Schecter Damien Platinum 9 SBK

As others have noted this is the best 9 string you can get and has exactly the right scale length.. anything less than 30" and you might as well string that guitar with some heavy duty spaghetti! EMGs are obviously aiming at the metal market but I would say with some EQing you can pull off other passable sounds. This however is a rock machine through and through. Fantastic build quality and not as massive as you would think (especially if you have handled the odd 8 string guitar beforehand). The neck is beautiful and not a massive adjustment, especially if you are used to thin (depthwise!) neck profiles. Likewise if you have ever played a 8 string guitar or a 6 string bass, this will be no challenge at all (and I do not have gorilla sized hands before you ask). If you are looking to go to this scale, short of spending custom-guitar level money, this is by far your best choice

This guitar is an absolute djent monster.

The first thing that impressed me was how tight, clear and controlled the low end sounds. Even with very low tunings, every note stays defined and articulate — exactly what you want from an 8-string built for modern metal, djent and progressive music. Palm-muted riffs sound huge, aggressive and incredibly satisfying, without turning into a muddy mess.

The neck feels surprisingly comfortable considering the extended range, and the overall playability is excellent. Chords, technical riffs and lead parts all feel natural after a very short adjustment period. Tuning stability is great and the guitar feels solid and well built.

The pickups have plenty of output while still retaining clarity and dynamics. High-gain tones are obviously where this guitar becomes a beast, but I was also pleasantly surprised by the cleaner and more atmospheric sounds you can get from it.

Build quality and finish are excellent as well. The satin black look is beautiful, understated and mean at the same time, and the whole instrument feels much more expensive than you would expect.

If you play djent, progressive metal, modern metal or anything involving ridiculously low riffs, this thing is pure inspiration. Plug it into a good high-gain amp, add some tightness in front and it instantly makes you want to write riffs.

Massive sound, great playability, excellent value for money. 5/5 — highly recommended.

I needed a great studio guitar able to handle all kinds of tunings, from a tight C# to a standard high E. This was the perfect purchase. This Schecter Damien 9 is the longest 9-string scale available and I wouldn't recommend going any lower than 30" for that tight low end. These strings have proper tension which is essential if you don't want to sound like a detached electrical cable. There's no flaws in the finish or setup. It was ready to play out of the box and the matte finish is very nice.

The negatives? With the EMG's, you'll be very limited in your sound. This is a metal machine, so don't expect to get a great funk playing- or sounding experience. The neck width and scale length don't lend themselves very well to other genres than metal. But that's not what I bought it for either way.

All in all, well worth the price for this extraordinary guitar. Just don't expect to easily go beyond metal with this guitar.