Left Handed 8 String Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

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

Sound: This guitar I by far the smoothest I have ever played. The tone is great and playing leads on it is like no other. Features: Everything about this guitar is perfect from the type of wood to the electonics. Ease of Use: This is an easy guitar to play if you have experience. Beginners will have to get used to it. The jumbo frets is where people will get messed up because of the spacing of the strings. Quality: This guitar will last a lifetime. Value: It is a very good price Manufacturer Support: I did not have to use any of the manufacturing numbers or talk to anyone this guitar was perfect right out of the box. The strings are great and it was in perfect tune right out of the box. The Wow Factor: The looks Overall: Great guitar for looks, price, and playability just get it. I own one and I will probably get it buried with me. This is the best guitar I played and currently own.Tom

I've wanted one of these for a long time and finally took the plunge. I'm very happy with the sound and construction of this guitar. Note that at least as of early 2018, there is no longer a "KH-602" inlay on the 24th fret. There are two small skull inlays like on the new Purple Sparkle model. The neck is super smooth on this guitar as mentioned by everyone else. The only thing I am having trouble getting used to is the extreme bevel of the fret ends. If I'm not careful it's easy for me to push the low E off the fretboard. Tuning the Floyd Rose bridge takes some patience, but once you get it dialed in it stays locked down. I like it.Rockman

I played on an Ibanez S-series for years and it was my go to for playing metal. I also own an American Standard Fender Stratocaster. I bought this guitar because I love playing Metallica songs and solos just jamming at home. This is by far my favorite guitar to play on now. The extra jumbo frets make soloing a cinch and have improved my capabilities. The heavy metal crunching sound is AWESOME and I only play on a Line 6 with one 12" speaker. My only disappointment is with some buzzing frets. The repair technician at Guitar center told me I have uneven frets, which would need to be repaired to get rid of the buzzing on both E strings, which is still present even after having the guitar set perfectly to spec by Guitar Center. You can't hear the buzzing through the amp, but I expected to receive near perfection from ESP/LTS when paying such as high price tag. QC those frets better before you release the guitars ESP South Korea! Or cut the price!Brosche

This is a fantastic 7 string for the price. First off, it looks more expensive than it is, and the satin finish is beautiful. More importantly though, it just feels right. The minute you pick it up and start chugging you feel at home. I was surprised how nice the pick ups are, too. This is without a doubt the best inexpensive 7 string. It costs a little more than a few of the others, but it is well worth it because the main reason for the price difference is the electronics are actually pretty good. It's perfect for what I got it for, unleashing low snarly growls great for any kind of heavy playing. I use a Line 6 Spider III and can get some surprisingly nice beefy tones out of this thing. Overall it looks and sounds like a more expensive guitar (sounds as good or better than my KH202) and feels great. Schecter makes some amazing guitars, including this one.JB

This is a fairly good guitar, and for the price it's definitely a great value. I can't find really anything wrong with the actual sound of the guitar. Sure the stock pickups are not the best in the world, but they are a good starting point, and with the right tweaking you can get some great sound from them. As far as build quality, the important things are taken care of. The fret ends an unnoticeable, and smooth across the entire neck. It did come set up from the factory with fairly low action, but in standard tuning and 1-step down it sounds great. It was well intonated and there is no fret buzz at all that I can tell. The tuners hold up well even after hours of playing, and unless I choose to change tunings there hasn't been any need to retune constantly like with some cheaper tuners on some lower end models. Really the only thing negative I would have to say so far is something that I feel is insignificant to warrant any removal of stars. I thoroughly examined every inch of the body for defects and there is only a small miniscule pinhole sized mark on the entire things, it literally looks like someone barely poked it with the tip of a pencil before it was painted, and you can only notice it holding the guitar completely sideways and look for it. The other thing that was off was that the tone switch was basically tightened backwards. The front position is the bridge and the back position is the neck. Fixing that would just be a matter of just untightening it and rotating it, but I have actually chose to just leave it be for the time being. The overall quality and has made those two things not matter in the slightest. I would definitely recommend this for a good budget friendly 7 string. It's really a good barebones guitar that focuses on the the value of components rather than just a flashy veneer that makes up the majority of the price. If you value playability and getting good bank for your buck, this is definitely the way to go.Charlie

