custom 8 stringer

[Papa_Shank]

okay once i sell my UV i'll be getting a custom 8 stringer made, sadly i'm short on cash so it'll be cheap and cheerful with no frills

here's basically what i'm asking for

-mahogany RG body with AANJ
-3pc maple neck, treated with tung oil
-2 truss rods
-30 inch scale
-ebony fretboard
-4-4 headstock
-one tone knob, one volume knob
-3 way pickup selector
-black finish

does anyone know anywhere other than EKG and Shamray Guitars that might quote me close to $1,000 for this guitar to be made?

[EKG]

LGM ;-)

[darren wilson]

Even with a no-frills setup, i don't think you're going to come close to your $1000 target, unless you get a total neophyte hobby builder to do it for you. An 8-string is not something i'd want to have put together by an inexperienced builder.

The hardware alone (bridge and especially pickups) will probably eat up half of that budget, because it's all low-volume specialized stuff. That leaves you about $500 for the woods, all the rest of the hardware, and the time and expertise that goes into building and finishing it.

I think LGM's starting price for the Leviiiathan 8-string is pretty darn reasonable considering the effort that's gone into tooling up for them. I doubt you'll find better bang-for-the-buck in an 8-string anywhere. I certainly don't think you can get a professionally-built custom 8-string for less.

[littlegreenman]

I don't know much about shamray guitars but here is what I do know about 8 strings........

These are new instruments, they have not been around in the electric world long.
Parts are not cheap for an 8 string nor is the labor. When you start adding in things like 30" scales the cost goes up even more.

The Leviathan 8 string guitars I build are more expensive than the 6 and 7 because of parts cost and the work involved. The body cost is the same, however, the necks are not. The blank material for fretboards (particularily ebony) doubles easily, 2 truss rods aren't really the best way to go, carbon reinforcement with a single rod is very strong however, but add's to the cost. Pickup availability is low, and they are expensive, I have access to some well known pickups from companies that will make me custom 8 string pickups, however, you pay dearly for those.
Then you have extra tuners to contend with, string ferrules etc.

Next, the extra time involved when you want a 30" scale. The Leviathan 8 is a 27" scale which is longer than average already, a 30" scale would be fully custom. It also creates bigger balance problems.
Wanting a 3 piece neck add's to the cost also.

Basically, what I'm saying is, $1000 is not going to get you an 8 string guitar unfortunately. I have no clue what shamray guitars would charge, but I do know shipping and duties from Russia will jack your price up significantly. Looking at their pricing it's low, really low, but that concerns me too, typically the lowest price is not the good choice. However, maybe that's typical in Russia, I don't know.

A very basic 8 string will run you probably about $1700 to $1800. The Leviathan 8 is $2050 base.
When you compare to the only other company producing any number of 8 strings (Conklin) you will probably find those prices to be less than half of Conklin.

Not to be discouraging, I'm only trying to show you what to expect so you're not let down.

Jeremy

[Papa_Shank]

well, that lgm is more than what shamray have quoted me for those specs, they quoted me $1450 for those specs, and i'm pretty sure they made one a while back for even less...

the main reason for this 'no frills' 8 stringer is so i can get used to the neck really, and now you mention it i do remember hearing about the carbon truss rods in basses, hmm, i'll keep that in mind

[littlegreenman]

Well, research their quality, warranties etc deeply, I also really recommend you look deeply into shipping costs and imports from Russia, I know if something comes into Canada from Russia you pay huge for it, the shipping on a guitar from Russia is approximately $400 and then there is a 15% duty on it typically.
You're $1450 guitar could end up well over 2K if you're not sure about shipping and such.

But either way, good luck, I hope you can find your dream guitar, if I can help you in anyway let me know.

[Rich]

I'm shipping a UV to Russia tomorrow, $580 for the shipping alone!

[disassociative1]

I dnt realy know anythin about Shamray guitars but the guitars in there gallery dnt exacly fill me with confidence. I mean they could all be fine but to me most of it looks half finished and the quality doesnt look to be even close to what i would be looking/look for in a custom.

As i say this is observation from pictures but i know im much happier with the quality i see from lgm.

just my 2 cents

[Jim Soloway]

To be blunt, I think you're looking for the impossible. You want a completely custom instrument with all sorts of additional design and stress issues and hard to obtain hardware for the price of a mid-range store guitar. I don't think it will happen.

[Jem7RB MK]

Originally Posted by Rich

I'm shipping a UV to Russia tomorrow, $580 for the shipping alone!

And i baulk at £90 to the US !!!

Rob

[disassociative1]

lol thats what i thought when i first saw it

[darren wilson]

One thing i noticed about Shamray guitars when reading some of their harmony-central reviews is that their hardware and electronics seem to be sourced from Russia as well. If you want name-brand hardware and pickups from the USA, be prepared to put them in yourself or pay through the nose for Shamray to import them to Russia and then sell them back to you.

Either that or take your chances with their Russian pickup-makers.

From what i've seen of their build pics here, they seem to be doing decent quality work... but the turnaround times don't seem too good. It looks like a 10-month wait for a lot of the more recent ones.

Who knows? You may get a good guitar at the price you're willing to pay. But remember the old business rule:

Good / Fast / Cheap

Pick two.

[littlegreenman]

The build pics do look nice, I see they do pretty much everything with CNC machines which is partly how they get their prices down so much lower. That's cool, go for it, but as I say, look into shipping and import taxes really close first.

[Papa_Shank]

well, lets say i don't have to worry about import taxes and customs

i'll see about getting shamray to make it when i have the money

[jim777]

Make sure you post some clips of those 8 string Russian humbuckers when you get it