# Ibanez RGA8 or schecter damien elite 8?



## Captain Axx (Jul 18, 2010)

hey guys, can you help me out?

i'm looking for my next guitar, which is gonna be a 8 string, and i'm stuck between the RGA8 or the damien elite 8
i like the pickups on the elite 8, but i like the longer scale of the RGA8, 
i'm just wondering which is better in your opinion, and which one plays better

thanks!


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## Origin (Jul 18, 2010)

I've played an rga8 that played awfully, though I'm sure it was probably the store's lack of setup I've heard a lot of bad and good reviews of the thing. As an Ibanez fanboy, I'd have to recommend the Damien.  Unless someone can correct me about the RGA's flaws.


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## JaeSwift (Jul 18, 2010)

I just bought an RGA 8 actually, and Origin's points are valid, but honestly you can acredit the flaws due to the store's set up.

I bought it yesterday and the store's set up was fucking horrid, which was mainly due to the EXTREMELY thin strings. A 0.66 on the F#, really?

Anyway, I changed the strings to 0.10-0.46, got a 0.56 for the low B and a 0.74 (bass string, unfortunatly I'm still waiting for my guitar strings to arrive) for the low F# and it plays beautifully now. The stock pickups really aren't great, but it's the wood that really surprised me; it sings like a motherfucker. Very resonating and you can tell it's mahogany because it resonates warm. The shape of the neck is to me the most ideal shape for an 8 string, it was incredibly comfortable and made having a wider neck completely effortless for me.

The bridge system is also probably the best on any 8 string on the market currently. It's the exact same as the prestige version (RG 2228) in that it's the bolted on fixed Edge III, which holds tuning absolutely perfectly. It's also very comfy on your hands. Another plus is the titanium reinforcement in the neck; after changing gauges it didn't warp at all (it just decreased the buzz from the stores set up).

When you try these things in a store, don't expect them to play great because 9/10 times they'll just leave the stock strings on them, which is really what causes the RGA 8 to sound and play like shit. After you change the strings and give it a lil' set up to your preferences, the only thing you'll have to throw out are the stock pups. The bridge is very muddy but not too bad if you play a lot of Meshuggah style single note patterns; the neck pickup is horrible on all occasions though. 

TL;DR: 

Pro's of the RGA 8:

-Same bridge system as the RG 2228, which is really good
-Amazingly comfortable neck shape
-Good wood (not great, but good), very resonative (is that a word?)

Con's of the RGA 8:

-Crap stock pickups
-Useless EQ switch that just muds everything up more (but it can be ignored)

Since pretty much everyone changes the stock pickups on a guitar to their own preference, I would HIGHLY recommend the RGA 8. I can't tell you how surprised I was at it's quality after I gave it a little surgery.


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## LamaSabachthani (Jul 18, 2010)

JaeSwift said:


> I just bought an RGA 8 actually, and Origin's points are valid, but honestly you can acredit the flaws due to the store's set up.
> 
> I bought it yesterday and the store's set up was fucking horrid, which was mainly due to the EXTREMELY thin strings. A 0.66 on the F#, really?
> 
> ...



The RGA8 is mahogany? Is the RG2228 basswood? A massive pro I could then see to buying the RGA8 would be that stripping the wood and then tung oiling would probably make for a very nice finish as it is mahogany. Am I correct in this belief?


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## Empryrean (Jul 18, 2010)

^^yessir


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## Demeyes (Jul 18, 2010)

LamaSabachthani said:


> The RGA8 is mahogany? Is the RG2228 basswood? A massive pro I could then see to buying the RGA8 would be that stripping the wood and then tung oiling would probably make for a very nice finish as it is mahogany. Am I correct in this belief?


As far as I'm aware yes those are the woods for the RGA and RG2228. The problem with your idea is you could have a really ugly piece of mahogany used on the body, there's lots of species of the wood so some look pretty different to others.


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## Marv Attaxx (Jul 18, 2010)

The main reason why I bought a RGA8 was the neck 
An extremely well-made neck (especially for an Indonesian-made guitar), a nicely resonating body and the double locking system is stable like hell.
I originally wanted to buy an Agile or a Schecter but as soon as I heard about the RGA8 I knew this would be the one 
But like the others said the pickups aren't the best (usable though) and the eq makes your tone sound thin but otherwise it's a great (and cheap) guitar.
There are some reviews in this forum, check them out.


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## JaeSwift (Jul 18, 2010)

Yes, it's Mahogany, but there was a guy here that had the body stripped for a natural finish but saw the mahogany didn't look to great for that and opted for a custom body instead.

Honestly, I know it's black but atleast it's gloss black, not ''gay vampire galaxy black''. Everytime I see galaxy black I'm reminded of that YouTube spoof of Twilight; ''MY SKIN SPARKLESSS!!''

