Dilemma: Stricly7 or Mayones Regius 8-String?

[JaeSwift]

This is gonna come from someone who's gone through exactly what your putting yourself through:

Do you have an 8 already and are you accustomed to playing 8s? I sold my K7 to build my 8 string. While the experience was incredible and I wouldn't want to trade it for the world, I severely regret not building a 7 as an 8 is just too much for my own riffage.

@Bulb: Yeah dude it was actually you that first prompted me to check them out. Stunning guitars. I've been e-mailing Maciej back and forth, very cool dude, really helpful. Seeing as you'll be able to answer this personally, how versatile are they? I play clean much as distorted, so I don't want to have to compromise for the amount I'd have to pay.

The only real stumbling block is the price, I'd need to save up for hella long. Plus I'm selling my 6 and 7 strings to go towards this 8 which would mean I would have to be without a guitar for a long ass time, which ain't ideal to say the least...

 

[bulb]

@Bulb: Yeah dude it was actually you that first prompted me to check them out. Stunning guitars. I've been e-mailing Maciej back and forth, very cool dude, really helpful. Seeing as you'll be able to answer this personally, how versatile are they? I play clean much as distorted, so I don't want to have to compromise for the amount I'd have to pay.

The only real stumbling block is the price, I'd need to save up for hella long. Plus I'm selling my 6 and 7 strings to go towards this 8 which would mean I would have to be without a guitar for a long ass time, which ain't ideal to say the least...

In my experience, a good sounding guitar will sound good for just about any style. Will it sound like a fender strat? Absolutely not, but when you go for "jack of all trades" guitars, you end up with quite literally a "master of none".
Judging by the companies you are looking at, this will definitely be versatile for what it is, i think your rig will have a bigger part to play in the sounds than the guitar will.

Just beware of the extended range, anything past 25.5 and your higher strings start to change in sound, but you really need to have at least 27 inches for 8 string tuning if you are going to F# and such. So 27 is a good compromise, but if you dont know what im talking about and havent played an 8 string yet it might come as a (possibly unpleasant) surprise. And the only way around that is fanned frets, but thats a whole nother story for another day. If you know you want a sick 8 string, i can tell you from experience that the Mayones will be worth every penny. I have a test clip of it up on my soundcloud page.

 

[SirMyghin]

Just beware of the extended range, anything past 25.5 and your higher strings start to change in sound, but you really need to have at least 27 inches for 8 string tuning if you are going to F# and such.

Yep, you can expect them to get brighter, have a bit more fundamental (which may be considerred either clearer, or more sterile depending who you talk to). This is a factor of string guage and tension too though, as well as scale length, so if you lighten your strings (lighter strings in my experience are also a bit brighter though), you might be able to combat it.

I would say even approaching 25.5" you get a change in sound though, Fender scale sounds different than Gibson scale no matter how you slice it.

 

[bulb]

Yep, you can expect them to get brighter, have a bit more fundamental (which may be considerred either clearer, or more sterile depending who you talk to). This is a factor of string guage and tension too though, as well as scale length, so if you lighten your strings (lighter strings in my experience are also a bit brighter though), you might be able to combat it.

I would say even approaching 25.5" you get a change in sound though, Fender scale sounds different than Gibson scale no matter how you slice it.

On the contrary, lighter strings make the problem worse. I have owned guitars from 24.75 to 30" and 2 fanned fret guitars 25-27 and 25.5-28.5 and i have found that fanned frets are the only real way to combat this timbre issue. Unfortunately i have some other issues with fanned fret guitars which is why i keep my 7s at 25.5 and the 8's at 27. And in my experience shorter scales sound better on the high strings which is why playing leads on a les paul scale guitar is fantastic, but the low strings in lower tunings suffer tonally and especially intonation-wise, so in my opinion the perfect compromise is 25.5 which sounds great all around, allows for comfortable fretting on 24 fret guitars and has the perfect balance of tone and intonation on all strings (so long as your low note is above G or Ab ish)

 

[mackenzie]

@Bulb: You're probably right about the versatility aspect. And at the end of the day a guitars only as versatile as the player.

