8 String Guitar Meshuggah For Sale (2024 Update)

This is a VERY solid 7 string. I've tried quite a few brands searching for the perfect intermediate 7 string, both active and passive electronics. So far, the best ones, by far, have been LTD and Schecter, with this one taking the cake (even over an $850 Ltd ec-407). First off, the guitar is beautiful, and the neck feels great. I usually don't like the super-strat body style, but this one has the top curves in all the right places. There is a bit of fret buzz when strummed hard on the low B, but that's to be expected and it's much more manageable than some of the others I tried. If it's a problem, I'd recommend a thicker gauge string set, I like ghs boomers in a heavy gauge (they eliminated fret buzz on a previously owned, less expensive LTD 7 string I owned) The pickups sound incredible, honestly. There are models of this same guitar with Duncan Designed pickups, and that model is slightly more expensive, but I assure you that you're not missing out if you get this one with Schecter Diamond active pickups instead. In fact… I think these sounded better in some applications! Fantastic gain, clarity, and definition, and perfect for metal, they will make your riffs sound brutal… they sound good clean too though! Overall the best bang for your buck 7 string I've tried yet. I've personally owned 5 different ones, but this and the now-discontinued Jackson slathx-m 3-7, which come stock with Seymour Duncan Sentient and Nazgul passive pickups, take the cake for the best I've played.Brian F

I was honestly quite skeptical about the idea of an eight string. A few of my buddies and I decided that, based on the type of music that we wanted to play, an eight string was the right answer. Not wanting to spend a ton on an eight string if I didn't like it, I found this model at a decent price. Needless to say, I was blown away by this guitar. Everything about it is above what I would expect for a guitar of this price point. The neck is very fast with a smooth finish, the action was set up just right, the intonation is spot on, and the correct gauge strings for the tuning we are in were already installed. I was also worried about the neck being much thicker than I would have liked, but Schecter did a phenomenal job with his neck. Another concern that I had was the electronics. In my experience, a guitar that has stock branded pickups has never really been that great. These pickups more than do the job. Eventually I can see switching them out for Fishman Fluence, but they will certainly do for now.Derek

Honestly, I think this guitar is pretty hard to beat for the price. I play a lot of heavier music, and this guitar puts out some crushing sounds. (You can also get some really nice clean tones out of it as well.) This is my first 7 string guitar, and I was a bit worried it wouldn't be super comfortable to jam on. But, it's very smooth and easy to play for both rhythm and lead stuff. Would definitely recommend it if looking for a great mid range guitar!Shane F

Getting used to the extra 2 strings, which is a little awkward. And the fanned frets is something new too. It's kind of like learning the basics of swimming, then decide to try the diving board. LOL. I'm cool with that, as it saves me from buying a bunch of guitars along the way to be comfortable with this concept. I really dig the guitar, has all the features I was shooting for at a really accessible price point. Well made, a keeper.Will R.

Super heavy and bright I love it with the strings on the slightly flexible side and the bounce it has is super nice with them but it's all up to the consumer lolguitarhands84

Sound: Sounds great. It does get a little muddy sounding on the lower strings but for the price I'm okay with that. Ease of Use: I play this through an orange tiny terror running an ibanez tube screamer and compressor pedal (I think it's an mxr, nothing fancy). The neck was pretty easy to get use to it granted i do have bigger hands. Quality: Only had it a short time but it seems pretty well built. Arrived in perfect condition and was packaged securely. Value: Well worth the price Manufacturer Support: Have yet had to interact with them The Wow Factor: Pretty much got this on a whim due to the ibanez r8 constantly being backordered. Sold me from my typical go to brand of esp. Overall: Bought this guitar recently being a faithful ESP player my whole guitar playing life. Was nervous about the bolt on neck but let me tell you this guitar is perfect. The neck is like butter and the longer scale is perfect. I read about the pickups not being the best but for the price you can't go wrong. Highly reccomend to anyone.Garrett

This guitar is awesome. I got the walnut satin version and it is very nice. It's way less red than the pictures show; I'd recommend googling the guitar to see real pics of it. There were no problems with it upon arrival. The setup was almost perfect too. The neck is very thin and easy to play on. However, being my first 8 string (and first Schecter), the width of the neck and the closeness of the strings has taken some getting used to, even after a month or so. Very hard to reach the last couple of fret, but going all the way up there isn't entirely necessary for everyone. The inlays are cooler than expected. They probably aren't pearl, but look like it. Hardware wise, the controls work just fine. The tuners are better than I expected based on other stock tuners I've worked with from other brands. The pickups are fine i think, but I don't have any other 8 string pickups to compare them too either. Overall great deal. The walnut satin finish on an 8 string really made the deal for me, but I was impressed with the overall quality for an entry-level-priced 8 string. I had read many forums looking for the best low cost 8 string and almost everywhere there were a few people mentioning the omen 8. Based on my experience thus far, I would definitely agree with them.Joe

