Here is the Strandberg Boden Futur Archetype 8 string guitar.
Notice the fretwires are both fanned and wavy.
‘Fanned frets (multi-scale necks)’ are covered in GEAR 14, so here I am concentrating on the unique fret-wires, which are the esoteric design and craft of Anders and the team at https://truetemperament.com
The True Temperament (TT) fretboard is achieved by repositioning the fret wires and offsetting the tuning of the open strings. The combination of these mods effectively ‘sweetens’ the regular Equal Temperament (ET) we are all accustomed to.
The board is still calibrated to A=440Hz but the others are tuned with slight deviations measured in cents (there are 50 cents on either side of the goal note) e.g. here are the changes requires per string on the 8str:
1st E4= -1
2nd B3= -1
3rd G3= +4
4th D3= +2
5th A2 = 0
6th E2= -2
7th B1= -4
8th F#1= -8
Changes this small obviously make it really difficult to use the ear to do the tuning unaided, so one solution is to tune the A string using a device and then use the ear to tune an A on each string to the open A.
Alternatively you can use a Peterson’s products as follows:
You can use Peterson’s free online app https://strobopro.se/ - this is great but it limits you to using the microphone on your laptop.
If you want the floor pedal like me, then you need the Peterson Strobostomp HD with this set of instructions:
https://www.petersontuners.com/ - go here and register an account.
connect your device using a data USB lead (this is not a normal USB) and click the update firmware option from the top right on the screen
now type TT8 (or the matching one for your 6 and 7str) and click to add to the list of Sweetener Presets.
There is a preset called TTC which is chromatic, for altered tunings
do another device update and it will then pop up in the menu on your device.
Peterson YT channel has tutorials on how to use and edit the pedal.
If you are unfamiliar with strobe tuners, they produce a spinning wheel which slows down as you approach the desired note. They take some getting used to.
There is also a Peterson Clip-On which will do a similar job.
There are other tuners on the market that can get you there and I’d be interested in anyone sharing their experiences with any of them.
This TT system originally came to my attention many years ago courtesy of this video with Steve Vai. Listen to his description of the TT-equipped Ibanez Jem and the remarkable improvements to the way chords harmonise and notes sustain (Steve has always been the first to jump on mods like this and broadcast them with enthusiasm if they work e.g. the Buzz Feiten compensated nut):
Here it’s worth adding the discrepancies that Steve Vai highlights have not scuppered 99% of the pro musicians from making and performing guitar music that sounds ‘tuned’ all these years, so is there really a need?
My interest in pursuing this system is not to fix the A and D chord combination highlighted by Steve (nor was it his, that is just the easiest example to demonstrate the problem TT is trying to fix).
My problem is that I like chords with odd dissonances which in many instances necessitate retuning the guitar by ear to sweeten the harmony between the notes (known as Just intonation). You hold the chord and pick through it while doing fine adjustments until it sounds just right. This normally means the other chords in the subsequent progression are out, so the guitar has to be returned to normal tuning before proceeding with the recording.
The knock on effects of this return when recording melodic overdubs because you need to tune the strings to make the individual notes you want to use blend with the chords. The bend technique is useful here, as is vibrato (to blur or mask the problem), but if you want to let a note sustain unadorned, the only solution is to retune. I have been doing this for years whilst waiting for developments like TT. In some cases the retuning of notes can be done in software like Melodyne but I prefer to get it done in the moment.
Of course most chords in ET do not need sweetening and even those that do in a studio, can in a live setting be breezed by without the audience noticing. Doolin’s article on Intonation is worth reading (https://www.doolinguitars.com/intonation/intonation1.html) to get a luthier’s insight.
Anyway, the impetus for this article was when I ordered and received a Strandberg Boden Futur 8str for the shop. This prompted me to chat with Anders of TT (who crafted these guitars in conjunction with Strandberg) about how to tune it (for my purposes and my customers) and this conversation even led to me ordering the new 27-fret Eklundh guitar from TT (https://truetemperament.com/produkt/ulv-6-string-by-freak-guitar-lab/) and becoming a dealer of these as with Strandberg…
This is Mattias talking TT:
Regarding the Boden TT8. This design & build is a success:
my first impression of the intonation is as Steve Vai said, with chords containing intervals other than perfect 4ths and 5ths sounding more together within themselves and in progressions, than usual
the frets do not distract you for very long once you start playing around the neck
the bridge, nut, fretboard and fretwires support a low action
the 9-84 strings sounds like a steep slope but you don’t it because of the multiscale lengths balancing out the tension.
the notes vibrate satisfyingly through the neck and body which reinforces the claimed quality of the woods
the Lundgren humbucker pickups are powerful, clear and sophisticated. The in-between settings retain the rich vibe while emulating split ‘single-coil’ sounds (this is not common based on my experience with most of the popular options). There is brief demo at the end of this article.
the finishing and contours of the neck and body are top notch.
the neck is satin and the body is gloss
the TT fret wires are smooth to the feel and their unusual appearance does not distract for very long as you move about.
the ‘endur’ neck profile will surprise you. Some people say it improves their handiwork, others are ambivalent. It’s not uncomfortable either way.
It comes with an upmarket soft case with reinforced innards
one bonus is that the wider 8str neck fits neatly into a normal Hercules stage stand and wall hook.
There are many polarising features to this guitar: it’s headless, with fanned & TT frets, a radical neck profile, plus it has 8strings - so it came as no surprise when a customer said: ‘Well, it does look good… but 8 strings is far too many, and true temperament is the work of the horned beast's agent of chaos on Earth.’