# NGD: SkerveTEN - 10 string headless



## fabeau (May 18, 2014)

*Specs.*
scale · 27.5-31
tuning· F# C E A E A D G B E
construction · NTB
body · Swamp ash
top · Quilt maple high grade
neck · 9 pieces: Wenge Maple Ebony Maple Rosewood M E M W
neck profile · Flat (a bit asymmetrical) 
fingerboard · Macassar ebony + bubinga stripe + bird's eye maple
Bidings · Wenge and maple
binding · Maple and ebony 
pickups · Custom slanted Bare Knuckle Pickups
hardware · Custom Strandberg Guitarworks
frets · 27 Jumbo Stainless steel
controls · 3-way selector
knobs · Master volume, master tone
straplocks · Dunlop Flush-Mount
finish · Oil and High gloss

*Prologue.*
As you may saw from other sources, this long-awaited guy was delivered at my place a few days ago. The first email sent to Maciek (subject: Its time for a SkerveTEN) goes back to May 21st 2013, so it took almost one year to complete. Definitely an acceptable time, given that it was a prototype and a lot of custom hardware was needed (BKP had to wait for proper magnets to be crafted in China!). Also, given the inherent difficulties of the project, I am aware that Vicol of Skervesen had to come to know new ways of doing some stuff such as fretwork. I designed the first mockup of the guitar and then it evolved with several iterations with them until both sides were fully satisfied. During these months there has been a lot of hype around this project, as one would except for such an experimental project. I want to thank everybody who contributed with interesting comments and suggestions (in particular some of the members of this community). For the unbelievers, regretfully, we made it.

*Review.*
The guitar is pure awesomeness. And said by a European it means it really is 
I cant help but staring at the fretboard, at the Nautilus shell inlay, at the elegant quilted maple top and at the breathtaking back. There are innumerable details and the accuracy of their realizations is to the merit of the Skerve team. I hope pictures treat this with due fairness.

I am very positively impressed by how easily you can play this. I have been playing 8 strings guitar since 6 years and honestly the step is not that huge. I think going from 6 to 8 string was worst. Agree, if you have short fingers youll probably have harder times but still you should be able to find your way out. That being said, some positions are not so comfortable: tapping higher frets in lower strings is quite tough for the left hand. Of course I was well aware of this as you might encounter this limitation with 8 strings as well. The action is ridiculously low and the guitar is somewhat light and very well balanced (God bless headless guitars). The sole thing that annoys me a bit it the position of the jack: as visible in the pictures it is positioned in the lower-right bout cavity. I intended this cavity to lodge my leg while playing sited, but this is fairly troublesome given the presence of the jack. I think I will easily solve this issue, as the back of the cavity should be deep enough to accommodate an angled jack. 

I know you are waiting to read about how it sounds. Short answer is: it sounds stupidly amazing but you cant play your entire shredding repertoire in the lower strings. The first 8 strings sound pretty much like any other BKP mounted guitar I own/owned. Sound is crystal clear even with very high gain and clean tones are warm and crisp. The 9th string is just a bit softer but notes are still very defined. Aaaaand the 10th string, besides being very thick and a bit saggy (forget about playing 16th notes at 250BPM on that), still sounds clear (especially neck pickup)! It sounds similar to the 9th string but the volume is lower (or at least, you perceive it as softer) and a bit less defined. As a general remark Id say that it is great for playing tapping and slower riffs (yeah, breakdown also!).

One last word goes to the Skervesen team that, once again, demonstrated being excellent builders with great customer service. They accommodated every single crazy request I had and they even suggested me options that had an influent production cost without increasing my final payment.

I want to share a short riff I quickly recorded with Das metal preset (Axe-Fx II) just to show how evil this guy can sound. I wanted to upload a vid but I still need to compose something that actually makes me happy so please wait &#9786;

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/f-19/skerveten-quick-test[/SC]

Now pics!





































Asymmetrical neck profile. 






























Family pic.







PS.
Those who care about the low definition issue may be interested on these final remarks. I processed some clips recorded with the Axe-Fx II (clean channel). 





