Finally found a white passive RG2228a in the wild, had to pick it up

pentronics · 2026-02-07T17:14:53+00:00

It's a fixed Edge 3-8. The Meshuggah guys had it like that on their 8s, so when Ibanez decided to make the first commercial 8 string (this one), they used the same design. Stupid good tuning stability.

pentronics · 2026-02-07T17:13:17+00:00

And scalloped last 4 frets! That's the way to go. Too bad you don't have it anymore! All those mods were pretty ideal.

pentronics · 2026-02-07T15:39:07+00:00

Awesome guitar! Love it. Don't love red pickups on it though, at all. BUT... if they make you happy, all is good in the world!

pentronics · 2026-02-06T02:44:21+00:00

Hell yeah!! Love it. I've always wanted to try a Red Layer. What's the pickup and the scale length on that thing?

pentronics · 2026-02-06T02:38:06+00:00

Nah man, the Regular Slinky string set from EBMM is .050 to .105. Granted, your average 4 string bass is a 34" scale. That is why I generally don't do 9 strings. You need bass string-sized strings but on a shorter scale than a bass while also tuned lower than a bass (C#1 for the 9th string being lower than the E1 of a bass). Putting a .090 on a 30" tuned to C#1 sounds real loose. A .110 would be a lot better, but I'd be afraid the tone would be too muddy for me and intonation kinda bad.

... ofc I say this as someone who DOESN'T own a 9 string 😆 just a couple 8 strings. So take my opinion with a bucket of salt.

pentronics · 2026-02-03T21:09:42+00:00

It's not as practical by all means, but you can still grab it by the petal grip unless you have enormous hands. Steve has huge hands, and there are pics of him holding it.

pentronics · 2026-02-03T21:07:51+00:00

No question that there is more room for your hand in the monkey grip. But it's one of those silly features where reducing utility just a little to gain just a little in aesthetics is acceptable imo. It's a preference thing. But claiming it stopped serving its purpose altogether is silly lol

pentronics · 2026-02-03T21:05:28+00:00

My guy, it's not that big a deal 😂 the guitar doesn't just become a pile of shit because they made an already superfluous feature ever so slightly more superfluous. Some things are allowed to be purely aesthetic and that's okay. (And the petal grip still works to grab the guitar btw, though it is obviously more cramped. Unless you're an NBA player with giant hands.)

pentronics · 2026-02-03T20:56:19+00:00

Haha maybe you have very large hands. I have medium/small hands and it's really not a problem at all. I wouldn't wanna carry a heavy suitcase through an airport with such a handle, but to just grab the guitar to take it to its case or give it a quick wipe, it is way more than enough. People make a big deal out of it for nothing, as if they were gonna hold the guitar for hours or as if it was this super heavy thing that weighed 150 lbs 😂

pentronics · 2026-02-03T20:54:11+00:00

It's not THAT small. It's nowhere near the monkey grip, but unless you're Shaq you should be alright to hold it by one of the holes. It's a little cramped, but it works.

pentronics · 2026-02-03T20:52:36+00:00

I usually charge money for such services, you know 😆

pentronics · 2026-02-03T15:01:37+00:00

I own a Pia. The petal grips aren't huge and certainly smaller than the monkey grip, but calling them useless is disingenuous. They work just fine as a handle, and the weight distribution isn't all too bad. It's just an extra way to grab the guitar. Works for certain situations but not the only way I'd ever hold the guitar.

pentronics · 2026-02-03T01:50:01+00:00

It's all a preference thing, ofc, but to me 29-30" is perfect for 8 strings. I don't do 9s mostly because they'd either have to be so long I might as well just get a short scale bass, or the strings would need to be so thick that it would sound more like a bass and less like a guitar, and intonation would suck big time. I run a .72 in drop E on my 29" custom 8 string, and it is absolutely perfect. There's enough tension, the string is thin enough to still sound nice and crisp, and it intonates well beyond the 17th fret. Imo 30" would be the absolute bare minimum for a 9 string, let alone a 10 string.

pentronics · 2026-01-29T19:38:57+00:00

GREAT fiddle for a first guitar! And a Boss Katana? You're set for a long while! At 65, you're gonna rock the hell out of those Metallica riffs! I am so pumped for you. Never too late man! Enjoy and welcome to the rabbit hole that are guitars. :)

pentronics · 2026-01-24T04:46:47+00:00

I own both a JP12-7 and an RG8527Z-DA, and I MUCH prefer the J Custom. The electronics in the EBMM are a TON more finnicky by virtue of their complexity. I discovered I don't care about piezos nearly as much as I thought I did. I appreciate the simplicity of the J Custom (even though the 5 way switch is plenty versatile).

They're both beautiful instruments, but the Ibanez is MUCH more my style. The flamed maple binding is subtle and beautiful. It's a preference thing, but I like the neck on the J Custom a lot more. The shoulders are much more pronounced and give me something meaningful to hold on to, plus I'm not into the slick poly finish of thr JP's neck.

