RG8 vs RG2228?

[Tom Drinkwater]

Budget for the 2228 but buy two Carvin DC800's instead.

 

[Draceius]

I love how throughout this whole thread people have brought up the RGA8 when the OP said RG8 vs RG2228, anyway I concur with philligan, check out carvin.

 

[HOKENSTYFE]

I'll take credit for that. There is too huge a difference between the two he was looking at. It seemingly made no sense to pick one over the other. Or at the very least, I implemented a little chaos.

I have a RGA8 and I loves it...

I wasn't going to say anything when someone else brought up Carvin but, you did so... Why spend the money and time for something marginally different? Order it now, get it...summer(April/May, maybe)? Get a RGA8, make some upgrades and make it a workhorse. Which all can be done by the end of this upcoming week.

The Carvin can wait...

 

[Pfalz]

I'll take credit for that. There is too huge a difference between the two he was looking at. It seemingly made no sense to pick one over the other. Or at the very least, I implemented a little chaos.

I have a RGA8 and I loves it...

I wasn't going to say anything when someone else brought up Carvin but, you did so... Why spend the money and time for something marginally different? Order it now, get it...summer(April/May, maybe)? Get a RGA8, make some upgrades and make it a workhorse. Which all can be done by the end of this upcoming week.

The Carvin can wait...

I'm going to be using this Guitar as my primary one from here on out, but since it costs so much less, I'll be able to be upgrade my amp and buy a mesa boogie much sooner. I can't buy the RGA8 just yet, I'm still short a couple hundred bucks, and I want to spec it out as soon as I get it. But thanks again everyone!

 

[simonXsludge]

Once again, maybe wait and check out the new Ibanez Iron Label RG 8-string that is coming up with those EMGs stock.

 

[MikeH]

The RG8 has been hit and miss as far as quality goes. Luckily, I got a nice one. I'm sure that if you're able to play it first, you'd be surprised at the quality. That being said, I've also owned the 2228, and it's a completely different instrument. Quality is amazing, and its materials are of much higher quality. If it came back to it, though, I'd probably use the $2k to buy another RG8 and mod the shit out of it, while still pocketing a large sum of cash. You could do an endless amount of things to the RG8 while still coming under budget. Depends on if you'd rather have a ready-to-use machine, or something you want to work on. And even still, if you do buy the 2228, I'd go used.

 

[7 Strings of Hate]

Do a carvin dude

 

[HOKENSTYFE]

Damn that Iron Label looks good! The stock picture is making me want to buy one and mod the bridge & frets(hardware) gold.

 

[NoMod]

I own an RGA8 and RG2228A and put a lot of extra money into my RGA8, got a beautiful replacement body, new pickups and had it set up professionaly several times but it continues to feel a little off to me. My 2228A played much easier right out of the box. It needs virtually no changes at all. It feels way superior, the neck is finished much better and has a much more comfortable profile, although it doesn't look dramatically different on paper. It sets up so effortless as well.

Moral of the story: The 2228 is worth every Dollar. You may wanna wait for the Iron Label series RG 8-string to hit stores, which comes with EMGs stock but at a price point that should be quite affordable. I can not recommend the RGA8 and I'm not sure about the RG8 either.

I imagine RG2228 owners will say "Yes, its worth $2000" and non-owners will say "No, its way over priced." I have an RG2228 with EMG 808x's and I would pay $2800 for the same guitar if Ibanez were to produce one today as a production model.
The specs can't account for the quality. You could buy a Fender Strat or a Tom Anderson with the same specs. Which guitar is going to be better? The RG2228 has a freakishly good neck. You have to play it to fully understand. I can't say that about any other production guitar. Its truly a freak of nature which is head and shoulders above everything else. The guitar isn't perfect; I put new pickups in and have a love/hate relationship with the bridge but the playability makes up for it.

Have to agree with these guys, having a RG2228A means I don't even have an issue with the pickups and having played floyd rose equipped guitars since forever I get on fine with the bridge too.

Is the RG2228 'worth' the hefty price tag? It's pretty subjective and personal, to me, it was worth it to get a guitar that 'I personally' am 100% happy with, would I like it to have cost half as much? of course lol, but I paid out for a brand new one and I have no regrets whatsoever. The neck and build quality on this guitar is phenomenal, the Japanese Ibanez makers really seem to care about quality in the smallest details, hardly suprising given Japan's history of perfectionism. You cannot really compare the prestige range with other ibanez IMO.