This image shows the spectrogram of four open string notes, respectively 10th, 9th, 8th and 7th string. I tried to pluck each string with the same intensity. As you can see the first note is a bit lower in volume. The infamous 23hZ however is very clearly defined!

With the second analysis I tried to understand to what extent riffs played in the lowest two strings lose definition when played fast. I played the very same riff on the 8th, 9th and 10th string (very fast triplets). Here the spectrograms, respectively for the 8th, 9th and 10th string.

Here, surprisingly the volume is higher on the lower strings. The spectrogram shows that this might be the case because the central frequencies are much more spread, thus the notes are less defined in lower notes. Next figure shows how this intuition applies in particular for higher-frequency harmonics.













My idea is that this particular behavior might depend on the gauge of the string that accumulates some unwanted vibrations. Any physicist is welcome to comment


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## Garfo (May 18, 2014)

I'm not a physicist, but just an erg player with guitar envy. Seriously awesome looking instrument  - Looking forward to the videos of this thing being played when they're available.


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## Dabo Fett (May 18, 2014)

This is amazing and as a audio technology graduate I frickin LOVED the string analysis! Plus it's just a beautiful guitar dude!


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## Allealex (May 18, 2014)

No words for this one, too much win  That's just bloody awesome mate, congrats!

And epic collection BTW


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## ceiling_fan (May 18, 2014)

Looks awesome! Glad to see this turned out so well. How much does it weigh?


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## TraE (May 18, 2014)

Hot damn, this is one of the most ridiculous guitars I've seen. So much win! Congratulations!!


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## OmegaSlayer (May 18, 2014)

Bella Fabio!
Strumento magnifico 
HNGD!


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## Coma Cluster Void (May 18, 2014)

One of the most beautiful guitars evers seen. 

Got some months ago my custom 10-string from Agile. Love it.
Funny: I tuned the lowest strings C1 F#1, you tuned F#0 C1!!! 
Perhaps I'll go lower for the next Album


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## miro94 (May 18, 2014)

HNGD it looks great.
I just wonder if you ever considered double output (separate for bass abd "melody" side)? I completely accept the "9 and more strings" concept - just wonder if it wouldn't be benefitial in such cases. What do you think?


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## Hollowway (May 18, 2014)

That's beautiful! How long did it take them to build it?

Edit: NVM, I'm an idiot - I just saw that you already stated that in the OP.


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## narad (May 18, 2014)

Best Skervesen ever. Hands down!


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## larry (May 18, 2014)

HNGD indeed!! congrats.

so, will you be making a thread on your KXK 8 scale?


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## 77zark77 (May 18, 2014)

Awesome and beautiful ! Congrats and happy TENGD !


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## Nykur_Myrkvi (May 18, 2014)

If this will be played on the new Acheode record I'll buy 2 copies.

Like I said on Facebook:

GODDAMN Fabio!


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## Promit (May 18, 2014)

I think I speak for everyone when I say:


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## decreebass (May 18, 2014)

Unbelievably gorgeous guitar... After getting my Majesty a couple days ago I didn't think I'd ever GAS for another guitar. Damn you.


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## Wings of Obsidian (May 18, 2014)

Man-tears are being shed over here...


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## BucketheadRules (May 18, 2014)

I'm a bit scared of anything with more than 7 strings, but that's gorgeous and my word, if it doesn't look amazingly well-crafted.

Amazing guitar, HNGD!


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## crankyrayhanky (May 18, 2014)

Impressive! Love the dark color contrast on the thick string fretboard


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## gizmi7 (May 18, 2014)

Awesome looking guitar, congrats!


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## Erockomania (May 18, 2014)

Insanely cool. Gotta love Skervesen!


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## ThatBeardGuy (May 18, 2014)

Happy new guitar! That's a gorgeous guitar, I love the combination of the quilted top with that colour and I love the inlay, it's fancy but not over the top and distracting.


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## jase (May 18, 2014)

HNGD!! 

The precision of those side dots is just awesome. How do you find the asymmetrical neck profile?


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## Splinterhead (May 18, 2014)

Saw some pics of this beast floating around and was all 
Aesthetics are top notch here, absolutely amazing guitar!


