The Backstory
As many of you who know me or chat with me on AIM know, this is something that has been in the works for over 6 months. It was at that time I decided I'd like to give the RG8 another shot. I really liked how the RG8 played, but really hated how noisy, overly compressed, sterile, and dull the EMG 808s sound. I wanted to put my beloved Bare Knuckles in there, but due to EMG using their bass housings the BKP would not fit (assuming you wanted a clean look).
The solution was to have a custom made pickguard made, but this wasn't an easy task either as no pickguard makers have templates for the 8-string yet, and certainly not with the unique configuration I wanted. Luckily, the other guitarist in my band Buddy who has a background in workshops, drew up a schematic which I then forwarded to the good people at Pickguard Paradise who took the specs and made me a sweet 'african marble' pickguard
The Pickguard
The idea here was for the guard not only be made to fit the RG2228 and the Bare Knuckle, but I also wanted it to cover up the neck route, the 5-way selector switch, and the tone knob - just leaving the bridge and 1 volume. As I said it's their 'African Marble' and is extremely high quality. Buddy really did a great job with the schematic as it fits perfectly, and he REALLY went to great efforts to ensure the pickup route was clean and would be snug but also allow for easy adjustment. Bravo my friend, bravo
The Pickup
The pickup I opted for here was the Bare Knuckle 'Cold Sweat' bridge model. This is a pickup that always is a huge winner in basswood Ibanez, and this is no exception. It's hard to even put into words how much better the guitar sounds now than with the hideous EMG808s. It has about the same output, but it sounds more powerful due to how much more definition, tightness, aggression and pure tone the Cold Sweat has. The low B and F# strings especially reap the benefits. It no longer sounds like a bland distorted bass, and now sounds fucking brutal, crisp, and yes my Bulbites, djenty.
The low end is so focused and musical, with the EMGs it sounded very boomy and borderline muddy. It had this 'round' character that was so compressed it felt like it had no character. The Cold Sweat has amazing harmonics as well. The whole guitar honest to God sounds infinitely more 'alive' now. I'll try to make some clips soon for what its worth.
The clean tones are much better too, which actually was the one thing I thought the EMG 808s did alright. The Cold Sweat is versatile and organic enough that I'm really not missing the neck pickup at all. A little roll down on the volume really fattens and sweetens it up nicely.
I can't express accurately how friggin ecstatic I am over the transformation of this guitar. I think it looks sleek and badass now, and it sounds better than I ever could have envisioned an Ibanez 8 sounding after 2 previous go-arounds with the RG2228.
Conclusion
Anyways, as you can tell I'm on cloud nine right now. The guitar plays amazing, and now sounds/looks amazing too. In my opinion anyways. This is exactly what I hoped for when I planned this out last year. Again, much thanks goes out to my bandmate Buddy and the guys at Pickguard Paradise. I'm still not even sure if 8-string is my thing, so who knows if I'll keep this long-term, but I had to give it a real chance with some decent pickups before knowing that. Hopefully it's a keeper
EDIT: For sale.
As many of you who know me or chat with me on AIM know, this is something that has been in the works for over 6 months. It was at that time I decided I'd like to give the RG8 another shot. I really liked how the RG8 played, but really hated how noisy, overly compressed, sterile, and dull the EMG 808s sound. I wanted to put my beloved Bare Knuckles in there, but due to EMG using their bass housings the BKP would not fit (assuming you wanted a clean look).
The solution was to have a custom made pickguard made, but this wasn't an easy task either as no pickguard makers have templates for the 8-string yet, and certainly not with the unique configuration I wanted. Luckily, the other guitarist in my band Buddy who has a background in workshops, drew up a schematic which I then forwarded to the good people at Pickguard Paradise who took the specs and made me a sweet 'african marble' pickguard
The Pickguard
The idea here was for the guard not only be made to fit the RG2228 and the Bare Knuckle, but I also wanted it to cover up the neck route, the 5-way selector switch, and the tone knob - just leaving the bridge and 1 volume. As I said it's their 'African Marble' and is extremely high quality. Buddy really did a great job with the schematic as it fits perfectly, and he REALLY went to great efforts to ensure the pickup route was clean and would be snug but also allow for easy adjustment. Bravo my friend, bravo
The Pickup
The pickup I opted for here was the Bare Knuckle 'Cold Sweat' bridge model. This is a pickup that always is a huge winner in basswood Ibanez, and this is no exception. It's hard to even put into words how much better the guitar sounds now than with the hideous EMG808s. It has about the same output, but it sounds more powerful due to how much more definition, tightness, aggression and pure tone the Cold Sweat has. The low B and F# strings especially reap the benefits. It no longer sounds like a bland distorted bass, and now sounds fucking brutal, crisp, and yes my Bulbites, djenty.
The low end is so focused and musical, with the EMGs it sounded very boomy and borderline muddy. It had this 'round' character that was so compressed it felt like it had no character. The Cold Sweat has amazing harmonics as well. The whole guitar honest to God sounds infinitely more 'alive' now. I'll try to make some clips soon for what its worth.
The clean tones are much better too, which actually was the one thing I thought the EMG 808s did alright. The Cold Sweat is versatile and organic enough that I'm really not missing the neck pickup at all. A little roll down on the volume really fattens and sweetens it up nicely.
I can't express accurately how friggin ecstatic I am over the transformation of this guitar. I think it looks sleek and badass now, and it sounds better than I ever could have envisioned an Ibanez 8 sounding after 2 previous go-arounds with the RG2228.
Conclusion
Anyways, as you can tell I'm on cloud nine right now. The guitar plays amazing, and now sounds/looks amazing too. In my opinion anyways. This is exactly what I hoped for when I planned this out last year. Again, much thanks goes out to my bandmate Buddy and the guys at Pickguard Paradise. I'm still not even sure if 8-string is my thing, so who knows if I'll keep this long-term, but I had to give it a real chance with some decent pickups before knowing that. Hopefully it's a keeper
EDIT: For sale.
