What is the difference in the 4 strings and 8 strings? Does 4 strings sound different or easier to play?
What is the difference in the 4 strings and 8 strings? Does 4 strings sound different or easier to play?
I adore my VIII. it gets a lot of playtime. especially good for 3am jam times when I don't want to wake people up. and lately at rehearsals I haven't even pulled my guitar out, just play it on the bird instead. fun toy. mine setup quite nice.
I also love the shape. the top back of the body is a perfect spot to rest your arm and keep the thing from nose diving, volume knobs are far enough back to not accidently hit them during performance while still close enough to reach down and tweak.
downside for me is some overdriven patches I use on my amp, the noise level is quite high. might just need a better ground but I haven't bothered opening it up. I just picked a different overdriven patch that works for the few times I need one. generally play clean or clean with chorus/reverb
I have a four and really enjoy playing it. It sounds pretty good clean, but I can get a really good beefy distortion sound out of it too, which fits the mood at times, and it bends well. I've tried some other inexpensive 8 stringers (though not the m-bird 8) and thought they sounded a little more "mandoliney" than their 4 string counterparts, but doing bends with the double courses makes for some interesting, um, sounds, especially with a lot of distortion thrown in (take the inherent tuning issues with 4 unison pairs of strings, and AMPLIFY those issues!!). That said, I've seen plenty of videos of people rocking their 8 strings, so my meager skills may be the rate limiting step in the equation...
I think I got my 4 stringer used for like 125 bucks plus shipping, "used" but still NIB. The 8s run a little more, but if you can swing the cash go for it...I've never regretted getting mine, and it does make a great late night practice instrument, as well. I also had fun doing a little set-up on it, because I really had very little to lose if I messed it up (thankfully I got it right)!
Chuck
I swapped the pickup on mine because the E string was a little weedy. It's still not as bold as the others but with the right settings on my effects it makes a great sound.
I think it's a very attractive instrument, really looks the part, easy to play and with a pedal or two very satisfying. I have the VIII and have produced both "mandolin" type sounds and "guitar" sounds. I went for the 8 string version because I couldn't stand to think of people thinking it was anything but a mandolin.
MandoBird VIII
Replaced bridge....so I could get correct intonation. Swapped out the pickup. Still may have a custom (PBass) style made.
I use my pick up towards the end of the neck ...gives a nice acoustic sound.
In-side of pick guard is insulated with foil .....but amp'd I still can get sratchy noises when finger tips rub on it.
Strings..I'm liking D'Addario EJ70 set. .011 .015 .024. 038
May invest in locking tuners.
For the price.....I love this thing !
Plenty of info around the cafe... Try the electrics forum.
I like my VIII. Prefer the mandolin feel.
Hereby & forthwith, any instrument with an odd number of strings shall be considered broken. With regard to mix levels, usually the best approach is treating the mandolin the same as a cowbell.
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