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NGD: ESP B8
I would say the three signatures I've always had my eyes on were the special 7 string guitars sigs; the Jem/UV, the JPM/EBMM JP, and ESP SRC B7
I'm not sure what about it held my attention except I always loved Ibanez and ESP on an equal footing, but ESP was always extremely expensive , and I wanted a KH2 forever, but as I got older and not only really disliked Hammett as the worst lead guitarist in the best metal band, but I didn't want to play "his" guitar. I couldn't keep holding it in my hand and feel inspired.
I never understood "baritone" or "extended range," and honestly, as a niche, its absolutely silly - I will say that emphatically and clearly, anything beyond 8 strings is hands down, matter of fact, without question or debate, stupid! 8 strings is already pushing it - and since I wasn't a deftones fan, I ignored it and kept my eye on the Jeff Hanneman sig instead, but eventually, The only reason I couldn't buy one of those, even used, was because I was told [as a young guitarist] to stay away from Kahler....and they were right! Lol
So I eventually bought a custom shop ESP, the famous NYC Chaos Graffiti from Michael Wilton and "Empire" but that was a 6 string.
as time went on, and I realized I wanted the ESP custom shop guitar, and not "their signature guitars." eventually I no longer wanted any of those, but I did want an ESP custom shop. Yet At the same time, I didn't know how to spec out a custom shop. I just knew I wanted something unique, special, and hand made by the best. I also had all the best 7 strings in the world, the Universe UV777BK and the EBMM JP Majesty 7 that I wanted, so what I wanted, was a custom shop 8 string ESP.
What made me pause was the Fluence...There was a lot of poor reviews of the SRC set, but I've since discovered it was mainly Tosin Abasi Fluence propaganda campaign led by a certain group (meaning, it was an so attempt to deter 7/8/ERG pickup sales/commissions from going to other Fluence artists and rather to route them all to Tosin as the "popular" or "best" set, which is quite the opposite, and the site behind it knows who it is and to leave me and my family alone once and for all before I really expose them, including their affiliates.)
So to be safe, as I didn't want to sink 4K into a guitar that needed a pickup change, I got a used 7620 and installed it into my Ibanez. It sounded amazing. Like, until I got this 8 string CS, my favorite pickups on earth were Dimarzio Tone Zone/Air Norton7 or Paf Pro7, Lundgren M7, LAce DB7/Hum7. [I loved EMG 81/85, but not in the 7 string version, although the 8 string version is pretty good]. That gave me the best Rg7620 I've ever heard btw.
So after trying the 7 string set against my Lundgren M7 set, I knew the 8 string fluence SRC set had to be just as good if not better Than the 7 string, because the M8 is an even better pickup than the M7.
Now, all the other aspects were covered and settled, as aesthetically it looks exactly like all of my guitars, meaning its exactly my taste as I would have customized an aesthetic (black on black on blank fretboard ) so I was good to go there to.
For the life of me, As i said, I could not come up with anything to spec a custom for myself that I didnt already see in the B8. Actually, what made it slightly difficult to decide was the price, because the B8 street price is $4k usually. In any case, I noticed Nick Yoffe @ the Axe Palace had the B8 in stock, and I contacted him directly, and I bought it on sale! (Thanks again Nick!) at a price I couldn't pass up as those deals happen once every 10 years.
The price is what made me finally pull the trigger - and it is the most amazing guitar I've ever had my hands on, maybe that's because most of the guitars I have are production, but holding a BRAND NEW, unplayed, untouched, virgin Custom shop ESP is something every advanced level guitarist should be able to experience, and I thank God for the privilege and the gift to own such amazing guitars! Finally, I feel like my collection is complete, and I really want for nothing else.
For all those who've wondered as I did - the Middle Hum sounds just like a regular middle/neck pickup depending on how you use it, its actually such a versatile and unique position - you can use it as a secondary Alnico bridge by picking in front of it in the "neck" pickup area, or you can keep it like solo pickup by picking behind it like a normal neck pup.
SPECS :
CONSTRUCTION
Neck-Thru
SCALE
27" Baritone
BODY
Alder
NECK
3Pc Maple
FINGERBOARD
Ebony
FINGERBOARD RADIUS
305mm
FINISH
BLACK
NUT WIDTH
55mm
NUT TYPE
Graphite
NECK CONTOUR
Thin U
FRETS/TYPE
24 XJ
HARDWARE COLOR
Black
STRAP BUTTON
Standard
TUNERS
Sperzel Locking
BRIDGE
Hipshot Fixed
MIDDLE PU
Fishman Fluence SRC Signature
BRIDGE PU
Fishman Fluence SRC Signature
ELECTRONICS
Active
ELECTRONICS LAYOUT
Vol(P/P)/Tone/3-Way Switch

I would say the three signatures I've always had my eyes on were the special 7 string guitars sigs; the Jem/UV, the JPM/EBMM JP, and ESP SRC B7
I'm not sure what about it held my attention except I always loved Ibanez and ESP on an equal footing, but ESP was always extremely expensive , and I wanted a KH2 forever, but as I got older and not only really disliked Hammett as the worst lead guitarist in the best metal band, but I didn't want to play "his" guitar. I couldn't keep holding it in my hand and feel inspired.
