Should I Buy This 8 String?!

[Sparky8691]

I've been thinking about getting an 8 string for a little while...most definitely for the djenty silliness but also to have a go with some of the clean stuff you see Animals As Leaders doing. You know, all those extended chord voicings that go all the way down to the low drop E string.

I've really enjoyed how my Schecters play so far, especially the slimmer necks. So the logical choice for me is the John Browne signature, the Tao-8. I also really like the sound of the pickups from the demos I've watched, they seem ridiculously aggressive.

Downside though, it's not a cheap guitar. Not custom shop prices but definitely not an impulse buy. However, I have seen one at Peach Guitars here in the UK: https://www.peachguitars.com/schecter-john-browne-tao-8-8-string-azure-blue.htm
It's in the new blue colour which I actually prefer. And it's also signed. It was listed for £1749 a little while back but has now been dropped to £1595.99. That actually makes it the cheapest new Tao-8 I can see from any UK retailer which is impressive considering the artist's signature (on the backplate) and the fact that the new blue colour seems generally to be a little more expensive than the purple flamed maple version.

I'm not sure though. I can afford it but had planned on not making any more bigger purchases for a few months.

The other consideration is that I have a 7 string to do something with. I got a Cort KX507MS about a year ago, was my first hardtail 7 string (after I didn't get on with the Floyd Rose on my actual first 7 string, a Jackson Broderick). The Cort is a pretty decent guitar, it was great value (£600) yet you still get the Fishman Moderns however I did get a Schecter KM-7 III recently as I wanted a straight scale and a higher spec in general (things like stainless frets). Getting a cheaper guitar like the Cort means the resale value isn't that great, would probably get no more than £300 for a private sale.

So I've been thinking that the sensible thing to do would be to keep the Cort and get a suitable string set that would allow me to do tunings around the drop F zone so I can play some 8 string songs. It will probably need a new nut as that is the one real downside of the KX507 but apart from that it's a perfectly decent guitar. So...using the Cort for the low tuned stuff instead of buying something new would save a load of money. But getting a signed Tao-8 at that price is tempting! And whilst I love the clarity and versatility of the Fishman pickups, they do seem sometimes lack the natural growl and chunkiness of a high output passive. I feel this way about the bridge pickup on my KM-7 especially so as I posted in the KM-7 thread, I'm planning on replacing it with a Modern. But it would be nice to have in my collection at least one extended range guitar with some firebreathing passive pickups.

Also worth mentioning that whilst I love stuff like AAL, there's no way I can play the crazy technical parts yet. I'm still just scratching the surface with what I can do with my 7 strings.

I have tried playing around with the transpose feature in the Neural DSP plugins to achieve lower tunings that way. Seems good for just chugging on open strings but it does sound a bit weird otherwise, especially when playing higher strings. And that's just with a 3 semitone drop. Would love to hear if anyone has any better advice for this though...such as better pitch shifting tools.

 

[ThePIGI King]

If you can afford it go for it!

But if you're on the fence and not sure you'll like it, if that shop has a good return policy you're good to go!

Or you could get a cheaper 8 for now and make sure it's your jam, and upgrade later. That seems like a lot of money for a Korean 8 with basic specs minus the pickups and neck wood. I know prices are high everywhere, but you could get a really good used 8 for that price (at least in the US).

I'm an enabler though, so at the end of the day, if you can afford it, always buy an 8!

 

[Thesius]

Too long didn't read

Yes

 

[Crungy]

I've been thinking about getting an 8 string for a little while...most definitely for the djenty silliness but also to have a go with some of the clean stuff you see Animals As Leaders doing. You know, all those extended chord voicings that go all the way down to the low drop E string.

I've really enjoyed how my Schecters play so far, especially the slimmer necks. So the logical choice for me is the John Browne signature, the Tao-8. I also really like the sound of the pickups from the demos I've watched, they seem ridiculously aggressive.

Downside though, it's not a cheap guitar. Not custom shop prices but definitely not an impulse buy. However, I have seen one at Peach Guitars here in the UK: https://www.peachguitars.com/schecter-john-browne-tao-8-8-string-azure-blue.htm
It's in the new blue colour which I actually prefer. And it's also signed. It was listed for £1749 a little while back but has now been dropped to £1595.99. That actually makes it the cheapest new Tao-8 I can see from any UK retailer which is impressive considering the artist's signature (on the backplate) and the fact that the new blue colour seems generally to be a little more expensive than the purple flamed maple version.

I'm not sure though. I can afford it but had planned on not making any more bigger purchases for a few months.

