r/ExtendedRangeGuitars • u/MrMayhem20l0 • 4h ago
I know this is a sub that celebrates extended range guitars and basses, and I do understand it, but I feel like there is a limit to how many strings an extended range guitar and bass can have before it starts having more drawbacks than advantages.
As far as any genre and subgenre of music is concerned, I genuinely feel like all thats realistically needed are 6-string, 7-string and 8-string guitars, as well as 4-string, 5-string and 6-string basses.
And I already have a hard time trying to get used to 8-string guitars and 6-string basses as is. 7-string guitars and 5-string basses are the most that im personally ever willing to use. And a lot of people ive met think the same.
Once you dip into 9-string guitars and 7-string basses and beyond, it stops being a strict genre and subgenre necessity and becomes a stylistic choice. Not to mention how expensive and heavy they must be. As well as making it a pain to make them sound clear in the mix without compensating with many different amp settings and pedal effects.
And honestly, 8-string guitars and 6-string basses already feel like a stylistic choice rather than a strict genre and subgenre necessity to me.