulb (Oct 21, 2006)

i dunno about a black body, i honestly will either do blue body or natural, ill wait until Jesse posts some pictures of the body and the neck and gives me his reccomendation cuz this far he has done everything perfectly for me!!


----------



## Desecrated (Oct 21, 2006)

what about dying the back the same color as the fretboard ?


----------



## noodles (Oct 21, 2006)

b3n said:


> I think he's talking about the back/sides of the body, not the top.



He knows, he just typed it wrong.

I also think natural color on everything else is the way to go. Let all that layered wood show through.


----------



## OzzyC (Oct 21, 2006)

bulb said:


> Hey guys got some new pics of the progress.
> The first pic is the guitar painted in the color i want it, except i wanted it to have an even more layered and deep look to it so what jesse is doing is painting the guitar and then sanding it down so the color remains in the grain so when he paints over it, you have layers!
> 
> 
> ...




i think it would look best as it is in the second pic....its pretty unique and just plain awesome


----------



## Desecrated (Oct 22, 2006)

To much contrast between the back and the front, that super nice wood in fron tand just that plain wood at the back, i think a blue paint would look the past, maybe a little transparent blue so that you see a little grain,


----------



## Seven (Oct 22, 2006)

OzzyC said:


> i think it would look best as it is in the second pic....its pretty unique and just plain awesome



+1, It's very nice in the second picture.


----------



## Mastodon (Oct 22, 2006)

Are you guys serious?

The second pic makes it look as if the guitar is not completed in my opinion.


----------



## Pauly (Oct 22, 2006)

Hmmm, I would keep it natural, it provides a nice contrast in colour to the blue quilt. Saying that though, I would maybe stain the wood slightly darker, but that's just me. It'd match the fretboard a little closer in that way, so you'd have a sorta 2-tone colour scheme.

A trans-black finish could be cool too. (Well, maybe...)



Desecrated said:


> what about dying the back the same color as the fretboard ?



Ah, you beat me to it.


----------



## Naren (Oct 22, 2006)

Mastodon said:


> Are you guys serious?
> 
> The second pic makes it look as if the guitar is not completed in my opinion.



 I think it looks a LOT better in the first picture than in the second. The second pic looks like a slab of wood in a garage. Looks like it needs to be sanded and painted.


----------



## bulb (Oct 22, 2006)

haha as cool as the second pic is, i DEFINITELY prefer the look it has now, that was the color i had in my head all along, and im honestly amazed that jesse was able to get it exactly right!


----------



## metalfiend666 (Oct 23, 2006)

That looks amazing! I'm very envious of you now  I think that body needs to stay a natural finish so it doesn't detract from the beauty of the top.


----------



## Ryan (Oct 23, 2006)

I think that layered blue stained top is pure, unadultorated, hardcore sex.


----------



## Pauly (Oct 23, 2006)

Desecrated said:


> what about dying the back the same color as the fretboard ?



I concur a 2nd time!


----------



## skinhead (Oct 25, 2006)

wow man, that finish its really really good.
i like that PRS of Paul Allender of Cradle of filth.
its this one.


----------



## All_¥our_Bass (Oct 25, 2006)

That fretboard is absolutley gorgeous!!


----------



## metalfiend666 (Oct 25, 2006)

Skinhead, as cool as that guitar looks WTF has it got to do with Bulb's 8 string? BTW that PRS sounds like shit for metal, to the extent that their producer wouldn't let Paul record with it. Straight from James McIlroy.


----------



## skinhead (Oct 25, 2006)

Really elegant, i like the 2 tone wood.
Its good the hipshot bridge?


----------



## bulb (Oct 25, 2006)

thanks, i like hipshot style bridges and so i think it will be good, i will take that over a gibson style one anyday (prefer the palm muted feel)


----------



## ScareRaven (Oct 25, 2006)

The guitar is, indeed, drool-worthy!  I love looking at guitars with natural finishes.


----------



## Gamba (Oct 25, 2006)

Awesome axe dude
you are the bulb from mesh forum, right?


----------



## bulb (Nov 4, 2006)

yes sir thats me!

btw guys i have some new pics, i told jesse to do what he thought would look best with the body color and i really dig the result!













should be soon now! i cant wait to have this in my hands haha!


----------



## Shikaru (Nov 4, 2006)

Man, that's looking awesome so far! Especially that top in that colour


----------



## OzzyC (Nov 4, 2006)

imo it was a little better how it was before when it was sanded down after the first staining with it natural on the back but....as long as you like it


----------



## Spoongirl (Nov 4, 2006)

I loved it until you put the blue on it. But that's just me.


----------



## Nipples (Nov 4, 2006)

Holy crap that's awesome.


----------



## skinhead (Nov 5, 2006)

I love that blue on the top, but not the bass style.
Tastes are Tastes said a women sticking a tomato in her ass.


----------



## Mastodon (Nov 5, 2006)

Still diggin it.


----------



## Ancestor (Nov 5, 2006)

Looks good. That'll get you inspired.


