I've played on an Ibanez RG 8-string in a local store and I REALLY tried to get the point of it and be interested!

Sadly there is no point! (like Jeremy Clarkson would say)

Obviously there is a point? You get tonal variety from it, especially for jazz. And its great for metal guitarists, no downtuned guitar, no matter how low, can sound as heavy as an 8 string!

Yeah is alway a either you love it or hate it thing. I personally believe that the 7 string is the best guitar ever.

I found it easier to learn music on a seven where my C 1st possition in C was on my first fret. LOL ?

I found myself gravitating more toward the low end spectrum. Maybe I'm a frustrated bassist, but I love playing on 8's.
All other guitars play like toys and its easier for me to switch back to 6's than a person that play 6's to play on an 8.

But still...I would still like to know how many of us are actually playing 8's.

i would love to own an 8 string, just too expensive last time I checked.. How much they going for these days?

Been trying to record music with heavily down-tuned guitars, and pitch shifting effects, but its just not the same... Flappy flappy, muddy muddy >
I'm really inspired by your project Megalodon by the way Ruan7321! Makes me want to sell my entire rig for an 8 string.

LooneyAtTheGate wrote: i would love to own an 8 string, just too expensive last time I checked.. How much they going for these days?

No different to a normal guitar really. You get cheap ones and expensive ones. A good while ago TOMS Sandton had the Prestige RG2228 for R12k (I think) which is a bargain. Normal price is more like R18k I think? I thought long and hard before walking away from that one! US list price is $2900 I think... ??? The Ibby RGA8 or Schecter 8's aren't really more expensive than the equivalent 6 or 7 string models.

Ruan7321 wrote: Yeah is alway a either you love it or hate it thing. I personally believe that the 7 string is the best guitar ever.

Amen! Heh. I love sevens. There's really very little adaption from a six to a seven imo. (Then again I've hardly played anything else for a long long time so YMMV.)

The ONE thing about a seven is, it's harder to keep low strings quiet when playing lead. I'm always surprised at how well behaved six-stringers are when I play them LOL.

Now, with an eight string, I found that difficulty to increase GREATLY. It really is a very wide patch of real estate you have to mute while soloing on the upper strings. These things vary from person to person obviously, but since I'm primarily a weedly-wee lead player, my natural cutoff seems to be good ol' traditional (LOL) seven strings.

PS - sorry for the slight derail above but I thought we could pass the time talking eights while waiting for SA's huge eight-string community (HAHA) to notice this thread and chime in.

hallo hallo hallo!

I'm the very lucky owner of Tosin's backup guitar (if anyone one went to the JHB clinic last year). Sad thing is, playing 8 string is scary as hell, but I guess I gotta pull finger and practice more. However, it is really useful with my studies at the moment and playing the "piano notation type" examples that the lectures use is way more accessible with extended range string instruments. If I had the time I would study piano again, but that is simply not something I can afford (time-wise) at the moment.

You are not alone.
I have two Schecter 8's, one omen 8 which I put bare Knuckles into, and the C8 with actives.

Also have the dual rectifier which gives an insane sound with the 8's.

I am in Table View if you feel like a jam anytime.

Ruan7321 wrote: Yeah. I guess I should have been more specifc. LOL

How many people own an 8 string and actually use it for writing / jamming / band stuff ???

A: I do. LOL

hey bud,i have a Jackson JS328Q 8 String and my buddy Russel has the model u have

I've been wanting to get a 7 string for a while now, since a 6 string does not fulfill all my metal needs. I've looked at 8 strings as well (big fan of Tosin Abasi, he signed my Ibanez when he was in SA) and even though I just can't convince myself of the practicality of it, I will probably still buy one some day. Because, you know... GAS.

Caleb Quaye wrote: No I thought I was the only one! ?

I have a Schecter 8string active and a Schecter diamond series into which I put a set of Bare Knuckes.
They both sound line the dogs danglers!!!

If you are in Durbanville we are not too far apart.

lekka close to me 2....I'm in Kuilsrivier,here's my 8 String

How's things going? Any more 8-string players out there?

I guess I should chime in and admit that I also own one of these many stringed abominations, though sadly I don't get to use it as often as I'd like, perhaps one day I'll sneak it into one of my band's tracks but for now it sadly is confined to being a backup to my 7 string if I break one live.

Sadly I had to take mine in yesterday to get repaired, it fell over and the fretboard got dinged
I was about to record a nice clean arpeggio piece I had written so I guess that's been postponed a few days.. :'(

Julian Emdon wrote: Sadly I had to take mine in yesterday to get repaired, it fell over and the fretboard got dinged

Bugger, what kind of ding we talking about here? like a quick steaming to get the wood to pop back up, or one that's gonna need an actual fill up?

Saving up for a good 8-string. Life happens too much ?

Chad Adam Browne wrote:

Julian Emdon wrote: Sadly I had to take mine in yesterday to get repaired, it fell over and the fretboard got dinged

Bugger, what kind of ding we talking about here? like a quick steaming to get the wood to pop back up, or one that's gonna need an actual fill up?

There's a big crater gouged out right on the 8th fret under the high E. Mike Du Toit has it and he'll see what he can do, definitely a fill up. Damn!

Julian Emdon wrote: There's a big crater gouged out right on the 8th fret under the high E. Mike Du Toit has it and he'll see what he can do, definitely a fill up. Damn!

Damn dude, that sucks

But if there's anyone who can sort that out it's Mike, that dude does not fuck around. ?

What about 9 string guitar ?