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## Convictional (May 19, 2014)

I hate Skervesen for being in EU and making guitars this unbelievable. I really want to order a DC Shoggie now.

Also I don't know what it is about that guitar, but the width of the fretboard has really nice looking proportions to the size of the body.

Anyway, HNGD. I can't wait to here what this sounds like on a record.


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## Daf57 (May 19, 2014)

Very cool!! Congrats!


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## yingmin (May 19, 2014)

What was the thought process behind that tuning? The top eight strings are pretty self-explanatory, but why a tritone between string 9 and 10? Is the C just a typo?


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## 77zark77 (May 19, 2014)

That fretboard reminds me the black extra keys (low notes) on a Bösendorfer Imperial piano


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## wigger (May 19, 2014)

that guitar is.... a ....ing beast! HNGD! Looking forward to see a video of you playing it


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## alvo (May 19, 2014)

WAWAWEEWA! HNGD!


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## fabeau (May 19, 2014)

Thank you guys!



miro94 said:


> HNGD it looks great.
> I just wonder if you ever considered double output (separate for bass abd "melody" side)? I completely accept the "9 and more strings" concept - just wonder if it wouldn't be benefitial in such cases. What do you think?


I did consider this option but that would really make 2 separate instruments. However, I'll try to achieve something similar by using filters, EQs and crossovers. Gonna be challenging though 



larry said:


> HNGD indeed!! congrats.
> so, will you be making a thread on your KXK 8 scale?


Sure! It was delivered the very same week of the SkerveTen so I preferred going with this one first, but expect an NGD in the next few days/weeks. Best 8 string I've played so far by the way.



OmegaSlayer said:


> Bella Fabio!
> Strumento magnifico
> HNGD!


Grazie bro! Prossimamente verrò a Roma a farla provare ad un amico. Se la vuoi sculacciare anche tu ti faccio sapere 



jase said:


> HNGD!!
> The precision of those side dots is just awesome. How do you find the asymmetrical neck profile?


It is great! It follows hand movement very naturally.



yingmin said:


> What was the thought process behind that tuning? The top eight strings are pretty self-explanatory, but why a tritone between string 9 and 10? Is the C just a typo?


Honestly, I am still working on tuning. I chose this tuning (before having the guitar) simply because I was writing a piece that worked well with this combination. I reckon I will keep experimenting different tuning though


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## Slunk Dragon (May 19, 2014)

This guitar is leagues beyond what I'd feel comfortable playing, but major props to you for getting that damn thing. It's a one in a million for sure! And what a good group of guys to build it, too!


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## ikarus (May 19, 2014)

HNGD!

the fretboard is awesome!


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## in-pursuit (May 19, 2014)

Wow that is beautiful, HNGD!!


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## Musza (May 19, 2014)

now that's what I call a whale guitar!


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## Konfyouzd (May 19, 2014)

Well damn...


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## aprilia4life (May 19, 2014)

Beautiful guitar, a true masterpiece. That maple top is awesome! 

Did you steal that 10th string from the golden gate bridge?


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## DeKay (May 19, 2014)

I want to hear more.. very interested


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## technomancer (May 19, 2014)

I really haven't liked most of the Skervesen headless guitars that have been posted... but that is awesome. I think something about the wider neck on that just makes all the lines work 

And that top and color look fantastic


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## Eclipse (May 19, 2014)

HNGD! Awesome, congrats!


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## shawnperolis (May 19, 2014)

That is an amazing looking guitar! I'm super jealous and this post just made me super impatient about getting my 10 string. I can't wait to hear it on an album! Happy NGD, bro!


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## thedarknightshreds (May 19, 2014)

Hey man, truly a great axe you got there 
One question, what is the nut width on this beautiful monster??
HNGD man!


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## fortisursus (May 19, 2014)

Dang man that is sick! Also nice collection going there.


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## Shawn (May 19, 2014)

First off, that thing is amazing....the finish, the back and all the little details....really love that inlay too, so perfect and unique. 

Secondly, I would love to play it, would be very interesting. Very nice!


