HAGSTROM H8-II RETROSCAPE 8 STRING BASS GUITAR – WILD CHERRY FINISH
Hagstrom is a company that from it’s onset, was driven by innovation.
Hagstrom was also the first brand to mass-produce an 8-string Bass Guitar – the H8 in 1967.
In the late 1960s, countless beat and hard rock icons experimented extensively and used its unique sound as the backbone for psychedelic and classic songs. Few instruments are as steeped in folklore as the 8 string basses used by Jimi Hendrix and Noel Redding.
The story goes that their Hagstrom H8 eight string bass guitar was purchased in America in 1967 while the band was on tour. Noel Redding used it on the 1967 album ‘Axis Bold as Love’ where it featured on the tracks, “Spanish Castle Magic”, “You’ve got me Floating” and “Little Miss Lover”.
Then came Jimi’s turn . . . after pulling the pin on a tour with the Monkees, the Experience had a few weeks to kill, so Jimi decided to hang out with his old band Curtis Knight and the Squires. Needless to say, they jammed and recorded the ‘The Summer of Love Sessions’.
Some of the recordings featured Jimi on guitar with some blinding wah-wah fuelled psychedelia, but he also layed some tracks down playing the Hagstrom H8 8-string bass along with some very funky 4 string bass played by the bands regular bassist – Ed ‘Bugs’ Gregory. Jimis sound is slightly distorted, and in many ways he fills the role of rhythm guitarist rather than bassist – Jimi at his innovative best yet again.
The H8 not only survived this experimental era of the 1960s but quickly became a timeless instrument. With the H8-II of its RetroScape series, Hagstrom have produced an authentic re-issue of their legendary 8-string bass guitar.
The new Hagstrom H8-II eight-string bass is a modern adaption of the original design from the sixties. The new Hagstrom H8-II features a short scale and a comfortable slim neck profile which makes it easy even for less experienced players to master the eight strings.
While the new model stays quite close to the original design, there are some subtle changes and updates as would be expected. The body line has been softened, with the offsets less pronounced giving the H8-II a broader appeal.
What makes the H8-II so special? The octave sound of the high strings is just perfect.
Unlike electronic devices, this approach is not subject to tracking problems.
The narrow neck, the congenial 8-string bridge (string-through-body) and its short scale greatly contribute to the perfect playability of the string pairs. Hagstrom’s proprietary “Dyna-Rail” humbuckers produce a Fat sound and can be split to single-coil mode using the volume control.
The famous “H-Expander” trussrod ensures perfect neck relief despite the considerably higher tension of the eight strings. It also contributes to the bass’s fabulous sustain.
The on-board sliders allow players to activate and deactivate the pickups individually. The global “Tone” and “Mute” sliders provide a host of additional sonic options.
This attractive package is rounded out by the authentic double-cutaway body shape, which fits snugly in the RetroScape series’ design philosophy and will even win over die-hard vintage freaks.
The H8-II Retroscape 8 string Bass Guitar is an incredibly inspirational musical tool and every guitarist and bassist should own one!
HAGSTROM H8-II RETROSCAPE 8 STRING BASS GUITAR SPECIFICATIONS
• All Mahogany construction
• Double Cutaway – Based on Original 1967 Design
• Bolt-On Neck
• Material: Hard Canadian Maple
• Truss Rod: H-Expander™
• “C” Profile
• Radius: 15″
• Multi-Ply Binding
• Nut: Graph Tech™ Black Tusq XL 40 mm nut
• Fretboard: Resinator™ Fretboard
• Inlays: Hagstrom Perloid Dot Inlays
• Frets: 21 Frets
• Tuning Keys: Hagstrom Design 22:1 ratio Tuning Pegs
• Scale Length: 30.75“ / 781 mm
• Pickups: 2 x Hagstrom DynaRail Humbucker
• Controls: 1 x Volume Control with Push/Pull Coil Split
• Kill Switch Located on Upper Bout
• 4 x Switches (left to right)
•• Neck – off/on
•• Bridge – off/on
•• Master Tone – off/mid & high cut
•• Mute – off/gain reduction & high cut
• Bridge: Hagstrom Adjustable String-Through Body
• 4 x Hagstrom 22:1 Chrome Die Cast Tuners
• 4 x Hagstrom 18:1 Chrome Die Cast Tuners
• Custom String Gauges (Complete replacement sets are available to order. Model Number: HBS-8)
•• G .040 / g .013 (Octave)
•• D .050 / d .023 (Octave)
•• A .065 / a .038 (Octave)
•• E .090 / e .052 (Octave)
• Case B-60