----------



## BRUTALIZER GUITARS (Nov 5, 2006)

You know I love this guitar man!! the Blue looks Great 

BUT there this one thing that keeps buging me the lack of wood holding that 
8-STRING BOLT ON neck in place, Im sure its fine but it scares me a bit


----------



## YngwieReid (Nov 5, 2006)

It wont be long now, I can't wait to hear it!


----------



## bulb (Nov 5, 2006)

BRUTALIZER GUITARS said:


> You know I love this guitar man!! the Blue looks Great
> 
> BUT there this one thing that keeps buging me the lack of wood holding that
> 8-STRING BOLT ON neck in place, Im sure its fine but it scares me a bit



hmm Jesse actually redesigned the neck because it scared him the first time around, he says it probably would have been fine but that he wanted it to be perfect so im trusting him on this one, personally i really wanted a bolt on, and he said for the sound im going for i should probably get one..


----------



## Nik (Nov 5, 2006)

Wow, that's gorgeous  

I'm assuming that, with that much attention to detail, this is costing you an arm and a leg...


----------



## Spoongirl (Nov 5, 2006)

BRUTALIZER GUITARS said:


> BUT there this one thing that keeps buging me the lack of wood holding that 8-STRING BOLT ON neck in place, Im sure its fine but it scares me a bit



Yea, looks like it's gonna fall very easily


----------



## Papa Shank (Nov 5, 2006)

That neck would've done well from having a larger/longer joint...looks a bit worrying like brutalizer and spoongirl have mentioned.


----------



## Pauly (Nov 5, 2006)

Looks kewl, although I still think the secondary colour should have been similar to the fretboard, but that's just me, still killer though.


----------



## bulb (Nov 5, 2006)

hmm since all you guys are worried about the joint i will bring it up with jesse and ask him, personally i wasnt too worried because the body is made of maple which is very dense and the neck is made of very dense woods as well but we will see what he has to say about it, it does however look like its going to be VERY comfortable for upper fret access!


----------



## Ryan (Nov 5, 2006)

I cant wait to hear the crazy music youre going to make with that thing man!


----------



## BRUTALIZER GUITARS (Nov 5, 2006)

You know man Im just not sure!! i'll willing to bet thats its fine but it would suck to dump a ton of cash one it only to find that its breaking away from the body


----------



## skinhead (Nov 5, 2006)

skinhead said:


> I love that blue on the top, but not the bass style.
> *Tastes are Tastes said a women sticking a tomato in her ass*.



In that i was saying that tastes are tastes, its a thing that we say here in argentina, its not an insult to anybody.

That girl said that she doesn't like blue, and i put that words.

I repeat, it's not an insult.

Sorry if i hurt someone.


----------



## metalfiend666 (Nov 6, 2006)

Looking good Bulb. Any news on how much longer you have to wait for it?


----------



## bulb (Nov 6, 2006)

i should hopefully have it by the end of the month!


----------



## bulb (Nov 19, 2006)

got some new pics!
its really coming together and man now im officially in love with the backs finish, and that neck joint looks like its going to play itself!! AHHHRGH!! I CANT WAITTT!!!!! 
...if there was a line outside of guitar center for this, i would be first in line, with a shotgun (and a ps3 so i dont get bored ha!)


----------



## Nik (Nov 19, 2006)

That is vastly badass!

That neck-joing does look extremely comfortable, albeit a bit flimsy. Can't wait to see the finished thing!


----------



## Durero (Nov 19, 2006)

Wow!
Gorgeous!


----------



## Naren (Nov 19, 2006)

Woah. That looks awesome.


----------



## Pauly (Nov 19, 2006)

Woah!


----------



## eaeolian (Nov 19, 2006)

That's coming together very nicely.


----------



## maliciousteve (Nov 19, 2006)

An 8 string guitar with 1 string? Anyone would think it was for a nu metal band


----------



## OzzyC (Nov 19, 2006)

maliciousteve said:


> An 8 string guitar with 1 string? Anyone would think it was for a nu metal band



no...its got two  
so now it REALLY qualifies as a nu metal guitar


----------



## bulb (Nov 19, 2006)

yeah man gotta hit those high notes too every now and then, im actually gonna just put tape over the middle 6 strings cuz ill never use em!!


----------



## Metal Ken (Nov 19, 2006)

OzzyC said:


> no...its got two
> so now it REALLY qualifies as a nu metal guitar



http://throwdownguitar.ytmnd.com/


reminds me of this 


that guitar looks like awesome, by the way.


----------



## Nipples (Nov 19, 2006)

Ultimate badassness.

Neck joint looks uber comfortable, and looks sturdy enough to me.


----------



## metalfiend666 (Nov 20, 2006)

Awesome dude! It's on the home stretch now


----------



## skinhead (Nov 21, 2006)

Bulb you'r on the right way!

That guitar it's looking metal!

That throwdown it's a good idea, for some = riffs again and again 

Sounds really heavy the audio, only 1 fret and 1 string


----------



## bulb (Dec 5, 2006)

ITS DONE!!!




Jesse cant find his camera since he moved, so he took this with his phone.
He should be shipping it out in the next few days hopefully!


----------



## Donnie (Dec 5, 2006)

Looks pretty damn cool!  That color is great.


