# So here is Tony Macalpine's new 8 string.



## Xiphos68 (Oct 19, 2009)

Tony MacAlpine | Facebook

Doesn't look like it has fret markers and it looks like matte finish on the headstock.
Is it a LACS?
Also it looks like a Kahler for the bridge? Can anybody tell?


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## Ironberry (Oct 19, 2009)

Looks like a regular 2228 but with a blank board...

It's a MYSTERY!


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## Xiphos68 (Oct 19, 2009)

I have affirmed it. It is a kahler.
It has a flat part on the side. Gilbarator floyd doesn't have a flat side.


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## pink freud (Oct 19, 2009)

Hmm, weedly weedlies on that low of a register.

Would they be woudly woudlies at that point?


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## MaKo´s Tethan (Oct 20, 2009)

yep, kahler


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## ma7erick (Oct 20, 2009)

I wonder what's happening with Tony... Its been a while since he's not playing with Vai. Maybe that 8 string means something new is coming.


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## Dusty201087 (Oct 20, 2009)

That's definitely a Kahler bridge, yes. What confuses me is that normally Kahler's locking systems are placed after the nut, are they not? That seems to be the normal floyd rose style locking nut. I thought I read somewhere about how Kahlers don't work with those, but I'm not sure  that is a Kahler though, definitly.


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## amassivetree (Oct 20, 2009)

There have been a few styles of Kahler locknut, including the behind the bridge one, one that was like a floyd nut but with flip-up (no wrench) clips to lock the strings.. on the eight string, its just like a floyd nut. My Interceptor has one.


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## Mattmc74 (Oct 20, 2009)

Cool guitar for sure!


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## Apophis (Oct 20, 2009)

cool  but just another RG


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## Drage (Oct 20, 2009)

Apophis said:


> cool  but just another RG


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## Splees (Oct 20, 2009)

Man, what a boring guitar. Such a shame. his carvins were cooler.


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## BrainArt (Oct 20, 2009)

Apophis said:


> cool  but just another RG



I think it might actually be an RGA, by the looks of it.


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## Fred the Shred (Oct 20, 2009)

It does look remarkably boring, unfortunately.


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## Xiphos68 (Oct 20, 2009)

Splees said:


> Man, what a boring guitar. Such a shame. his carvins were cooler.


Yeah. I was expexcting so crazy colored quilt maple top 8 string or something.
But he is a brand new endorser so, he may not get a new guitar. Like the New Ibanez endorsers from what I know. Can only modify certain production guitars at first.


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## hufschmid (Oct 20, 2009)

Apophis said:


> cool  but just another RG



just an other RG indeed................

I wonder how much he got paid to go join Ibanez, that's the real question......


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## Harry (Oct 20, 2009)

Pretty bog standard, but I guess as it is it's a good guitar and will let him do what he needs it to do at this stage.


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## xmetalhead69 (Oct 20, 2009)

pink freud said:


> Hmm, weedly weedlies on that low of a register.
> 
> Would they be woudly woudlies at that point?


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## MaKo´s Tethan (Oct 20, 2009)

In my opinion...Ibanez gave that guitar to him (with money, dah) for a market strategy, because Dino and Meshuggah just sell guitars to the metal public, and with this, the common people will say "oh! you really can play a guitar with 8 strings, not just diabolic metal".


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## Tom Drinkwater (Oct 20, 2009)

I don't know how Ibanez does it but I do know some people who have endorsements with PRS and other brands. Usually, unless they are a super megastar with a signature model that sells really well they just get free guitars. That is good enough coupled with the publicity from the website and other marketing. I would be surprised if T Mac got paid to leave Carvin. If Carvin made an 8 string I may wonder about being paid. T Mac is great but that doesn't make him worth paying to play your guitars on top of giving him free guitars and publicity. I don't think that he would attract enough new business to the brand.


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 20, 2009)

Ironberry said:


> Looks like a regular 2228 but with a blank board...
> 
> It's a MYSTERY!



what, you an SA goon or something? 

the guitar looks better than a 2228, but not good enough to set of my GAS alarm...


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## lurgar (Oct 20, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> what, you an SA goon or something?




How many goons are on here exactly?

Also, echoing sentiments that the guitar is nice, but it lacks any real personality to me.


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## myconfidenceinu (Oct 20, 2009)

tony is making a new album with planet x - thts why he's got the 8 string. i think he's probably stuck with carvin, but maybe 1 or 2 songs uses the 8 string on


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## BrainArt (Oct 20, 2009)

myconfidenceinu said:


> tony is making a new album with planet x - thts why he's got the 8 string. i think he's probably stuck with carvin, but maybe 1 or 2 songs uses the 8 string on



No. He's fully endorsed by Ibby, now.


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 20, 2009)

Perhaps Carvin wasn't willing to make him an 8-string.


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## Xiphos68 (Oct 20, 2009)

myconfidenceinu said:


> tony is making a new album with planet x - thts why he's got the 8 string. i think he's probably stuck with carvin, but maybe 1 or 2 songs uses the 8 string on


Yeah he also has a s series 7 string. Stock I think with different pickups.


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## AySay (Oct 20, 2009)

I find it appalling that TMac only has 140-something fans on FB 
and +1 on the "it looks boring" comments...


