MikeJay wrote: (the experts I hope will correct me if I'm wrong).
Well I'm not going to describe myself as an expert

, but the "8" does have a significance in fact. It means that the notes played actually sound an octave lower than written. If you wrote them out at their actual pitch, as compared to a piano, for instance, you'd have to use a double staff. By using the convention of transposing them up an octave, they fit more neatly onto a single staff. Since this transposition is normal for the guitar, not everyone bothers to show the "8", and it's just assumed.
Geoff
Classical Guitar Forum.
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it." - Steven Wright