R-458BK Fanfret : Bang for the buck/or project

If you are introducing yourself to 8 strings or looking for a project you really can’t beat this. Is it superior in finish no, is there a few thing to fix, yes. But with some proper EQ work, and a set up. You can even get the stock pickups sounding great. And the minor flaws in playablility that everyone one else has echoed are easily fixable in a few hours. I plan on throwing Fishman Alnicos upfront and Ceramics in the rear to really bring this thing up to chops, eventually… as for now she is great and it’s been fun learning 8 string with this lightweight beast. Setup was near perfect when I got her, and I had no electronics issues at all. I bought my wife the TE tele and a matching TB thunderbird style bass to start learning on and she loved them. I have been so impressed I just bought the 7 string multiscale so I can throw some Active EMGs in it and have a ball with it as well. Overall, are they an entry level ESP, Schecter or Ibanez type… no, but they aren’t far off.