# Tony Macalpine's Trem'd Ibanez 8 String.



## Alice AKW (Mar 26, 2015)

I was poking about my subscriptions and found this.



Am I right in inferring that this is the first Ibanez 8 string with a proper floating trem? Could we possibly see production models?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 26, 2015)

I'm pretty sure Fredrik had a custom-made 8-string done by Ibanez back in '06, which had a Piezo-loaded 8-string LoPro Edge. And I mean a proper Edge, not an FX.


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## OmegaSlayer (Mar 26, 2015)

I opened a thread about this exact same thing here.
I was told that it's 2 Edge cut and soldered together.


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## Alice AKW (Mar 26, 2015)

Interesting. I found the guitar in question for Fredrik. It's down a ways here The Meshuggah Guitarchive: 8 string guitars | AVH Guitar Repair

I'm curious why Ibanez never attempted to release a production model with an Edge 8


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## katsusand (Mar 26, 2015)

Seems like OFR.
Here's a pic of OFR mod of white RG2228


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## Musiscience (Mar 26, 2015)

Alice AKW said:


> Interesting. I found the guitar in question for Fredrik. It's down a ways here The Meshuggah Guitarchive: 8 string guitars | AVH Guitar Repair
> 
> I'm curious why Ibanez never attempted to release a production model with an Edge 8



Damn, that's a lot of 8 string, flat, black guitars. They sure love that particular finish


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## jvms (Mar 26, 2015)

There was a Gotoh in his black one that he used for his previous album. Don't remember where I heard that, but I recall it was a correct info. His Twitter, I think. They were cut and soldered together.


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 26, 2015)

The first prototype to what would become the RG2228, as evaluated by the guys in Korn and Steve Vai himself, had a TRS 8-string trem. 






It was built in late 2005 from what I gather, and puts it as the first. 

This will be Tony's second trem'd RG8.


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## odibrom (Mar 26, 2015)

edited by ME, 'cause I changed my opinion...  one is allowed that right?

... There was a promotional pic of Tony (for his lattest album?) with an RG8 with a trem, but in a dark shade of gray / black?...

ok, second edit, found some pics 
















... and the last one, I promisse


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## nikt (Mar 26, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> This will be Tony's second trem'd RG8.



3rd


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 26, 2015)

nikt said:


> 3rd



Isn't that the one Lee owned? I thought that was built for Rusty Cooley. I'll try to find the old thread.

EDIT: Found it!http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gu...-rusty-cooley-lacs8-trem-2800-00-shipped.html


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## nikt (Mar 26, 2015)

Yep it's Cooley. Wasn't that the first 8 string with trem that Ibanez put together?


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 26, 2015)

nikt said:


> Yep it's Cooley. Wasn't that the first 8 string with trem that Ibanez put together?



The first was the one I posted, the prototype. 

How would that be Tony's? Does he own it now? 

The Cooley was a LACS modded RG2228.

So it goes:
1) Proto tested by Korn and Steve 2005
2) The modded RG2228 for Rusty 2006/2007
3) The one built for Fredrik 2009
4) Tony's matte black/gray one pictured above 2010/2011
5) Tony's white one in the OP 2014/2015

That's how I understand it.


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## MatthewK (Mar 26, 2015)

Doesn't Steve Vai have an even earlier one in his personal collection? I think it was white with a tremolo.


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## asher (Mar 26, 2015)

Trem'd 2228s and a 1527M?

They gots good taste in guitars


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 26, 2015)

MatthewK said:


> Doesn't Steve Vai have an even earlier one in his personal collection? I think it was white with a tremolo.



You're right. 

This one:





Totally slipped my mind. I forget the year on it though.


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## Alex Kenivel (Mar 26, 2015)

What a juicy thread


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## MetalBuddah (Mar 26, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> You're right.
> 
> This one:
> 
> ...



This reminds me of the Meshuggah signature as far as bridge placement and neck goes.


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## Ron Head (Mar 26, 2015)

I love this thread , because , well trems and 8ers 

... started in 2011 , with Kahlers , simply to have an alternative / diy for the edge III fixed bridge ; because of Kahler's option to lock it too ; Floyd Rose announced december 2012 they'd release a retail tremelo for 8 strings , by then i allready had 2 RG8's modded and a 3rd had to have the Floyd ....

anyway , here are mine :





















and a family pic :


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## Sumsar (Mar 26, 2015)

^ Thats very VERY nice, especially the Tosin one.
My burning question is: Does it work? I mean, it must require alot of force to just change the tone sligtly? I guess dive bombs are a no go (which is not necessarily a bad thing  )
Does it make sense? I know Mathias IA Eklund has a new 8 string signature with a floyd, which as far as I know is the only production model with a floyd rose 8 and he seems to make it work.


