Do you wanna hear Ibanez really show off how heavy the ALPHA 8-string can get? Well, this ain’t it. Ibanez’s newest demo of the ALPHA 8-string features some pretty prog rock (and prog metal) playing from Julian Barrett, but djent there is not.
Get the ALPHA 8-string A528 here for $1,999.99 and keep up with all our Ibanez coverage right here.
Aside from looking generally futuristic (and pretty comfortable to wear for a little bit), the ALPHA offers up a Parallel Wizard AS-8-styled, 5-piece Maple/Walnut neck, an American Basswood body, and an Ebony fretboard with Mother of Pearl Step off-set dot inlay and 24 Jumbo Stainless Steel frets.
A pair of Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers – Alnico in the neck and Ceramic in the bridge – provide the aggressive, high-output response demanded by contemporary metal players while maintaining remarkable clarity under extreme gain.
Hardware choices further emphasize precision and stability. The Mono-rail G2 bridge isolates each string individually, improving note separation and minimizing unwanted resonance transfer between strings. Tuning stability is handled by Gotoh MG-T locking tuners, while the innovative three-screw neck joint improves upper fret access without sacrificing structural strength.