On a related note a Carvin was not really an option for me, living in 'screwed-over-on-import-taxes-England'...

 

[Philligan]

I wasn't going to say anything when someone else brought up Carvin but, you did so... Why spend the money and time for something marginally different? Order it now, get it...summer(April/May, maybe)? Get a RGA8, make some upgrades and make it a workhorse. Which all can be done by the end of this upcoming week.

The Carvin can wait...

Because Carvin quality is leaps and bounds ahead of any Indonesian-made guitar. An RGA8 can be made to be decent, but a Carvin is gonna be awesome right out of the box. It's a semi-custom US made guitar with a great rep. Entry and mid-level Ibanezes are Indonesian made guitars with an okay rep.

An RGA8 may be good for the price, but on an objective level, it's nowhere near the quality of a Carvin. For the price of an RGA8 + EMGs, the OP could get a Carvin, which is a higher quality guitar with almost as many options as a custom (like stainless steel frets) and dudes who own them say the stock pickups smoke EMGs.

EDIT: And to the dude who said you'd get a Carvin by May or so. Build time is 6-8 weeks. Ordering a Carvin now would get it to you by mid-March at the latest.

 

[7 Strings of Hate]

Because Carvin quality is leaps and bounds ahead of any Indonesian-made guitar. An RGA8 can be made to be decent, but a Carvin is gonna be awesome right out of the box. It's a semi-custom US made guitar with a great rep. Entry and mid-level Ibanezes are Indonesian made guitars with an okay rep.

An RGA8 may be good for the price, but on an objective level, it's nowhere near the quality of a Carvin. For the price of an RGA8 + EMGs, the OP could get a Carvin, which is a higher quality guitar with almost as many options as a custom (like stainless steel frets) and dudes who own them say the stock pickups smoke EMGs.

EDIT: And to the dude who said you'd get a Carvin by May or so. Build time is 6-8 weeks. Ordering a Carvin now would get it to you by mid-March at the latest.

Bingo. To say a Carvin is marginally better than a $400 indo ibby really shows how little a person knows what they are talking about. Thats not ment as an insult, but the truth. Must have not ever played the 2 side by side.

 

[HOKENSTYFE]

It's not that I don't know what I'm talking about at it pertains to Carvin. It's about getting what you want. I never said one was better than another. Also, I have yet to hear how Carvin owners are beyond satisfied with their Carvin's sound, after the honeymoon. Plenty of threads asking about routing to fit alternate pickups. Of course, for those that are still impressed, to think of further modding is their choice.

Semi-custom Carvin + Swapping of pickups + routing + getting preamp for actives if Carvin came with passives + tax, of time to get build and further time to do mods = 2228 Stock < A RGA8 & RG8 + pickups.

Sorry guys, Ibanez Fanboy here.

 

[Wyvern Claw]

Honestly, I'd go with this. A little more than the RGA8 + mods, but much better, and no wait time.
Carvin.com : In Stock DC800 Eight-String Extended Scale Guitar Serial Number 110429

However, if there are things about this one that don't appeal to you, there are 3 or 4 others in stock, and I'd still say it's worth the wait to order your own if those don't do it for you either. And I know this thread was about the RG8 vs. the RG2228, but since Carvin has been brought up multiple times already, I figure it's safe to give my opinion. I am actually one of those people that are beyond satisfied with my DC800, everything about it is as good as a USA Jackson for the same price as the 2228 (and I'm talking after mandatory case purchase and shipping - my total was a little under $2100, this one is even less) and I personally don't see a need to change the pickups other than just to try something different.

Also, Carvins do come with actives, which as mentioned, are better than the 808's. That's obviously subjective, but I'm not the only one who thinks so at least. So the need for swapping pickups is likely to be non-existent, depending on personal taste, and they are indeed set up to take other active pickups. So if that's what's going in there anyway if you did want to change them, no routing necessary for EMG's, at least as far as I've heard.

 

[Philligan]

Also, Carvins do come with actives, which as mentioned, are better than the 808's. That's obviously subjective, but I'm not the only one who thinks so at least. So the need for swapping pickups is likely to be non-existent, depending on personal taste, and they are indeed set up to take other active pickups. So if that's what's going in there anyway if you did want to change them, no routing necessary for EMG's, at least as far as I've heard.

This new pickups won't require any routing. EMGs and Laces drop right in, and passives fit with gaps. You can hide the gaps with soapbar covers or pickup rings for $10 or $20.