Harley Benton R-458 BK Progressiv Series

It is lightweight and for the price is good. I find though that it struggles with tuning and sound at the bottom 2 strings.

I wish I had waited and had the fan fret model instead

I wasn't looking to shred or chug on this - I wanted to try and start with the Charlie Hunter approach, but on a budget. The build quality is solid, the pickups are a bit noisy, but workable. I think there may be a grounding issue on my model, but I can't see any issues with the wiring. Great for a budget. Here it is in action: https://soundcloud.com/thehartleybros/border-blues

Not great, not bad. Mine was ok, average pickup , but the size is 7 string, not 8, strange. The body looks like Schecter's, as the neck inlay. The fretboard is quite large, but not hard to get used to. I went to the luthier to have it set up, and replace some screws on the bridge that were'nt long enough into the body. I switched the 2 PU with EMG. Sounds way better but the stock pick up can be used, they're not that bad but lack of definition. So if you wanna try a 8 string guitar, it's a cheap tool that can be easily upgraded.

Perfect guitar if you wanna try out 8 strings. But if, like me, you planned on upgrading the mics, forget about it!