Wait list questions

[TemjinStrife]

$5500 is an awful lot of money for something you're not even sure you'd like. I know I bought an Agile 8 and couldn't really find a use for it that I enjoyed, as there was too much compromise in getting the low and high strings to sound good. If I got a tone I liked on the low strings, the high strings were brittle and thin and icepicky; if I got a tone I liked on the high strings, the low strings lacked clarity.

Based on my experience, I'd urge caution on spending that much until you're absolutely sure it's what you want. You could get two or three high-end guitars for that amount.

 

[GSingleton]

The carvin just looks great and with a nice neck on it I think it could be my main axe.

Sucks about the pickups, the thing that turns me off about the RG2228 is of course the black and the cheap looking toggle. I even looked at the Rg2228A with Dactivator pups in it and it still looks cheap to me.

 

[GSingleton]

I called today and he said the pups are interchangeable for others.

One major thing he said was, I asked about a thin neck, he said was pretty thin already. Then after a pause he said it was similar to a shcecter hellraiser......

I shat for a second....I returned a 7 hellraiser because I hated the neck. I played on an carvin six and I loved the neck. Any words of wisdom? I think he was confused, but if it is similar to a hellraiser, I do not want it.

 

[Zonk Knuckle]

IDK, I don't have my DC800 yet. But, I know people have requested thinner necks before. I haven't heard about anyone getting a thinner neck on a DC800, but I don't see why they wouldn't do it. It doesn't sound like you communicated well with them, though. You should have said "Schecter Hellraiser? Those are pretty thick. I was thinking like an Ibanez neck." Also, I think if you let them know you're ready to order, but you want a thinner neck, they'll take your more seriously. I've heard that the necks are thin enough though, but not as thin as ibanez.

 

[GSingleton]

Yeah I am not expecting an ibby neck, esp with an 8 string.

Here is the spec sheet, any suggestions from you guys would be awesome. I will be playing the style of AAL, Meshuggah, Fred Brum etc. SO I want lyrically and awesome double tapping capabilites yet the crunch and drive of heavier music.

Base Model Options Quantity Price
DC800
Right Handed
1 $999.00

NMAH - Mahogany Neck & Body $100.00
-CG - Clear Gloss Finish (Standard) $0.00
QDD - Deep Dragonburst Quilt $350.00
5M - 5-Piece Maple Neck w/ 2 Koa Stripes $120.00
TN - Tung Oil Finish Back Of Neck (Natural Wood) $60.00
-8PH - 8-String Pointed Headstock 4+4 (Standard) $0.00
QPH - Quilted Maple Headstock Matches Body Color $40.00
FMF - Flamed Maple Fingerboard (Tung-Oiled) $60.00
NIN - No Top Inlays - Side Dots Only $0.00
STJF - Stainless Jumbo Frets .055" H .110" W $40.00
-R20 - 20in Fretboard Radius (Standard) $0.00
-A80B - A80B Bridge Pickup (Standard) $0.00
-A80N - A80N Neck Pickup (Standard) $0.00
-400 - Black Coils w/ Black Bezels (Standard) $0.00
G - Gold Hardware $50.00
-1068 - Carvin 1068 Light Gauge .010 - .068 (Standard) $0.00
ABL - Abalone Logo $30.00
SL - Dunlop Straplocks $10.00
IVN - Ivory Graph Tech TUSQ Nut $5.00
ETR - Engraved Truss Rod Cover Black $12.00
Truss Rod Engraving:
Line 1: Singleton
HC28 - Black Tolex Hardshell Guitar Case $69.00
Custom Shop Total: $1,945.00
Options Discount: $-100.00



Sub-Total $1,845.00

 

[Zonk Knuckle]

I'm not sure, but I think when you pick 5 piece neck, the default is for it to show even if you pick a top wood. I'm not sure if that's what you want or not. If you don't want to see the 5 piece from the top, I would call to make sure. I'd love to see that when it's done; I mean, if you actually buy it. Looks like you went pretty crazy with it; in a good way.

 

[GSingleton]

I am torn between the dragonburst or the natural quilted maple.

 

[Zonk Knuckle]

I'd pick dragonburst from those 2. But, I really like the natural spalted maple.

