Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

or you could buy "Esteban's" video...

I must admit, if you close your mind to the fact there's twice as many strings and just go for it like a regular 4 string, they are just great fun to play and hard to put down - I play mine in three bands I'm currently in, and to a man they HATE them! Guitarists might as well sit down for a rest when you plug in a Rick 8 string...

...in that case I may just have to get one!!!

Owen, I really didn't find much difference playing my 8 from playing my 4s; I've played some 8 strings that were quite hard to fret but my Rick was pretty much a piece of cake. I agree with Brian and Simon, I wasn't sure where it would fit in but once I got it it took preference over my other basses for gigs (at least in my current band). I loved it; only sold it because the only way of financing the Alembic was to sell some stuff, and I figured I'd eventually get another, whereas with the Alembic it was now or never. Although Brian, strings over here are MUCH more expensive, which did bother me; I can get a 4 string Roto set for £13, and the 8 string sets cost over £30. Same goes for Rick strings, and most others.

i couldnt stand paying 30 for a set of strings, especially as a set of rotos last me about 3 weeks if im gigging. Even a 5 string bass! A set of 5 string rotos is abut 22 quid!

I find I get more gigs when other musicians like having me around, haha!

I change my strings before most every gig (we only average a gig or two a month) and I use pretty cheap GHS Bass Boomers which are about $20 and they have an 8 string set that sells for $25. If I plan on using mainly one bass for the evening I just make sure it has a fresh set on and don't worry much about the others. As long as my gig money covers strings, batteries (for the wireless), gas and beer I'm good to go .

BTW....the other guys in my band love the s8 since it has such a big/full sound.

bands here dont make any money!

Lucky for me, that's not true.

ORIGINAL bands here don't make any money....I should know, I've been making no money for 20 odd years! You can make plenty playing covers...

Yeah that's about it here in Boston too. I play blues and roots rock and make some. Cover bands make the money here.

Besides John Entwistle, does anyone know of any other Rickenbacker 8-string owners/users (besides members of this board that is)? The only other possibility I can come up with right now is Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick...

Chris Squire!

I sold a 4005/8 to Mike from Van Halen. He supposedly used it on a couple of tracks, but I couldn't tell you which ones.

I saw a 4005/8 on ebay a couple of years ago it was fireglo the asking was around $8000 could this be that one,there couldnt have been that many.