Balaguer Guitars has teamed up with The Acacia Strain's Devin Shidaker to announce the Tartarus DS7 and DS8.
Seven- and eight-string guitars respectively, the DS7 and DS8 are new takes on the company's existing Tartarus electric guitar model, which launched around Halloween last year.
The collaboration arose when Shidaker designed a version of the guitar using Balaguer's online guitar builder and sent it to the brand's President and Head Luthier Joe Balaguer, who was fully on board with realizing the design. It just so happened the Acacia Strain guitarist was in the market for a new signature guitar at the time...
The DS7 boasts a mahogany body with a flame maple top and Grayburst finish, a five-piece roasted maple and walnut bolt-on neck with a Balaguer thin-D neck profile, 24-fret ebony fingerboard and 26.5" scale length.
Electronics come by way of a single Guitarmony Cauterizer humbucker – Shidaker's signature model – which can be controlled via a single black volume speed knob.
Other features include cream pearloid block inlays – with The Acacia Strain's logo on the first fret – a Hipshot IBBY hardtail bridge and locking tuners.
The DS8 sports almost the exact same feature set as the DS7, but it's naturally configured for an 8-string setup, with a slightly longer 27" scale length. This model also dons a purple Nightmareburst finish.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
The Tartarus DS7 and DS8 are available now for pre-order for $1,599 and $1,750, respectively. For more information, head to Balaguer.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**
Join now for unlimited access
US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year
UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year
Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.
“A great-looking guitar that’s just a few minor tweaks away from being as good as its style suggests”: Gretsch Electromatic Pristine Ltd Jet Single-Cut with Bigsby review
“Billy Corgan literally said he wanted the ‘Sabbath note.’ He wanted that midrange that Tony Iommi has that really cuts through”: Reverend Guitars’ founders on their wild signature collabs with Smashing Pumpkins, Vernon Reid and Reeves Gabrels