Don’t let the title scare you from this guitar! It is a well-made, great playing guitar, however, I also own. (and bought from AMS) the ‘original’ variation of the Silver Mountain and that guitar is much lighter than the Toxic Venom model. Other than the perceived weight difference, I recommend this guitar! Much like the Original Silver Mountain, it will take some time adjusting to the multi scale but your hands will feel ‘right’ as you adjust.Larry

I have two of these,regular silver mountain 8 and this one, and imo they play very well. I know this, when i got my first one, i couldnt put it down, i may have even stayed up all night just riffing.Jeff

So just got this guitar and am very impressed, I have been playing, collecting, and modding guitars for over a decade and here's where it's at, other guitar manufacturers better take notes. First the neck and frets are smooth, easy to play, and nicely spaced with unparalleled upper fret access. Don't be intimidated by the "X-jumbo" frets if you have smaller hands cause I promise you this C-8 is much easier to play than my Jackson Soloist 8. (not to mention much lighter than the Jackson too) The bridge is very solid and locking tuners are a nice touch and are every bit as solid as the AllParts ones I swap to frequently, that being said you must consider how high of string gauge you're going to want cause the locking tuners can only accommodate so much. Electronics are top notch and the pups on this thing are HOT! easily the hottest pickups I've ever played with and I've used EMGs, SDs, Dimarzios, Fishman, ect. Coil splitting is an awesome feature to come stock on a guitar as well, you just don't see that often anymore. Also something I found interesting is the wiring scheme as the volume pot nearest to the bridge is the bridge pup volume and the one behind it is the neck pup volume, I can understand why cause it makes working the controls easier, but just a bit unusual from what I'm used to. Excellent sustain and tone, very clean response that'll sing, scream, chug, gallop, screech, cry, wail, or whatever else you had in mind. Finally we have the looks, and she looks good! The picture looks quite different than mine as mine has smoother patterns to the silver and more of a grain to it, the silver also reflects stage lighting in a neat way. Add to that the unique fret markers, the glow-in-the-dark dots, and the super clean finishing, and you have one fine machine! Also props on this; mine came out of the box almost perfectly setup and nearly in tune, the only flaw was that the neck pickup jarred loose in shipping, and two seconds with a screwdriver fixes that lol!Vex the mad guitar mage

Overall: Just got this bad boy from you guys. First off the paint job is incredible. Front to back beautiful. The design reminds me of being in a creepy forest like a death metal video. The sonic seducer pickups are clear as hell. The low 8 comes out clear and punchy enough to probably blow the windows out of your house and probably a section of wall too. The coil split knob is great too, tightens up your sound really nicely and clean. The guitar virtually weighs nothing, i thought i had an empty box when i got it lmao. Overall rating, zZounds hooked me up and this guitar is built for any job. Flawless.Jeff

It has a cool design and plays pretty smooth (after setting it up myself.) The main issue I have with this guitar its particularly at the 1st fret high E. When playing I keep slamming my finger into the sharp corner of the bone nut. That is really the kicker of it all. The pick ups are pretty good and have a pretty balanced sound that let you play clean cleans and dirty articulated lows. Holds tune pretty well. The feel of the neck is pretty smooth and doesn't feel like a 2×4 with strings on it..3-alch3mist-3

I've played a six string for 22 years and this is my first foray into the world of seven string guitars. I was a little intimidated thinking it would feel completely alien to me. I was also worried about the multiscale neck, for not having ever played one before. Taking all of that into consideration, this guitar feels fantastic. The tone is excellent and it feels great in my hands. I was able to learn a lot of new songs in no time. I would recommend this guitar to anyone thinking about switching over to a seven string.JOHN

Overall: This guitar is ideal for tunning under drop A, I play it in drop G and it is just made for great range. You can chug all day and solo like a shredder on the top. The tension on all the strings is great. You will need to get it set up so if you can do set ups yourself that is great, will not take long at all. The rail pickups are new to me but they cut the muddy freqs quite well! they are hot and clear. The pictures also do not do this guitar justice! In person the fretboard looks amazing and the finish is a nice dark red. Its a metal machine and the rounding of the neck joint is very nice to have!Vaughn

