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Verified Purchaser zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.

Already owning the original black RG8 I thought I knew what to expect with this guitar but I was still pleasantly surprised. The blue burst finish over the flametop is amazing! The five piece neck is the perfect balance of thinness and width for the 8 string. Some other 8 strings, notably Schecter and Dean have closer string spacing and feel too close together while playing them but Ibanez nailed it. Also the back of the neck is raw (no clearcoat), which I prefer over anything, as opposed to the first RG8. The only "cons" if you can call them that is that the IBZ8 pickups could be hotter, but still, they sound much better than the Cort bass pickups that were originally in the the first run RG8's. I plan to drop in a set of Dimarzio D-activator 8's in this thing anyways. The only other minor things that I noticed are that the All Access neck joint doesn't feel as thin or pared down as low as I'm used to with other RG's, and the headstock doesn't have the mother-of-pearl Ibanez logo that the original RG8 has, rather it's just the standard silver logo. Other than these VERY minor things, this guitar is phenominal, especially for the price. I currently own a Schecter Damien Elite 8, a Dean Motivator ML8 and the original RG8 as well and this guitar has easily become my main and favorite of the four. I highly recommend the Ibanez RG8FM SPB! Thanks for checking out my review.

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Verified Purchaser zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.

I just got he newest 8 string from the Ibanez RG8 line, the RG8FM with a flamed maple top in Sapphire Blue. This thing is gorgeous! The flamed top is absolutely amazing and the finish is flawless. The way the finish fades from light in the center to deep and rich on the outer edges is just phenomenal. The 5 piece neck is not too thin or too thick, it's just right for chunking out some djenty rhythm riffs or shredding til your fingers bleed. The quality is great for a midline Ibby and there are no gaps at the neck joint. The IBZ-8 pickups sound great going dry through my Marshall halfstack. There is no shortage of crunch in the low register and the tone isn't muddy. There's only a slight fall off in output moving towards the highest notes but still has decent clarity. My first mod however will be to drop in a set of Dimarzio D-activator 8's and then she will totally be a 10 out of 10. This guitar is truly a beauty AND a beast! Here's the link to my unboxing video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/HUxd_1qyeBU Thanks for checking out my post. Like, comment, ask questions and share. Peace!

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