The other consideration is that I have a 7 string to do something with. I got a Cort KX507MS about a year ago, was my first hardtail 7 string (after I didn't get on with the Floyd Rose on my actual first 7 string, a Jackson Broderick). The Cort is a pretty decent guitar, it was great value (£600) yet you still get the Fishman Moderns however I did get a Schecter KM-7 III recently as I wanted a straight scale and a higher spec in general (things like stainless frets). Getting a cheaper guitar like the Cort means the resale value isn't that great, would probably get no more than £300 for a private sale.

So I've been thinking that the sensible thing to do would be to keep the Cort and get a suitable string set that would allow me to do tunings around the drop F zone so I can play some 8 string songs. It will probably need a new nut as that is the one real downside of the KX507 but apart from that it's a perfectly decent guitar. So...using the Cort for the low tuned stuff instead of buying something new would save a load of money. But getting a signed Tao-8 at that price is tempting! And whilst I love the clarity and versatility of the Fishman pickups, they do seem sometimes lack the natural growl and chunkiness of a high output passive. I feel this way about the bridge pickup on my KM-7 especially so as I posted in the KM-7 thread, I'm planning on replacing it with a Modern. But it would be nice to have in my collection at least one extended range guitar with some firebreathing passive pickups.

Also worth mentioning that whilst I love stuff like AAL, there's no way I can play the crazy technical parts yet. I'm still just scratching the surface with what I can do with my 7 strings.

I have tried playing around with the transpose feature in the Neural DSP plugins to achieve lower tunings that way. Seems good for just chugging on open strings but it does sound a bit weird otherwise, especially when playing higher strings. And that's just with a 3 semitone drop. Would love to hear if anyone has any better advice for this though...such as better pitch shifting tools.

 

[Hollowway]

8s are by far my favorite instrument. 9s are fun for experimenting with, but 8s feel 100% usable and normal to me. I’d say definitely get it, because you might feel the same. But get it where you can return it, as others have said, just in case.

 

[TheBloodstained]

Back when I was 8-string curious I chose to go all-in and buy a brand new Ibanez RG2228 Prestige, which wasn't exactly a cheap axe at that time, but buying a top end instrument meant that I had a good experience with my first 8.

The Tao 8 might be expensive, yes, but you have a higher chance of getting a really good out-of-the-box experience, and if you decide that 8 string isn't for you after all, then there's better resale value in a high end instrument.

There's always the option to go with something like a Harley Benton, if you just want to try an 8 string. I recently bought a cheap Harley Benton Multiscale 8 myself, and while it is pretty good value for the money, it's also an instrument that needs some work to really shine.

 

[OneTwoThrill]

What is the purpose?
Is getting an 8 is ok?
Is getting this one is ok?

The previous answer seems good to me : Ibanez RG2228 is a secured choice. No risk.

I personally don’t like 8s that much. I am into buying another 7s with low tuning. Personal choice. Good luck in your search.

 

[Crungy]

@Sparky8691 I haven't played any of the Tao's but have only heard good things. If you like Schecters I'd guess that one would be something you would like. Is it possible to return it if you didn't like it?

I started with an RG8 and went to an RGA 8 and I'm very happy. The stock electronics were trash but I went to SD Blackouts and it's a beast and much cheaper than an RG2228. I still want one though lol

 

[SalsaWood]

Go affordable for your first one. Personally I love sevens, but I don't like eights. If I had spent big money just figuring that out I'd be much more disappointed in my decision. You can say you want it for X/Y/Z, but you're probably better off just admitting you want it to play a certain style of music exclusively and not much else. It's not going to be worth it after that new car smell leaves and you only know one place worth driving to. It wasn't for me, but I tested the waters of ownership instead of bending over a barrel for it at the jump.

Completely skipping over the other specialized dedicated gear you need for that range because nobody seems to ever care.

 

[Moongrum]

I'm not sure though. I can afford it but had planned on not making any more bigger purchases for a few months.

Have you ever played an 8 string? Might be a bit of a gamble if you haven't.
I recently bought an 8 string, it's the first time I've played an 8, and honestly I don't have much use for it
What I really wanted was a baritone or bass vi, but those are hard to find as a lefty. Also, even if I were to find a baritone, I know I wouldn't use it much, so I wanted something small like a headless so I could store it easily. So, getting a headless kiesel 8 string made sense to me.
I was comfortable buying an 8 string because I could afford it and was fine with having a gimmick instrument around the apartment I know I'm not going to use much. This is only one of two guitars I own, so I'm not drowning in gear anyways.
I'd say if you're fine with having an instrument you may not play much, and/or are fine taking a hit if you end up selling it, buy it.

 

[prlgmnr]

There are a few rg2228s on reverb in the UK, or m80ms if you want the length

 

[ThePIGI King]

Go affordable for your first one. Personally I love sevens, but I don't like eights. If I had spent big money just figuring that out I'd be much more disappointed in my decision. You can say you want it for X/Y/Z, but you're probably better off just admitting you want it to play a certain style of music exclusively and not much else. It's not going to be worth it after that new car smell leaves and you only know one place worth driving to. It wasn't for me, but I tested the waters of ownership instead of bending over a barrel for it at the jump.

