Another 8-String Recommendation Thread?!

[ajsmcs]

Hey,

So about a year ago I bought a $200 7-string SGR (Schecter) to play around on and see if extended range guitars were my thing. After a pickup swap it turned it a really nice budget price axe.

But I've gotten the itch to move up to an 8, and I'm not really sure where to start.

I'm kinda looking between the $400-$1200 range. Yeah, I realize there's a massive jump in quality between the body and top of that range. But I'm looking for good value. For example, if there's a $400 guitar with a really great body/neck but ass-sounding pickups, and a simple pickup swap will put it at the level of a $1000 instrument, then I'm cool with that. On the other hand, I don't mind spending ~>$1000 if I get an instrument that's really worth that much. I did that for my Telecaster and my Martin, and I have no regrets on that front.

Yes, I realize I need to go to the store and play them in person. But I'd like a good starting point of recommendations. I also have an idea in mind of specifics, but I'm not sure if my views are necessarily valid:

1) I feel like a 26.5-28" scale might be better tension- and tone-wise for the low strings. My SGR is a 26.5 and it suits me.

2) I like neck-through instruments, but its not a strict necessity.

3) Passive pickups only.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[House74]

Schecter Damien platinum 8. Super bang for your buck, I picked one up used in mint condition for $500 shipped

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

I started with an Agile Septor 827. That thing was huge value. I love the Agile neck profile, 27" scale length made it feel like a 'real' 8 string, played well. The stock pickups Agile have are solid enough to stand on their own. Got a nice looking top to boot.

When you mention Agile though you invoke RG8 vs Agile debate. RG8 is solid but I liked the Agile better, and I think you would too.

But on the upper end of that range, you can pick up some of the typical Ibanez models you see around here as well, their Iron Label 8 string line is very solid, and the RG2228 really kind of set the standard for what a nice 8 string is imo. Active pickups, but there are passives that you can fit in there if you were so inclined.

$0.02.

 

[ajsmcs]

Thanks for your reponses!

Out of curiosity, what is the most popular non-budget 8-string right now? Like, the kind that your average player could afford (or could reasonably hope to save up for).

Put another way, what would you consider the "USA Strat/Gibson Les Paul Std" of the 8-string world?

 

[that short guy]

Put another way, what would you consider the "USA Strat/Gibson Les Paul Std" of the 8-string world?

I've played a ton of 8's and Carvin DC800 was the best and they can be picked up for pretty cheap used and not too expensive knew I think a bare bones one runs about 1k new on their website.

 

[ajsmcs]

That Schecter looks pretty killer. I love the fret markers. When I was shopping for a budget 7, I tried every model they had at the GC. Seeing as how I knew nothing about Schecter, I was amazed that the SGR was by a wide margin the best of the bunch, beating out the Ibanez, LTD, Jackson, and whatever else was there. Considering how impressive the fit and finish is on that, I'm really curious to see what 3x that price will get me from them. That one will definitely be on my "to try" list.

The Agiles are all super nice looking, and they're priced very competitively. It's a shame there's nowhere around to try one. Would you consider them more "great for the price" or "great at any price?"

I've always seen Ibanez as like the default shred metal guitar maker, so they were the first place I looked. But I'd heard that their quality has gone downhill in recent years. Their higher end stuff is also crazily overpriced IMHO. (Sorry, but $4000 for an off-the-shelf, bolt-on-neck solid body guitar is a little ridiculous. That's like really nice hollow-body jazz guitar territory.)

I'm sorta debating whether I should get a cheaper nice one, or go balls out and have this be my ultimate metal guitar that I'll never feel like I'd need to upgrade.

 

[Steinmetzify]

If you dug the Schecter that much, check out the Banshee 8p....there's a nice one in the classifieds right now or you could always hit Reverb, there are a few on there too, and they're all right around $500-$700....locking tuners, good pickups, Hipshot bridges...those are keeper guitars.

Agiles can be nice guitars, period....pickup swaps can be done to make them better for you personally, too. Might need some setup work done, but whatever...solid guitars and you can get a neck thru for under a grand new or under $500 used...couple upgrades and you got a keeper.

I have limited experience with 8s so you can take this with a grain of salt, but I really liked the M80M I had for the scale length....nothing flubbed out even in drop E and that Lundgren was the bomb....it's longer than you wanted and it's not a neck thru but damn if that isn't one of the most brutal guitars I've ever played. The combination of the ash, the scale and that Lundgren was just bone shaking, man.

There are always DC800s in the classifieds here....some beautiful woods and different specs for around $1500 or so....those are nice looking guitars. If you wanted to wait and save, you could always use the Carvin builder to get an idea of what it'd cost you.

Got an M8M copy coming in right now....I'm hyped to try the neck thru and see how it differs from the bolt on 8s I've had.

Good luck on your search, man....throw up whatever you get for your NGD so we can all celebrate with you!

