8 String Guitar Tunings For Sale (2024 Update)

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.

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

A colleague of mine turned me on to these, and in particular to this strange gauge of 9.5 – 44. I had struggled in the past with standard 9s on a guitar with high output pickups and a warble-happy whammy bar. I find these strings to handle really nicely, a perfect amount of slick and grip (finger contact) and they positively scream in my current configuration. I've put them on a guitar that I don't play live often, and I find that the strings don't deteriorate over time with the guitar being left in the case. This is very subjective and a question of personal chemistry. I mean, I've seen players go through a pack of the best "long-lasting" string on the market in one night, so it'll always come down to which material lends itself to your handling. Despite the price tag, I am not sorry that I've purchased those, and I just picked up a few more packs to tide me over the months of session work.Boyan P.

I have been using these strings for about a year now, when I had to drop down to 8 gauge strings due to carpal tunnel in my left hand. I wanted to go with a higher quality string since I would be using such a light gauge. The NYXL series does not disappoint. They are extremely flexible, stay in tune, last a really long time and they sound incredible. I had concerns that I would be sacrificing tone, but this has not been the case. Not only are the strings not aggravating my carpal tunnel, I'm enjoying the ease of playability and wicked vibrato and bends. I wish I had made the switch to these strings much sooner.Jon

This is the first time I tried these D'Addario NYXL strings. I got the nickel wound electric strings, regular light. I think these strings are one of the best I've used. I started playing guitar when I was very young so I've been playing for a lot of years. These nickel wound electric guitar strings are easy to play. The strings are nice on the fingers. Some strings make my finger tips get tuff, but tuff to the point that it affects the preasure I use on the strings. These nickel wound strings don't do that. I have had them on for some time now and none of them broke. I like the tone of the strings. It made tuning the guitar very easy after I strung it. There is something to say about having strings that are easy to string, tune, and have a great tone. If you are playing out some where and a string breaks you need to work kind of fast to get up and playing again. These strings do the trick.penny

My Mitchell MS450 (single cutaway LP style guitar) came with D'Add's, which sounded decent. When I switched them out, I went with the GHS 10's on a hunch based on things I've heard. Great move! Nice, brilliant tone, rings out for eternity if you let them! I have heard that the GHS 9's are really good on Strat style guitars, so GHS might be my go to on my Squier Strat Classic Vibe next string change.Joe

I used 11's from D'Addario for years and I would break a string consistently for every show that I played. I do not know why I kept with D'Addario for so long. I figured I needed to have a heavier string gauge for durability and better tone. Searched around and came across these strings in the heavy gauge, and I could not be happier with them. These strings have great sustain, are durable, do not corrode as quickly as other brands I have used in my professional career playing music, and, despite their heaviness, are easy to play in standard tuning. Along with playing well with a pick and fingers, these strings also sound terrific when playing slide. You can get the same great tones out of these strings that Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks have with their lighter gauges, as well as channeling the fat tones that you hear from Duane Allman from the Fillmore East show. Great Garcia tones can come from these strings as well. Basically what I am saying is that you can still get those classic guitar sounds on these heavy strings without feeling like your losing tone or playing opportunities utilized by the players that inspire you who may use lighter string gauges. These strings also (as far as I know) have a round core instead of a hex core. I think that might be a reason why these strings have so much sustain, especially when you have some distortion or overdrive keeping them warm while playing lead. If you are on the fence about getting these, I recommend you give them a try just see how they work for you. They are no that expensive and its worth it to figure out what works for you as a player. Feeling confidence in the gear you use is so essential to being comfortable on stage. Buy a pack and see what happens. You might find yourself just what you've been looking for.JFromJUNCO

I used to use Boomers for about 10 years, on all my electrics (9s). Until arthritis started creeping in. Switched to EB slinky 8s, and playing became much easier. Everything still had a huge sound, but previous order added a test set of the Boomer 8.5s for my Gibson Les Paul goldtop with P90s. Took a while to get used to the rougher feel compared with the EB 8s. But will probably order another set for the goldtop, and a set for my ES295.Joe S.