Beautiful looking instrument well designed and easy to play ,with or without with the ashtray cover .Lovely warm tone made all the better with a little reverb.Is a nice weight to play on the lap rather than on a stand.A very classy lap steel.brianbarke

needed it to get in touch with my "da kine" roots. mahalo. sounds great, stays in tune, a pleasure to play and easy on my makas.Leighton

The hard part is finding one of these. I have had about every lap steel up to this price. But the Gold Tones have a really nice clean sound. I prefer Hawaiian and country sound. These are beautiful for that. It sits nicely on you lap and easy to play with the string spacing.walt

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

After playing religiously throughout adolescence and my teens, I fell off the practice wagon and piece by piece, my collection dwindled to nothing. After a nearly 7 years absence, I decided it was time to pick the instrument back up and this turned out to be perfect specimen to do so with. THE GOOD – it's a Gretsch – long had I dreamed of owning a Gretsch when I was younger, it seemed to meet the perfect amount of "cool" without being a typical gibson or fender option. – playability out of the box – this thing required very little work to get it into playing condition. The action was near perfect for my preference and the pickup positions weren't too hard to hone in to my desired tone. – the looks – this thing is a gorgeous piece of equipment. I went with the Bristol fog coloration and couldn't be happier. It has a unique mix of vintage yet new age appeal to it that fits my tastes exactly. THE BAD – fret buzz – as some others have said, yes there is a small amount of fret buzz out of the box. However it isn't enough to be a real issue. The buzz doesn't even translate through to the amp. So you only really hear it when you're playing unplugged. – the knobs – while i understand the desire to find a niche, the pickup volume knobs are just weird. It doesn't really make sense to me why I would want to have volume control instead of tonal control when I could just switch the pickup with the switch. It really only works in the middle position, and even then the effect isn't really noticeable unless you have one turned all the way down. Which At that point it makes more sense to just switch to the neck or the bridge instead of both.Thom

I just received our Gretsch 5220 in Jade Grey after eyeing it for a few years. I'd read all the glorious reviews and was prepared to be underwhelmed but it's all it was advertised as an more. The 2020/21 models seem to differ from some earlier ones in that it has a great black walnut fretboard as well as full sized pots. The taper is different from my other guitars but it allows for some great alternative tones. The finish is flawless and the Broad'trons have a unique voice as compared to both the standard probuckers that came on my Epi Les Paul as well as the Seth Lovers I dropped into it. For the price it is without question the best guitar purchase I've ever made when factoring everything in. I highly recommend this guitar to someone who is looking for a versatile guitar that is different from the standard LP/Strat/Tele.JFie14B2

Overall: My initial feelings about the guitar were ones of disappointment. The box had arrived smashed up from FedEx. I unboxed the guitar and inspected it carefully and couldn't see any damage. However, the neck pickup was almost completely sunken into the body cavity. The adjustment screws had almost completely backed themselves out of the guitar. In order to tighten and raise the treble side of the pickup I had to remove the pickguard. I want to remove the pick card I found a dime-sized blemish in the finish of the guitar. This wasn't a scratch or a ding, it was a flaw in the paint. I debated sending it back, but then I plugged the guitar in.This is where the disappointment ends. This guitar sounds amazing. From crystal clear cleans to grungy rhythm sounds this is a versatile guitar. I really like the master volume setup I can adjust the neck and middle pickups to my liking and then raise and lower the overall volume without changing the balance between the pickups. Right now I can't see any reason for swapping out the pickups. The binding around the guitar is nice and neat, the mahogany back looks spectacular, nice deep color, beautiful grain and nicely matched. You really have to look hard to see where the individual pieces were joined. The frets could use a bit of a polish but they were nicely beveled at the ends, no sharp or rough spots. The neck binding is flawless. The neck is a bit shallow, I prefer a chunkier neck, but that's personal preference and I got used to it quickly. The only other place that I think the guitar falls short is with the tuning pegs. I will swap them out for some locking tuners in the near future. But overall for its price this is a great guitar.When it arrived besides the loose pickup, the action was very low and the truss rod needed to be tweaked, I had a professionally set up and now it plays incredibly well. Overall this is a fantastic guitar especially given the price.Pete

