| Ibanez RG2228 | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Ibanez |
| Period | 2007–2016 |
| Woods | |
| Body | Basswood |
| Neck | Five-piece maple and wenge |
| Fretboard | Rosewood |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Fixed Edge III-8, double-locking |
| Pickup | EMG 808 |
| Colors available | |
| Galaxy Black1 | |
The Ibanez RG2228 is the world's first mass-produced eight string electric guitar.1 It debuted in 2007 at the Winter NAMM Show. In 2025, Guitar World included the RG2228 in its list of the 50 greatest pieces of guitar gear of the century so far, crediting the guitar's popularity among tech metal guitarists with inspiring rival companies like ESP, Jackson, and Schecter to release their own extended-range models.2
Specifications
Basic Information
- Scale Length - 27" (Baritone Scale)
- Neck Length - 685.8 mm
- Neck Material - Five-piece maple and wenge
- Body Material - Basswood
- Fingerboard - Rosewood with dot inlays
- Frets - 24 Jumbo Frets
- Bridge - Fixed Edge III-8, double-locking
Pickups
Neck and Bridge Pickups:
Strings
| String | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Factory Tuning | F1 | A1# | D2# | G2# | C3# | F3# | A3# | D4# |
| Standard Gauge | .065" | .054" | .042" | .032" | .024" | .016" | .011" | .009" |
Notable users
- Tosin Abasi - Animals as Leaders, until Ibanez created his own signature 8-string model.
- Dino Cazares - Fear Factory, Asesino and Divine Heresy
- Ihsahn - Emperor, Thou Shalt Suffer and Peccatum
- Tony MacAlpine - Tony Macalpine band
- Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström from the Swedish tech-metal band Meshuggah use custom Ibanez eight-strings of a similar aesthetic design to the RG2228.
- Scott Hull - Pig Destroyer, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, (formerly) Anal Cunt
- Justin Lowe and Trent Hafdahl - After the Burial
- Misha Mansoor - Periphery
- Timfy James - Hacktivist
- Josh Martin - Little Tybee
- Herman Li - DragonForce
References
References
- Official Ibanez Website: http://www.ibanez.com/eg/guitar.aspx?m=RG2228 Archived 2008-12-18 at the Wayback Machine
- Sharma, Amit. ""Back in the heyday we had huge touring budgets and room for large travel rigs. Now you can store all your amps on a USB stick": The greatest guitar gear of the 21st century (so far)". guitarworld.com. Guitar World. Retrieved 15 December 2025.