convert to a 10 string

[Chris Flynn]

I have had someone ask me if I could convert their 5 string bass, to a 10 string. a 10 string that is like a 12 string guitar, with Octave strings. any input would be helpful. not sure if I am going to attempt, I am a little concerned about the added stress on the truss rod/neck.
thanks

[Charles Bloss]

It would probably be better built from scratch. I would also think that the difference in string sizes would be hard to fret at the same time but I could be wrong.

[JC Whitney]

If you can get your hands on a copy, Melvyn Hiscock's original "Make your own Guitar" book includes a well detailed chapter on an eight string (four pair) bass build. I truly dig the way those sound... Spinal Tap's "Big Bottom" or a lot of Cheap Trick's songs come to mind.

[David Schwab]

I converted a Fender P bass into an 8 string. It worked fine, but I eventually made a new neck for it, just because it wasn't a very good neck.

[Rodger Knox]

The real problem in a conversion is finding a home for five more tuners

[David Schwab]

The real problem in a conversion is finding a home for five more tuners

I used guitar tuners for the octave strings. But I also spliced on a new headstock.

Today the bass looks like this. I cut the body to a new shape, and years later made a new neck. I made the scale about 32" by using the first fret slot as the zero fret. I should have left it long scale, but it works fine as it is.

Here it was back in '96.