Jesus this looks fantastic!!
x2 it looks sick, what the heck did he do to it!!??
Let the RG8 Mods begin...
- Thread starter M3CHK1LLA
- Start date
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x2 it looks sick, what the heck did he do to it!!??
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flaik
Well-Known Member
Mine may not be as interesting as some here but whatever I'll contribute.
The main mod is a set of Seymour Duncan Pegasus and Sentient pickups but I also painted the knobs, I think it came out well.
One thing I haven't heard anyone mention is that the intonation on this guitar is set up terribly from the factory. You have to remove the springs and trim the screw in order to intonate the lowest two strings correctly. If you look closely at my cruddy picture you can see that I actually had to replace the intonation screw on the low e string because trimming the screw caused me to strip out the saddle. I had to re thread the saddle and get a new (different colored) screw.
The main mod is a set of Seymour Duncan Pegasus and Sentient pickups but I also painted the knobs, I think it came out well.
One thing I haven't heard anyone mention is that the intonation on this guitar is set up terribly from the factory. You have to remove the springs and trim the screw in order to intonate the lowest two strings correctly. If you look closely at my cruddy picture you can see that I actually had to replace the intonation screw on the low e string because trimming the screw caused me to strip out the saddle. I had to re thread the saddle and get a new (different colored) screw.
Thank you sharing for your mods, those painted knobs look cool... a closer pic perhaps?
Regarding the intonation problem, it has been mentioned before, sorry...
flaik
Well-Known Member
its easy to miss! 
mnemonic
Custom User Title
back when I had a neck pickup and pickup switch, I had a tele-style switch tip on mine too, good choice. 
Well, I have a 4 way teleswitch on mine to begin with... which had to be modded a little to fit... those are made to be screwed onto metal plates, not thicker pieces of wood... but it works just fine...
About the intonation problem, I guess there was a thread about it...
About the intonation problem, I guess there was a thread about it...
flaik
Well-Known Member
I just cant win can I
Anyway the switch is just different because melted the inside of the stock switch messing around with the wiring so I had to buy a new one. It was actually a real pain but I kinda dig it now haha.
That why I hate those cheapo PCB switches. You will never ruin a good Gibson or Fender mechanical selector switch by soldering on it, and they rarely develop shorts from usage. They are kind of a pain to get in there though. I had to widen the holes a bit on the RG8 to get mine in there.
mnemonic
Custom User Title
I guess I'm one of the lucky ones that didn't need to cut the intonation screw shorter to intonate it. That being said, I am only using a .075 in F at the moment.
I've got the low F saddle as far back as it goes and that spring is pretty cozy. I'll probably snip the spring shorter next string change so I have a bit more travel.
I've got the low F saddle as far back as it goes and that spring is pretty cozy. I'll probably snip the spring shorter next string change so I have a bit more travel.
I just cant win can I
Friend, You won the first time by making your guitar truly yours, that's all one needs...
my F1# is .74 (?, D'Addario .010 pack) and i also did not need to remove the spring... but I changed the saddles to Ghosts, so, does it counts?...
flaik
Well-Known Member
Since I'm not liking the neck on my rg8(cramps my hand due to thinness), I'm now pondering getting a neck custom made for it. I figure this is better than getting a new guitar completely, since I'd probably go for a schecter banshee or similar, so around the 800 dollar mark. Plus, I can get a different headstock design too! I'd go for a reverse ESP style one... It doesn't bother me that its a cheap guitar and to be putting a lot of money into it like some of you guys. I love how it sounds with the ionizer, just super tight and well defined and a lot of presence to the mids so it has a nice midsy grind when playing fast rhythms on the B2. And the placement of my volume is perfectly inline with the bridge like the KM7's volume is which I've come to appreciate much more now with it's revised position.
I think if it had a custom neck, with very clean fretwork (SS frets of course) and a legit ebony board with reverse ESP style headstock or perhaps one of the skervesen headstocks..
Also, with this thought invariably comes the thought of the potential to make the RG8 into a multiscale instrument. All you'd need are the single saddles, and to drill new string holes into the body plus a simple 25.5-27" fan on the replacement neck...
And then a sick refinish; transparent aqua blue, with maybe a spalted maple veneer for the top...
I'm getting carried away here.
But damn isn't this thing just perfect to mod?!!!!
Seriously considering that new neck though.. Would solve a lot of problems for me and be cheaper than a new guitar cus I like this thing a lot just not the neck so much..
I think if it had a custom neck, with very clean fretwork (SS frets of course) and a legit ebony board with reverse ESP style headstock or perhaps one of the skervesen headstocks..
Also, with this thought invariably comes the thought of the potential to make the RG8 into a multiscale instrument. All you'd need are the single saddles, and to drill new string holes into the body plus a simple 25.5-27" fan on the replacement neck...
And then a sick refinish; transparent aqua blue, with maybe a spalted maple veneer for the top...
I'm getting carried away here.
But damn isn't this thing just perfect to mod?!!!!
Seriously considering that new neck though.. Would solve a lot of problems for me and be cheaper than a new guitar cus I like this thing a lot just not the neck so much..
Ben.Last
Formerly Lern2Swim
Just so you know, if you're unhappy with how thin the RG8 neck is, then you really don't want to go with a Schecter. The new Schecter neck profile is thinner than the profile on the RG8.
That sir , is atleast very interesting , thank you !
.. and compaired to the Ibbys , how is the stringspacing ? specificly it's nutwidth ; a RG8 is 55mm , the 'old' Schec 8 are 53.5 mm ..
Ben.Last
Formerly Lern2Swim
That sir , is atleast very interesting , thank you !
.. and compaired to the Ibbys , how is the stringspacing ? specificly it's nutwidth ; a RG8 is 55mm , the 'old' Schec 8 are 53.5 mm ..
Any string space difference is pretty indistinguishable for me.
If the neck profile of the Wizards are too thin for you, down near the nut, you might want to look into the Jacksons. They have more of a Strat profile at the nut, that gradually goes to Wizard profile toward the joint.
chargrilled
Well-Known Member
My Bareknuckle Juggernaut 8's have arrived and they don't actually fit in the RG8FM cavity, the metal pieces that you screw the pickup down with have to be shaved down by the shop. Plus of course because of the pointlessly large covered passive it leave's a big gap round the non-covered pickup - so the shop are gonna paint the inside as well. Fingers crossed it all goes well!!!
Altar
Well-Known Member
Anyone with a TAM10 want to make us a pickguard template? It'd be cool to have the "official" ibby guard for some of these RG8's.
RG8 in walnut with spitfire tort guard... Yum yum yum.
RG8 in walnut with spitfire tort guard... Yum yum yum.
What color shall it be?
Also, you guys reckon I sanded it down enough? Not looking to go bare wood on it, just prime it and then do a solid color and clear over that. I've done the front so far but it will be a full refinish.