@Bulb/SirMyghin: I do have some questions about the merits of fanned frets. Obviously you mentioned the better timbre of the higher strings but can you talk me through what some of the pros/cons were? I ask because I've contacted Marty Siggery about possibly building me an 8-string and he is a bit of a fanned fret enthusiast.

Personally I prefer the sound of the extended range, the really bold and powerful low-end works for me but the fact that higher register notes and voicings are a lot more piercing than on a 25.5" scale isn't ideal. So I'm thinking about fanned frets as a possible solution. I'm doing my research because it will be rather difficult to get a hold of a fanned fret guitar and make my own judgement where I am.

 

[Stealthdjentstic]

Misha, Ive always wondered..y u no fanned fret?

 

[anne]

Most obvious con of multiscales to me seems to be what it does to your pickup choices.

If you're really concerned about versatility, just do your research on your pickup and amp choices.

 

[penguin_316]

Fanned frets are where it's at for this sort of compromise. I can promise you will be able to adjust to a well made fanned fret guitar much faster than something like a 30" 8 string if you're accustomed to a standard 25.5" scale.

Do yourself a favor though....get some fret markers on the fretboard and not just side markers. Particularly for an 8 string with a good ~2-3" fan....

 

[Stealthdjentstic]

Most obvious con of multiscales to me seems to be what it does to your pickup choices.

If you're really concerned about versatility, just do your research on your pickup and amp choices.

A lot of high end makers will do them for a reasonable upcharge.

 

[that short guy]

I've never played a S7 but my Mayones Regius Pro 7 is by far one of the best guitars I've ever played. I payed $3.4k for it, but it litterally feels perfect in my hands. you've got the right idea about a guitar only being a versital as the person playing it, but I've gone from playing really heavy songs, to country sounding songs, to jazz, to blues, to pop to classic rock all in one sitting on that guitar. the guitar can handle anything you throw at it.

So playability its perfect, control wise it left me just a little wanting, I'm in the process of having the guitar modded so that instead of the one push/pull volume knob to split the coils of having two mini switches put in so i can split each pick up individually and more easily than that damn knob. lol so there you go, that being said. Mayones still gets my vote.

 

[Stealthdjentstic]

Each to their own but there's no way I'd ever pay that much for a guitar not 100% to the specs I wanted.

 

[that short guy]

Each to their own but there's no way I'd ever pay that much for a guitar not 100% to the specs I wanted.

While I do agree that is a lot to pay for a guitar thats not 100% ... if you can find me a shop that will make the guitar i really want down to the last little detail without it making 3.4k look like nothing let me know lol. cheapest quote I got was 11k so far.

 

[oniduder]

siggery 2 cents, but yeah of choices mayones (i believe that's how it's spelled?)

i honestly am still not sure if i like the way the other one looks yet,

i know blasphemer (*oh well!)

good luck

(whispers siggery

 

[F0rte]

Mayones makes great guitars. Regardless of how many strings. Their 8 string Regius is no exception. They cost a lot of money though. I believe they start at $5500.
But insanely worth it. Try talking to Hedras Ramos about it, he owns a Mayones 7 string and I believe he has the Regius 8 as well. No promises but I bet he could offer a lot of tips and help when it comes to their guitars.

I have never played or known anyone who has played a Strictly 7. So I cannot offer any input on that.

 

[bulb]

Misha, Ive always wondered..y u no fanned fret?

with the two fanned fret guitars i have owned, i had the same issue. The angle of the bridge was such that it messed with my palm mutes. The top notes would either be too choked or the low notes too loose, i guess im just too used to a flat bridge and for me personally, palm muting is a matter of great subtlety with hand placement and angle as i use those two things to greatly change the sound of my palm mutes.

Also i have found that although its not terribly hard to get used to, the more dramatic fans DO make the guitar a bit less easy to play on for me personally, especially because the fret markers on the side of the board dont line up with the ends of the frets, it can make it really tricky on the higher frets and strings.