----------



## Shikaru (Dec 5, 2006)

It's beautiful!

Can't wait for more pics/clips


----------



## Pablo (Dec 5, 2006)

Wow, that looks amazing! Make sure to post more pics when you get it!

Cheers

Eske


----------



## Nik (Dec 5, 2006)

I demand tons of uber-high-rez pics once you get it!

Oh, and loads of clips tasty poly-metric insanity, too


----------



## Mastodon (Dec 5, 2006)

OMFGWTFBBQ SEX.


----------



## god_puppet (Dec 5, 2006)

That is one seriously beautiful guitar...I'm looking forward to more pics


----------



## Durero (Dec 5, 2006)

That's stunning Bulb!


----------



## eaeolian (Dec 5, 2006)

Holy crap! Very nice...


----------



## D-EJ915 (Dec 5, 2006)

Whoa dude, that thing rules!


----------



## Ancestor (Dec 5, 2006)

Very nice!


----------



## Naren (Dec 5, 2006)

Woah. That's gorgeous. I was just sitting here, kind of zoning out, but when I saw that guitar, my eyes almost popped out of my sockets. Looks amazing.


----------



## Shawn (Dec 5, 2006)

bulb said:


> ITS DONE!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That is the most beautiful quilt top i've ever seen.  Beautiful color too, very nice. Congrats!


----------



## metalfiend666 (Dec 6, 2006)

Wow! I can't wait to see lots of high res pics when you get it. You're a lucky guy Bulb!


----------



## kruneh (Dec 6, 2006)

That looks killer.
I like that slim look and those massive pups.
Can´t wait for pics and clips


----------



## Skeksis (Dec 6, 2006)

That's a pretty sweet phone, that image is very nice.


oyeh cool guitar


----------



## Drew (Dec 6, 2006)

Dear god, Bulb.


----------



## HighGain510 (Dec 6, 2006)

Wow that is freaking sweet! Congrats bulb! Just curious, is that Jesse as in Jesse from "Ergo Guitars/Basses" by any chance? If so, he's a cool guy, I've traded emails with him a couple times.  Where are the strap buttons located? Also out of curiousity, how much was it for a custom instrument like that (you can PM me if you would prefer not to post that info on the board)? Congratulations again, can't wait to hear some clips of that guitar!


----------



## Oguz286 (Dec 6, 2006)

If that isn't the most beautiful guitar there is, then i don't know what is... holy shit! And it has all of my favourite colours, wow man! Congratulations and now go and make some badass music!


----------



## Dropped (Dec 6, 2006)

any chance you'd tell us the pricetag?


----------



## bulb (Dec 6, 2006)

HighGain510 said:


> Wow that is freaking sweet! Congrats bulb! Just curious, is that Jesse as in Jesse from "Ergo Guitars/Basses" by any chance? If so, he's a cool guy, I've traded emails with him a couple times.  Where are the strap buttons located? Also out of curiousity, how much was it for a custom instrument like that (you can PM me if you would prefer not to post that info on the board)? Congratulations again, can't wait to hear some clips of that guitar!




Hey man, its actually not that Jesse, this guy's name is Jesse Hall and he lives in Arizona. But the other Jesse (Blue i believe) is definitely a cool guy as well haha. As for the price i cant tell you how much im paying for it, because im getting an "artist deal" if you will haha, but Jesse said that a guitar to this spec should cost about 2800 dollars or so (remember thats with a pair lundgren m8's and a 5A quilt top and exotic 7 piece neck and top grade cocobolo fretboard) which if you ask me is a steal! Base price on his guitars is going to be around 2300 depending on what exactly you want/need. If you need more details you should just email him for a quote at [email protected] with what you had in mind!

As for the strap buttons, he doesnt have dunlop strap locks, and i do, and i dont want to wait for him to order them, so im just going to have him drill the holes. Would any of you guys happen to know what size holes need to be drilled for the dunlop strap lock pins?


----------



## Jason (Dec 8, 2006)

bulb said:


> As for the strap buttons, he doesnt have dunlop strap locks, and i do, and i dont want to wait for him to order them, so im just going to have him drill the holes. Would any of you guys happen to know what size holes need to be drilled for the dunlop strap lock pins?



seeing you have the strap buttons why not send them to him and have them installed?

Also somwhere in canada Nick cormier pants will explode with canadian spunk when he see that...


----------



## bulb (Dec 8, 2006)

cuz instead of waiting for them to get to him i can just get the guitar by tuesday haha and screw em in myself!
...im so impatient


----------



## abyssalservant (Dec 8, 2006)

Damn, them phones take good pictures these days.


----------



## Nik (Dec 8, 2006)

*Dear God that's an amazing phone!!!!!1  *


The 8-string is pretty cool too


----------



## bulb (Dec 8, 2006)

Finally its done, i havent got it yet, but according to fedex i will on tuesday!! I cant wait.
Look at these pics!!






























MY HEAD ASPLODE!!!


----------



## Jarrett (Dec 8, 2006)

Gratz, that just looks awesome. If it sounds half as good as it looks....

wow!