As a Schecter user since 2002, I've been able to see their products improve from year to year. With this Hybrid Hellraiser, the build of this guitar is borderline flawless. A great combination of the SLS body style but the audio girth of their Hellraiser models. For a 7 string, it is about as light and fast as possible. Even though it's meant to handle the heaviest of metal, the neck is smooth enough to deal with a variety of styles. The stock locking tuners are solid as is my favorite EMG combination the 66/57 which provides all the goods. Headroom but gain, bite but warmth. To top it off, the looks of the guitar is as classy as possible. From whatever light is shining on it, the trans black is either a slight green, or a dark grey. So the personality of the guitar varies as much as what you choose to play on it. I've yet to own a bad Schecter. And this is the best one yet. It leaves all LTD's and Ibanez's in this price range in the dust.Druzovich

You do not have to spend $5,000 to achieve big boy vibe. The features on this guitar well exceed the price. I am pretty blown away with the impression it’s made and I just got it. After a good set up this guitar will gladly catch anything you thrown at it. You will definitely feel like a rock star with a Blackjack in your hands. The tone capability seems to be endless, I can’t really find an end to them. If you buy one of these, I promise you will be very happy that you did. Guitar dealers should be a little intimidated by this one because once you’ve got this one, you’re guitar buying fever will be quenched for quite awhile.Kevin

Overall: Ok lets start of with , I own PRS, Gibson, Fender, Epiphone… Never crossed my mind to ever try a Schecter . But i was interested in the Sustainiac pickup, so i took a chance and bought this model because i did not want the active EMG pick up , wanted active . Now this guitar is not cheap as you can see. So here it is open the box amazed at what i saw, stunning guitar, Came set up perfect slight tuning adjustment that was it , the intonation was right on..Lets talk neck ..thin 'C' with a 12”-16” Compound Radius ..Are you kidding ? Wow. Its probably the best i ever played compound radius along with a thin 'c' neck is like surf & turf…..Ebony fretboard ..super smooth tight grain , body and neck finish is flawless binding is perfect ,the pickups are real nice i am loving sustain and its real nice how they made it very adjustable . Only have a few days and i cannot put it down .sounds awesome , i play blues mostly and some rock and Santana, the sound is very clear and clean, i play through a Marshall dsl all tube, fender tube, and a Vox …On boost or other distortion it real kicks. .A…. I am very happy and would recommend this guitar to anyone regardless of the type of music you play , seems to cover a lot.. also its pretty light i would say around 7lb few oz's…it also has a set neck not a bolt on… Very impressed with this, only regret is i never bought one earlier..John

I've had this guitar for about 10 months, and it's great! It's everything you'd come to expect from the ESP LTD line. But the big question is, "How's that bridge?" My motivation for buying this specific guitar was my unending frustration with the floating tremolo on my previous guitar. We started jumping back and forth between standard and dropped D in our set, and making that work with a FR was a nightmare. With that, I had set out on finding a non-FR or fixed bridge, since I rarely used the trem' anyway. I had always wanted an ESP and the idea of each saddle being independent of one another was compelling. It can take a little to get used to, though. Tuning is done at the bridge, and the tension on the strings is adjusted by the tuning pegs. Once the string has the right amount of tension, that saddle will be "activated" in what is referred to as "zone 2". Here, the springs will counter any additional tension applied to that string up to a given point. This means that you cannot do bends or change the pitch in any real or easy way. Some people may like this, but it feels very odd, and the people at Evertune know that most people don't play like this. So, to get the best of both worlds, you will need to apply enough tension on the saddle to bring it right up to the edge of zone 2 by turning the tuning pegs. What I found to be helpful here is to not just listen for the note to change, but to pull on the string and visually inspect movement in the saddle. Once this is set, it feels like a normal guitar with just a tad more tension on the strings. The guitar will come with 10-gauge strings. I gave that a shot for a while. Only recently did I switch them out for some 9s. I think it feels a lot better with a lighter gauge string, especially considering that tad bit of tension. A tip I learned regarding Dropped D was to tune the guitar down by default. Then tune up the low E, which puts that saddle into "zone 3". This is far easier than the reverse and stiJohn Q. GuitarPlayer

