NAMM 2012: Ibanez M8M Meshuggah 8-string

You’ve asked for it for years, and I even spoke with Meshuggah about it over a year ago, and Ibanez has finally done it: a Meshuggah signature 8-string, the M8M. And boy have they done it right. These guitars are built by Sugi, the fast-becoming-legendary shop behind the ultra-premium Fireman, the Joe Satriani ‘Black Dog’ edition and the 20th Anniversary Universe which came out a few years ago. List price on this puppy? $7,999.99 USD, but who knows? If this goes well, perhaps we could see a lower-priced version produced at a different factory with more affordable specs. Check out the pics at the end of the post. Phwoar.
The M8M features an alder body with five-piece maple-bubinga neck with through-neck construction, and a 29.4″ scale length. Ibanez’s Mike Taft tells me these guitars are absolutely top of the line, and they could have opted to make them bolt-ons instead but if you’re going to do it, you might as well go all the way, hence the through-neck construction. They also feature a Lundgren M8 humbucker, a very expensive, non-production pickup. Again, this is one of the reasons the price is so high, but if you want to play what Meshuggah play, this is the pickup! The Schaller Security Locks are a nice touch too.
NAMM 2012: Jackson Custom Shop 7 and 8 strings
Thought the Charvel 7-strings were cool? Well you were right. But check out these gorgeous Jackson Custom Shop 7-strings by Pablo Santana:

Huh? Close-ups? Sure.


Ah, but we all know that just as seven strings are better than six, eight are better than seven. So I give you this prototype, with EMG pickups and a killer natural finish.
INTERVIEW: Korn’s James ‘Munky’ Shaffer

Korn are one of the few bands of the Nu Metal era to have endured. Not only does their original breakthrough material still hold up despite the decade and a half of imitators, they also manage to maintain a sense of vitality in their newer material. Just look at last year’s Korn III: Remember Who You Are. It was a dirty, raw, powerful, vital album at a time when bands often become complacent. But complacency isn’t in Korn’s vocabulary. Their latest, The Path Of Totality, finds them pairing up with various dubstep and electronica producers to put a heavily neo-industrial spin on their established bottom-heavy rhythmic drive. But The Path Of Totality isn’t the only new release that Korn guitarist James ‘Munky’ Shaffer is involved in. He recently – finally – released the debut self-titled album by his long-planned solo project, Fear and the Nervous System, a band which features Faith No More bass player Billy Gould, drummer Brooks Wackerman, and Repeater vocalist Steve Krolikowski.
How did the collaborations on The Path Of Totality happen? Did you work together in the studio? Did you send off recorded parts?
It was kind of mixed up. We started out with Skrillex and we worked in the studio with him on the first track, which was ‘Get Up.’” So we were actually working with him in person. And also with Downlink and Excision. Noisia, those guys are from the Netherlands so we just send tracks through the air. They sent them back and Jonathan (Davis, vocals) was in communication with them. So it was kinda different with each artist and producer.
It must have been a cool challenge to figure out exactly where the guitar would fit amongst all the other stuff going on.
I mean, on a lot of the tracks it seemed really like ‘Where am I gonna put the guitar? Where is it gonna fit?’ And it was challenging for me. Rhythmically it was really kinda busy and I was trying to find the right space and the right notes. It’s like a boxing match – you bob and weave to sort of get your punch in there.
NEWS: Schecter publishes tech docs
Schecter has just unleashed a treasure trove of techy goodness over at their website in the form of technical PDFs covering a wide range of data: pickup wiring diagrams, neck and fretboard construction specs, factory string gauges, information on various bridge systems and much more.
It must be a huge job to compile all this stuff, and at the moment the tech docs are only available for the Hellraiser, Hellraiser Special, Damien Elite, Damien and Blackjack ATX models, but Schecter is diligently beavering away on compiling tech docs for other lines.
Head over to Schecterguitars.com and check out any of the abovementioned pages to check out the tech docs now.
While I’m talking Schecter, check out the new Special Edition Riot-8 8-string. Want want want! Someone feel free to buy one and send it to me. Cheers.














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