Hufschmid H8 Salvaged Old Growth Western Maple Top Review

This review was submitted by Guitar Jar contributor: Patrick

This high end 8 string superbly crafted combines all the familiar Hufschmid features and characteristics for guitar players who need to reach for more than the usual six strings.

…the best playing and looking 8-string guitar available on the market today…

The old growth western big leaf maple guitar top finely crafted was salvaged from the forests of SW Oregon. The neck and body are made of premium sapelli mahogany wood. Hipshot hardware.

Ease of use:

The whole instrument is incredibly light. The neck is built according to my hand shape and the 27.5″ scale makes this guitar extremely comfortable when playing either chords or leads.

Sound Quality:

Similarly to the 7 string from Patrick Hufschmid that I already own (7-String Bastogne), everything you play will be heard.

Even if the guitar is specifically designed for Jazz and metal players, I strongly recommend to push the envelope and experiment with it.

For example I am tweaking it for noisy ambient soundscapes to perform my compositions for movies.

Unplugged, I really appreciate its resonance, its tight and quick dynamic response and it is a delight to experience its sound quality in its purest form.

Plugged, the quiet and noiseless passive pick ups from Kent Armstrong (handmade!) deliver a wide array of tones from screaming to very subtle and expressive.

Each position has a very good response to volume.

Reliability:

The fretwork is extremely precise and the hardware retains the tuning impressively well, that is to say even when I play without locking the tuning pegs.

For the last 2 years I have been constantly changing the tuning, and the guitar never transpired a sign of tiredness.

As for any high quality instrument that I own, I take very good care of my H8.

I give the fretboard some special oil every week or at least two times a month, and when I feel like it, I give the guitar an extra wax polish made in Switzerland.

Overall Rating:

Patrick Hufschmid’s H8 salvaged old growth western maple is certainly the best playing and looking 8-string guitar available on the market today.

It’s an incredibly expressive and versatile instrument that was designed by an expert craftsman who understands perfectly the specific needs of today’s guitarist.

This review was submitted by Guitar Jar contributor: Patrick