Custom Multiscale 8-string - Suggestions?

[ArnoldHablewitz]

Hey guys. After obtaining an Ibanez S8 and swapping out the pickups for the Nazgul and Sentient, I am firmly hooked on playing 8-strings. My next purchase is easily going to be a multiscale (FannedFret) instrument.

My dilemma, is that it seems like I am super-spoilt for choice. There's many brands I've come across that can do it, so I'm having trouble figuring out who's the right brand to go with.

I welcome any and all feedback you have on brands that you've tried, as far as build quality, playability, balance, and tone goes. I also welcome you to shout out as many brands as possible for me to check out. I have a brand or two I'm leaning towards, but I'm still nowhere close to decided, so maybe there's something better out there I just haven't found.

Also, if you can mention anything about price/value/bang-for-the-buck, that'd be great. If I'm going to spend $2000-5000 for an instrument, I really want to know what I'm getting for it.

 

[Yousef]

.strandberg* are high quality and have been getting rave reviews. Fellow forum member Fred The Shred recently got one and made a post about it here: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...berg-28-custom-8-string-vid-inside-usual.html

They are around $3000 and take 4 months to build. Here is their website: How to Order Production Models | .strandberg* Guitars

 

[oniduder]

with that price range you can get anything you want, or "need" hehe

but if it were me, I'd get another oni, i can't say enough about the quality etc of an ONI, they are sex machines

starting price is somewhere around your high point of your price range, but yeah totally worth every penny i've ever put into one

go to the thread about em they are grand

also look into skervesen, some coolio stuff yo, but still take an oni over one of those any day, but skervesen (*spellcheck) has access to some incredible woods i have to admit, and is quite a skilled builder

another company is yes strandberg,

i can't think of many others i'd even consider for a really really good piece of wood that plays, sorry

 

[patata]

8 string,multiscale.hmmm

Etherial
Ran
ViK(if he's still taking orders)
Decibel might do FF
Daemoness if you are patient enough
Skervesen
Strandberg
I saw a S7 fanned some time ago.you might want to check it out.
Claas(german company,solid shit) might do ff

 

[DrJazz]

Also, if you can mention anything about price/value/bang-for-the-buck, that'd be great. If I'm going to spend $2000-5000 for an instrument, I really want to know what I'm getting for it.

That's quite a huge price bracket you have there. From my experience, a 5000$ guitar won't necessarily be twice the guitar that a 2500$ guitar is, so while an Oni or a KxK (to name a few) are undoubtedly amazing guitars, you'll perhaps be happier in the long run by buying, say, a skervesen or a boden and spending 1000$ on your rig.

I'll have to add that Mayones are getting into multiscale as well. Might be worth to check out.

Another builder that hasn't been mentioned is Blackwater, which might be interesting as well.

You might also want to check Xen guitars and OAF if you're into designs that are less common.

All in all, there are a lot of amazing builders out there. "Bang for your buck", I'd suggest looking at Blackwater, Ran, Skervesen or production bodens by Washburn.

Another thing that you might want to consider is resale value. It's not a certainty, but you might decide at some point that you want to trade or sale your guitar. The more custom you go, and the more obscure the builder, the less the guitar will be worth on the marketplace. A FF Mayones or production Boden will retain it's value much more than a full custom Blackwater, for example. We never buy a guitar planning to sell it, but it sometimes happen. So, if you're hesitating between two guitars, it's another variable to consider.


And one last thing : start thinking about your specs, and what is important to you. If you want a large fan, production bodens won't accomodate you (being 28-26 iirc).