I have been a Stringjoy customer now for 4-5 years(I think?) and they are the best strings I’ve ever used on my electric guitars! Love the feel of them and the tone. You guys have an amazing thing going. I would love to try them on my resonator guitar(it’s a square-neck). Beard Guitars makes the strings I currently use on it. They’re a little peculiar as far as the gauge goes though. .18-.20-.29W-.36-.45-.56 but I love the tone of that gauge and like Ariel Posen, I like a fight from my strings. I almost ordered a custom set to try when I was ordering my previous sets of electric strings but didn’t see a .29W in bronze. Anyways, I’m very thankful I discovered you guys! Best.string.manufacturer.on.the.planet!!!! Period! Nathan Farlow High Point, NC 86 Ibanez Roadstar RG-110 2000s G&L Tribute ASAT Rogue lap steel Martin HD28 Gold Tone PBS-DNathan F

I turned to Stringjoy because I wanted a 9-72 8-string set, for which there aren't many options ot there, unless you go for a custom set. I was tempted by the stellar reviews, so I decided to give these a go. Firstly, these are the clearest sounding strings I've ever tried. They're not excessively bright, but their articulation is amazing, which really helps that low F# string ring true. They are almost clear to a fault, because they emphasise every little bit of fret buzz and string rattle, so you have to watch your technique. Secondly, these are the longest lasting uncoated strings I've ever used. After a month of use, they have shown minimal aging. I don't play my 8-string every day, but still, this is impressive. Also, they don't rust, flake or turn black. They just gradually become duller, while still remaining playable. One bit of criticism I have is the tuning stability. These strings seem to need a certain amount of tension to stay in tune. They were fine on my 27" scale 8-string, but when I tried the equivalent set on my 25.5" scale 7-string, bending made them go out of tune very easily. I need to try the 10-60 set and see if it's any better. Overall, I'm very happy with this set for my 8-string, and I have already purchased more. Oh, and one more thing! Normally, whenever I use gauge 72 or higher, I have to partially unwrap the winding to fit the string into its tuning peg. With this set, the lowest string was somehow able to go in as it is. A really nice added bonus!Alexander K

When I was in my teens and early twenties, I didn’t think about the differences between brands of strings. I based my choices as much on the packaging as anything. After putting it away for decades, I decided to take up guitar again. I decided that this time I would explore the differences in strings. I’ve been all over the map with this and have finally settled on Stringjoy Naturals. They’re not as expensive as some other strings I’ve tried and liked. They hit a sweet spot for me. Price, playability, and sound. They’re all there for me.Mark B

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

This little gadget is fantastic and well worth the money. It's super easy to install and setup and does exactly what it says. Just a quick push or pull of the D-Tuna and you instantly jump from E standard to Drop D and back again in an instant. No fiddling with lock nuts or tuners again, or just having 2 seperate guitars setup in each tuning, so cool. I've been using it for over 4 months now and it still functions perfectly and I've used it quite a bit. I installed it while doing a string change and everything went nice and smooth just following the supplied instructions. If you have a top mount/decked Floyd Rose this is a must have if you use E standard & Drop D regularly.David B

Its great to have if you dont have an arsenal of guitars to switch between tunings. Pull the trigger, a couple of twists on the fine tuners and youre good! I dont know how well it works on other locking tremolos? But it fits and works great on my Floyd Rose knock-off. I do plan to buy another for when I decide to build my next guitar with a locking system. Enjoy!mekavemann_5

This product is of Eddie van halen. It's very popular among guitar players since it's eddie who invented it. I put it on my Sterling AX3 music man axis copy and I have to say it works perfectly. I get drop d tuning by pulling the thing out of the bridge and it goes right back to E when you push it back in. So it's really convenient for switching from drop d playing to regular E tuning. I think it also makes the guitar sound much better since the bridge I put in it is a cheap Floyd rose imitation. The guitar sounds much better now. But I also changed the pickup wiring so that could be the cause of much improvement in tone.ibanezwielder

I have been using the 81-7 for a few years now(although mine is an earlier issue with the extended housing). I have it installed in a Schecter Damien 7 which I use as my primary guitar for practice and home recording. I find that this pickup is great for this type of application as it cuts down a great deal on the amount of noise you get with computers and TV's in the room. At home I play and record using a Line6 Pod X3 and the EMG's are great for low volume playing. I have also used that guitar live but the pickups give me A LOT of feedback at high gain/volume settings. Right now I have the 81-7 in the neck position with a 707 in the bridge. Since the 81 has a greater mid range voicing it tends to sound very well balanced and clear at the neck while the 707 provides slightly sweeter tones at the bridge. The 81-7 can sound very flat or even harsh at the bridge depending on what kind of amp you are using.No matter what position, I do recommend doing the 18 volt mod if you use EMG's(google it). The increase in power is really noticable and it essentially gives the pickups the dynamics of passive pups while maintaining their active gain character. EMG's are actually designed to operate at up to 27volts but 3 batteries is just not practical in most cases.some guy-mr0kN