Completely skipping over the other specialized dedicated gear you need for that range because nobody seems to ever care.

Not really sure about specialized other gear - I got an RG8 and played through a POD2.0 and was perfectly happy.

Of course my Helix sounds better, but you don't *need* anything to play an 8 except hands, or feet.

 

[Shawn]

First 8-string I ever bought over 10 years ago was a first year Ibanez RG8, which I still have and it's the best bang for your buck IMO.

 

[SalsaWood]

Not really sure about specialized other gear - I got an RG8 and played through a POD2.0 and was perfectly happy.

Of course my Helix sounds better, but you don't *need* anything to play an 8 except hands, or feet.

Yea, you do. You need equipment that can handle the extra range instead of woofing or farting when it's actually turned up and enjoyed by different people in different scenarios. It might be all well and good through your budget recording rig and headphones, but that setup is EXTREMELY susceptible to sounding like garbage if even one component is not readjusted or changed. That's with any guitar, having an eight to juggle just makes the problem larger. Can you do it? Sure. Should you? Not if you plan on actually sounding good every time.

 

[projectjetfire]

John Browne and Schecter are going to be at The Guitar Show in Sollihul on the 2 and 3rd May. Ideal chance to give it a try there Id say

 

[ThePIGI King]

Yea, you do. You need equipment that can handle the extra range instead of woofing or farting when it's actually turned up and enjoyed by different people in different scenarios. It might be all well and good through your budget recording rig and headphones, but that setup is EXTREMELY susceptible to sounding like garbage if even one component is not readjusted or changed. That's with any guitar, having an eight to juggle just makes the problem larger. Can you do it? Sure. Should you? Not if you plan on actually sounding good every time.

I guess it depends on the user and what they want. Not everyone buys everything with the intention of gigging or recording, I've played for most of my life and never done either. I would rather have the guitar and be able to adjust/learn and sound bad but have fun than not buy the guitar because my rig isn't perfect yet.

If I have fun playing an RG8 on my pod2.0, that's all that matters. Fun/Happy > sounding perfect

 

[SalsaWood]

@ThePIGI King Just now realizing I sounded a lot more direct than I intended. You get the idea perfectly, though. It works for you and I can't argue against that, I believe it, but I don't think it's just like changing different 6/7 guitars. The extra low range just reacts differently amp to amp and signal to signal in my experience. I can plug my sevens right into my amps and pretty much always sound better than what I'm recording/mastering or sending to reference. Headphones, monitors, truck speakers, etc., they all handle the range of my guitar very well all the same.

With an 8 string I never found an amp that I could plug into and sound good without dialing a ton of knobs again, and then when recording it would sound better played back than what came out of the half stack due to FX/filters/comp/EQ doing so much more heavy lifting. I think I throw out more than I use with an eight because it doesn't do as well in as many places. The plug and play just isn't there for that range on a guitar, it's getting better and for some folks maybe that doesn't even matter. It seems like most folks don't sweat it and take it with the territory, they get great results, but I don't think it's a shorter walk to get there at all. With six or seven you've got a ton of plug and play flavors of anything to choose from, but with eights though it's a whole new rig lifestyle looking for what works best in the most circumstances.

 

[Jotun@]

Personally, I think you could get a pretty great used 8 string for less than the John Browne sig costs. I’m not in the same market as you, but there are a lot of good 8’s that could be purchased for less. Is it possible for you to test it? Is there some way you could play around with an eight for a bit to see if you like it before putting out a good sum for something you might flip quickly?
Personally, the signature wouldn’t increase the value of this for me. It’s great if you are a fan, but I’d rather have the specs I care about any day than some scribbles with sharpie.
I think that specs might matter more on an 8 to some degree than on a 6 or 7. Some scales as eight aren’t great for everyone, and a multi scale instrument might be more useful than a straight scale depending on your preference. 27” is an easy to get along with scale length for most, but the low string suffers a bit. Personally, much longer and the high strings seem off to me.
I don’t believe that you should rush if this isn’t the end all 8 right for you at the moment.

As far as pitch shifting software/gear goes, yea it gets the same note, but it never feels the same. Not hating on it, I use pitch shifting on some parts but as a seasoning , not a meat and potatoes substitute.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

I have a Tao7 and it’s a great guitar.
You could also look on used market for Kiesel or other Schecters 8s. Sometimes even 8 string ESP SS or EIIs willl pop up for good prices.

In terms of new, Tao 8 would be a great choice if you have the means.

 

[kriff]

There's an 8 string ESP with an Evertune for £800 on guitarguitar right now, that would be a cheaper way in to this.