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## cyril v (Oct 21, 2009)

well, he just switched to ibanez a short time ago right? He's got a stock s7320 and this 2228 so far. maybe he's just trying to figure out what he likes before committing to a full on LACS.?


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## Fionn (Oct 21, 2009)

he looks cool, guitar looks boring as fook!!!


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## vampiregenocide (Oct 21, 2009)

Simple but gorgeous. Will be interesting to see what he does with it.


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## xmetalhead69 (Oct 21, 2009)

^ it will probably be either really high meedly meedlys or really low meedly meedlys. (aka moddly moddlys, which sounds kind of terrible when you type it that way)


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## Jazzedout (Oct 21, 2009)

Am I the only one who suspects it might be a neck-through? Look at the neck joint. Kahler trem, no fret markers, looks like LACS job to me...


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## Xiphos68 (Oct 21, 2009)

^ Really? How can you tell?


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 21, 2009)

It's either a LACS or a LACS re-done RG2228. I've seen a lot of LACS modified guitars in the hands of lower level/newer artists, the former which T-Mac would be.

One of the main reasons I think this is a LACS modified is the bridge choice. In the past the LACS 8s with trems have used a custom "Floyd" style unit, which I believe was a TRS of some type, opposed to an off the shelf Kahler. I know T-Mac used "Floyds" in the past, so if built from the ground up, don't you think he would opt for a "Floyd"?


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## Xiphos68 (Oct 21, 2009)

MaxOfMetal said:


> It's either a LACS or a LACS re-done RG2228. I've seen a lot of LACS modified guitars in the hands of lower level/newer artists, the former which T-Mac would be.
> 
> One of the main reasons I think this is a LACS modified is the bridge choice. In the past the LACS 8s with trems have used a custom "Floyd" style unit, which I believe was a TRS of some type, opposed to an off the shelf Kahler. I know T-Mac used "Floyds" in the past, so if built from the ground up, don't you think he would opt for a "Floyd"?


Maybe he thought kahler's are better now?


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 22, 2009)

Xiphos68 said:


> Maybe he thought kahler's are better now?



That is always a possibility, he is using a ZR as well now (S7320). As soon as better pics are available it'll be easier to tell. 

As for it being neck-thru, I held up my RG2228 in the mirror at about the same position as T-Mac has his, and it looks pretty much identical as far as the neck joint goes. Gotta love the ol' AANJ.


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## ShadyDavey (Oct 24, 2009)

Interesting - I wonder if he's going for BEADGBEA.....might be the angle and lighting but that doesn't look like an F#.....

Still, I actually like that. It's not visually amazing but it's a good solid 8 string that I would happily play myself given half a chance


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## Harry (Oct 24, 2009)

^Nope, 5 wound strings, 3 unwound. F# most likely.


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## Santuzzo (Oct 25, 2009)

Wow. Interesting to see Tony MacALpine is with Ibanez now.
Also, that he's playing 8-strings now. I'm very much looking forward to his new recording where he's using them.


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## ShadyDavey (Oct 25, 2009)

Harry said:


> ^Nope, 5 wound strings, 3 unwound. F# most likely.





Better eyes than me dude - still, I am interested in hearing what he comes up with.


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## Xiphos68 (Oct 25, 2009)

Does anybody know anything about the upcoming Planet X album?


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## Jzbass25 (Aug 12, 2010)

Man that kahler is so ugly imo, but in Tony's pics it looks so much more like a floyd. Damn I want an 8 string floyd! lol


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## widdlywhaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Tony MacAlpine&#039;s Photos - Profile Pictures | Facebook

in this pic it looks like a your standard double locking trem, def matte finsih.

Doubt it's neck through. it just looks like a re-finished 2228 with a floating trem.


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## MaxOfMetal (Aug 12, 2010)

widdlywhaa said:


> Tony MacAlpine's Photos - Profile Pictures | Facebook
> 
> in this pic it looks like a your standard double locking trem, def matte finsih.
> 
> Doubt it's neck through. it just looks like a re-finished 2228 with a floating trem.



Yep, looks to be one similar to the 8-string TRS that was on Munky and Rusty Cooley's LACS 8s. 

It's a LACS for sure, the work it would take to modify a stock RG2228 into that would defeat the purpose. It'd be easier to make a body and neck at the LACS.


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## Variant (Aug 12, 2010)

That is most definitely not a Khaler.


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## CrushingAnvil (Aug 12, 2010)

Xiphos68 said:


> I have affirmed it. It is a kahler.
> It has a flat part on the side. Gilbarator floyd doesn't have a flat side.



One has a Kahler, one has what looks to be a Takeuchi:


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## SnowfaLL (Aug 12, 2010)

I love Tony, hes like in my top 3.. but it pains me he left Carvin for Ibanez (same with my #1, Marty Friedman -_- well with jackson inbetween).. But I understand, with the 8 string thing. 

I hope he makes a nice quilt top 8 string LACS someday soon. gogo!


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## Ironberry (Aug 12, 2010)

CrushingAnvil said:


> One has a Kahler, one has what looks to be a Takeuchi:



Yep, or it was changed from Kahler to Floyd, because this photo:






Clearly shows a Kahler.


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## Jazzedout (Aug 12, 2010)

I think it's 2 different guitars... the volume knob doesn't seem to be in the same place on both guitars...


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