The EMG 60A is of course a 60 with the ceramic magnet swapped for Alnico. What's the difference? Well it has a Kim Jong-un and smoother sound, less of the hard 'clang' to the treble of the 60(c) for sweeter cleans and a more open, fluid delivery with the gain turned up. The age old EMG 18v mod works magic bringing better dynamic response, clarity with extended frequency response and depth. 50k pots add a touch more bite.pauln4813

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

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

Its a great looking guitar, super clean. Feels great. Plays amazing, im really liking the active emg pick ups. Not too heavy either.joeroche2013

If you like metal this guitar is for you.The Schecter Damien 6 it's one of the most metal guitar in the world, perfect for filthy riffs, but smooth and super fast neck, with the bat inlay work. Just a beautiful guitar, the string height action is perfect! emg's 81 85 all you need is tune it to doom and have fun.eridi.e.6fpfhoc

This is my first guitar with a floyd rose and it is well made also no issues with damages, was set up out of the box. Takes some getting use tuning but very easy after you tuned it for the first time. The satin black finish and the bat fretboard inlays are awesome.TJ

Overall: I bought this for my fiance so he'll be doing the review of it. I own a Jackson JS22-7 Dinky and was really impressed with the quality for being such a cheap guitar. My fiancee knew I wanted an 8-string so when she saw this, she knew it was a no-brainer and got it for me. Once again, I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of this guitar for being so cheap. Everything on it is really solid and feels like a more expensive guitar. Even the stock pickups are pretty good. Out of all entry level models of guitars I've ever played, Jackson makes the best pickups, in my opinion. That could just be preference, though, as I like high output pickups because I mostly playing metal/progressive metal/djent style music. Of course, I ended up swapping then out for a set of Seymour Duncan Holcomb Alpha/Omega 8-string pups because I knew I wanted those anyway. That being said, if you can't afford to get new pickups for it right away, you should still be pretty happy with the sound right out of the box. With a good amp, you can still dial in a pretty good tone. The only other things I will probably change later on down the road will be the nut and tuners. They aren't bad by any means. I just want to upgrade them, which is the same thing I bought the JS22-7 Dinky for. I know a lot of people don't care for a 26.5" scale length on an 8-string, but I love it. I put some heavier gauge strings on it, set it up and tuned it to F standard with no issues whatsoever. I've never tried a Jackson before this year and now I own two of their guitars, if that tells you anything. They've got a new fan for life!Elizabeth

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

These strings are okay for the price, but I've had several problems with them. 1) This is not a sealed pack, so when I bought it the .010 had rusty patches right out of the pack and maybe the .013 too. They're in individual folded paper sleeves all together in an open-air fold-over plastic sheath. 2) They're NOT for your standard extended-range/long scale 8-string. Short scale guitars only. These fit my 25.5" guitar nicely, but when I tried putting these on my Agile Interceptor 30" scale guitar, they were probably 5"+ too short. Didn't even reach the nut, much less the peg (partly because it's a string-through, tune-o-matic, long scale, and reverse-inline, so lots of extra string is needed. Also, on the paper sleeve, it tells you that it's a 30" taper, which means that the string gets narrow after 30" to fit through the tuning peg. On many extended-rang/long scale guitars, the taper will begin before the nut, which you do NOT want. You want the string to be the same diameter along the entire vibrating length. 3) The tension balance is all out of whack. The gauges are okay on the last 6 strings for 25.5" scale. A little too tight from the .054 down (I can imagine on your typical long-scale 8-string they'd be way too tight), but I drop-tune the low strings to E and A, and the .074 is totally floppy and smacking the frets and the 0.64 could definitely be thicker.The Kev