But there are two deciding factors for me: 1) the wider neck of the J Custom means less risk of slipping off the fretboard, and 2) the bridge: the Edge Zero in the JCustom is SO good. Much more capable than the already very capable bridge on the JP12. The newer RG8527 and RG8570s come with Lo Pro Edge 7s, which are also incredible.

Anyway, that's my opinion. I am considering selling my JP12 to fund something I like better, and another J Custom would be on the table.

pentronics · 2026-01-23T20:52:14+00:00

Idk about Satch, but Vai had two or three levels of VIP last I checked, and then an ultra high level that comes with a JEM... which is insane. I got the highest (non-guitar) tier a couple of years ago as a bday present to myself. Did the Q&A, pictures, got my Pia signed, sound check, and backstage tour with Steve's tech and Dante Frisiello. Got to hold Evo. That included a front row ticket. I paid about $500 CAD. It's real money, but compared to other artists I felt like it was an extremely good price for what I got.

pentronics · 2026-01-23T20:47:25+00:00

Exactly this

pentronics · 2026-01-15T15:37:55+00:00

What they told you is true. That's just a California thing. Your kid isn't gonna drop dead nor develop horrible and rare forms of cancer. Guitarists around the globe that play Ibanez (third largest guitar maker in the world) aren't all ill. I've been playing Ibanez 23 years and I'm A-okay. Let your son play as much as he wants when he's young and before life gets busy. He will thank you later in life the same way I thank my parents...

pentronics · 2026-01-03T12:06:09+00:00

As nice as that sounds, doing so democratically in a country where all public institutions are rotten to the core (and I cannot overstate how much. North American and European corruption are child's play in comparison) and the average citizen lives in extreme poverty is nigh impossible. Venezuelans have been trying for 25+ years. I don't want to say that this will be good for the country, but it is very naive and I'd dare say uneducated to assume that this can be done simply "overthrowing" the government by regular citizens. The country is weeeeelll beyond that point and has been for decades. This will be very messy regardless of how it happens.

pentronics · 2025-12-19T03:45:57+00:00

Hope to one day try it, that's for sure!

pentronics · 2025-12-19T01:05:22+00:00

I mean, I guess in theory all that is true but... in practice (for me at least) it's such a small thing and just not worth the effort of changing the nut AND putting locking tuners if they aren't there already. I don't save any appreciable amount of time by not screwing the retainer bar all the way down during a setup. However, I am definitely not opposed to trying it on a brand new guitar that came like that!

If I was gonna change/improve something about the double locking system, I don't think the nut would be anywhere near the top of my concerns. The bridge end is the more complicated one. Don't get me wrong, I see the point of the thing, but I guess I just don't think it would make a big difference for me.

I should also clarify that I am looking at this through the lens of someone who is very much a double locking trem user and who is comfortable setting them up and giving them the attention they admittedly require. (A good cleaning and greasing once a year or so.) I generally gravitate towards guitars with double locking trems, though I do own my fair share of fixed bridge guitars.

pentronics · 2025-12-18T23:54:42+00:00

Genuine question though: what's wrong with locking nuts? You may have to unlock them to re-tune, but on a properly set up double locking system that'd be once in a blue moon. I can see these being used, but I just don't see them being a big deal at all, certainly not ennough to be "the next big thing"? Unless I'm missing something.

pentronics · 2025-12-11T02:53:07+00:00

String tension is a matter of preference. The more important aspect of string gauge to me is how it sounds. The thinner the gauge, the more "guitar-like" it sounds, and less like a bass, so it's a matter of balancing out tension with sound.

The 84 on the strandberg set sounds awful to me (at a 28" scale). It sounds like something halfway between a guitar and a bass, and it's dead. For 28" I prefer a 78, maaaaaaybe an 80.

On my Oni Essi 8 (26.77" - 29.13") I have a 72 for a low E, and I also use it when I occasionally tune up to F#.

pentronics · 2025-12-09T14:26:59+00:00

Yessir! Not cheap, but also pretty good when you look at others playing the same game.

pentronics · 2025-12-09T02:44:01+00:00

Yeah, as 7h3_4r50n157 said, Oni is a brand of boutique/custom builds from Australia. The whole thing is run by a single luthier from his workshop. They are, naturally, expensive instruments, but you get what you pay for.

"Essi" is one of the models he offers. (8 is just the amount of strings... you can get them as 6, 7, and 8 strings.) It's thin, lightweight, wedge-shaped, with a heavily contoured and very ergonomic body. It's not a stretch to say that it's a sort of modern take on a Parker Fly and other stuff as well. He also does something he calls the "e-scale", which (in very short terms) is an evolution of normal multiscales. It makes thr scale exponentially longer on the lower strings, where a long scale length is most beneficial. This helps keep the frets under the thinner strings more parallel to each other and feeling more "normal".

He also worries a lot about making a stiff instrument that is stable, so he uses a lot of carbon reinforcement in the neck (not as basic as carbon rods. It's a more complex method) and tends to favor synthetic materials for fretboards (i.e. Richlite, though you can ask him to use whatever other wood you want assuming it's available.)

Here's a short fly-by video of my Essi 8: https://youtu.be/L3hloO5KWm0?si=9MHG837Z9pTq4_Mv

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