The fan, on a multiscale, can easily break your playing experience if you don't plan it correctly.
How low are you planning to go?
How much inharmonicity can you tolerate?
What's the maximum length you can tolerate on your high E?
How big/stretchable are your hands?
What's your usual playing position?
Are you planning on doing more chordal work, or more leads past the 12th string?
These are all questions that will influence where your "perpendicular fret" will be and what will be your scale length. And you're probably better off setting these variables before looking for the luthier, since it will perhaps bar some luthiers that won't accomodate your needs. When you're dumping 5k$ on a guitar, the specs are more important than the luthier IMHO. Whether it's a ViK, an Ormsby, an Oni or a KxK, it will come out great and it's not a matter of "who's the best". It's more a question of "who will nail down your specs to a T".

Hope this helped.

 

[coffinwisdom]

I have never played any of the brands mentioned in this thread but this RAN is ....ing awesome. Very minimalist tho you could probably get more fancy for the money

 

[ben_hurt]

I have ordered a Halo FF 8 from the custom shop that I'm waiting on. I believe its the first one they've made. Total bill is under 2K. Haven't played it yet, so I'm of no help there. I've got another 4-5 weeks to wait. So far I've had a few issues with the order, but they've made the effort to correct those issues and 'do it right'.

 

[ArnoldHablewitz]

.strandberg* are high quality and have been getting rave reviews. Fellow forum member Fred The Shred recently got one and made a post about it here: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...berg-28-custom-8-string-vid-inside-usual.html

They are around $3000 and take 4 months to build. Here is their website: How to Order Production Models | .strandberg* Guitars

Question, aren't they chambered bodies though? That's something else that I'm very unwilling to budge on. I want a solid hunk of lumber...

 

[Cloudy]

Question, aren't they chambered bodies though? That's something else that I'm very unwilling to budge on. I want a solid hunk of lumber...

They're chambered, yes.


For that chunk o' change Id go with Mayones, Oni, Ran, or Skervesen.


Really depends on the body shape you want/if you want exotic woods or not.

 

[ArnoldHablewitz]

That's quite a huge price bracket you have there. From my experience, a 5000$ guitar won't necessarily be twice the guitar that a 2500$ guitar is, so while an Oni or a KxK (to name a few) are undoubtedly amazing guitars, you'll perhaps be happier in the long run by buying, say, a skervesen or a boden and spending 1000$ on your rig.

I'll have to add that Mayones are getting into multiscale as well. Might be worth to check out.

Another builder that hasn't been mentioned is Blackwater, which might be interesting as well.

You might also want to check Xen guitars and OAF if you're into designs that are less common.

All in all, there are a lot of amazing builders out there. "Bang for your buck", I'd suggest looking at Blackwater, Ran, Skervesen or production bodens by Washburn.

Another thing that you might want to consider is resale value. It's not a certainty, but you might decide at some point that you want to trade or sale your guitar. The more custom you go, and the more obscure the builder, the less the guitar will be worth on the marketplace. A FF Mayones or production Boden will retain it's value much more than a full custom Blackwater, for example. We never buy a guitar planning to sell it, but it sometimes happen. So, if you're hesitating between two guitars, it's another variable to consider.


And one last thing : start thinking about your specs, and what is important to you. If you want a large fan, production bodens won't accomodate you (being 28-26 iirc).

The fan, on a multiscale, can easily break your playing experience if you don't plan it correctly.
How low are you planning to go?
How much inharmonicity can you tolerate?
What's the maximum length you can tolerate on your high E?
How big/stretchable are your hands?
What's your usual playing position?
Are you planning on doing more chordal work, or more leads past the 12th string?
These are all questions that will influence where your "perpendicular fret" will be and what will be your scale length. And you're probably better off setting these variables before looking for the luthier, since it will perhaps bar some luthiers that won't accomodate your needs. When you're dumping 5k$ on a guitar, the specs are more important than the luthier IMHO. Whether it's a ViK, an Ormsby, an Oni or a KxK, it will come out great and it's not a matter of "who's the best". It's more a question of "who will nail down your specs to a T".

Hope this helped.

Hey there, and thanks for all the help.

