# Ibanez RG-8, worth to "mod+upgrade" or rather spare for a better one?!



## BigHandy (Mar 1, 2017)

Hello!

The question is given. As for my first 8 string I don't want to go for the "cheapest, jet barely acceptable" solution, as far it would cost more and would be difficult to get a decent guitar out from it.

I know lots of the members here tend to suggest the RG-8 as the cheapest solution, with a twink of "It will do, buddy" slogan in it, but is this worshiping of the RG-8 in this price range really a good option, when some newbie buyers might also think forward in the future for quality?!

What bothers me most are these demo comparison videos, like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Qk2ncrnlA->as for me the differences in sound are clean-cut.

As far as I have understood, I also have to swap out the pickups (808x's maybe) and the bridge (probably hipshot) as instant to get it sound acceptable, and there is still the additional luthier work, like drilling/rasping the tuner holes and the nut/bridge/back to get/fit thicker strings properly... Am I missing something?! And that won't be a cheap ride I guess...

So what's your suggestions, should I rather spare the double it's price, or can I just forget the anguish and dive right leisurely in to the RG-8 "business"?! 

Thanks you for the replies!


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## Ordacleaphobia (Mar 1, 2017)

Depends on what your stance is on work.
If you like working on guitars in any aspect, getting and modding an RG8 is a ton of fun. The pickups are trash, admittedly; but the stock bridge is decent (the hipshot drop in is pretty much the same bridge), so I wouldn't advise changing the bridge unless you wanted to go the whole 9 yards with drilling new holes and what not. I would account for replacement tuners as well, as the stock ones on the RG8 left much to be desired imo.

But even if you do a lot of the stuff yourself, parts are expensive. So if you're just looking strictly for the best price per dollar ratio at a mid-to-high level of performance, I'd say it would be time to bust out the SSO motto:


> "You'd probably be better off just buying a used Prestige" &#8482;


There are a couple listings on the classifieds here, even, I think. A couple RG852s and I think at least one RG2228. 

Personally, I like working on and modding my guitars as much as I like playing them, so I went with the 'mod the dick off an RG8' option, but I've played the RG852 and loved it, and have heard wonderful things about the 2228, so you can't really go wrong imo. Ibanez really did well on their 8s.


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## mnemonic (Mar 1, 2017)

I like my RG8, I was impressed for the price. Mine is one from a few years back, made from basswood, I think they might be made of mahogany now? 

I've read some people having problems with them, not great fret jobs, etc but mine is great. In buying a cheap Indonesian guitar, there are gonna be lemons and it is still best to try the one you want to buy. 

As far as modding platforms go, it's a pretty good one as its low cost and basically a standard RG. there's a whole RG8 mods thread on here. I pulled out the neck pickup on mine and put a single-humbucker pickguard on it, looks real slick in my opinion. 

As far as upgrades go, the pickups aren't the best (they're 6 string cort bass pickups) though they can sound pretty tight if you eq them right. I had to have them set pretty close to the strings to get a good sound. Worth replacing if you have a specific sound or pickup in mind, but they're not unusable. 

As for the bridge, tuners, nut, etc. No need to replace the bridge unless you want specific saddles or unless you find it uncomfortable. And even then, I'd just replace the saddles, not the baseplate. You'll just give yourself a headache having to redrill holes. I never removed mine so I can't confirm, but someone on here said it's made of brass. 

Tuners are actually really good on mine, hold tuning well, and have a high ratio, higher than the schallers on many of my other guitars, so it's a bit easier to tune. I was originally going to replace mine but I didn't feel the need after using them for a bit. 

Nut is plastic, not that there's anything wrong with that. It does make it easy to fit a thicker string, just rub a piece back and fourth in the slot and it will grind out a perfectly sized round nut slot. Don't go too deep. 

One other remark about the tuners - you may need to drill out the hole on the F# tuner if you use thicker than (I think) a .075. It's been a while, but if I remember correctly, the .075 was a tight fit, but did fit, but an .080 did not. Another alternative is to unwind the outer winding on the string. 