I bought this guitar to check out a budget friendly offering from Yamaha. I have to say I was not disappointed! Excellent tone and volume, the top really resonates. The guitar was really well setup right out of the box. It needed about 3/4 of a clockwise truss rod adjustment, no prob. Other than that it didn't need any fret dressing whatsoever. That's really impressive for a Chinese guitar. Heck even one of my Mexican Martins needed fret dressing out of the box! Also intonation was spot on and this also is important in your guitar. Very impressed with this guitar, intermediate/advanced feel but priced at a beginner budget. You won't regret picking one up, I assure you!Big Bone Murphy

There is a point of quality when an instrument reaches when it stops being seen as "better or worse" but rather just a different flavor. This Yamaha has reached that point. You can play it alongside a guitar costing 5x more and it stands up well. Yamaha is also one of those rare companies with a long history of top quality across all kinds of products, and guitars are an area Yamaha knows well. This is just a beautiful guitar through and throughout. You can get beautiful uncompromisingly great studio recordings with this guitar. Hitting the low strings hard with strumming gives a nice deep and rich tone. Also, the hardware / tuners are nice.Scott

I've owned many acoustics over the years, MANY, and this Yamaha is one of the best sounding I've ever owned. Went to GC just to check out a few lower end acoustics to pick up for jamming on, and tried almost every one in the room. Picked this one up last just before I was ready to leave, and immediately was blown away by the sound and playability, brought a couple friends to listen and tell me which one they thought sounded the best, and hands down this won over all of them. It has the tone and warmth of a Martin D34, which I have owned a few, and it plays like a dream. The neck is so sliky smooth, easy to fly up and down with no effort. It has amazing sustain and beautiful tone, I fell in love with it and just couldn't put it down. I didn't expect a guitar of this price range to sound as good as it does, got it home and I couldn't put it down. Played for 4 hours straight, and even after trying to put it down to go to bed at 1am I found myself playing a for a few more minutes before I could actually go to sleep. Love this Yamaha more than any guitar I've bought in the last decade. The best thing about it is, It gave me the desire to pick up playing guitar again, after hardly touching any of my other guitars for almost a year it's the one I want to play more than all of them. Great guitar, wouldn't hesitate to buy another in a different color, if you want something that you won't be able to put down this baby has the sound and feel your looking for.Johnny D

I have bought several guitars in the 100 to 300 range. I was surprised on the quality of this guitar and felt it was superior to many other brands in this range. From neck joint to fret polish & leveling and finish this guitar is quality except the tuners, however the guitar stays in tune and rarely goes out. The neck is not a Fender Strat or Tele neck so don't expect it to play like one, Its its own thing. It is not wide at the nut so if you need a wide neck at the nut it may not be for you. I find it fine and would not consider it narrow. The neck is slightly fatter than a Squire neck but it is still a C shape and a bit thicker as you go up the neck to higher frets. It plays great. Its set up well for Rock and Blues playing, neck adjusted with a light bow and strings set low (but not to low to buzz). Bridge saddles are stainless steel and this make the strings ring out bright and loud even when not plugged in. Intonation was spot on. Frets are tall enough to allow for string bending (there not super low). As regards pickups this is a personal thing. Pickups are very basic and do okay, one may want to upgrade them to ones own liking other wise there fine.pchapm

I was hesitant when ordering the guitar, but after I received it worry washed away from a single glance. I'm not good at instruments, I never played anything than doing ukulele club when I was a kid so I didn't expect myself to buy a guitar. It's delicate and beautiful, feels great to hold and sounds just as good. I do not regret buying this guitar at all, in fact I'm greatful that I'm able to own it. I strive to become great at playing it, little by little . Thank you!Nazma B.

