Gold Tone LS-8 Lap Steel Guitar (Eight String, Two Tone Tobacco),Sunburst

All the screws on all eight of the tuning keys were loose. The bass strings had no tone. It it would be lost when playing. The pickup must of needing adjustment.The finish on the guitar was beautiful.The treble and volume controls worked well. I would of expected better quaulity control from the company.

I have an 8 string and find the tone to be tinny and thin. The knob is in my way and some strings are louder than others. Saw a video on uTube called GOLDTONE 8 and he sent for a new pickup from LOLLAR. CHICAGO 8 string pickup. Sounds great on his video. Check it out

I've used the 6 string version of this guitar for years. I've gigged it as a "Hawaiian" musician all around San Diego. I always regarded the 6 string guitar as an excellent guitar.In time though I came to realize that to really explore the instrument you need the other 2 strings. With 6 strings I found myself constantly using work-arounds to compensate for the missing lower strings... which can be confusing on the gig as it's not always intuitive where these notes are. With 8 strings you have two complete strings courses so that your straight bar positions cover nearly 2 octaves.I use A6 tuning, no variation, so the upper 4 strings are one octave higher than the bottom four. The intervals are the same as C6 with a hi G string, so the transition - should I ever need to play in C6 - is very simple.The neck is a little wider and thus the guitar is heavier, but this guitar is otherwise identical to the 6 stringer. The finish is superb. String spacing is a little wider than older lap steels but very comfortable. The single coil pickup is responsive and articulate. The Kluson tuners (well, Gotoh Klusons) are quality and the buttons are metal rather than plastic... although I have nothing against plastic buttons.My only complaint: the "fretboard" (which incidentally features actual frets) only extends to the 19th fret. Often I have to go above that which can be a pain, but you'd be surprised how quickly you get used to it. Still. To the good folks at Goldtone: I realize this is supposed to be a somewhat-identical copy of the Oahu Tonemaster... but I don't think the Tonemaster ever came with 8 strings. So in this case it is permissible to use an extended fretboard, at least to the 24th fret. At least think about it.

I've been learning western lap steel with Cindy Cashdollar's video on a 6 string but I needed an 8 string to really do it right. It seems an 8 string is the norm for country and western lap steel. I wanted a mid priced guitar not a cheapy so I bought this Gold Tone 8 string and I'm glad I spent the extra money. It's well made and looks great. The pick up is a single coil. It's a little weak but not a big deal, just turn the amp up a little. I have large hands and the tone nob got in the way so I took it off. Problem solved! I thought about installing legs but I hate to drill into the beautiful finish on the backside. It really looks good with the binding and all. You'll need to change the strings right off.It makes a big difference in the sound and the feel of the tone bar with a good set of strings. I tune to C6. Got "cold cold heart" down now its time for "San Antonio Rose". Cheers.