With all of this said, i believe that a slight fan is the very best way to go. If you are after a fanned 8 string, i would reccomend a strandberg as his fans are very slight and honestly for all intents and purposes are not noticeable as far as making the instrument more difficult to get used to and dont mess with my palm mutes, but they do have the tonal benefits of the slight changes in scale.

tl;dr

get a mayones unless you want a fanned fret guitar in which case, get a strandberg

 

[Stealthdjentstic]

While I do agree that is a lot to pay for a guitar thats not 100% ... if you can find me a shop that will make the guitar i really want down to the last little detail without it making 3.4k look like nothing let me know lol. cheapest quote I got was 11k so far.

Are you serious man? Off the topic of my head, Vik, BRJ, KxK, Strandberg all are WELL under 11k and are nothing to be scoffed at either.

with the two fanned fret guitars i have owned, i had the same issue. The angle of the bridge was such that it messed with my palm mutes. The top notes would either be too choked or the low notes too loose, i guess im just too used to a flat bridge and for me personally, palm muting is a matter of great subtlety with hand placement and angle as i use those two things to greatly change the sound of my palm mutes.

Also i have found that although its not terribly hard to get used to, the more dramatic fans DO make the guitar a bit less easy to play on for me personally, especially because the fret markers on the side of the board dont line up with the ends of the frets, it can make it really tricky on the higher frets and strings.

With all of this said, i believe that a slight fan is the very best way to go. If you are after a fanned 8 string, i would reccomend a strandberg as his fans are very slight and honestly for all intents and purposes are not noticeable as far as making the instrument more difficult to get used to and dont mess with my palm mutes, but they do have the tonal benefits of the slight changes in scale.

Makes sense, that's a pretty essential part of your sound! I'm not huge on super big fans either, 2" and less =

 

[pink freud]

The deciding factor will be which do you want to hear less:

"Dude, your guitar is a Mayonnaise?"

or

"Durr, why is it called Strictly7 if there's eight strings?"

It is important to keep in mind the ludditism of potential crowd-members.

 

[Fred the Shred]

I tried the Mayones pair they had at the Musikmesse and, to be frank, I didn't like them. Fantastic aesthetics, good comfort, excellent finish, but the tone didn't really speak to me and clarity of the lower notes when used in higher gain chordal shiz left a bit to be desired, although I won't exempt the amp of fault here (and I wouldn't be rude and take my own Jaden Rose 8 there for comparison purposes, obviously). Misha, however, loves them, and this all ends up boiling down to personal preference in the end.

Personally, I had a Setius 7 and found it a great little axe, as was my mate's Regius 7, so there are variations to take into consideration here, but try your hand at a Mayones axe if you haven't already just so you can see if it "talks" to you somehow.

As for Strictly 7, until I get my greedy paws on a Solar to review, I'm afraid I can't comment.

 

[JaeSwift]

I tried the Mayones pair they had at the Musikmesse and, to be frank, I didn't like them. Fantastic aesthetics, good comfort, excellent finish, but the tone didn't really speak to me and clarity of the lower notes when used in higher gain chordal shiz left a bit to be desired, although I won't exempt the amp of fault here (and I wouldn't be rude and take my own Jaden Rose 8 there for comparison purposes, obviously). Misha, however, loves them, and this all ends up boiling down to personal preference in the end.

Personally, I had a Setius 7 and found it a great little axe, as was my mate's Regius 7, so there are variations to take into consideration here, but try your hand at a Mayones axe if you haven't already just so you can see if it "talks" to you somehow.

As for Strictly 7, until I get my greedy paws on a Solar to review, I'm afraid I can't comment.

This. It's far more important to get an axe that speaks to you than fuss over what could or could not happen. I'de say both companies have an about equal track record, with the exception of Mayones being a bit more established. Judging from the forum reviews I'de say you couldn't go wrong with either brands, but if their models or styles don't speak to you, look elsewhere.

 

[that short guy]

^^^^ +1