I wrote a review earlier about these strings, but I have definitely changed my mind. I do have an eight string, and I used these for it and wow…they were not very good. The most obvious thing was the .74 string gets smaller WAY before the tuners, even for my seven string. So playing the first fret feels extremely awkward. Second, palm muting on these things sounds hideously dirty compared my old strings or even the stock strings. I also have to agree that a .54 for the E string is very ridiculous. The only thing I'd recommend these for is softer playing or if you never play chords. Otherwise, get the D'Addario or any other 8-string set.Brian Dice

From my experience in piano tuning, and my customers 100% satisfaction, I have to say it is worth it to buy this unit. I have been tuning pianos for 10 years and mostly by ear, spending more time counting beats than making money. This cuts out the time of "guessing" at times when your ear just is on the frits that day, or close to the end of tuning when your ear is "stretched" from listening to so many tones during a pitch raise, or on different pianos in one day.This simply makes it faster and easier to do accurate tunings quickly. I have tested this unit against my ear and other tuning units, and this is very accurate. I use this as well as the ear for precise and accurate, perfect tunings that sound incredible. Any electronic unit has to be accompanied by your ear, so this is mainly a guide, but a pretty darn accurate guide at that. Each piano and instrument has it's harmonic properties, so this in combination with your knowledge of those peripherals will help you be much more accurate at a faster rate than the ear alone. If you don't have time to waste, and want an accurate tuning, use this unit. It is easy to use with manual as well as automatic. I don't particularly trust anything automatic when it comes to tone, especially on a piano, which is what i use it for. Therefore I always use manual mode to eliminate any question of overtones eminating that can cause frequency drift. With it in manual mode, I am able to know that it is looking for that particular tone, and nothing more. The push buttons are easy and large enough to read, instead of paging thourgh menus, like some software tuning devices that are only as acurate as the microphone you are using, as well as your computers sound card's ability to acurately recognize correct tone. The handle is moveable to all directions and locks into position at your desired location making it easy to read and position on top of an upright or on the frame of a grand. The feet are rubber, making it nice to put anywhere without it slipping. The unit itself it lightweight, and easy to get around. The menus are easy to access and get around in. I would say the quality is very good, but lacks a modern feel. This is only cosmetic, and would probably take awy from the stability of the unit if it were shaped differently. With this shape and design, it is small enough to sit on top of an upright comfortably, and flat, where others would probably slip off. No computer will ever do that, so they must have been thinking ahead. The strobe window could be a bit better I think, maybe larger as to be able to see better from a distance. Maybe a larger extruded window of sort? The overall quality is solid and dependable. With the panel buttons below the flat face plate, you don't have dirt or any other debri getting into the unit and ruining it, as well as spills. But I never tried the spills, so don't quote me on that, but it will protect the buttons for the occasional "splash" is something would get splashed on it, not to mention sweaty hands. Simply wipe off with damp paper towel, and POOF! Like new! This unit is worth every penny I spent on it. There are other units that are made by different manufacturers that claim to be more accurate, and are much more money, but the same thing, and are less user friendly. If you find me ANY musician, technician, or anyone that can hear frequency differences of +/- .1 cents by ear, I will also sell you this bridge I know of in New York. This unit CAN provide that accuracy, so don't let the higher priced, RPT affiliate manufacturers fool you into believing you can't live without spending 2-3 times the price, because they are full of something brown. This unit has made me a lot of money, and paid for itself after just a few tunings.Camelot Productions

The Peterson T490 is a fantastic strobe tuner, and it's an indispensable part of my shop. The only downside is that I prefer to turn off the "auto-note select" feature, but sometimes the buttons are a bit insensitive. The first few times I used this, I almost began tuning my E string to a B note strobe because I didn't press the E button hard enough. With all that in mind, this tuner is a bit more than what an average musician needs. If an average musician wants strobe accuracy in their bedroom, a digital strobe tuner can be had for less than half the price. However, if you need the "true" response of a non-digital strobe tuner, you really can't go wrong with this, provided that you can afford it. It's a solid unit, and stunningly accurate.NoMeDigas-t1Ixw

This tuner is the best on the market. I just got one for piano tuning, but plan to get the 490ST in the future. They are a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. These are worth every bit of the money. They make it so easy to tune different instruments, especially piano by having all the octaves on the same screen! I use it in my studio, and it's invaluable for accuracy with tuning analog instruments with midi instruments. You just can't get more accurate than this! I use the front buttons for my temperament, and then I can use the octaves off those to tune the piano which shows everything right on the screen! I just love this, and so will you. You'll never need another tuner again!Paul