This is a VERY solid 7 string. I've tried quite a few brands searching for the perfect intermediate 7 string, both active and passive electronics. So far, the best ones, by far, have been LTD and Schecter, with this one taking the cake (even over an $850 Ltd ec-407). First off, the guitar is beautiful, and the neck feels great. I usually don't like the super-strat body style, but this one has the top curves in all the right places. There is a bit of fret buzz when strummed hard on the low B, but that's to be expected and it's much more manageable than some of the others I tried. If it's a problem, I'd recommend a thicker gauge string set, I like ghs boomers in a heavy gauge (they eliminated fret buzz on a previously owned, less expensive LTD 7 string I owned) The pickups sound incredible, honestly. There are models of this same guitar with Duncan Designed pickups, and that model is slightly more expensive, but I assure you that you're not missing out if you get this one with Schecter Diamond active pickups instead. In fact… I think these sounded better in some applications! Fantastic gain, clarity, and definition, and perfect for metal, they will make your riffs sound brutal… they sound good clean too though! Overall the best bang for your buck 7 string I've tried yet. I've personally owned 5 different ones, but this and the now-discontinued Jackson slathx-m 3-7, which come stock with Seymour Duncan Sentient and Nazgul passive pickups, take the cake for the best I've played.Brian F

I was honestly quite skeptical about the idea of an eight string. A few of my buddies and I decided that, based on the type of music that we wanted to play, an eight string was the right answer. Not wanting to spend a ton on an eight string if I didn't like it, I found this model at a decent price. Needless to say, I was blown away by this guitar. Everything about it is above what I would expect for a guitar of this price point. The neck is very fast with a smooth finish, the action was set up just right, the intonation is spot on, and the correct gauge strings for the tuning we are in were already installed. I was also worried about the neck being much thicker than I would have liked, but Schecter did a phenomenal job with his neck. Another concern that I had was the electronics. In my experience, a guitar that has stock branded pickups has never really been that great. These pickups more than do the job. Eventually I can see switching them out for Fishman Fluence, but they will certainly do for now.Derek

Hello Ola, I am thrilled with my new Boden Original NX-8. Combined with my Fusion NX-6, I have excellent, hand & wrist friendly, very high quality guitars. I am using a Mono Y-Cable with the NX-8 so that guitar oriented pedals and amp are used for "guitar", while bass i sent to bass-supportive pedals and amp. Really takes better advantage of the 8 string features. My only regret is that I am challenged in trying to add my Roland GK-3 pickup to either Strandberg for use with my GR-55. The very ergonomic, minimalist bodies leave little room for attaching the synth hex pickup. But, still trying since I have been a Roland guitar synth player for many years. Oh well, challenges make life more interesting, right? Thank You and Take Care, David SlowikDavid S.

strandberg asked me to review this product, and I replied that I was not pleased and that they probably did not want my review. Then… they asked me again. First, the positives. This ax is exactly what it says it is. It's compact, ergonomic, light and full of innovations. The fanned frets are just like everyone says.. you don't even notice. The same for the asymmetrical neck. The 3 way switch and controls give you a broad pallet of sounds, just like everyone says. The problem is that it felt, to me, that I was not playing a musical instrument. It didn't respond like an instrument. It felt like a piece of electronic equipment. The tones, while varied, never struck me as particularly musical. I suppose if you are depending on pedals to shape your sound, that's not a limitation. In that case the guitar is just a device for generating a signal. But that's not how I play. It didn't work for me. Remember… I TOLD strandberg all this, and they still asked for the review. My guess is that their algorithm simply registered that I hadn't submitted a review, so they asked me again. But that's it in a nutshell, isn't it? All machine. No soul.John S.