It's a beautiful guitar and really well made. I bought it for my 9 year old daughter and she loves it. I don't know anything about guitars as I'm a pianist myself, but her guitar teacher was absolutely delighted with it. It's definitely worth paying the extra for the upgrades. I can definitely see it lasting her as it feels really solid, and the knobs and twiddly bits etc feel really solid. I genuinely can't get over how nice it is. Makes me want to learn the guitar myself!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Have always wanted an esp guitar . Huge fan of Kirk Hammett the guitar looks great and sounds great . Definitely would buy again if I ever needed too . If you are looking for a great guitar look no further this is a great guitar with awesome sounds and the look of the guitar is awesome really like the frets with the skull inlays .Esp makes some great guitarsTommy373

In stock this guitar deserves no more than 3 stars but I can give it 4 because you can really work with it and upgrade it to become a better sounding instrument. The tremolo is not very good but it works fine and gets the job done. It can go out of tune easily if not set-up properly. The tremolo on mine deteriorated over time and has now been destroyed but that's not a problem for me as I will upgrade it. The pups aren't bad but they aren't good; you get what you pay for. Other than that it is an okay instrument for practicing and learning specially if you're a Metallica fan boy. The thin U-neck is very comfortable and the jumbo frets make it easy to play but there are way better guitars out there for the price.TheHomieDavid

Great build quality, action didnt need much adjustment, frets are not scratchy as often new ones are. Floyd rose trem is fine, but have replaced springs with noiseless ones; top locking nut needed a little fettle so it didnt click at full trem arm depression. Screws on back plate had a little rust, which would suggest at some point it was stored in a damp environment……. but apart these little issues, a great guitar …… now to replace the stock pickups, as they are a little muddy and i like an EMG set…. thats just preference!!!Reviewed by Absolute Music custo

Overall: I was excited to receive this guitar as it was on back order I got the black and yellow bumblebee. After receiving it I made some adjustments to the tremolo and found that the spring cavity was bare wood / looked like it was chisel out with a screwdriver and it was not routed or CNC'd flat. Worse than that the wood under the Floyd rose was cracked and the finish was cracked as well. Basswood is a very light and soft wood so I am guessing the trem was pushed back during shipment or during setup at the factory and not seen by the staff as it is only visible when you remove the Floyd. I am a woodworker and beginning luthier so I corrected these issues myself and reinforced the thin section under the bridge with a custom fitted piece of maple and routed out the trem cavity so it is flat and sprayed the trem pocket with flat black paint looks like it should have when it left the factory now. I know I probably should have sent it back but overall I really like the guitar and I think Eddie would approve of my work.Douglas

This guitar has my favorite neck. The fretwork is amazing and the neck plays itself. This surprised me coming from fat Les Paul necks. Super easy to play, which, in turn, makes you sound better. I was very impressed with the sound and the functionality of the electronics. I’m a big Van Halen fan but don’t play a whole lot of it and this guitar sounds great for all kinds of other stuff, so long as you’re playing hard rock/early metal. Cleans up great with the volume knob but let’s be real – with no neck pickup, cleans aren’t really what you’re going for. Out of the box, was not intimated at all and there were a couple of paint dings and imperfections. Floyd also didn’t hold tune super well but with a solid setup and lubing up the fine tuners, it plays and sounds great. I had one of these a couple of years back and sold it foolishly to fund other purchases but hear I am, back again after purchasing again. It really is an awesome guitar and I am partial to the b/w color scheme with the Strat-style input jack. My Les Paul Custom is better quality but this guitar honestly sounds as good or better for a third of the price. And this guitar makes you a better player and you realize how amazing of a guitarist Eddie was considering how basic and simple this guitar is. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.Arpeggio5150

Eddie inspired so many folks to pick up the guitar. This is my second EVH model and I am amazed by this guitar every time I play it. This model was on my bucket list of guitars and when it went on sale at Adorama, I had to snap it up. It came perfectly setup from the EVH factory and the only thing needed to be done was to tune it properly. The D-Tuna is great to switch to drop D tunings. The Frankenstrat plays like a dream. The fretboard is like butter and the the action is ideal for playing hard rock and metal. The pickup gives you an excellent approximation of Eddie's brown sound. I am ecstatic with my purchase and this guitar is the perfect homage to the master. RIP Eddie!Tomas