I'm gonna put BKP Coldsweats in them and order some EMG 40 bass housings; then I'm gonna spray paint them bright white and I'll add a bright white volume knob. The RGA body is such an incredibly nice shape, I think the black really suits it in this case.


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## WarriorOfMetal (Jul 18, 2010)

I work at a store where we've actually had both of those guitars in stock at the same time a couple times, so I've gotten to compare them side by side. I ended up buying the Damien Elite 8 for myself. 

The Ibanez has the advantages of the slightly longer scale length and the double-locking fixed bridge. Beyond that, I like almost everything else about the Schecter better. The EMG 808s aren't great, but they're directly replaceable with the SD Blackouts. The Ibanez Lo-Z pickups basically suck and use AA batteries, rather than a 9V, so they're not a direct replacement in that regard. The EQ switch is basically useless, too.

I found that the fretwork on the edges of the Ibanez's neck is a bit rough, which led to my opinion of it feeling a bit on the cheap side...that's ignoring the neck profile, which is uncomfortable to me, being quite flat. The Schecter has black binding on the neck, which results in a very smooth edge, and you don't feel the fret ends at all, and the rounder profile is significantly more comfortable for me.

The Schecter ships with a custom set of D'Addario strings (my normal brand of choice anyway) from .010-.074, while the RGA's stock strings feel much too light to me. I can't find any mention of the gauges or anything on the Ibanez website or online store.

Last but not least, the Schecter (built in Korea, rather than Indonesia) sells for $200 less than the Ibanez, and is, in my opinion, the superior guitar. Unless you REALLY need the Ibanez neck profile and can't live without the double-locking bridge, I would recommend the Damien Elite 8 over the RGA8 any day.


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## JaeSwift (Jul 19, 2010)

Im not sure if we're talking about the same RGA 8  the fretwork on mine is flawless, edges are very smooth as I havent even felt them. I do agree on the pickups, but thats only a point if you plan on sticking with actives anyway. I also found a use for the EQ switch; rewire it to a coil tap or kill switch 

Also, arent all Schecters from 2010 onwards made in Indonesia?


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## Neurotoxic (Apr 22, 2012)

yeah i currently have a schecter damien elite 7. very nice guitar, im actually selling it so i can get an 8 string and i had the same problem. i went to the local guitar center and i hate the RGA8 pickups. very weak. so i tried the EQ switch and that made it worse. as for the damien elite 8 they had, very average emg's, but everything felt way more comfortable compared to the RGA8. and theres no extensive wiring/soldering if i want to switch for SD's
the schecter for the price was much better


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## yellow (Apr 22, 2012)

for me, without question or a second thought or a second guess, the schecter damien elite 8. i didnt know schecter existed until i joined this forum last year and since then, i bought a brand new damien elite 7 fr and a used damien elite 8, and i think they are as good as it gets (aside from high end/custom shop stuff, which i have so i know good stuff from not so good stuff, like esp custom shop, steinberger gl2t, paradise jason becker signature, vigier surfreter fretless, and ive had jems and universes and high end jacksons). 

also im partial to strat style bodies, EMGs, (and floyd roses), so schecter IMO has THE BEST bang for buck over any guitar company in terms of features/hardware/what u get and for what u pay. ill add that im brand new to the world of 8 strings, but i dont want any other 8 string or ERG besides the schecter hellraiser c-8 fr (floyd rose).


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## Diggy (Apr 22, 2012)

If you like the longer scale, buy the RGA8 and replace the pickups.


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## Gregadethhh (Apr 23, 2012)

JaeSwift said:


> Pro's of the RGA 8:
> 
> -Same bridge system as the RG 2228, which is really good



Not actually true... the RG2228/A has a 430mm radius and the RGA8 has 400m radius or it's just me being pendantic 

I love my RGA8, swap pickups and replace active EQ with a tone pot and BOOM!
I had mine properly setup and it plays like butter, it's *almost* as good as my JS1200CA to play


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## Iron Beard (Apr 29, 2012)

why not an agile 8 string?


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## Gryphon (Apr 29, 2012)

For those that have played the Damien 7 and 8 stringers, what is the 22-24 fret access like? I only really use the 23rd and 24th fret for tapping, so I guess I'm mostly about 22nd fret access for the left hand, does that heel get in the way?


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## yellow (Apr 29, 2012)

got the elite 7 and had an elite 8, and the answer to your question is no. the only issue really is the 23 and 24th fret, but since u tap there its no problem really. up to 22 you can fret fine, its just those last 2, really last one, the 24th, that require a hand adjustment, but its doable, its not like totally unreachable, just a lil out of the way, i still fret on the 24th, usually on b and e strings


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