I've been eyeballing the Masvidalien Cosmo pretty much since it was released – I was hesitant to pull the trigger for two silly reasons: 1) I was stuck in this misguided notion that I needed an extended range guitar to play modern metal and 2) I was afraid that the high variability of the burled maple tops could somehow result in me receiving an ugly guitar. Like I said, silly. I started considering the artists I love who do mostly play 6 stringed guitars and decided that was a bad reason to hold back (look at Joe Haley of Psycroptic, or of course the man himself – Paul Masvidal of Cynic!) so after over a year I finally ordered my Cosmo. I was not disappointed! It's light as feather. Fretwork is immaculate. The EMG 57 sounds great, and that VMC control does really allow you to shape the sound (admittedly I need more time to play around with this). The burled maple top is exactly what I was hoping for. I don't see any tool marks, any hiccups in the paint, etc – in short, the guitar arrived flawless. I own one other guitar – a black Boden Original 8. Again, it's silly but I was concerned that I would have a hard time dropping down two strings. Like my fingers wouldn't know where to go. This wasn't the case at all. The slight 6-string multiscale feels just right and the EndurNeck is surprisingly effective (I figured it would play less of a role than on my 8 string since the 6 string neck is so much thinner, but I don't think that's the case at all). It probably sounds like I'm heaping too much praise on this instrument – that I'm being blindly positive. Maybe that's true. But it far exceeded my expectations, I haven't found a thing wrong with it, and I haven't been able to put it down since it arrived. Paul Masvidal and Ola Strandberg cooked up something truly awesome, and I feel very fortunate to be able to own a Cosmo. Highly recommended.Grim

This guitar comes with a gig bag and legs. It has a sweet tone that will gives you the enjoyment and fun of playing a steel guitar.quane

This guitar exceeded my expectations. This versatility really sets this aggressive looking guitar apart. Playability and tone is incredible and the finish is above par. As always, thank you AMS for your ongoing support and being the supplier of my collection!William K.

masterfully crafted all prestige guitars are amazing this one sounds amazing and I love the big e/f string hole on the backcj

Overall: I am a big fan of the RG guitar series by Ibanez, and I've wanted to dive into 8 string playing for the metal and tapping options. I must say the trickiest thing about this guitar is just finding out how to make tones (probably the same for most 8-strings). You really just have to cut out the bass a bit. Aside from the learning curve of tone-making, the playability and the coil tap are amazing features on this. The neck is quick, like most RG's, and the finish is more interesting than a normal, matte black. This thing is one of my favorite guitars to play!Eduardo

All the things I will say here are just my opinions, because everybody's hands and ears are different. But, having said that, I do feel qualified to give an insightful review having worked full time in a guitar repair shop through much of the 90's. I was originally just going to buy a backup guitar for my Ibanez 7-string that I use onstage. But then I thought, why not have a little fun and push myself out of my comfort zone? I can stiil play all the same songs I play on my 7-string. So why not? I could tell right away I liked the design of RG8 (from the strighter-string pull headstock to the flat-mount bridge) better than the Schecter8 in the same price point. The RG8 came with D'Addario .09-.64 strings on it, and it felt very similar to playing a .10-.46 set of strings on a standard scale length guitar, bends and slides were no problem (as well as slapping and popping the lower strings). But plan on putting a heavier strings on this axe if you want to go any lower than F#, a .10-.74 set works well for chords and rhythm riffing. the RG8 sounds and plays almost more like a short-scale bass in this configuration, and rings out better as well. Ibanez seems to know where to give you the biggest bang -for the-buck, and thankfully, it seems to be in the construction of the neck. I have never seen a guitar in this price range with a five piece neck, that's for sure. The neck seems very stable and is either unfinished or has a very light sealer on it, it feels nice and satin-y, but I'm unsure how well this neck would do in extreme temperature changes. But, having said that, mine hasn't moved at all, even after a string change with a different brand and gauge. Of course, that means they need to skimp a little in other areas on the guitar, and the most obvious of course, are the pickups and electrontics. The stock pickups have a fairly clear tone and are little lower output than I was expecting (when compared to my 7-string with a Dimarzio Evolution in the bridge position). Luckily, these are easily replaceble, and not difficult to find at all. Seymour Duncan and EMG make perfect retro-fits for this guitar. I did disconnected the tone control from the volume knob, and it does actually make a small diffence in clarity in the tone. The tuning keys are of the no-name variety, and seem to work well, but the heavier strings I installed just barely fit through the hole in the key, and I thought I detected a small amount binding in their rotation afterwards. The 27" scale works well for keeping those lower notes clear and is really not that noticable for me except maybe in the lower regions of the neck (This is another reason I like the Ibanez design…Schecter has a 26.5" and LTD has a 25.5").I'm sure I will upgrade the pickups and electronics in the future, but overall, I'm excited about playing this guitar and the additional creativity it will bring.Locknutmonster