Yeah, I've given a lot of thought to the specs, and I've broken it down kinda like when househunting...made a list of Non-negotiable "Needs," idealistic "Wants," nonchalant "Wouldn't minds" (very short list, that one), and Non-negotiable "Absolutely Nots." These cover everything from materials, hardware, electronics/pickups, measurements, body-shape, to aesthetics (which mostly fall into the "Wants" category). For instance, a non-negotiable I have is completely solid body, no chambering or semi-hollow construction, because I like the level of resonance I get from a solid, heavy hunk of lumber. Another is that since I solo with a wide finger motion (not the best of techniques, I now), the upper frets need to be extremely accessible. As for scale length, taking into account string tension AND scale lengths that I'm accustomed to, I really want to limit the high E to a 25.5" or 26", and that low F# should be a minimum of 27" but I could go to a 28". I'm currently loving my 10-74 set that I have on the S8, but could use just a tiny tiny bit more tightness to the low string, and a tiny tiny bit looser feel to the high E.

Resale isn't concerning me so much. I have too many cheap guitars that I don't play, so those would go first if they ever needed to. I just want to spend the money and get a custom guitar that is perfect for me and that will continue to inspire me for years. I'm looking for something that I can play hard, and baby it when I set it down or do maintenance.

I'm really appreciating the suggestions too. I looked at Xen and really liked what saw, but it seems the models I like are chambered. I haven't asked if there's any way around that yet, though.

 

[MikeH]

Skervesen is putting out some of the sexiest guitars around lately.

If I ever plan on ordering a high end custom, it will be through them. They start in the low-mid range of your budget (probably around $3000), so you have room to go crazy with options.

 

[russmuller]

I'd put my money on RAN or Skervesen.

 

[Fred the Shred]

Mulstiscales I own and can recommend based on real world use:
- Jaden Rose
- Strandberg
- Oakland Axe Factory
- Skervesen

Don't own as fanned fret, gave them a nice spin in enough situations to say they are solid:
- Vik
- Blackmachine (well, good luck with scoring an F8, of course)
- Conklin

 

[chrisxrome]

With what I've seen been put out in the last months I'd go for either a Skervesen or a RAN.

Them guys are making my pockets and pants scream with jealous excitement more than anything else.

 

[Fred the Shred]

I'd reconsider pertaining Ran (aside from my own gripes with them which are irrelevant to the topic at hand), as I've seen a sample of "great looks, not that great work" in a bit too many recent examples (no, they're not all crap, far from it) to justify the gamble at this particular point. I did see some rather well made pieces from them as well, but consistency is key for me.

 

[AmbienT]

I have never played any of the brands mentioned in this thread but this RAN is ....ing awesome. Very minimalist tho you could probably get more fancy for the money

Hey, that's my guitar! Honestly though after I end up getting a Skervesen ordered/built in the next few months I'll have a feeling the RAN will just end up collecting dust.

 

[ArnoldHablewitz]

I'd reconsider pertaining Ran (aside from my own gripes with them which are irrelevant to the topic at hand), as I've seen a sample of "great looks, not that great work" in a bit too many recent examples (no, they're not all crap, far from it) to justify the gamble at this particular point. I did see some rather well made pieces from them as well, but consistency is key for me.

Very much appreciate that heads up!

 

[ArnoldHablewitz]

Anyone ever tried a Xen? I'm kinda intrigued by that collaborative model they did with Oakland Axe Factory.

 

[The Scenic View]

I hope you guys are aware of the new Slx from Bowes Guitars that will feature a 28"-26" fan with a nice amount of custom options for the price and build quality (y) Give 'em a search on here, and the net. Might order my next 8 through them.

 

[codycarter]

If I had $5000 in my pocket for a ff 8 string build I would definitely go with Conklin or Xen it maybe even Etherial.
Most likely Xen though because I am a huge fan of all of his work and have never heard anything negative about them

Etherial intrigues me. His use of carbon fiber is so alien, but his build quality has been questionable in the past, though I see such an improvement