I never understood "baritone" or "extended range," and honestly, as a niche, its absolutely silly - I will say that emphatically and clearly, anything beyond 8 strings is hands down, matter of fact, without question or debate, stupid! 8 strings is already pushing it - and since I wasn't a deftones fan, I ignored it and kept my eye on the Jeff Hanneman sig instead, but eventually, The only reason I couldn't buy one of those, even used, was because I was told [as a young guitarist] to stay away from Kahler....and they were right! Lol
So I eventually bought a custom shop ESP, the famous NYC Chaos Graffiti from Michael Wilton and "Empire" but that was a 6 string.
as time went on, and I realized I wanted the ESP custom shop guitar, and not "their signature guitars." eventually I no longer wanted any of those, but I did want an ESP custom shop. Yet At the same time, I didn't know how to spec out a custom shop. I just knew I wanted something unique, special, and hand made by the best. I also had all the best 7 strings in the world, the Universe UV777BK and the EBMM JP Majesty 7 that I wanted, so what I wanted, was a custom shop 8 string ESP.
What made me pause was the Fluence...There was a lot of poor reviews of the SRC set, but I've since discovered it was mainly Tosin Abasi Fluence propaganda campaign led by a certain group (meaning, it was an so attempt to deter 7/8/ERG pickup sales/commissions from going to other Fluence artists and rather to route them all to Tosin as the "popular" or "best" set, which is quite the opposite, and the site behind it knows who it is and to leave me and my family alone once and for all before I really expose them, including their affiliates.)
So to be safe, as I didn't want to sink 4K into a guitar that needed a pickup change, I got a used 7620 and installed it into my Ibanez. It sounded amazing. Like, until I got this 8 string CS, my favorite pickups on earth were Dimarzio Tone Zone/Air Norton7 or Paf Pro7, Lundgren M7, LAce DB7/Hum7. [I loved EMG 81/85, but not in the 7 string version, although the 8 string version is pretty good]. That gave me the best Rg7620 I've ever heard btw.
So after trying the 7 string set against my Lundgren M7 set, I knew the 8 string fluence SRC set had to be just as good if not better Than the 7 string, because the M8 is an even better pickup than the M7.
Now, all the other aspects were covered and settled, as aesthetically it looks exactly like all of my guitars, meaning its exactly my taste as I would have customized an aesthetic (black on black on blank fretboard ) so I was good to go there to.
For the life of me, As i said, I could not come up with anything to spec a custom for myself that I didnt already see in the B8. Actually, what made it slightly difficult to decide was the price, because the B8 street price is $4k usually. In any case, I noticed Nick Yoffe @ the Axe Palace had the B8 in stock, and I contacted him directly, and I bought it on sale! (Thanks again Nick!) at a price I couldn't pass up as those deals happen once every 10 years.
The price is what made me finally pull the trigger - and it is the most amazing guitar I've ever had my hands on, maybe that's because most of the guitars I have are production, but holding a BRAND NEW, unplayed, untouched, virgin Custom shop ESP is something every advanced level guitarist should be able to experience, and I thank God for the privilege and the gift to own such amazing guitars! Finally, I feel like my collection is complete, and I really want for nothing else.
For all those who've wondered as I did - the Middle Hum sounds just like a regular middle/neck pickup depending on how you use it, its actually such a versatile and unique position - you can use it as a secondary Alnico bridge by picking in front of it in the "neck" pickup area, or you can keep it like solo pickup by picking behind it like a normal neck pup.
SPECS :
CONSTRUCTION
Neck-Thru
SCALE
27" Baritone
BODY
Alder
NECK
3Pc Maple
FINGERBOARD
Ebony
FINGERBOARD RADIUS
305mm
FINISH
BLACK
NUT WIDTH
55mm
NUT TYPE
Graphite
NECK CONTOUR
Thin U
FRETS/TYPE
24 XJ
HARDWARE COLOR
Black
STRAP BUTTON
Standard
TUNERS
Sperzel Locking
BRIDGE
Hipshot Fixed
MIDDLE PU
Fishman Fluence SRC Signature
BRIDGE PU
Fishman Fluence SRC Signature
ELECTRONICS
Active
ELECTRONICS LAYOUT
Vol(P/P)/Tone/3-Way Switch







