Signature Extended-range Excellence from the ESP Custom Shop
Handcrafted to the highest standards ESP’s Japanese Custom Shop and designed by Deftones lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter, the ESP Custom Shop Stephen Carpenter Signature STEF B-8 delivers the highest level of low-tuned 8-string destruction. This master-grade 8-string guitar begins with a 3-piece maple neck-through foundation joined to lightweight alder wings. Combined with the 27-inch scale length and Fishman Fluence SRC Signature multi-voice humbuckers, the STEF B-8 unleashes a thunderous extended-range roar that sings with nearly never-ending sustain. A rock-solid Hipshot fixed bridge then maximizes the STEF B-8’s string-to-body resonance, while a set of Sperzel locking tuners make for quick and painless string changes. Finally, this premium 8-string is finished off with a sleek ebony fingerboard, 24 extra-jumbo frets, and a lightning-fast thin “U” neck profile. A holy grail 8-string if there ever was one, the ESP Stephen Carpenter Signature STEF B-8 is ready to deliver a lifetime’s worth of extended-range excellence — from Deftones-style alt-metal grind to down-tuned djent fury.
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Signature Fishman Fluence pickups for maximum tonal flexibility
A guitar as unique as the ESP Custom Shop Stephen Carpenter Signature STEF B-8 deserves a unique voice, and that's why Carpenter teamed with Fishman to create his own signature Fluence SRC active pickups. Both pickups offer two distinct voicings, accessible via the push-pull volume pot. For the middle pickup, push down for the "Modern Active" voicing, or pull up for the "Modern Passive Attack" mode. With the bridge pickup, push down for "Modern Passive Attack," or pull up for "Modern Active." Rockers at Sweetwater agree that these pickups offer an extremely useful tonal range no matter how much (or little) gain you're using.
Sustain-enhancing neck-through design
From the stage-ready LTD line to Custom Shop masterpieces, ESP guitars are renowned at Sweetwater for their prodigious sustain. What sets them apart from the 6-string pack? Instead of a typical set neck joint, guitars such as the Stephen Carpenter Signature STEF B-8 sport a neck-through construction. This joint-less method where the guitar’s neck and the center of the body are comprised of a single piece of timber, thus resulting in superior sustain and string-to-body resonance. It’s also an extremely stable method that’s further bolstered by the STEF B-8 neck’s 3-piece maple design. Add a hardtail Hipshot bridge and lightweight alder wings, and the ESP Stephen Carpenter Signature STEF B-8 is ready to dish out nearly never-ending lead lines and screaming solos.
Fast-playing thin “U” neck profile
The ESP Custom Shop Stephen Carpenter Signature STEF B-8’s 3-piece maple neck is primed for fleet-fingered fretboard finesse, equipped with a thin “U” profile that’s sure to please the performance-minded players in the audience. Topside, you get a gorgeous ebony fingerboard in a 305mm radius that delivers comfortable chording and riffage down low with a smooth, fret-out-free feel up high. Finally, the Stephen Carpenter Signature STEF B-8’s premium neck is finished off with 24 XJ frets that form a high-performance platform for hard-hitting drop-tuned riffs, screaming solos, and any other extend-range application you could ever dream up.
ESP Custom Shop Stephen Carpenter Signature STEF B-8 Features:
- Signature 8-string of Stephen Carpenter, lead guitarist of alt-metal icons Deftones for over 3 decades
- Handcrafted in ESP’s Tokyo, Japan Custom Shop by ESP’s most experienced luthiers
- 3-piece maple neck-through construction with alder wings offers mammoth sustain and superb resonance
- 305mm-radius ebony fingerboard studded with 24 extra-jumbo frets for effortless playability up and down the fingerboard
- Speedy thin “U” neck profile
- Dual Fishman Fluence SRC Signature active humbucking pickups deliver a multitude of punishing sonic voicings to choose from
- Sustain-enhancing Hipshot fixed bridge
- Sperzel locking tuners make for quick and painless string changes
