$1200-$1600: What's Available?

[Masoo2]

It's finally time for me to get rid of my old RG8WNF and finally upgrade, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the state of the upper-mid tier price range for 8 strings

I'm wanting at LEAST a 27.5 inch low string, so that likely means going fanned or finding a brand that offers a 28 inch or greater straight scale

So far I've seen decent offerings from Ormsby and Kiesel within this price range, but I'm honestly curious of what type of build I would be able to get for $1600 or less

Could you even change the finish or a single wood if I chose ZM8, DCM8, VM8, or KVM8 with that budget?

Then .strandberg* has the Classic 8 within budget but it just doesn't seem like the value is there as I'm not really "needing" something like the Endurneck or that specific body shape

Always Ibanez has the M80M, but I'm afraid 29.4 would be too much as a main guitar for my small hands, though the scale would be great for the Eb and D I normally tune to

Then there's something like the Banshee Elite 8 from Schecter with a straight 28 inch scale, but since I have a little flexibility I'd like to see if I could try fanned as I've had mixed results with the 27 inch high end on my 8

Mark Holcomb's Setius 8 is online and semi-local for $1800 as well, but it's still a 27 inch and a little more than what I'd like to spend (another from Japan for 198,000 Yen as well)



So, what else is out there? Is there anything I'm blatantly looking over? Do any of these stand out as a "go for it" over the others? I had been leaning Ormsby GTR for a while (great low string scale, nice wood options, etc) but I want to make sure I don't miss out on anything that I skipped over

 

[teamSKDM]

Im also in the same boat about to spend the same amount of cash so following this thread. ive always been drawn to soloist guitars (wish i could slap on extra 2 strings and stretch the neck on an sl2h) so right now the kiesel vader v8x neck thru with trem is very attractive right now, but the multiscale v8m also interests me but the downside for me is lack of trem.

im just rocking with the matte black color wise

 

[Masoo2]

Im also in the same boat about to spend the same amount of cash so following this thread. ive always been drawn to soloist guitars (wish i could slap on extra 2 strings and stretch the neck on an sl2h) so right now the kiesel vader v8x neck thru with trem is very attractive right now, but the multiscale v8m also interests me but the downside for me is lack of trem.

im just rocking with the matte black color wise

The Kiesel offerings do seem really great for the price, I just don't want another black/white/ugly brown guitar if I'm spending this much money on it now

It also doesn't help that I keep the 8th string in Eb or D most of the time, so I'm curious as to the real world differences between 27.5 and 28 as I know SSO loves to hate on 27 inch 8 strings which is what I've had

 

[KnightBrolaire]

there's usually a pile of kiesels floating around for sub 1600$$ on reverb, so I'd choose that option personally. they have some instocks under that price as well.

 

[trem licking]

like trems? get a hellraiser C8 floyd rose. 28" scale, set thru neck, super solid guitar. i have one and love it... only 1000 bucks on schecter's site

 

[Masoo2]

there's usually a pile of kiesels floating around for sub 1600$$ on reverb, so I'd choose that option personally. they have some instocks under that price as well.

I've checked Reverb and the only ones with any interest to me were being sold as-is and I don't want to risk that

Kiesel's site also is lacking on 8s right now but I'll keeping checking it every few days

 

[guitaardvark]

You do have NAMM coming up, so keep that in mind.

My $.02: I've made it my life's crusade to make sure nobody ever buys a Strandberg Classic. I owned a 6 and it was hands down the single worst non-toy guitar I have ever played. It felt like a Squier Bullet.

If you're only doing chugs, I'd say go with the M80M. It's the best sounding djent stick I've heard to date.

 

[Cynicanal]

Could you even change the finish or a single wood if I chose ZM8, DCM8, VM8, or KVM8 with that budget?

The first $100 in options on a Kiesel are free, so yes, although it wouldn't leave you with anything left over for any other options on the VM8 (it runs $100 more than the others you listed).

 

[Carl Kolchak]

You could always get a 27" or 28" scale Agile and save yourself a considerable chunk of change.

 

[Miek]

of the presented, probably the ormsby, but I'd probably scour reverb for a couple weeks until something I knew was right for me showed up

 

[teamSKDM]

The Kiesel offerings do seem really great for the price, I just don't want another black/white/ugly brown guitar if I'm spending this much money on it now

It also doesn't help that I keep the 8th string in Eb or D most of the time, so I'm curious as to the real world differences between 27.5 and 28 as I know SSO loves to hate on 27 inch 8 strings which is what I've had

ive decided instead to pick between multiscale vader and trem vader im just going to nut up and get both.


still vote for a vader over other 8 offerings.

 

[RiksRiks]

I own a KVM8, as well as a Boden J8 and an Ormsby Hype 7, so I kind of can compare between them.
As for options, clearly Kiesel is your way to go, although a little bit limited with your budget. Personally I enjoy my KVM8 without a lot of options, but it's weakest point to me is its neck profile. A tad too thick for my taste and makes the frets feel way smaller than they are. It's strong points are the built quality (my KVM8 at least feels really well done and the neck pocket is tight as well. I chose a simple finish so aesthetically it pleases me a lot even after a year of owning it. It's not very heavy but not light either. I'd actually like to buy a 6 from them just to test a thinner neck profile and woods.