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

Pros: This is a beautiful neck-through bass with a luscious satin mahogany body, and matte gold hardware. 5 control knobs – volume, pickup selector/tone, then 3 band EQ. Stays in tune. Great tone. Cons: The active pickups/EQ require TWO 9v batteries! Don't need changing often though (like every few years, playing 2 hours a week). The matte gold hardware is prone to some mild patina formation. In some electronic environments you get a bit of hiss from the pickups. I think fluorescent lights contribute to this. Mitigated by turning down the treble EQ knob, and fixed if your sound guy kills the highs on the mixer.blueflame1611

Overall: Absolutely BEAUTIFUL looking 5-string bass!!!! In your hands, in your sight, and in your lap, this guy is stunning. Stunning to look at and to handle. Schecter really nailed it on the Stiletto series. That low B sting is what I have been looking for in a bass for a while now. I mostly am into classic rock & country type of stuff. But I am also into 70's funk like Stevie Wonder. The low B is a MUST for old school funk and reggae. When I first got the guitar, it was way out of tune and every string vibrated like mad. So when you first get your guitar from zZounds, it is not set up. That is a chore for the end user. Which is great because a musician should not have to be completely reliant on a "professional" tech in order to perform basic comprehensive maintenance on their instrument. So, I emailed zZounds requesting some help and advice from them for the proper setup of my newly bought bass. As quick as that, they replied with a bunch of links to help me get myself up to speed. After reviewing the guides, I was able to tune my bass and set the truss rod properly. Now my Stiletto sounds dang near perfect! To be honest, I am not that great of a player. I do have a musical background, but I am pretty new on the bass. But I can tell you that the more I practice with this guy and listen and appreciate its wonderful sound through the Markbass I'm using, the more I am happy with this purchase. TL;DR Excellent instrument. Excellent fitment of components (this guy was assembled in Indonesia) Marvellous to feel and to hold Emits beautifully clear, super deep bass notes Wish I knew about Schecter's stuff before I dropped over 2K on my LĀKLAND 😉Billy

I now own 5 solid body neck-throughs: Two 4003's, two Warwicks, and this Schector, which just arrived yesterday. I don't think I'm a good enough expert to sit and analyze each bass's pros and cons, and then try them out with a bunch of different amp/speaker combinations. That's what they pay the guys at Bass Player for. All I can say is I haven't stopped grinning about this Studio-4 since I opened the box. Easy playability, excellent build quality, sexy looks, and a good, loud, punchy sound. What's not to like ? I will say this: The EQ knobs don't do a wide range of tone-shifting. The EMG pickups are very bright, modern-sounding, and with the stock Ernie Ball RW strings, that's exactly what I wanted. Plenty of glass up top, and a bit (maybe a bit too much) at the bottom. If you're looking for P-bass thud-thud Motown sound, my first thought is this may not be your best bet, although with flatwounds it would probably be within dial-able range on your rig. The rest is all good, and this would make a great bass for a student, a working bassist or the dedicated hack (that's me). If you're a world-famous bass soloist, this may not necessarily be the axe you'd take the stage with, but I'm betting you'd spend lots of time practicing your moves on it. It will keep up. One more thing. It arrived set up as nicely as I've ever seen, right out of the box.doc

Have always wanted an esp guitar . Huge fan of Kirk Hammett the guitar looks great and sounds great . Definitely would buy again if I ever needed too . If you are looking for a great guitar look no further this is a great guitar with awesome sounds and the look of the guitar is awesome really like the frets with the skull inlays .Esp makes some great guitarsTommy373

