Ibanez RG8-WH 3-stars Reviews

Great entry level guitar, but not what you expect

I bought this guitar as my first 8-string.

I chose Ibanez because I used to own RG-370DX (way back in 2006) and it was great. More than 10 years later, some of the same quality issues are amplified, and it is getting harder to tell if the immense metal instrument reputation, and the great look, feel and tone outweigh them. Or is it just a legend?

For sure this is a great instrument lacking some features like a nut made of proper material. The tone is perhaps of the greatest quality of this instrument, but it's not achieved out of the box. This instruments needs to be broken in - in other words - it wants to be played - a lot. This makes it great for beginners and at the same time, might put them off, as the unique tonal qualities won't manifest quickly enough.

It is also great for hobbyists - if you like the look of this instrument, parts can be upgraded, and better tone achieved, but there is a limit - don't expect much - just buy a better instrument and save yourself the hassle.

I wish this instrument came with a better nut, better setup and less scratches. Mine looked like a B-stock, but I ordered new and payed the full price.

There were scratches on the fretboard, bridge screw heads had stripped paint - one of the screws was driven in crooked and paint on the bridge also stripped. One bridge saddle screw was of the wrong type. Action was suuuuper high, truss rod cover had a nick in it. The neck was not properly making contact to the bottom of the neck pocket. Neck is not straight.

I sent this guitar to a technician to put in a new Black TUSQ XL nut and give it a proper setup - about 100€ to pay extra. It might have been easier to pay more for the next tier instrument right away.

I suggest this guitar only when the quality becomes better, better features added (proper nut), or when it becomes cheaper.

Currently it is not worth the asking price of €484.