8 Things About 8 Strings

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Why do eight-string guitars exist? Doesn’t the extra strings seem a little excessive and unnecessary? Six strings are all you need! Well yes, but also no.

If you know Rob Scallon, you’re probably aware of his admiration of eight-stringed guitars (he even has his own signature eight-string). But what is it about those two extra strings that make the guitar so great? According to Rob, there are eight reasons to love them.

1. The Novelty – The guitar is a little gimmicky. And although this reason seems negative, it’s not! Because wouldn’t you love to show off your ridiculously wide-necked guitar with too many strings?
2. More Guitar – You love the guitar, and there’s more of it. The extra strings mean more notes, more chords, and new voicings to explore in your playing.
3. Bass – It’s like two instruments in one. An eight-string guitar has the full spectrum of a six-string guitar AND bass guitar so that one-man-band dream of yours can come true.
4. New Territory – There’s uncharted musical territory to discover. No one’s “mastered” the eight-string beast yet! Think of all the new tunings, sounds, ways to use the instrument ready to be explored.
5. A Challenge – A lot of inspiration comes from challenging yourself. The larger fretboard and extra strings add a layer of difficulty to applying skills and techniques to your playing.
6. The 6-strings exist within – You’re losing nothing! Your regular six-string guitar is still there and you don’t need to use odd tunings to hear it. All the frets work the same and you can still play all of your favorite chords.
7. Great solo instrument – If you write music and typically play by yourself, the eight-string is your best friend! You can get a full sound and create harmonics and unique tones with tapping. Think of all the different arrangements you can make.
8. Djent – *Djent* *Djent* *Djent* *Djent*

So, the extra 2 strings aren’t vital but it’s clear that they add a new layer of fun and creativity to playing the guitar that the six-string can’t quite achieve. And if you’re continuously trying to innovate and play something new, an eight-string is always an option.

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