4-String Guitar?

Zombienosh

I've been playing with the idea of a 4 string guitar, and no not a bass!:P

taking lets say D and G from a bass and E and A from guitar to create a guitar around the C or B range to compensate no bass, a guitar just for rhythm, anyone have any ideas or thoughts on this?

Karl Hungus

Well, Max from Sepultura removed the E and B strings from his guitar, so he essentially played a 4 string. I wouldn't do it, but it's possible.

Zombienosh

Yeah I've heard of it done before, but instead of just removing the strings, how about changing it to an offical four string, totally customizing it, the bridge and neck and playing something like 13's on it?

Karl Hungus

I've no idea man. You'd have to have a 4 string bridge custom built, and I wouldn't even know where to start with that. I suppose the nut would be simple enough to make. Pickups would be another thing you'd have to take into account.

Honestly, it's not something I've ever considered. The thought never entered my mind! I'm all for putting more strings on a guitar, but taking them off? Incomprehensible! You're entering a very twisted world that only a sick mind could concieve. Or something to that effect.

Zombienosh

Im all about the low end, being a bassist myself. But having aquired a guitar and an extremely strange imagination, This is something I really want to do.

Karl Hungus

If you want a guitar with more low end, why not try a baritone?

Zombienosh

Not so much just a guitar with a lower end, but a guitar designed just for rhythm no need for the high end.

Karl Hungus

AlcoholicA wrote:

Not so much just a guitar with a lower end, but a guitar designed just for rhythm no need for the high end.

Well I'm at a loss as to what to suggest aside from just getting rid of the high E and B strings, and just using the bridge pickup.

Anything else would be a custom jobbie, but that could be insanely expensive considering that I've never seen a 4-string guitar neck, or any other guitar hardware solely for 4 strings. Everything would have to be built for it.

david

Just buy a mandolin

feylya

Wes Borland has one... Got some Russian bloke to build it for him.

Karl Hungus

feylya wrote:

Wes Borland has one... Got some Russian bloke to build it for him.

Shamray?

feylya

Na

Johnny Storm

FWIW Keef Richards always plays with only 5 strings on his Teles

Kenny_D

Take the two highest strings off the guitar, down tune to a C with a dropped first string. You can chug along with that nicely. Did it on my old ibanez

Rancidmaniac13

GStormcrow wrote:

Take the two highest strings off the guitar, down tune to a C with a dropped first string.

Yeah! That's pretty much what Max Cavalera does. Just use high gauge strings.

jimi_t

High guage strings and retrofit a bass pickup in there Do post the end result !

Zombienosh

feylya wrote:

Wes Borland has one... Got some Russian bloke to build it for him.

hmmm now to find a russian bloke.

fifth

Best of luck with it, would love to see the finished piece!

Eoin Madsen

AlcoholicA wrote:

taking lets say D and G from a bass and E and A from guitar to create a guitar around the C or B range to compensate no bass, a guitar just for rhythm, anyone have any ideas or thoughts on this?

It might be interesting, but it wouldn't be a guitar.

Tbh, most of the time the high strings are used for chords and rhythm guitar, so I'm thinking what you have in mind is more of a power chord machine?

Rustar

I'm all for removing the lowest 2 strings on a guitar. When I play with guitarist one in my band, he makes guitar-range sounds and the bass and guitar have their own beautiful spaces and compliment each other.
When I play with guitarist two, he's got way too much bass component in his sound and the end effect is a puddle of mud.

Maybe I should just play with mandolinists from now on.

Zombienosh

Eoin Madsen wrote:

It might be interesting, but it wouldn't be a guitar.

Tbh, most of the time the high strings are used for chords and rhythm guitar, so I'm thinking what you have in mind is more of a power chord machine?

ah yes well, I'm not talking rhythm in the coldplay sort of way, playing mostly death and hardcore metal myself, you can see where this is going....