 

[hiltz171jim]

I have a DC800 and a Hellrasier. I can tell you that in my opinion, the two are pretty different. Now it is a 6 string Hellraiser, but talking strictly about shape and thickness, the DC800 is thinner to me. And the shape of it makes it feel like it just flows from edge to edge, and there are no sudden curves. The Hellraiser neck is definitely a beefy neck, which the DC800 is not. SO, if youre looking for a thin(er) neck (not sure how thin you want, I know you said Ibanez but I have only ever played one Ibanez so I dont know too much about their necks) then I say go for the DC800. I absolutely love mine. And I love the pickups too.

 

[Eric Christian]

Alright, I am offically on the wait list for an 8 string from strandberg.

So at least 2 years haha. my question is, should I maybe get something cheaper as my first and probably, at the price, the only 8 string I will own. My specs came out to 5500 without shipping and without the pale moon ebony fretboard. This is ALOOOT of money. Do you guys think I should get a cheaper luthier or even an ibby 2228?

I want it so bad but I don't know because that is a lot of money. Would it ultimately be worth it?

I'm having a hard time understanding how you can want one of the most expensive custom eight string guitars made plus wait at least two years or more before it arrives? Especially since by your own admission it will be your first 8 and it sounds like you've never even played an 8 let alone a .strandberg* You have to ask yourself does this action actually make sense? Will this guitar enrich your life 2 years from now? Will it somehow magically enable you to create magnificent compositions? Doubt it.

Seriously dude, rethink this with a reality check. Three of your sentences in the post were basically bullet points about the excessive price. Listen to your inner voice, it is a lot of money and by the time its shipped to your house it will probably be over six grand. Just get a cheap 8 and enjoy a stress free life. Don't buy it just because several overrated guitarists got them given to them for free publicity. For gods sake with a 15% off coupon you can pick up a Omen 8 for $340 from Guitar Center. That leaves $5660 left over for a nice stack, some effects, beer and strippers.

 

[JP Universe]

I was in a similar situation... got on the waiting list for Strandberg then had 2nd thoughts about either a 7 or 8. hmmm better buy an agile 8 to decide...

Now i'm in love with 8's and a Carvin is on the cards... Then got on the Strandberg list again cause I want a 7 as well as an 8. Damn Gas haha

 

[GSingleton]

I am going to get the carvin and probably keep it because I do not enjoy selling guitars.

I am going to stay on the wait list for strandberg and see how my life is in a few years.

 

[Fred the Shred]

I'm having a hard time understanding how you can want one of the most expensive custom eight string guitars made plus wait at least two years or more before it arrives? Especially since by your own admission it will be your first 8 and it sounds like you've never even played an 8 let alone a .strandberg* You have to ask yourself does this action actually make sense? Will this guitar enrich your life 2 years from now? Will it somehow magically enable you to create magnificent compositions? Doubt it.

Seriously dude, rethink this with a reality check. Three of your sentences in the post were basically bullet points about the excessive price. Listen to your inner voice, it is a lot of money and by the time its shipped to your house it will probably be over six grand. Just get a cheap 8 and enjoy a stress free life. Don't buy it just because several overrated guitarists got them given to them for free publicity. For gods sake with a 15% off coupon you can pick up a Omen 8 for $340 from Guitar Center. That leaves $5660 left over for a nice stack, some effects, beer and strippers.

Ola doesn't possess the finantial means to get out there and start giving guitars away, regardless of how much hype surrounding a player there is, so that point is pretty much false. It's also worth mentioning that the whole "overrated guitarists" bit was rather unnecessary to make your point come across. I have no idea if I am in that "overrated guitarist" category or not, but one thing is certain: I did pay for mine. How much is Ola's and my business alone, of course.

Also, while there is validity to the general purpose of your post (heck, my first 8-string was most definitely NOT in the random number of thousands range for sure!), are you seriously comparing a 350 bucks guitar to a .Strandberg* (or pretty much any remotely high end boutique build)? From any tonal or playing feel base, it's like telling people "hey, I will keep using my Pentium III because it can totally do word processing tasks, and all the others are just overpriced crap". It's nonsense, mate - a cheapo Schecter will, of course, be playable, like any other instrument, but don't expect miracles here.

This isn't exactly an irate bash of any kind, as I am not exactly arrogant enough to think the world should think I'm some sort of living god (ok, I am... j/k ), and that my own options are always the right ones, but to turn what is in essence a perfectly justified suggestion to check the other side of the coin into the whole "really expensive guitars are hyped up crap that won't really help you" is, in short, untrue. It won't make him rock out in sold out stadiums, of course, but the better you connect to the instrument and more confident you feel with it, the better you play, and this leaving aside obvious and objective quality disparities. It's not all black and white here.