Finally, setup will probably be the worst out of the box, mine was. Worth doing a setup or having a setup done if you can't do it yourself (though if you're buying a project guitar to mod and upgrade, you ought to learn to do it yourself - paying others to do setups, pickup swaps, hardware swaps, etc adds up quick, to the point where you could have just bought a high end guitar). By setup I mean the action, truss rod, pickup height, etc. I didn't need to to any fretwork on mine.


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## BigHandy (Mar 1, 2017)

Ordacleaphobia said:


> Depends on what your stance is on work.
> If you like working on guitars in any aspect, getting and modding an RG8 is a ton of fun. The pickups are trash, admittedly; but the stock bridge is decent (the hipshot drop in is pretty much the same bridge), so I wouldn't advise changing the bridge unless you wanted to go the whole 9 yards with drilling new holes and what not. I would account for replacement tuners as well, as the stock ones on the RG8 left much to be desired imo.
> 
> But even if you do a lot of the stuff yourself, parts are expensive. So if you're just looking strictly for the best price per dollar ratio at a mid-to-high level of performance, I'd say it would be time to bust out the SSO motto:
> ...



Thank you but even used Prestiges are too expensive for me right now, and I live in Hungary, so my options regarding used guitars are very limited. Even if I would could go to buy a new one in the prize range of an Iby Prestige, I would rather see something like a 28" Schecter. I guess somehow, that that +1" would make more difference and worthyness... Right now none of these are options for my budget, so I guess I will drop the RG-8 idea, and spare for a better quality 28"... (Will take years, but I wouldn't end to end up a guitar that I wouldn't like.)


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## lewis (Mar 1, 2017)

i just sold my RG8 but I put new strings on it for the buyer, and done a full setup before packaging it up to send. I forgot how damn well they play and feel. Super fast neck and sound glorious in Drop E.
I went Ernie Ball 9-80 set but the 9 was too tight for a high E though.

This was the one I sold - 







custom 2ply (white/black) pickguard with Carbon Fibre finish. Single pickup, single knob config.

Locking tuners with white pearloid tuner buttons.


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## endmysuffering (Mar 1, 2017)

I can speak for the agile 827 with a tom. You can set the action to a point where its so low that you almost don't feel the strings resisting to be fretted, the neck is really flat and the fretwork is just spot on, I'm not a huge fan of the pickups so they may go soon but they're great for if you're trying to go for a meshuggah tone. The neck on it is also plenty strong with the two thruss rods, you shouldn't expect to be constantly adjusting it. 
All in all I haven't tried the rg8 sadly but the 827 is a great Korean made guitar and it has pretty much replaced my other guitars.


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## endmysuffering (Mar 1, 2017)

I can speak for the agile 827 with a tom. You can set the action to a point where its so low that you almost don't feel the strings resisting to be fretted, the neck is really flat and the fretwork is just spot on, I'm not a huge fan of the pickups so they may go soon but they're great for if you're trying to go for a meshuggahe tone. The neck on it is also plenty strong with the thruss rods, you shouldn't expect to be constantly adjusting it. 
All in all I haven't tried the rg8 sadly but the 827 is a great Korean made guitar and it has pretty much replaced my other guitars.


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## BigHandy (Mar 1, 2017)

endmysuffering said:


> I can speak for the agile 827 with a tom. You can set the action to a point where its so low that you almost don't feel the strings resisting to be fretted, the neck is really flat and the fretwork is just spot on, I'm not a huge fan of the pickups so they may go soon but they're great for if you're trying to go for a meshuggah tone. The neck on it is also plenty strong with the two thruss rods, you shouldn't expect to be constantly adjusting it.
> All in all I haven't tried the rg8 sadly but the 827 is a great Korean made guitar and it has pretty much replaced my other guitars.




Thanks, but as I wrote I live in the EU, so Agiles are a no-go...


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