----------



## Jason (Dec 9, 2006)

Very nice. I demand clips ASAP.


----------



## swedenuck (Dec 9, 2006)

What gauge strings are you using on that BAMF?


----------



## bulb (Dec 9, 2006)

I told jesse to stick 9's on there and for the B he put a .055 bass string and for the F a .070 bass string. Of course i will post clips when i get it haha!


----------



## Jason (Dec 9, 2006)

I'm sure it's mentioned in this thread BUT how you going tune it?


----------



## Naren (Dec 9, 2006)

Woah. It looks even better in those pics. With a fretboard that wide, you won't be able to hang your guitar very low. When I bought my seven, I noticed immediately that I couldn't play as low as I could on a six because of the fretboard's width. With an eight, it'll be even more EXTREME.

That guitar is beautiful. I have to hear how it sounds.



.jason. said:


> I'm sure it's mentioned in this thread BUT how you going tune it?



I would assume from Bulb's last post: F#BEADGBE


----------



## philkilla (Dec 9, 2006)

God damn. Thats some sick buck nasty shit right there....I must hear soon!


----------



## bulb (Dec 9, 2006)

yeah narens right about tuning, i usually drop my guitar a half step too, so we will see, and i also like to drop the low string so it might be E or Eb depending on tuning. The trick is im trying to not do what meshuggah does and get the bass to remain an octave below the guitar, i did a test in F with my carvin and my schecter bass that worked decently and hopefully with some tweaking will eventually sound nice and balanced, so hopefully E or Eb wont give me TOO much trouble, but i will get much thicker gauge strings for my bass, and i will have a guitar that can handle that tuning perfectly! I CANT WAIT!! PLEASE GOD TO PROVE YOU EXIST MAKE IT BE 4:30PM on TUESDAY DEC 12th 2006 RIGHT NOW!!!

*waits*


----------



## Jason (Dec 9, 2006)

So you can tune it to drop e?


----------



## The Dark Wolf (Dec 9, 2006)

My bass player played in F, along with me.

It works, but it's tricky. You need real thck strings, and a 35" scale bass helps. Active pickups are good, and lots of EQ and compression. It's a trick to get that low ass frequency to really work, but it _can_ be done.


----------



## bulb (Dec 9, 2006)

yeah im working with it, http://www.yousendit.com/download/eG2Lm3NaUTl5TA== 
i mislabeled as F# cuz i didnt realize i was actually in F hehe.
the riff is played twice, the first time its podxt bass, second time its my bassists sans amp bass driver, i think i like the podxt more though.

but keep in mind, this is with the thin ass strings that came with the schecter bass, and with the carvin 7 string, so when i get new strings and my 8 it should sound a lot more together!


----------



## The Dark Wolf (Dec 9, 2006)

bulb said:


> yeah im working with it, http://www.yousendit.com/download/eG2Lm3NaUTl5TA==
> i mislabeled as F# cuz i didnt realize i was actually in F hehe.
> the riff is played twice, the first time its podxt bass, second time its my bassists sans amp bass driver, i think i like the podxt more though.
> 
> but keep in mind, this is with the thin ass strings that came with the schecter bass, and with the carvin 7 string, so when i get new strings and my 8 it should sound a lot more together!



Which is which? There's no break between the two different bass sounds. It's just all one long riff, repeated.


----------



## Jason (Dec 9, 2006)

Nice and heavy.very clear too..is that due to the lower gain and right hand technique?


----------



## Ryan (Dec 9, 2006)

i like the first half bulbenhoffer.


----------



## Michael (Dec 9, 2006)

That's fucking sexy dude!


----------



## bulb (Dec 9, 2006)

The Dark Wolf said:


> Which is which? There's no break between the two different bass sounds. It's just all one long riff, repeated.



yeah there is no break, the sans amp is at 23 seconds


----------



## darren (Dec 9, 2006)

That looks amazing.

I'm a little concerned about that neck joint, though. There doesn't seem to be a lot of wood-to-wood contact, so there's going to be a lot of torsional forces on those bolts.


----------



## bulb (Dec 9, 2006)

yeah i talked to jesse about that, he said its fine and just not to use it as a baseball bat or anything...so yeah i was kinda bummed cuz there goes my baseball career!


----------



## Ryan (Dec 9, 2006)

Are you gonna gig it? D: If that was mine, it wouldnt see the light of day.


----------



## bulb (Dec 9, 2006)

i dunno, on one hand it will be my baby and i wouldnt want it to get roughed up, but on the other hand i didnt get a guitar so it could stay at home.
I DONT KNOW!!!ARRGH!
i guess when i write more 8 string oriented stuff for periphery i will HAVE to bring it on stage, so thats the way to solve that one i guess hehe!


----------



## Naren (Dec 9, 2006)

Ryan said:


> Are you gonna gig it? D: If that was mine, it wouldnt see the light of day.



Instruments are meant to be used. 



bulb said:


> i dunno, on one hand it will be my baby and i wouldnt want it to get roughed up, but on the other hand i didnt get a guitar so it could stay at home.
> I DONT KNOW!!!ARRGH!
> i guess when i write more 8 string oriented stuff for periphery i will HAVE to bring it on stage, so thats the way to solve that one i guess hehe!