In stock this guitar deserves no more than 3 stars but I can give it 4 because you can really work with it and upgrade it to become a better sounding instrument. The tremolo is not very good but it works fine and gets the job done. It can go out of tune easily if not set-up properly. The tremolo on mine deteriorated over time and has now been destroyed but that's not a problem for me as I will upgrade it. The pups aren't bad but they aren't good; you get what you pay for. Other than that it is an okay instrument for practicing and learning specially if you're a Metallica fan boy. The thin U-neck is very comfortable and the jumbo frets make it easy to play but there are way better guitars out there for the price.TheHomieDavid

Great build quality, action didnt need much adjustment, frets are not scratchy as often new ones are. Floyd rose trem is fine, but have replaced springs with noiseless ones; top locking nut needed a little fettle so it didnt click at full trem arm depression. Screws on back plate had a little rust, which would suggest at some point it was stored in a damp environment……. but apart these little issues, a great guitar …… now to replace the stock pickups, as they are a little muddy and i like an EMG set…. thats just preference!!!Reviewed by Absolute Music custo

Pros: This is a beautiful neck-through bass with a luscious satin mahogany body, and matte gold hardware. 5 control knobs – volume, pickup selector/tone, then 3 band EQ. Stays in tune. Great tone. Cons: The active pickups/EQ require TWO 9v batteries! Don't need changing often though (like every few years, playing 2 hours a week). The matte gold hardware is prone to some mild patina formation. In some electronic environments you get a bit of hiss from the pickups. I think fluorescent lights contribute to this. Mitigated by turning down the treble EQ knob, and fixed if your sound guy kills the highs on the mixer.blueflame1611

Overall: Absolutely BEAUTIFUL looking 5-string bass!!!! In your hands, in your sight, and in your lap, this guy is stunning. Stunning to look at and to handle. Schecter really nailed it on the Stiletto series. That low B sting is what I have been looking for in a bass for a while now. I mostly am into classic rock & country type of stuff. But I am also into 70's funk like Stevie Wonder. The low B is a MUST for old school funk and reggae. When I first got the guitar, it was way out of tune and every string vibrated like mad. So when you first get your guitar from zZounds, it is not set up. That is a chore for the end user. Which is great because a musician should not have to be completely reliant on a "professional" tech in order to perform basic comprehensive maintenance on their instrument. So, I emailed zZounds requesting some help and advice from them for the proper setup of my newly bought bass. As quick as that, they replied with a bunch of links to help me get myself up to speed. After reviewing the guides, I was able to tune my bass and set the truss rod properly. Now my Stiletto sounds dang near perfect! To be honest, I am not that great of a player. I do have a musical background, but I am pretty new on the bass. But I can tell you that the more I practice with this guy and listen and appreciate its wonderful sound through the Markbass I'm using, the more I am happy with this purchase. TL;DR Excellent instrument. Excellent fitment of components (this guy was assembled in Indonesia) Marvellous to feel and to hold Emits beautifully clear, super deep bass notes Wish I knew about Schecter's stuff before I dropped over 2K on my LĀKLAND 😉Billy

I now own 5 solid body neck-throughs: Two 4003's, two Warwicks, and this Schector, which just arrived yesterday. I don't think I'm a good enough expert to sit and analyze each bass's pros and cons, and then try them out with a bunch of different amp/speaker combinations. That's what they pay the guys at Bass Player for. All I can say is I haven't stopped grinning about this Studio-4 since I opened the box. Easy playability, excellent build quality, sexy looks, and a good, loud, punchy sound. What's not to like ? I will say this: The EQ knobs don't do a wide range of tone-shifting. The EMG pickups are very bright, modern-sounding, and with the stock Ernie Ball RW strings, that's exactly what I wanted. Plenty of glass up top, and a bit (maybe a bit too much) at the bottom. If you're looking for P-bass thud-thud Motown sound, my first thought is this may not be your best bet, although with flatwounds it would probably be within dial-able range on your rig. The rest is all good, and this would make a great bass for a student, a working bassist or the dedicated hack (that's me). If you're a world-famous bass soloist, this may not necessarily be the axe you'd take the stage with, but I'm betting you'd spend lots of time practicing your moves on it. It will keep up. One more thing. It arrived set up as nicely as I've ever seen, right out of the box.doc

