Quote Originally Posted by Squigs315 View Post
I'm wondering if a bladed pickup or hot-rail would work. They don't have the pole spacing issue, generally a bit cheaper. Then there may be the concern of aesthetics and sound, but for someone who doesn't mind it could be an affordable option.

Regardless, you do make a good point.
Probably, with the caveat that it would require modifying the pickup cavities to take 8 string pickups. A standard 7 string pickup would be too short once angled, and you would need to do something about the angle of the mounting brackets. I think an 8 string rail/blade would be long enough, but it might even require a 9 string. And an 8 string rail pickup upgrade is already a niche within a niche.

Without a standard for multiscale pickup angles there likely wasn't a clean solution for drop-in replacements regardless of how PBG or the factory approached the kit design.