A very wise philosophy.


----------



## Ryan (Dec 9, 2006)

Naren said:


> Instruments are meant to be used.



Instruments $2,000 and up are meant to be used at home over a padded surafce at 72 degrees fahrenheit. lol


----------



## Scott (Dec 9, 2006)

Ryan said:


> Instruments $2,000 and up are meant to be used at home over a padded surafce at 72 degrees fahrenheit. lol



See, this is what pisses me off about not having the same selection of guitars as righties.

I would play the shit out of a JemDNA/10th/ JPM90th etc.


I wouldn't intensionally damage it, but I wouldn't just look at it either.

Hell, as soon as I start jamming with people again, my 1077xl is gonna be the first one up!


----------



## bulb (Dec 9, 2006)

yeah when i found that out i was pretty bummed about buying a diamond dildo...


----------



## Ryan (Dec 9, 2006)

I mean, i wouldnt just look at it either, id use it as a recording guitar or home practice. I would just use my $700-$800 guitars for the rough stuff. If you can relate to that, youre just playing the devil's advocate.


----------



## Naren (Dec 9, 2006)

Ryan said:


> Instruments $2,000 and up are meant to be used at home over a padded surafce at 72 degrees fahrenheit. lol



I disagree. Any instrument up to $10,000 should be played at home, at practice, live, and any other place you'd normally use an instrument. Any instrument over $10,000 is no longer an instrument and has gone into the territory of "antiques" and "over-priced heaps of wood and metal."

Instruments are meant to be played.  If Bulb writes 8-string songs for his band and decides not to use the 8-string live, then he can't play any of those 8-string songs live, which defeats the purpose of having bought the guitar in the first place.


----------



## Ryan (Dec 9, 2006)

we can agree to disagree! =)


----------



## Scott (Dec 9, 2006)

Naren said:


> I disagree. Any instrument up to $10,000 should be played at home, at practice, live, and any other place you'd normally use an instrument. Any instrument over $10,000 is no longer an instrument and has gone into the territory of "antiques" and "over-priced heaps of wood and metal."
> 
> Instruments are meant to be played.  If Bulb writes 8-string songs for his band and decides not to use the 8-string live, then he can't play any of those 8-string songs live, which defeats the purpose of having bought the guitar in the first place.







It's like buying a Ferrari and keeping it in the garage with the radio on.


----------



## Ryan (Dec 9, 2006)

yah but driving the ferrari in suburbia and driving the ferrari in a demolition derby are 2 different situations...


----------



## bulb (Dec 9, 2006)

i can see where ryan is coming from. if i had several 8 strings that were simpler looking and therfore cheaper i would definitely use those on stage cuz i wouldnt mind roughing it up a little, i would be so pissed if this thing got a ding (which will happen eventually thanks to murphy's fucking wonderful fucking law!! fuckin asshole!!) but yeah its going to be my only 8 for a while, and i intend to write with it, so i will jsut be uber careful on stage when im using it.


----------



## Scott (Dec 9, 2006)

Ryan said:


> yah but driving the ferrari in suburbia and driving the ferrari in a demolition derby are 2 different situations...




He's playing on stage. Not in the mosh pit


----------



## Ryan (Dec 9, 2006)

I dont think Bulb sits down when he plays live. I could be wrong, but im pretty sure he moves around and has a good time... I cant even move around at my recording desk without hitting the headstock on something sometimes...


----------



## bulb (Dec 9, 2006)

yeah i definitely will not move around as much with this, but then again i am playing the carvin and the petrucci live too, which are both guitars i wouldnt want to mess up live, i will just be very careful!


----------



## Ryan (Dec 9, 2006)

Whatever you do, dont drop the soap! Ive see the way your bass player looks at you! D: ;D

Back on track, that thing is beautiful! I think we can all agree on that. I can't wait to hear some clips of that m8


----------



## bulb (Dec 9, 2006)

you know you will, dammit guys, if one of you can really man up and claim to be a true friend of mine you WILL knock me out (make it fast please) till about 4:30pm on tuesday!


----------



## The Dark Wolf (Dec 9, 2006)

bulb said:


> yeah there is no break, the sans amp is at 23 seconds



Ah, ok. Well, the difference between the two clips, bass-wise, is very minimal. The first one (POD?) sounds abit fuller, with more bass. But I'm sure the same effect could be had with EQ. So, it's moot I suppose.



bulb said:


> you know you will, dammit guys, if one of you can really man up and claim to be a true friend of mine you WILL knock me out (make it fast please) till about 4:30pm on tuesday!



Come drinkin' with me. I guarantee you'll be knocked out, for awhile.


----------



## Naren (Dec 9, 2006)

Ryan said:


> yah but driving the ferrari in suburbia and driving the ferrari in a demolition derby are 2 different situations...



Uh, it's not like he's gonna go crazy and throw the guitar into the crowd and bash it against the walls, breaking the ceiling lights with it, then set it on fire on stage, and cut it in half with a chainsaw. Maybe that's what you do live, but normal people don't... 