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

1 month review with guitar being setup professionally: Great pickups and tone and overall good sounding guitar after a proper setup, gorgeous nitro finish and paintjob. Relic effects are beautiful. The nitro finish feels thin enough for you to eventually make your own marks from repeated playing – a perfect way to tell a story and give the guitar character. Worn in neck feels amazing to play and not sticky to touch. Worth noting that the Pure Vintage 59 pickups on these don't have a reverse-wound middle pick, so there will be hum including positions 2 and 4. If you are easily annoyed with single coil hum, these pickups might not be for you. Also worth noting that these pickups do sound a bit warmer than a stock Fender Player pickups. These respond so MUCH better to high gain type of playing, all while still sounding amazing on low-gain and clean playing. Despite the pros, there are still some areas are lacking and needs improvement. The guitar had razor sharp frets along the binding that could easily cut you, meanwhile I have a $700 MIM fender player didn't have this problem straight out of the box. It's crazy to think that $700 guitar went through better QA than a $1200 guitar, but whatever, the frets are bound to be polished and worked on anyway with your initial setup regardless. CME's shipping page policies say "Every guitar gets a full inspection, as well as basic setup." Guitar came with an inspection card that had overall playability specs checked but some of it was questionable. The guitar was not playable at all out of the box despite letting it acclimate for over a day before opening BUT that is a given considering it spent time in a delivery truck trunk in freezing winter. However, it was a bit bogus how they even checked off volume output when the pickups were NOWEHERE near the appropriate height out of the box and there was BARELY any audible output on the treble side of the guitar. I highly doubt weather and temperature fluctuation will make the pickup screws spin by themselves to the degree at which the pickups came out of the box. Secondly, the tremolo springs at the back also weren't ******* in the appropriate depth for a either a floating or flushed trem setup – it was just sort of in the middle of the cavity. Weather fluctuation from their shop and may have affected string tension, but I also don't think it would make the claw springs in the back unscrew themselves to the degree the guitar came. Makes me wonder how thorough the inspection was. These might not matter as much to some especially those who will get their new guitars setup anyway, but it's good to note that you may still need to budget for a setup if you aren't doing it yourself. Although there could've been improvements on Fender and CME's part that I don't think could be blamed on external factors such as weather and climate fluctuations, overall, I would still 100% recommend this guitar, and it's a gem. The guitar played well after a proper setup, so I'm happy with it now. The price may be too expensive for some considering it's not made in USA, but it must be considered that this is the cheapest proper nitro-finish guitar you will currently find. The next best thing are Fender custom shop, so this guitar is perfect for those looking to enjoy vintage style paint/nitro body finish, and vintage specs without paying custom shop prices. The appearances are just a plus, since they sound and play amazing after a proper set up.Carlos T.

I've been playing for a little while, I rehearse with my band once/twice a week so my guitars definitely get played quite a bit, I've preferred Stratocasters from an early age. The shape is legendary and the tone is versatile. I own Chinese, Japanese, U.S. and Mexican Strats. This one is very comparable to my American Professional Stratocaster, the neck profile, the weight and intonation. Electronics are great, single coils produce a sweet twangy clean tone and the humbucker roars really nice with the right amount of gain/distortion. Makes it a very comfortable instrument that plays as easy as mantequilla on a hot tortilla. Only issue, (hence the 'almost comparable to MIA strats comment in the headline) are the frets… They are a little bit on the sharp side, I'm guessing it comes down to a player's preference? A competent luthier can dress the fret ends and make this one a real player/main axe. Other than the sharp frets, everything else is pretty solid and straight, the vatos down in Ensenada MX do great work producing these!Benjamin

