AUGUST PS GOM: HOLCOMB 8-STRING

[WiredGuitarist]

Honestly I've owned around 10 super high end 8 strings and it's very hard to get ultra clear tones without going multiscale. You can get away with a longer stright scale but you end up with shrill highs. Either way, cool to see PRS pushing ERGs a bit harder. I really do hope they put a production CU24 7 string out eventually. It would sell like hotcakes and a lot of ERG guys have the cash for PRS.

 

[ViperDoc]

I realize that fanned frets are used as a way to address concerns with scale length and aren't about temperament, but as imperfect as the guitar is I can't imagine it's anything other than worse with fanned frets. I wonder if True Temperament has any math on display for their system versus traditional frets and/or fanned frets.

Either way, it's a cool guitar and I am glad to see PRS tackle the 8 string. I've asked for quotes on one many times and it's never gone anywhere.

I don't know anything about True Temperament other than what I can deduce myself, that it must offer a solution to a straight fanned fret temperament problem. It looks like someone melted the frets, but I would love to try one.

ERG scale lengths run the gamut, and with so many different options, it seems there's no hope for a "do it all" ERG. Meshuggah runs 29.4 inches for mega tight low'end riffs with NO FLOP, but they also run .009s up top. I have a 26.5 inch 7-string, and I have to say, I prefer it longer. But hey, I was blown away by the Holcomb sig guitar, so they must have chosen what they did for a reason. Thicker strings down low, maybe.

 

[shinksma]

I have no experience with ERGs except my PRS SE-7, and I suppose my MM PRS SE Baritone. The SE-7 is a 25" scale, and the MM is a 27.7" scale. Both come from the factory with a low-B, but the SE-7 strings are much lighter of course.

The SE-7 would not suffer it it had a slightly longer scale length, IMHO. 25.5" or 26" would be pretty interesting.

I find the MM baritone fairly easy to play, but at 27.7" I am reaching our further to fret barre chords or similar up near the headstock.

So a compromise of 26.5" scale length is actually pretty appealing to me for an 8-string guitar.

But I am not an expert on even 7-string - I have fun, and even wrote a song or two on it, but I generally stick with the 6-stringers. Which reminds me, I need to come up with music for some lyrics a band-mate wrote, so maybe either the SE-7 or MM will inspire me...

 

[alantig]

I don't play the SE7 as much as I should. I do love the added textures it brings, and it let me (finally) record a cover of "Love Theme From Kiss" with just one guitar. To be honest, I never really gave the scale length a thought.

But it does have me thinking maybe, just maybe, I could build a PS 7-string. But there's another PS build that would definitely come first (built off a Tremonti base).

 

[Rich5150]

I don't know anything about True Temperament other than what I can deduce myself, that it must offer a solution to a straight fanned fret temperament problem. It looks like someone melted the frets, but I would love to try one.

ERG scale lengths run the gamut, and with so many different options, it seems there's no hope for a "do it all" ERG. Meshuggah runs 29.4 inches for mega tight low'end riffs with NO FLOP, but they also run .009s up top. I have a 26.5 inch 7-string, and I have to say, I prefer it longer. But hey, I was blown away by the Holcomb sig guitar, so they must have chosen what they did for a reason. Thicker strings down low, maybe.

I played one of the M80m Meshuggah models it honestly sounds like a piano it's so clear, and of course it sounds amazing for them. It wasn't really comfortable though. I have 3 26.5 7's all in different tunings, I find that is the most comfortable and honestly the longest I like to go scale wise. I seem to remember a video where mark was talking about why he uses a certain scale length I believe it was about the 7 he likes to get a slap off the string when he picks hard, or something to that effect.
I'm not going to question him, he smokes me in the talent dept LOL

 

[vchizzle]

Pretty cool they're doing something outside the PRS norm. Looks killer, I always wanted an SC in that color.

 

[rugerpc]

MONSTER!

 

[HighGain510]

So much want!

Btw fanned frets are really not that awkward to get accustomed to honestly. If the scales used aren't extreme (more than 1.5" tends to be around where I've found it to be noticeable, FWIW) for the bass and treble sides of the board, it's no big thing. One of my recent 7's has really grown on me since day 1!

The fan is only 25.5-27" scale and I find it to be super comfy while retaining that uber tight low end!

Personally I think the 26.5" would be just fine for F# standard 8 string tuning, but I also have a DC800 that is 27" scale and my SE277 which is 27.7" scale so if I REALLY felt like tuning low, I'd use one of those two instead.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

26.5" scale length on an 8 seems a bit short to me, especially when Mark has a 25.5" on his 6 string.

Mark's 8 string PRS is 26.5" scale length.
A 26.5" on an 8 is on the 'shorter' side, yes, but there are also production 8 strings with a 25.5" scale on the market (ESP/LTD have some lower-mid range instruments with this scale). Schecter 8 strings used to be 26.5" (I think their Omen 8 still is too) before they went to 28". Most Ibanez 8's have been 27". The new Chapman 8 string is 26.5" in scale length.
The 8 string PRS made Tosin Abasi is also 26.5" in scale, I believe.
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To be clear, this isn't Mark Holcomb's instrument. This is a PS GOM that was inspired by Mark's 8 string: "Inspired by an 8-String designed with Periphery’s Mark Holcomb."
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I think this is a beautiful instrument and i'd love to lay my hands on it!!!!