This guitar made me not only hate extended range, but music as a whole for a while. Ibanez as a brand is absolutely phenomenal, and I have been a fanboy of them since the moment I picked up guitar. This guitar delivers virtually nothing I expect from Ibanez – even the gio line. The rg8 series is plagued with shoddy craftsmanship, atrocious fretwork, horrendous out-of-box playability, and they just FEEL disgusting in the hand. An unfinished neck =/= an utterly raw neck. Such has been the case with each of the 6 individual rg8s I have played – when porous, grimy feeling, roughly sanded, horribly profiled necks that seem to fight your fretting hand with a samurai's zeal meet mile-high action that can only be nominally corrected due to atrociously leveled frets, the experience of playing an Ibanez RG8 can be likened moreso to the experience of trying to play a fretted shamisen. If ungodly fit and finish, horrible feel, and the flat plate bridge haven't turned you completely off, the disgustingly poor pickup choice should seal the deal. There are many things that these pickups aren't – but I can confirm that they are without character, flat, unimpressive, and unbalanced. Their response to gain is practically null. I have never enjoyed a tone that has come out of an rg8. tl;dr? run for the hills. or buy the entry level Jackson 8.mamasrockstar

All the things I will say here are just my opinions, because everybody's hands and ears are different. But, having said that, I do feel qualified to give an insightful review having worked full time in a guitar repair shop through much of the 90's. I was originally just going to buy a backup guitar for my Ibanez 7-string that I use onstage. But then I thought, why not have a little fun and push myself out of my comfort zone? I can stiil play all the same songs I play on my 7-string. So why not? I could tell right away I liked the design of RG8 (from the strighter-string pull headstock to the flat-mount bridge) better than the Schecter8 in the same price point. The RG8 came with D'Addario .09-.64 strings on it, and it felt very similar to playing a .10-.46 set of strings on a standard scale length guitar, bends and slides were no problem (as well as slapping and popping the lower strings). But plan on putting a heavier strings on this axe if you want to go any lower than F#, a .10-.74 set works well for chords and rhythm riffing. the RG8 sounds and plays almost more like a short-scale bass in this configuration, and rings out better as well. Ibanez seems to know where to give you the biggest bang -for the-buck, and thankfully, it seems to be in the construction of the neck. I have never seen a guitar in this price range with a five piece neck, that's for sure. The neck seems very stable and is either unfinished or has a very light sealer on it, it feels nice and satin-y, but I'm unsure how well this neck would do in extreme temperature changes. But, having said that, mine hasn't moved at all, even after a string change with a different brand and gauge. Of course, that means they need to skimp a little in other areas on the guitar, and the most obvious of course, are the pickups and electrontics. The stock pickups have a fairly clear tone and are little lower output than I was expecting (when compared to my 7-string with a Dimarzio Evolution in the bridge position). Luckily, these are easily replaceble, and not difficult to find at all. Seymour Duncan and EMG make perfect retro-fits for this guitar. I did disconnected the tone control from the volume knob, and it does actually make a small diffence in clarity in the tone. The tuning keys are of the no-name variety, and seem to work well, but the heavier strings I installed just barely fit through the hole in the key, and I thought I detected a small amount binding in their rotation afterwards. The 27" scale works well for keeping those lower notes clear and is really not that noticable for me except maybe in the lower regions of the neck (This is another reason I like the Ibanez design…Schecter has a 26.5" and LTD has a 25.5").I'm sure I will upgrade the pickups and electronics in the future, but overall, I'm excited about playing this guitar and the additional creativity it will bring.Locknutmonster

This guitar made me not only hate extended range, but music as a whole for a while. Ibanez as a brand is absolutely phenomenal, and I have been a fanboy of them since the moment I picked up guitar. This guitar delivers virtually nothing I expect from Ibanez – even the gio line. The rg8 series is plagued with shoddy craftsmanship, atrocious fretwork, horrendous out-of-box playability, and they just FEEL disgusting in the hand. An unfinished neck =/= an utterly raw neck. Such has been the case with each of the 6 individual rg8s I have played – when porous, grimy feeling, roughly sanded, horribly profiled necks that seem to fight your fretting hand with a samurai's zeal meet mile-high action that can only be nominally corrected due to atrociously leveled frets, the experience of playing an Ibanez RG8 can be likened moreso to the experience of trying to play a fretted shamisen. If ungodly fit and finish, horrible feel, and the flat plate bridge haven't turned you completely off, the disgustingly poor pickup choice should seal the deal. There are many things that these pickups aren't – but I can confirm that they are without character, flat, unimpressive, and unbalanced. Their response to gain is practically null. I have never enjoyed a tone that has come out of an rg8. tl;dr? run for the hills. or buy the entry level Jackson 8.mamasrockstar