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## TheWarAgainstTime (May 19, 2014)

Holy shit that's crazy! (in the best way of course)

Beyond the whole "first of its kind/prototype/innovative" thing, that's a really nice finish and top  I'm a sucker for blue haha


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## dametalbeast (May 19, 2014)

looks amazing man thats some epic work!, but what is the nautilus made of in the fretboard if I may ask?


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## Alberto7 (May 19, 2014)

I mean whaaaaa...


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## ONE (May 21, 2014)

Such an incredible instrument.  congrats


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## crg123 (Jun 16, 2014)

Bump for audio/video clips . I'm curious how that LOW LOW F# sounds haha. I have G# on my six string bass with a .158 and its still loose. How's it on a 31" scale with what I assume are strings wound like guitar strings? Must be crazy fun to have so much range.


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## fabeau (Jun 17, 2014)

crg123 said:


> Bump for audio/video clips . I'm curious how that LOW LOW F# sounds haha. I have G# on my six string bass with a .158 and its still loose. How's it on a 31" scale with what I assume are strings wound like guitar strings? Must be crazy fun to have so much range.



Sorry dude, you'll have to wait for another month more or less for the video but I am going to upload some audio clips earlier.

In the meantime I am experimenting new tunings and I reckon I will tune up the lower strings a bit for a number of reasons:
- reduce string gauge
- increase string tension (yes, that was an issue indeed)
- make the lower notes more understandable
- improving playability with more comfortable positions

Right now I am trying *ADGBEADGBE *that is great
(and that A is still pretty low: 27.5hZ)


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## InHiding (Jun 17, 2014)

Congratulations on your new axe! I personally would not feel comfortable playing with that neck and probably won't even be able to hear those lowest frequencies.

Can you tell me which software or plugin you used for the frequency analysis?


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## s4tch (Jun 17, 2014)

Unique looking guitar. Usually I don't like wide necks on 8-9 string guitars, and the Skervesen headless design failed to amaze me so far, but this one works as a piece of art, too. Looks fab. Congrats!



fabeau said:


> Right now I am trying *ADGBEADGBE *that is great
> (and that A is still pretty low: 27.5hZ)



Now that's an interesting tuning. How do you cope with that major 3rd between the low G&B strings?


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## aciek_l (Jun 17, 2014)

Waiting for a video!


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## HaloHat (Jun 18, 2014)

While I have zero interest in owning a 10 string that build gives me 100% confidence in the capabilities of Skervesen building a 7 string baritone for me. Now I know how the people in Europe feel about the nice Carvins etc. and how the shipping/duty/tax etc. can be maddening. 

Very badazz guitar, congrats!


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## Neilzord (Jun 18, 2014)

Holy Balls! that thing looks amazing, Can't wait to see videos!


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## octatoan (Jun 18, 2014)

I just found my next wallpaper.


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## Dcm81 (Jun 18, 2014)

Jayzuz feckin charist.....that's all I can think of right now....I'm in awe!


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## Centrix (Jun 19, 2014)

That is absolutely gorgeous! It's very hardcore yet "smooth" at the same time. Glad it turned out to be like you wanted, enjoy!


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## TGN (Jun 19, 2014)

Beautiful monster!


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## octatoan (Jun 19, 2014)

GIB VIDIO PLS KTHX


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## dimitrio (Jul 6, 2014)

Indeed one of best Skervs I've seen. Are there any videos? Or at least some quality audio samples?


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## blckrnblckt (Jul 6, 2014)

Strangely, I think 10 strings looks fine on that body. I think it would look too wide on a superstrat body.


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## dimitrio (Jul 6, 2014)

blckrnblckt said:


> Strangely, I think 10 strings looks fine on that body. I think it would look too wide on a superstrat body.




Indeed. Maybe also good combination of woods makes it (fretboard colors).


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## MAJ Meadows SF (Jul 6, 2014)

Stupendous instrument. It looks like it was pulled out of a deep water trench! I'm literally intimidated. Looking forward to hearing music from this guitar!


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## Rakija (Jul 7, 2014)

Were those even notes?


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## DrShredder (Jul 10, 2014)

That. Is. Insane! Wow


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## hiroprotagonist (Jul 11, 2014)

Once I win the lottery...


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