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

That Schecter looks pretty killer. I love the fret markers. When I was shopping for a budget 7, I tried every model they had at the GC. Seeing as how I knew nothing about Schecter, I was amazed that the SGR was by a wide margin the best of the bunch, beating out the Ibanez, LTD, Jackson, and whatever else was there. Considering how impressive the fit and finish is on that, I'm really curious to see what 3x that price will get me from them. That one will definitely be on my "to try" list.

The Agiles are all super nice looking, and they're priced very competitively. It's a shame there's nowhere around to try one. Would you consider them more "great for the price" or "great at any price?"

I've always seen Ibanez as like the default shred metal guitar maker, so they were the first place I looked. But I'd heard that their quality has gone downhill in recent years. Their higher end stuff is also crazily overpriced IMHO. (Sorry, but $4000 for an off-the-shelf, bolt-on-neck solid body guitar is a little ridiculous. That's like really nice hollow-body jazz guitar territory.)

I'm sorta debating whether I should get a cheaper nice one, or go balls out and have this be my ultimate metal guitar that I'll never feel like I'd need to upgrade.

Well I had the same kind of moral dilemma you're talking about there, and I'm glad I chose a cheaper, flippable model over a high end expensive one, because after playing 8 strings for about a year and a half I realized they just aren't my thing, I'm just a 6/7 guy. It does feel drastically more different than the jump from 6 to 7 did.

As far as 'nice' models go, one of the above posters nailed it, Carvin is 10/10 all day every day. A specced out DC800 will run you anywhere from $1400~2k, if I remember correctly.

My first 7 string was a Schecter SGR C-7 and I loved it as well, still own and play it to this day, so I was tempted to go the Schecter route, but the old models were a 25.5" scale length, which can be a liability depending on how low you want to tune. I've heard they switched to 27" since, but I'm a fair bit out of the loop on this stuff.

The Agile was good, it still felt like a $400 guitar at the end of the day, which was fine for me. I always meant to install a Deathbar / X-Bar combo but never did, I didn't really take care of the frets, and generally didn't put in the elbow grease to make it slay.

Hope all of this helps, I ramble sometimes.

 

[ajsmcs]

I have limited experience with 8s so you can take this with a grain of salt, but I really liked the M80M I had for the scale length....nothing flubbed out even in drop E and that Lundgren was the bomb....it's longer than you wanted and it's not a neck thru but damn if that isn't one of the most brutal guitars I've ever played. The combination of the ash, the scale and that Lundgren was just bone shaking, man.

Got an M8M copy coming in right now....I'm hyped to try the neck thru and see how it differs from the bolt on 8s I've had.

Full disclosure: I've had a massive, massive hard-on for the M8M for awhile now. There's something just so cool about how stripped down and brutally single-minded it is. Its like a violin- it's one complete instrument; you can't swap necks, there's no fancy inlays, and there's only one timbre. It knows what it wants to be and does it really, really hard. And that scale length...its like a short-scale bass. It really makes the wide fretboard look more in proportion to the body. It looks like a damn weapon.

Needless to say, I'd really love to own one, but that's currently filed under my "To Buy After Winning The Lottery" list.

Ordacleaphobia, you didn't ramble. I'm starting to lean more toward that line of thinking as well. I don't want to throw down on the penultimate 8 only to find myself never playing it. Maybe I'll save the ball-hard purchase for a nice metal-spec'd 6 with a floyd or something somewhere down the line. (None of my guitars have a whammy, which makes for some very un-fun Van Halen covering...)

So as I'm thinking about it, I think maybe I've been letting my Tosin Abasi fantasies get ahead of me...

So maybe I should just stick to the 500-700 range. Seems like Schecter and Agile are going to be my best bet so far.

My C-7 is 26.5". I think their newer 8's are like 28".

 

[Given To Fly]

Thanks for your reponses!

Out of curiosity, what is the most popular non-budget 8-string right now? Like, the kind that your average player could afford (or could reasonably hope to save up for).

Put another way, what would you consider the "USA Strat/Gibson Les Paul Std" of the 8-string world?

The Ibanez RG852's. The most expensive one has a MAP of $1699.

I've always seen Ibanez as like the default shred metal guitar maker, so they were the first place I looked. But I'd heard that their quality has gone downhill in recent years. Their higher end stuff is also crazily overpriced IMHO. (Sorry, but $4000 for an off-the-shelf, bolt-on-neck solid body guitar is a little ridiculous. That's like really nice hollow-body jazz guitar territory.)

Their quality has improved these last 2-3 years. There is a huge price discrepancy between the Prestige models and J-Custom models but keep in mind Ibanez builds 12 J-Customs a month. Just because every dealer can order one does not mean they ever do and I have never seen one on any shelf in any guitar store. The Prestige models are a more realistic gauge of cost and quality.

 

[Mike]

Look for a used DC800 or any used Ibanez Prestige 8 string. You'll save quite a bit over new and chances are the guitars are in excellent condition since most people sell 8's because they just didn't mesh with them. Those are the best playing 8 strings that I've used and they can be found for $1000 on up.