I would say him playing his eight-string live would be like driving the ferrari in suburbia and playing his eight-string at home would be like just revving the engine in the garage.


----------



## Scott (Dec 9, 2006)

^Yeah...that's better than the radio analogy I suppose


----------



## The Dark Wolf (Dec 9, 2006)

Ryan said:


> I mean, i wouldnt just look at it either, id use it as a recording guitar or home practice. I would just use my $700-$800 guitars for the rough stuff. If you can relate to that, youre just playing the devil's advocate.



I agree completely, unless it's A) a specialized instrument that can't easily have a duplicate (like my RG2027, or say a MIDI guitar), or B) you have more than one, and use some specifically for gigging.

But to say that you won't gig with a guitar doesn't mean you'll never use it! You're absolutely right, Ryan. Why do people infer that?  I'd play the heck out of it at home, or in the studio, but why risk trashing a very expensive, one-off custom instrument at shows if you don't have to? 

I think the same way, bro. 



Naren said:


> Instruments are meant to be played.  If Bulb writes 8-string songs for his band and decides not to use the 8-string live, then he can't play any of those 8-string songs live, which defeats the purpose of having bought the guitar in the first place.



Totally disagree. Again, why the inference that it can't/won't be played? Here's another analogy. It'd be akin to playing football in an Armani suit. "But an Armani suit is meant to be worn!" Of course... but not on a football field. If it's Bulb's ONLY 8, and that's its intended use, then sure. But what if he had more than one? Or just wanted an 8 for shits n' giggles?

There's nothing wrong with playing a top-dollar instrument on stage, if one so chooses. But there's also nothing wrong with choosing not to, as you seem to be suggesting. See my above thoughts.  If I had an Ibanez RG7-CST, I wouldn't gig with it. I have my 2027 for that. But I would still play it! Just, at home, or in the studio.


----------



## Naren (Dec 9, 2006)

The Dark Wolf said:


> Totally disagree. Again, why the inference that it can't/won't be played? Here's another analogy. It'd be akin to playing football in an Armani suit. "But an Armani suit is meant to be worn!" Of course... but not on a football field. If it's Bulb's ONLY 8, and that's its intended use, then sure. But what if he had more than one? Or just wanted an 8 for shits n' giggles?
> 
> There's nothing wrong with playing a top-dollar instrument on stage, if one so chooses. But there's also nothing wrong with choosing not to, as you seem to be suggesting. See my above thoughts.  If I had an Ibanez RG7-CST, I wouldn't gig with it. I have my 2027 for that. But I would still play it! Just, at home, or in the studio.



Totally disagree. And I think your analogy is wrong. Not using the guitar would be like playing soccer with a football because the only soccer ball you have is one that was used to win the World Cup. Can you play soccer with a football? Not very well.

Let's say I have eight six-strings and one seven-string. My seven-string cost me $3000, so I don't want to play it live, but half of my band's songs use the seven string. Do I just decide never to play those songs live? You could say "buy a cheaper seven string to use live." But, in Bulb's case with the eight-string, all eight-strings are custom and thus are all expensive.

Instruments are meant to be played. I could see somebody buying a Paul Reed Smith for $4000 and then never using it live because they have another cheaper guitar with the same scale, number of strings, number of frets, and same general type of sound. In this case, there is no other eight string -- and, if there was, it'd probably be pretty comparable in price, considering all eights are custom.

In Bulb's case, it's clear he didn't buy it for "shits and giggles." It seems clear that he plans to implement it into his band's sound in the future. I think he also said that he doesn't expect to buy another eight soon. So, those are out of the picture.


----------



## The Dark Wolf (Dec 9, 2006)

Naren said:


> Instruments are meant to be played. I could see somebody buying a Paul Reed Smith for $4000 and then never using it live because they have another cheaper guitar with the same scale, number of strings, number of frets, and same general type of sound. In this case, there is no other eight string -- and, if there was, it'd probably be pretty comparable in price, considering all eights are custom.


"Instruments are meant to be played." Does that mean they have to be played at a gig every time? You keep assuming since one has a guitar, but chooses not to gig with it, it's not being played.  That's absurd. To reiterate, if I had a RG7-CST, which is for all intents and purposes a better version of my guitar, I WOULD NOT gig with it. But I would play it constantly. Besides, this statement... "meant." Is there a divine purpose? If you own something, you can do whatever the heck you'd like with . You could use it for firewood. The purpose of the instrument is to make music, but to limit it to performance, well, that seems a pretty simplistic assumption. The Hope Diamond is meant to be worn jewelry, yet it sits on display.

Let's say you have a 1967 Camaro. Do you use it for day to day driving? Wouldn't another car be better?



Naren said:


> Let's say I have eight six-strings and one seven-string. My seven-string cost me $3000, so I don't want to play it live, but half of my band's songs use the seven string. Do I just decide never to play those songs live? You could say "buy a cheaper seven string to use live." But, in Bulb's case with the eight-string, all eight-strings are custom and thus are all expensive.



Gee, Eric. Thanks for overlooking what I said. I agreed with that completely in the first post on this issue.



