NBD Fernandes 8-string

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woodyng
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NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by woodyng »

I found this on Talkbass,coincidentally it was listed on Premier Bass guitar's website that Joshua/Chandler linked here on RRF. Ergonomically,it is pretty close to perfect for me. The body is light and compact,well balanced,with just a hint of neck dive. The 3 piece neck feels like a wider,more shallow Jazz bass neck,and it has an active P-J pickup system,which may be replaced with something more trad if I keep it long enough. (It has that typical active "even" sound that i eschew.) After it has a few weeks to acclimate to the Oregon Coast weather, i will see about a neck tweak/set up,probably will want to replace the to-me-always-too-stiff-feeling D'Addario strings that came with it. (If any of you 8 or 12-string playing bassists have other string suggestions,i would love to hear them.) I played it with my pop band last nite,and it sounded really good blending in with acoustic gtr and keyboards. Looking forward to seeing how it does in the power trio setting of my other band soon.
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sloop_john_b
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by sloop_john_b »

I had my eye on this too! Nice score, Woody. :)
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Ashgray
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by Ashgray »

Hiya Woody

Nice bass - congrats on acquiring it! :) I think you'll be amazed (but perhaps not quite as amazed as your power trio guitarist and drummer :wink: ) as to the amount of power and sound that a good 8 string bass can really deliver when cranked up!

On strings - I too disliked the feel of D'Addario strings on my 4003s/8 so, given the relative absence of a wide range of 8 string set options, I went for an unconventional solution. I've always liked Elixir Nanoweb strings on my Ricks - I use the standard ones on the 4002 and fretless, and the stainless steel ones on my 4001 v63 (all light gauge, 0.40-0.95). Problem is, Elixir don't market an 8-string set, so I had a string supplier here in the UK make me up custom sets, based on the 40-95 Elixir set for the fundamentals, and the octave strings made up of Elixir 0.45, and 0.32, with D'Addario 0.25 and 0.20 finishing the set.

As I said, rather unconventional but I really like the six Elixirs and the two D'Addarios, being the lightest gauges in the set, don't pose a problem and sit in reasonably well with the sound and feel of the others. Overall, this is the best combination of all the sets and mixes that I've tried, and lord knows I've spent enough money experimenting. :shock:

Whilst I appreciate that it's a niche market, it would be great if Elixir or other companies would consider manufacturing dedicated sets of us 8-string players.

Ash
1976 4001 "Shadow" Fretless
1978 4002 Walnut
1986 4008 Silver
1999 4001 V63 White
2012 4004 Jetglo

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jps
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by jps »

Very nice, Woody! I keep thinking of getting an 8 string, too, someday, someday, maybe. 8)
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woodyng
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by woodyng »

Thanks,Guys! :D Jeff,the last time i owned an 8 string (Veillette-Citron),Cheap Trick were just becoming popular, :lol: and i've wanted another one forever. I recently sold my 5 string,(an avenue i decided i didn't need to travel!) and this appeared to me the day it sold on Ebay. I had been looking at low-end,i.e.,affordable 8-ers and despairing. This bass is of a very high build quality and has a great feel,and was in my $ ballpark. Ashgrey, thanks for sharing your string preferences,I've only tried elixers once on a Tacoma acoustic bass,so i will keep them in mind! I do hope to find a made set,or i may just be contacting Circle K to see what they recommend.
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Ashgray
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by Ashgray »

Best of luck finding something you like, Woody. You may find more options available in the States than I have over here in the UK...

If you do come across a good set that works for you, please let me know.

Ash
1976 4001 "Shadow" Fretless
1978 4002 Walnut
1986 4008 Silver
1999 4001 V63 White
2012 4004 Jetglo

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jps
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by jps »

I bet you still wish you had the Veillette-Citron.

My Martin Keith basses have a very strong connection to both those guys; Martin works with Joe, and the pickups are made by Harvey! :D
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weemac
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by weemac »

Great stuff Woody!

Err if anyone else wants a Eight Stringer let me know..

Eden.
I confused Faraday's cage, with Schrodinger's cat box....
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woodyng
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by woodyng »

jps wrote:I bet you still wish you had the Veillette-Citron.
:D
You are correct,Sir! I don't even have a lousy old photo to remember it by! And I have not yet found anything i liked as much,but if one did show up,it likely would be outta my reach anyway, :|
This Fernandes gets a lot of things right for me,i will have to see if i can get it tweaked moreso to my liking,or maybe i will just get accustomed to it as is.....