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## Ron Head (Mar 26, 2015)

yepp , no problem , the locking-nut is a must though , and one has to have some patience ; the strings need a little pre-stretched ..

however , the longer the scale , the lesser the desired effect is , but it's still awesome ; put down and let it slightly go neutral again with an harmonic , or even from neutral and up from there , and yeah the dives on the lowest notes ...

had some brands and different sets of strings ; the Kaliums appear to be great strings on these guitars


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 26, 2015)

Sumsar said:


> ^ Thats very VERY nice, especially the Tosin one.
> My burning question is: Does it work? I mean, it must require alot of force to just change the tone sligtly? I guess dive bombs are a no go (which is not necessarily a bad thing  )
> Does it make sense? I know Mathias IA Eklund has a new 8 string signature with a floyd, which as far as I know is the only production model with a floyd rose 8 and he seems to make it work.



Why would it require more force to operate? If setup properly, a trem is balanced, as in the tension of the springs and strings is equal. 

I've played and owned 8-strings with trems and there was no perceivable difference in the force required to operate the system, diving or pulling. 

The thing you do have to watch out for is that the strings will lower and raise pitch much faster/slower across the strings. For instance, when I'd dive the bar on the Pendulum Kahler the lowest string would get super loose before the higher three strings would drop as far as on a 6-string. When I'd pull up on the Floyd 8 in my Interceptor 827 the higher strings would get super tight while the 8th wouldn't be as tight. It's not enough to stop the systems from being functional, but it is something to think about.


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## ihunda (Mar 26, 2015)

Thanks for sharing.
The real question for me is why do I just discover Nili Brosh now?


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## rockskate4x (Mar 26, 2015)

the scale on steve vai's white 8 looks monstrous! I'd love to see a full spec list on that...


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## MatthewK (Mar 26, 2015)

Sumsar said:


> ^ Thats very VERY nice, especially the Tosin one.
> My burning question is: Does it work? I mean, it must require alot of force to just change the tone sligtly? I guess dive bombs are a no go (which is not necessarily a bad thing  )
> Does it make sense? I know Mathias IA Eklund has a new 8 string signature with a floyd, which as far as I know is the only production model with a floyd rose 8 and he seems to make it work.



Schecter has an 8 with a floyd.


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## Vandante (Mar 26, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> You're right.
> 
> This one:
> 
> ...


Dat fret access though...


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 26, 2015)

Vandante said:


> Dat fret access though...



For real. 

Good thing they corrected that for the production stuff.


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## DeathChord (Mar 26, 2015)

The Meshuggah Guitarchive: 8 string guitars | AVH Guitar Repair


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## jephjacques (Mar 26, 2015)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that Vai 8 looks like a standard RG body routed for a wider neck and pickups and a different bridge position. That would explain why the proportions look so wonky.

I have an 8 with a Floyd and it's a lot of fun to mess with!


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## Alice AKW (Mar 26, 2015)

jephjacques said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but that Vai 8 looks like a standard RG body routed for a wider neck and pickups and a different bridge position. That would explain why the proportions look so wonky.
> 
> I have an 8 with a Floyd and it's a lot of fun to mess with!



where's the NGD Mr. I-Blow-A-Few-Grand-To-Make-Fun-Of-A-Thread-Alice-Made? xD


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 26, 2015)

Alice AKW said:


> where's the NGD Mr. I-Blow-A-Few-Grand-To-Make-Fun-Of-A-Thread-Alice-Made? xD



Dude, Rondo has Floyded 8s for $500.


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## Alice AKW (Mar 26, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Dude, Rondo has Floyded 8s for $500.



I was referring to the "so ____ has a 9 string now" trend that Jeph poked at with his old RG90. 

Though Rondo's floyded 8's are intriguing.


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## Alex Kenivel (Mar 27, 2015)

^at least I get it


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## PunchLine (Mar 27, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> The first was the one I posted, the prototype.
> 
> How would that be Tony's? Does he own it now?
> 
> ...



Not exactly sure if it counts as it was not made by the LACS but there is that legendary custom 8 string Multiverse swirl model that features a tremolo welded from 2 OFR bridges.

Tony has a new album coming out by the way.


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 27, 2015)

PunchLine said:


> Not exactly sure if it counts as it was not made by the LACS but there is that legendary custom 8 string Multiverse swirl model that features a tremolo welded from 2 OFR bridges.
> 
> Tony has a new album coming out by the way.



Yeah, that Multiverse isn't really an Ibanez, so I wasn't counting it. If we're talking any-brand customs with trems then there would be several others that even pre-date that Multiverse, namely a handful of Conklins and some other random stuff.


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## jephjacques (Mar 28, 2015)

Alice AKW said:


> where's the NGD Mr. I-Blow-A-Few-Grand-To-Make-Fun-Of-A-Thread-Alice-Made? xD



I'm too lazy!


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