2wheel_Ted
SS.org Regular
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2020
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 19
Hi, all.
I’m new here as well to any guitar with more than 6 strings (the Oud doesn’t really count since most of those are doubled notes). My intro to guitar was in the early 80s and I was a rock/metal/punk enthusiast into the 90s. Like the rest of my headbanger friends, I listened to and learned songs by Van Halen, Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden etc. Since the late 90s, my guitar passion pivoted towards jazz (swing, be-bop, modern etc.), and then Manouche Swing (Gypsy Jazz) and the Oud.
For the past couple of years, while living in Tokyo for a business-related project, I found myself falling into the guitar rabbit hole via YouTube videos about sweep picking and other techniques, but only had my Django/Maccaferri-style acoustics living in Japan. I played along anyway (I was bored), and realized that all of the Gypsy jazz had me conditioned to playing fast runs, arpeggios, alternative picking techniques etc. Messing around with those new techniques wasn’t as “impossible” as I thought it would be, even playing on the wrong guitars for the job.
Then I discovered amazing and talented (new to me) 8-string players and bands and was quickly hooked. I never ever stopped listening to the rock and metal I grew up listening to, but this new (to me) genre was a refreshing “re-introduction” to what got me into playing guitar in the first place. I did often go and check out the 15 or more guitar shops near Meiji University, and there were a good amount of 8-string guitars (Ibanez, Strandberg, Abasi, Jackson etc.). Honestly, I never really fell in love with any that I came across.
Having been back in the USA a few months, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered an Abasi Larada Legion 8 (the only 8-string they had left) on October 15th, and it arrived today (less than a week!). I had no idea that there was this weird sneaker-flipper-culture-like thing going on with these things (I learned about that here). I just wanted the guitar to play it.
I saw on another thread that folks wanted to some close up images of the headstock so I included some along with photos of the un-boxing. I haven’t plugged it in yet, but it feels really good. The frets are very smooth at the corners, the strings are very close to each other (more than I’m used to, and overall, the fit and finish seems top-notch. The action seems to be about 2.5mm above the 12th fret (eyeball measurement). Compared to what I’m used to playing, I’d say it was low. I’m used to scrutinizing hand-built European and Asian acoustics and arch tops, so it’s been awhile since I’ve looked at any solid body guitar with a careful eye. The last “shredder” guitar I owned and gigged with was a ‘91 or ‘92 Ibanez RG770DX I bought new at the time, so I’m not up to speed with what qualifies for quality builds or what not these days.
Anyway, if you made it through my long ramble, thanks. Looking forward to shredding after many decades and challenging myself to learn something new.
I’m new here as well to any guitar with more than 6 strings (the Oud doesn’t really count since most of those are doubled notes). My intro to guitar was in the early 80s and I was a rock/metal/punk enthusiast into the 90s. Like the rest of my headbanger friends, I listened to and learned songs by Van Halen, Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden etc. Since the late 90s, my guitar passion pivoted towards jazz (swing, be-bop, modern etc.), and then Manouche Swing (Gypsy Jazz) and the Oud.
For the past couple of years, while living in Tokyo for a business-related project, I found myself falling into the guitar rabbit hole via YouTube videos about sweep picking and other techniques, but only had my Django/Maccaferri-style acoustics living in Japan. I played along anyway (I was bored), and realized that all of the Gypsy jazz had me conditioned to playing fast runs, arpeggios, alternative picking techniques etc. Messing around with those new techniques wasn’t as “impossible” as I thought it would be, even playing on the wrong guitars for the job.
Then I discovered amazing and talented (new to me) 8-string players and bands and was quickly hooked. I never ever stopped listening to the rock and metal I grew up listening to, but this new (to me) genre was a refreshing “re-introduction” to what got me into playing guitar in the first place. I did often go and check out the 15 or more guitar shops near Meiji University, and there were a good amount of 8-string guitars (Ibanez, Strandberg, Abasi, Jackson etc.). Honestly, I never really fell in love with any that I came across.
Having been back in the USA a few months, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered an Abasi Larada Legion 8 (the only 8-string they had left) on October 15th, and it arrived today (less than a week!). I had no idea that there was this weird sneaker-flipper-culture-like thing going on with these things (I learned about that here). I just wanted the guitar to play it.
I saw on another thread that folks wanted to some close up images of the headstock so I included some along with photos of the un-boxing. I haven’t plugged it in yet, but it feels really good. The frets are very smooth at the corners, the strings are very close to each other (more than I’m used to, and overall, the fit and finish seems top-notch. The action seems to be about 2.5mm above the 12th fret (eyeball measurement). Compared to what I’m used to playing, I’d say it was low. I’m used to scrutinizing hand-built European and Asian acoustics and arch tops, so it’s been awhile since I’ve looked at any solid body guitar with a careful eye. The last “shredder” guitar I owned and gigged with was a ‘91 or ‘92 Ibanez RG770DX I bought new at the time, so I’m not up to speed with what qualifies for quality builds or what not these days.
Anyway, if you made it through my long ramble, thanks. Looking forward to shredding after many decades and challenging myself to learn something new.