So my story goes like this, I flew into Portland Oregon for work and immediately drove from the airport to Guitar Center. Upon walking in, someone was shredding on a guitar and it went on for a good 10 minutes. The guitar he was playing was the Candy Red Burst Fender Stratocaster Player Series. After he was done, I grabbed it and saw why he played it so long. It felt just solid in the hands. The strings, fret board and neck were silky smooth; Super easy to glide up and down with no fret buzz. The pickups are all Fender Player Stratocaster series which I have had no issue with and perform great out of the box. Also, just holding the guitar is a treat in the hands. It's a beautiful guitar. The Candy Red Burst has a very high functioning coat that gives a deep black fade anyway you turn it. It also fit my bill for something to remember Oregon by since the guitar is a deep Rose Red and Portland is know as the City of Roses.The Pau Ferro fingerboard is also eye candy as it has black veins that run through the grain matching the black hardware of the guitar. Other then that, I have had this guitar for 5 months as of this review and absolutely love it. The guitar holds its tune very well I enjoy playing it every time. Wait, you still reading this? Go get one already!Allan

This is the first Acoustic/electric that I have owned that I actually love playing. The action is great even with the large gauge acoustic strings on it. Comes with a very nice gig-bag/case. I love the way the neck and back of the guitar looks. I also love the Strat 5-way switch that selects the degree and type of acoustic sound. The only downside with this guitar is the cover that serves as a cover for the electronics and pick guard. It looks cheap, more like a decal than a cover. I think Fender can do better on this detail for the price of the guitar. However, if you can get past that then it is a fine playing and sounding guitar. I have owned several Acoustic and Acoustic/Electric guitars. The action on even high-priced acoustics was so terrible I just ended up selling them. I also do not like the large back ends of most acoustic and acoustic electric guitars, but this guitar is small and easy to play. I would give it an A-.Bill

The research I did on trying to learn more about this instrument via general internet, YouTube, assorted standard Music Company's like Sam Ash; Sweetwater; Guitar Center; Alamo; and other assorted Music Guitar critics provided a good array of opinions and product test results that produced a positive majority with impressive perspectives for the instrument I purchased. The Fender American Acoustasonic Stratocaster Acoustic-Electric Guitar Cocobolo I purchased from Sam Ash was not a disappointment. Aside from the 10 different options of Guitar unique sounds it provides from Acoustic and Electric mixes. The one-of-a-kind Cocobolo wood identifies a further fingerprint in supporting its own private one-of-a-kind signature sound with relationship to the Cocobolo wood unique to it alone. That just blows me away with how special the sound of specialty signature sound it produces with the ten different built in technical sounds the Fender Guitar company developed with this special edition. I feel overwhelmed in learning to continue how to play this guitar. It allows me so many more possibilities with playing soft country to hard rock a really strong guitar enjoyment experience.Guitar Enthusiast

Overall, I am very happy with this guitar. It exudes classic Fender looks and tone. The quality and craftsmanship are decent for the price point. I have a US Tele and, after putting some TLC into this player strat, it feels and plays almost as good as the Tele. I would give it five stars if it were not for fretwork that was needed. Body – The finish and surf pearl color are gorgeous. The wood grain is barely visible (raised) so I would not say the finish is flawless, but the grain is very subtle and adds character in my opinion. The routed cavities for the electronics (top) and the tremolo springs (back) are precisely cut and clean. The electronics cavity was even finished with black paint. Neck – The finish and appearance are great. However, all 22 frets had sprouted; some as much as 1/32". I can't say this is a craftsmanship issue as the frets were probably fine when it was assembled. It must have been a very high humidity environment, though. Nevertheless, after painstakingly filing and redressing all 44 fret ends it feels good. The frets themselves were well seated and leveled. The 3rd and 11th frets were a few thousands of an inch high, but not enough to cause any buzzing issues. The frets were well rounded and polished. Hardware – The tuners are just okay. One of them feels a little rough turning, and they seem to have a low turning ratio making it very touchy to dial in perfect pitch. The 2-point fulcrum tremolo bridge seems like a better design than the traditional (six screw) bridges, but I did not test it. I prefer to block them for more stable tuning, which worked great with this bridge. I have upgraded electronics I had planned to install in this guitar, but the stock pickups aren't bad. They are very quiet and have good tone – there is no rush to replace them. Setup was a breeze. Truss rod adjustment was smooth, nut slots were to spec, and intonation was perfect. The action needed adjustment since I blocked the tremolo, but that was easy.Dave S.

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.

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