The Dark Wolf said:


> I agree completely, unless it's A) a specialized instrument that can't easily have a duplicate (like my RG2027, or say a MIDI guitar), or B) you have more than one, and use some specifically for gigging.






Naren said:


> In Bulb's case, it's clear he didn't buy it for "shits and giggles." It seems clear that he plans to implement it into his band's sound in the future. I think he also said that he doesn't expect to buy another eight soon. So, those are out of the picture.


In Bulb's case, I agree completely. As I stated. But you're making it a false choice, dude - either/or. Re-read my caveats to Ryan's statement. I completely agree with the basic premise!

You say they "should" be played. That's your opinion. I respect that, and if it's your guitar, do with it what you will. But by painting Ryan's choice (and mine) to NOT play an expensive instrument live as somehow erroneous is silly, IMO.

Ease up, man. You have a different perspective is all.


----------



## Naren (Dec 9, 2006)

The Dark Wolf said:


> In Bulb's case, I agree completely. As I stated. But you're making it a false choice, dude - either/or. Re-read my caveats to Ryan's statement. I completely agree with the basic premise!
> 
> You say they "should" be played. That's your opinion. I respect that, and if it's your guitar, do with it what you will. But by painting Ryan's choice (and mine) to NOT play an expensive instrument live as somehow erroneous is silly, IMO.
> 
> Ease up, man. You have a different perspective is all.



I understand that and I'm not necessarily saying that all instruments should always be played live. I have several instruments that I've never played live (but not because I think they're too valuable).

And, yeah, I realized after I posted that that you were agreeing with me. 

My posts were pretty much specific to Bulb's case. I mean, if you had two similar 7-strings, but one cost $3000 more than the other, it would be easy to understand why you'd want to use the cheaper one live. I'm not really thinking of cases other than Bulb's at the moment. For example, I could easily see someone using 4 different guitars on an album, none of which are used live. But, I could not imagine someone recording an album using 8-strings and then be expected to play the same songs live with a 7-string or a 6-string.

I guess we don't really disagree on much. I had more of an issue with Ryan's comparison with the ferrari. I don't see how playing a guitar on stage is like taking a ferrari to a demolition derby. All of the guitars I own have dents on them, but not one of those dents was done live or at practice. Every single one of them was done at home (either at my home in the US or my apartment here in Japan) with the exception of one, which was done by some idiot who worked on fixing my guitar and put a dent in it.


----------



## The Dark Wolf (Dec 9, 2006)

Well, that makes perfect fucking sense, now! 

Coolness. It seemed like you were saying (and this is a blatant exaggeration, so indulge me  ) "PLAY THAT GUITAR ONSTAGE OR DIE!" But, since you weren't, moot point, 'cause in Bulb's (or a similar) case, I totally agree with everything you said.

Good point on the dents being home-grown though. Most (but not all) of mine are, too. Live, my biggest fear would be, well, after beer, theft! A band here in Toledo just got like 9 grand in equipment jacked! Guitars included.


----------



## Naren (Dec 9, 2006)

The Dark Wolf said:


> Good point on the dents being home-grown though. Most (but not all) of mine are, too. Live, my biggest fear would be, well, after beer, theft! A band here in Toledo just got line 9 grand in equipment jacked! Guitars included.



Theft would be my main fear too. And sometimes (especially in Toledo) there are those jackasses who throw beer at the band. Makes you wanna say, "Dude, don't you realize that could really damage our equipment? This IS electrical, you know? Electrical equipment + liquid = baaaaad"

And, as a fan of Bulb's music , I'm looking forward to hearing this beast.


----------



## Ryan (Dec 9, 2006)

Naren said:


> And, as a fan of Bulb's music , I'm looking forward to hearing this beast.



Isnt that what it all comes down to?


----------



## Naren (Dec 9, 2006)

Ryan said:


> Isnt that what it all comes down to?



Basically yeah.


----------



## AVH (Dec 9, 2006)

Late as always into the threads...
Bulb, that is an astoundingly gorgeous instrument - utmost congrats to you!  
Kudos to Jesse as well for his awesome work, it's clearly top notch.  

I understand the the whole trepidation of using certain expensive instruments live, but I'm of the old school and I think instruments are meant to be played - albeit gently and watched like a hawk in some cases. I have some valuable vintage gits that i still take and play, but I just treat them with kit gloves and never let them out of my site. 

The real key is if it's absolutely irreplaceable. If it is, then absolutely not. If that's the case, Bulb can soon score one of the upcoming Ibby 8's for live use, and keep that baby for home/studio use. I'll occasionally take the '61 SG/LP or '67 Martin D35S out to jam (carefully), but the '58 LP my dad gave to me when I was 8 never leves the house - that's obviously irreplaceable for the sentimental factor. 
You have to weigh the same reasoning....


----------



## HighGain510 (Dec 11, 2006)

Late to this part of the discussion, so allow me to chime in so you can maybe relate as to why keeping some instruments at home would be a good idea:

I get that Bulb has an 8 string, of which, there are not many to be had (right now, unless Ibanez changes their mind!). If he writes songs that require all 8 strings and wishes to play them live, I can see how it might be hard for him to NOT bring it to the gig. However, if you write SOME songs using an 8 string, but play your 7-string stuff live, you could easily get by with just your 7 string guitars (of which there are many!).

