You’ve asked for it for years, and I even spoke with Meshuggah about it over a year ago, and Ibanez has finally done it: a Meshuggah signature 8-string, the M8M. And boy have they done it right. These guitars are built by Sugi, the fast-becoming-legendary shop behind the ultra-premium Fireman, the Joe Satriani ‘Black Dog’ edition and the 20th Anniversary Universe which came out a few years ago. List price on this puppy? $7,999.99 USD, but who knows? If this goes well, perhaps we could see a lower-priced version produced at a different factory with more affordable specs. Check out the pics at the end of the post. Phwoar.

The M8M features an alder body with five-piece maple-bubinga neck with through-neck construction, and a 29.4″ scale length. Ibanez’s Mike Taft tells me these guitars are absolutely top of the line, and they could have opted to make them bolt-ons instead but if you’re going to do it, you might as well go all the way, hence the through-neck construction. They also feature a Lundgren M8 humbucker, a very expensive, non-production pickup. Again, this is one of the reasons the price is so high, but if you want to play what Meshuggah play, this is the pickup! The Schaller Security Locks are a nice touch too.

The bridge is Ibanez’s Fixed Edge III-8 model, which is incredibly stable. The frets are 6100s, and the finish is demonically matte. The pic up the top is a promo photo but below you’ll see my NAMM shots, which give you an idea of just how the finish looks up close.