Ormsbys are, in my experience, very solidly built in general. You may come across the occasional aesthetic defect but that's it. Unless you're buying used, if you do, not only will our options be limited (very few 8s in the used market I think) but sometimes they come with problems such as micro phonic pickups, a problem that was taken care of in subsequent runs.
But Ormsby to me feels more like a work horse with some premium options, depending on the model you're looking for. I currently have an 8 in order with them and I expect t to be at least better than my seven (3 runs have gone by to improve the production overall).

And lastly there's Strandberg. I'd personally recommend staying away from the entry tier models, not because they're bad, but because they haven't been around long enough to know if they're good, maybe the same could be said of Ormsby so I'm a little biased here. But I've seen some sad cases in the Strandberg owners group that make me think this way. (E.g. a members guitar neck getting delaminated, with big gaps between the 3 slabs of wood) so if you go Strandberg I'd suggest you to be really into them and buy the high end.

That's my two cents, and as always YMMV! This is only personal experience (except for low end Strandbergs)

EDIT: forgot to mention, the nut in my Kiesel came perfect from factory where as Ormsbys came just well done. And regarding the fan, I enjoy Ormsbys the most, followed by Strandbergs and then Kiesels.

 

[Hollowway]

I wouldn’t be nervous about buying a used Kiesel on Reverb. Use PP, and you’ve got two layers of protection. Frankly, I’d be more nervous about buying a NEW Kiesel, because if there’a a problem you have to go mano a mano with Jeff, and that never ends well. Plus, you can get a way better deal used. Most people flip 8 string kiesels with very little playtime, and in excellent condition.
Ormsbys are solid, too. But just less finish options are available.

 

[Masoo2]

Ormsbys are, in my experience, very solidly built in general. You may come across the occasional aesthetic defect but that's it. Unless you're buying used, if you do, not only will our options be limited (very few 8s in the used market I think) but sometimes they come with problems such as micro phonic pickups, a problem that was taken care of in subsequent runs.
But Ormsby to me feels more like a work horse with some premium options, depending on the model you're looking for. I currently have an 8 in order with them and I expect t to be at least better than my seven (3 runs have gone by to improve the production overall).

Do you have any opinions on the stock pickups in the Ormsby? That's honestly my main concern as everything else seems near-perfect about them.

I'm not sure of who makes pickups that would fit the fan and there's not many clips out there other than from Sketch The Sky on YouTube using the guitars. If I'm finally going to spend some real money on an 8, I want no problems with the tone like I've had with my RG8 (manageable, but clearly not good).

At least with the Zeus I could go Fishman from the factory.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Do you have any opinions on the stock pickups in the Ormsby? That's honestly my main concern as everything else seems near-perfect about them.

I'm not sure of who makes pickups that would fit the fan and there's not many clips out there other than from Sketch The Sky on YouTube using the guitars. If I'm finally going to spend some real money on an 8, I want no problems with the tone like I've had with my RG8 (manageable, but clearly not good).

At least with the Zeus I could go Fishman from the factory.

they have excellent stock pickups, definitely better than the lithiums (which are solid in the right guitar but pure earrape in bright guitars). I've got DIs and clips of them in my goliath and hype 8 NGDs if you're interested.

 

[Bearitone]

Believe it or not, in your price range i would go with a custom Agile. Hands down

 

[teamSKDM]

Believe it or not, in your price range i would go with a custom Agile. Hands down

custom shop is down

 

[Bearitone]

custom shop is down

For now. I personally think it would be worth it to wait a few months til it opens again

 

[jemfloral]

Do you have any opinions on the stock pickups in the Ormsby? That's honestly my main concern as everything else seems near-perfect about them. I'm not sure of who makes pickups that would fit the fan and there's not many clips out there other than from Sketch The Sky on YouTube using the guitars..

Look up "@ando_san" on instagram, and don't hesitate to reach out to him, he's a good guy who's willing to chat about his Orsmby (one in headless, one is head-full)

 

[RiksRiks]

Do you have any opinions on the stock pickups in the Ormsby? That's honestly my main concern as everything else seems near-perfect about them.

I'm not sure of who makes pickups that would fit the fan and there's not many clips out there other than from Sketch The Sky on YouTube using the guitars. If I'm finally going to spend some real money on an 8, I want no problems with the tone like I've had with my RG8 (manageable, but clearly not good).

At least with the Zeus I could go Fishman from the factory.

I agree with KnightBrolaire that Ormsby stock pups are better than Lithiums. If you're strictly into Fishmans I think Ormsby pups may not cover the same kind of range.

IMO Ormsby pickups are just fine, it's of course a matter of taste but I find them good enough to play tight, but the thing about them that left me amazed was the coil split (or coil tap? I'm not sure) tone that I got from them, to me it's the best sounding coil tap I've ever heard.

Also, you can change the pickups for their in-house Aussie made ones. Look for the ArnoldPlaysGuitar video, he also has one about Fishmans so I think you can make the comparison.