RCB
Well-Known Member
Well, here it is. I picked it from my local Guitar Center on the 27th. With the case and the coupon code they had for the holidays, I paid $480. So far I am very happy. This is my first 8 string, first Ibanez electric guitar and first guitar with a 27 scale.
*Warning, this is going to be a bit long and as in depth as possible, so please bear with me.
(Feel free to skip to the photos if you dont want to read my blabbering)
Prior to the release of the RG8, I damn near drove myself mad trying to make a decision between various Schecter & Agile 8s. I must have changed my mind over six dozen times. During this time there were a few discussions on this site about how people wanted a fixed Ibanez 8 string, an 8321 if you will. I didnt take part in any discussions, but this was the guitar I hoped Ibanez would make for a long time now. Its like a dream come true for budget shoppers such as myself.
When these were released I was on constant watch and I came across a black one at my local GC. I think it was the first 8 string they ever had in their store anyway, I got to try it out before I made a purchase. The setup with the stock strings wasnt the greatest and the neck almost felt lopsided, but I was just happy as all Hell that I finally got to play an 8 for the first time. Unfortunately I didnt have enough cash at the time to buy it, but I was leaning towards placing an order for an untouched RG8. The RG8 I played was sold in a couple of days anyway. So I returned with plenty of funds and requested an RG8 from the main warehouse, but unfortunately (again ) there were no RG8s at the main warehouse. All of the RG8s GC had were at their stores only, and they each had only one (this makes some sense seeing as this is a fresh new model from Ibanez). After a few moments of searching their database, they found one for me in Roseville, CA. A week later it was in my hands. The folks at my local GC were extremely kind and accommodating throughout the whole process.
Now on to the main attraction.
The first thing I set out to do was change the strings, clean it and give it a small setup. I did play it for a while with the stock strings and they actually held out okay, but the .68 or whatever Ibanez uses for the F# didnt sound full enough.
This is going to take a while. Im going to need:
Some home-brewed tea
and some good tunes
and
All righty then, lets get started.
First off, the nut is actually made of pretty good material.
The flaw I find with the nut is that it could be a tiny bit taller. Either that or the frets should be a bit shorter. Needless to say I believe nuts are easier to replace than frets (which are a major pain in the ass in my book).
The fretboard wasnt horribly dry, but I like to put lemon oil on all of my new guitars regardless.
Looks better already.
^Ahh thats what I like to see. Now on to the bridge.
The saddles arent that bad at all and, on a side note, I cant begin to express how nice it is to have a bridge where string changes AND intonation is easy. Here are the strings I decided to go with:
And here we have the bass size ferrule string-less.
Now I ran into a snag with the F# string and the tuning peg, the .74 wouldnt fit the hole.
I think Ive reached my limit for photos in one post, plus this is a nice break of pace. To be continued in the next post.
*Warning, this is going to be a bit long and as in depth as possible, so please bear with me.
(Feel free to skip to the photos if you dont want to read my blabbering)
Prior to the release of the RG8, I damn near drove myself mad trying to make a decision between various Schecter & Agile 8s. I must have changed my mind over six dozen times. During this time there were a few discussions on this site about how people wanted a fixed Ibanez 8 string, an 8321 if you will. I didnt take part in any discussions, but this was the guitar I hoped Ibanez would make for a long time now. Its like a dream come true for budget shoppers such as myself.
When these were released I was on constant watch and I came across a black one at my local GC. I think it was the first 8 string they ever had in their store anyway, I got to try it out before I made a purchase. The setup with the stock strings wasnt the greatest and the neck almost felt lopsided, but I was just happy as all Hell that I finally got to play an 8 for the first time. Unfortunately I didnt have enough cash at the time to buy it, but I was leaning towards placing an order for an untouched RG8. The RG8 I played was sold in a couple of days anyway. So I returned with plenty of funds and requested an RG8 from the main warehouse, but unfortunately (again ) there were no RG8s at the main warehouse. All of the RG8s GC had were at their stores only, and they each had only one (this makes some sense seeing as this is a fresh new model from Ibanez). After a few moments of searching their database, they found one for me in Roseville, CA. A week later it was in my hands. The folks at my local GC were extremely kind and accommodating throughout the whole process.
Now on to the main attraction.
The first thing I set out to do was change the strings, clean it and give it a small setup. I did play it for a while with the stock strings and they actually held out okay, but the .68 or whatever Ibanez uses for the F# didnt sound full enough.
This is going to take a while. Im going to need:
Some home-brewed tea
and some good tunes
and
All righty then, lets get started.
First off, the nut is actually made of pretty good material.
The flaw I find with the nut is that it could be a tiny bit taller. Either that or the frets should be a bit shorter. Needless to say I believe nuts are easier to replace than frets (which are a major pain in the ass in my book).
The fretboard wasnt horribly dry, but I like to put lemon oil on all of my new guitars regardless.
Looks better already.
^Ahh thats what I like to see. Now on to the bridge.
The saddles arent that bad at all and, on a side note, I cant begin to express how nice it is to have a bridge where string changes AND intonation is easy. Here are the strings I decided to go with:
And here we have the bass size ferrule string-less.
Now I ran into a snag with the F# string and the tuning peg, the .74 wouldnt fit the hole.
I think Ive reached my limit for photos in one post, plus this is a nice break of pace. To be continued in the next post.
I have an rg7320z and I use the same .074 string (I play in drop A) and mine goes through the hole of the tuning peg...