I have a guitar on order nearing completion from Ron Thorn. Anyone who knows about Ron and his guitars/inlay business, he is second-to-none in guitar-building and his inlay is THE best in the field IMHO. I honestly feel he will be considered one of THE great builders of our time once the right people find out about his guitars. That said, I've been on the build list for over a year now and my instrument was over $3K. Would I ever take my Thorn to a metal gig? FUCK NO!  I'd have to be crazy!!!  A guitar like that, IMO, needs to be well cared for and the only kind of gig I would bring it to would be like a blues gig somewhere small, and even then I would have to keep a friend by the stage to watch my shit!  I would save my other, easily-replacable, guitars for metal/rock gigs where I wouldn't care as much if they get dinged up. Considering his wait time is over 2 years now (that's until you can *place an order *with him, his backlog is THAT long... once the order is in at that time it would probably take another 1-2 years for completion due to the guys at the end of the current list, the guitars are THAT good!) I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing a guitar like that to a gig. I would be worried about someone ELSE damaging it or trying to steal it the second I set it down!  The price tag and wait time (would you want to take 3-4 years to replace something you have already waited over a year for and spent that much on just to GET in the first place?  ) would not allow me to bring it to a gig and feel comfortable about it, so in a case like this where you cannot easily replace it, I would factor that into whether or not I would bring the instrument.

I can cover the same material I'm playing on this guitar on other guitars I own, so it's not 100% the same for senor Bulb. There are people who say "sure, I'd gig that shit!" when talking about his new guitar but it's not really your guitar, and you didn't have to wait for either having it built or saving to finally buy a really expensive guitar!  Do what you want Bulb, it's your guitar bro! It's a VERY excellent LOOKING guitar too, I can't wait to hear about how well it plays and sounds too! Hoping for the best for both you and your guitar bro!


----------



## BRUTALIZER GUITARS (Dec 11, 2006)

GOD FUCKEN DAME THATS A BADDASS SHIT KICKING AXE


----------



## bulb (Dec 11, 2006)

yeah you guys definitely have a sensible approach to this. Honestly i will bring it to a gig, my band mates want me to bring it to the next one, but i said no way, i dont need an 8 for the gig, and you know, once i get comfortable with the 8 and im writing songs and the shock value has subsided and its another one of my guitars, i will probably not have a hard time playing it live, i will just keep my eye on it always haha. But i mean i got it so i could play it right? I will just be a bit more careful, i remember going thru the same internal debate when i got my mystic dream petrucci 7 and my dragonburst on quilt carvin 7. But i bring em both to gigs without TOO much worry (i am still very careful haha). I just wish that my beat up guitars stayed in tune as well/sounded as good as my nice looking ones...


----------



## skinhead (Dec 11, 2006)

Blown my head man!

Congratulations!

I like it very much, in the case looks like a beast!

I can't talk/write, i'm very surprised.


----------



## HighGain510 (Dec 11, 2006)

Oh man Bulb that finish is just SO killer bro!  I dig the little bit of sap wood showing on the high end of the fretboard... too cool!


----------



## Ryan (Dec 12, 2006)

Thats not sapwood, thats where Bulb got a little too excited...


----------



## bulb (Dec 12, 2006)

yeah...sap..wood


----------



## Nipples (Dec 12, 2006)

So blub, how long was the process for the guitar anyway, from the time of order, till tomorrow apparently?


----------



## bulb (Dec 12, 2006)

Well i ordered the guitar at the beggning of May, so about 7 months. It shouldnt have taken that long, but in the time of him building he went to tech for Melissa Etheridge for a month on her tour, moved, installed new machines, and a few other things that couldnt be avoided. I think the process now that he is setup and everything should only take about 4-5 months max and probably even faster honestly!


----------



## sevenstringdeath (Dec 12, 2006)

i just saw the end result on the guys myspace, i beleive that was your guitar anyways, and it looks great


----------



## bulb (Dec 12, 2006)

OK guys i got it, i would write more of an update but im jamming on it now (been busy all day dealing with the parents who are in town now) and i just need to play this. The long and short is ITS AWESOME, its surprisingly light, and its a very bright sounding guitar, doesnt sound like anything else i have ever had, sounds ULTRA clear on the low notes. Also the 30 inch scale which i was semi freaking out over turned out to be a TOTAL non issue, when i picked it up i didnt even realize it was 30 inches till i remembered that it was (if that makes sense haha)
Ok im playing it now, laters!


----------



## tehk (Dec 12, 2006)

Congrats bulb! It is without question that a man of such talent deserves an instrument to match


----------



## Ryan (Dec 12, 2006)

Ok cool, when youre done just send it on over kthxbye :/


----------



## bulb (Dec 13, 2006)

Ok i recorded a quick clip just so i can have time to work on something good in the meantime haha
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/showthread.php?p=331219#post331219


----------