Personally, I'd stick to the queue for now, while getting a lower budget 8 to get the ball rolling, and to see how you adapt to an 8-string and have the creativity flow (or not). If you decide it's really not your thing at all, maybe change for a 7. If you believe the investment is too heavy (and that is ALWAYS something to consider), then cancel the slot altogether. Amidst all the current alternatives, the one I do not recommend at all is to wait for an undetermined period of time prior to even testing how an 8-string will work for you, only to blindly go for a very heavy investment on any brand.

 

[mphsc]

After reading, I'd agree with some on here about getting a cheaper 8 first. I do not have an 8 string either, but I wasn't happy with the cheaper alternatives. (ibby, agile, schecter) Si I just dropped ruffly $2500 on one: first because it was only a few hundred more than the Carvin I speced; second, it had fanned frets; third: it has wood covered pick-ups & it oil finished and a few other "special" appointments.

The only guitar I've dropped over $4K on was one of the first PRS hollowbody II's but I was able to sit & pay it for hours first.

Good luck on the decision.

 

[GSingleton]

Thanks a lot fred and you basically said what I decided not to say haha.

Like I said, I cannot tell the future so I will remain on the list. The quality and things Ola does is so much more than just a custom. It is the only one like it for each person. It is made for you. No one else.

 

[GSingleton]

Sorry to double post. but...

I have mahogany as my wood, but what wood would I need to make a good versatile tone for jazz and clean two hand tapping licks, yet the crunch of meshuggah and periphery or similar artists? would mahogany do that? Never had a mahogany guitar

 

[Winspear]

Sorry to double post. but...

I have mahogany as my wood, but what wood would I need to make a good versatile tone for jazz and clean two hand tapping licks, yet the crunch of meshuggah and periphery or similar artists? would mahogany do that? Never had a mahogany guitar

Can't say for sure but I presume you are able to change your specs right up until your build time.
Why is it you picked mahogany?
It would be good to discuss your tonal vision with Ola closer to the time. He will be able to help most.
In the mean time you should play a variety of guitars and get used to the woods that you like the sound of.
Personally I'd imagine mahogany might be a bit muddy/dark for that crunch? That said I don't believe it makes a huge difference.

 

[Fred the Shred]

My main 8-strings that aren't fanned frets have the body made of african Mahogany. People always mistake the tone that derives from a Les Paul's construction with a tonal trait from the wood. Mahogany is a bright wood with a deep bass resonance as well, which makes it a great base for other wood choices to complement it. Another relevant aspect is "which species?", as wood density will vary among them, and the predictable tonal range as well.

Muddiness tends to derive from poor wood combinations, excessive gain or wrong EQ, poor choice of electronics for the guitar's unplugged tone, etc., in my experience.

 

[Rook]

Fred said what I was originally gonna say so I'll say something else.

If you're on the strandberg list it doesn't matter how many strings or wood you want until your number's up. If you get on the list now and get called up on it in two years and don't want one any more, just say that! There's no obligation until you pay the deposit. If you think there's even a chance you'll want one in a few years, get on the list.

I spoke to Ola today actually, my build's gonna come up some time this year and I'm completely ecstatic about it. It's going to cost me in the region of £2600, but to me it's wholly and truly worth it, I can't think of any other instrument I have such a full affection and interest towards. The whole process, design and team behind Ola's work are everything I look for in a guitar.

If however you just like the aesthetic, maybe $6k isn't ideal.

Also, as explorer said, I like chambered bodies (only slightly), Swamp Ash bodies which you can never get on production guitars, Rosewood necks which never come on production guitars, I'm tempted by the idea of a small fan but haven't tried one, it seems logical to me, i like low weight, ergonomics, originality, options like SS frets.

I basically just described a strandberg. I was looking everywhere for that and have come very very close with my Mayones (which I'm still hopelessly in love with), but all these factors combined push the price bracket that makes sense for me to buy a strandberg up and hence makes them a viable option.

The £2600 I'd spend is still less or around what you'd pay for a Custom 24 PRS in this country and you couldn't give me one of them... I guess that sheds another light on it.

strandberg or not, know exactly what you want, and how much you want it. Have an idea in your head of what you can afford and how realistic that price is to your situation and THEN look at builders; strandberg lines up nicely for me, but for you who knows? Could well be Carvin!

 

[GSingleton]

once again....I am staying on the wait list but getting a carvin 8 in the mean time. I have mahogany picked because I hear it is good for versatile style, but I needed some opinions.