Eden....this was too good of a deal for me to pass up,altho i bet i like the sound of the electronics in yours better!
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woodyng
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by woodyng »

I did a bit of internet string shopping,found the SIT and Ghs Boomer 8 string sets on Justrings.com for $19 and $22,respectively. (Supercheap!) Also,Dane Wilder told me he uses and recommends the SIT's for his 8-string conversions. Then i went to Circle K's website,they sell a balanced set for $39.00,which is probably what i'm gonna go for. I love the circle k's i have on my Laredo. All 3 of these string types are nickel-steel combinations. Also,Ashgrey, circle k says they ship to Europe. I didn't notice if juststrings ships internationally.
I may have to have a new nut cut before restringing,as the e strings are inset pretty far into the neck,and the d and g strings are bunched a little too close together,as well as the g strings being right on the edge of the fretboard. Did i mention i'm picky? :P
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woodyng
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by woodyng »

Guess i let this thread peter out. :oops:
Since i last posted,i have had a Kalium balanced string set,and a Corian nut/setup done by Master luthier Chris Benevente. This made an incredible difference in the playability and feel,it is posssible to play chords now with ease, After getting this done,and playing it for a few weeks in my bands,i decided the electronics and pickups had to go. Fortunately the bass came with PJ type pickups,which gave me tons of options. I decided to go with something a bit different,and bought a set of Lace Sensor Man of War pickups. Because neither the original pickups or the active circuitry were usable except as part of an integrated system,i decided a new passive wiring harness made of high quality American made components would be the way to go. Dane Wilder has built the wiring harnesses in all three of my 4004's,so i had him make me a VTVT harness optimized for single coil pickups. Cutting to the chase, i now have a great playing,excellent sounding 8 -string for what i consider an entry level price. The new pickups sound awesome,and work great with my VT pedal,bringing a great mix of clarity and grungey edginess. I am enjoying playing the bass so much i recently took it to a gig,and played 2 hour sets using that bass for every song,while my new 4004c never got its turn to play. So now we are up to speed.... :mrgreen:
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RickyBubba
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by RickyBubba »

Great info. I have seen the 8-string bridges floating on the Bay, and had toyed with converting a Yamaha I have lying around.
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woodyng
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by woodyng »

RickyBubba wrote:Great info. I have seen the 8-string bridges floating on the Bay, and had toyed with converting a Yamaha I have lying around.
This bass came with the Schaller bridge,i think it's about the best 1-piece bridge out there. I've seen it used on a lot of different conversions,(including Tom Shiben's 4004 Laredo).
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Ashgray
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by Ashgray »

Hi Woody

Great to hear that the 8-string has worked out so well for you. I note you've had a new nut made and I'm thinking of doing the same. The one that came with my Rick 4003s/8 had been hacked away at so I immediately replaced it - the resulting new one was far better, allowing me to play chords with ease. However, neither me nor my luthier were sure about string spacing between the octave pairs when he cut the slots in the nut, so that side of things was a little experimental.

It now plays really well in the lower registers of the neck but as I get up above the seventh fret, the slight widening of the neck means that the strings are slightly further apart and I find that if I'm fretting hard, my fingers actually slip between the octave pairs and separate them on the fingerboard. I'm therefore thinking that maybe the nut spacing is slightly too far apart, but on the other hand, setting the nut spacing too close can cause the octave pairs to vibrate against each other when played. If possible, would you mind letting me know what your octave pair spacings are, at both the nut and at the seventh fret on your bass, for comparison? That would give me some idea of an ideal spacing for my proposed second new nut.

Cheers

Ash
1976 4001 "Shadow" Fretless
1978 4002 Walnut
1986 4008 Silver
1999 4001 V63 White
2012 4004 Jetglo

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woodyng
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Re: NBD Fernandes 8-string

Post by woodyng »

Hi,Ash. The stock bridge on the Rick 8-string .....is that adjustable for string spacing? I seem to remember one of the forum members here actually making an improved version of the 8 string bridge and offering them for sale,sorry i can't recollect who that is.
As for the measurements on my bass, it is at the practice house,we have a gig on Halloween,so hopefully i can try to get some measurements to you after this weekend. I do know that the bass has more of a Fender style neck,but the string width seems pretty consistent all the way up the neck. One of the things i love doing is faux Wes Montgomery runs on the upper limits of the g strings. (24 fret neck!)
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