Do all entry-level 7-strings sound like mud?

Androo

Androo

Inspired
I always wanted a 7 but don't play enough to justify the price of a high-end 7. I was looking around at what was available on the 600 EUR range, bought two and sent them both back for several reasons, but mostly because they both sounded muffled and unclear. Note: I don't have a good guitar shop nearby that stocks these, so I had to mail order site-unseen and untested. My other "good" guitars sound good no matter what preset I put them through on my Fractal, but both of those could only be made to sound okay-ish on a few.

I've since read an assertion that it's difficult to make pickups that sound good across that frequency range, and that certainly matches my experience. Did I just get unlucky or is it just not realistic to find a good-sounding 7 for less than a grand (or more)?

The guitars were:
1. Schecter Demon 7 FR Vintage White (link) - sounded like mud, didn't love the neck, and worst: the (active) bridge pickup DIED within a few hours of playing, fresh battery. Setup was horrible on arrival. Spent more time getting it intoned than playing it.
2. ESP LTD EC-257 (link) - sounded better than (1) but still like it was covered in blankets. Serious fret buzz on the 1st 3 frets of the top 2 strings. Pretty decent neck and overall feel apart from the buzz. Intonation came pretty close to right as-received.
 
Both of those should have sounded fine. If you didnt adjust any settings, thats on you. Also dead strings will sound muted.
 
Budda said:
Both of those should have sounded fine. If you didnt adjust any settings, thats on you. Also dead strings will sound muted.
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I replaced the strings, and I adjusted settings tried a lot of presets, and a live amp. They just didn't sound clear.
 
Try adjusting the input EQ in the amp block of your favorite preset. Turn up the low cut to about 200 Hz.
 
OrganicZed said:
Try adjusting the input EQ in the amp block of your favorite preset. Turn up the low cut to about 200 Hz.
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Thanks, yes, I tried with a few EQ types. I could get the bass clarity improved, but couldn't get the sound bright and clear compared to a few other guitars. The ESP just seemed like the tone dial didn't go far enough. I could split the coils, which helped, but still just didn't sound inspiring. I didn't want to be stuck with an instrument that didn't make me love playing. I'm trying to decide if I should make another attempt or just wait until I feel like spending bigger money, if ever.
 
FWIW, I still haven’t fully adjusted to the tones of my 7 string outside of a mix. The low string always sounds so harsh to me. Don’t know if it’s my pickups or what 7 strings sound like. I’m using these old Ibanez Quantum pickups that are ceramic, which I don’t think is helping the situation.
 
@mattgreenrocks --your pickups are bright? These guitars had the opposite, way too much low and low mid. Are you notes clear at least?

@Sixstring --The pickup in the Schecter were active and pretty hot. The ESP were passive and not as hot as a DiMarzio SuperDistortion I have. The tone of the Schecter was better than the ESP, and I probably would have kept it but the bridge pickup died within hours so that brand is no longer under consideration. I had a friend come by with his 7, some custom German luthier I don't remember, and we A-B tested and came to the same conclusion that the notes on the ESP were just muddy and not distinct. Yeah, you could make is sound heavy and you could cut the lows and boost the highs but the notes were still mush. The sound was very uninspiring. Quite the opposite really.

I'm giving up the search until I can sit down at a shop and find the right instrument.
 
Androo said:
@mattgreenrocks --your pickups are bright? These guitars had the opposite, way too much low and low mid. Are you notes clear at least?

@Sixstring --The pickup in the Schecter were active and pretty hot. The ESP were passive and not as hot as a DiMarzio SuperDistortion I have. The tone of the Schecter was better than the ESP, and I probably would have kept it but the bridge pickup died within hours so that brand is no longer under consideration. I had a friend come by with his 7, some custom German luthier I don't remember, and we A-B tested and came to the same conclusion that the notes on the ESP were just muddy and not distinct. Yeah, you could make is sound heavy and you could cut the lows and boost the highs but the notes were still mush. The sound was very uninspiring. Quite the opposite really.

I'm giving up the search until I can sit down at a shop and find the right instrument.
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I was just thinking if the pups they used were too hot or dark to the point where they kill any clearity.
 
rossipedia said:
Buy a budget guitar that plays well and stays in tune. Put new pickups in it.

... profit?
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This is a truth that few people understand. It was a liberating point in my life when I stepped back from the altar of Famous Brands and realized that price and pedigree often have nothing to do with the quality and enjoyment of a guitar. I now have a modest collection of bargain guitars that play wonderfully. When I tell people how great they are, the best I ever get is a polite “I’m glad you’re happy with them.” And I’m fine with that. Those guitars are here to please me, not them.

And I could buy a whole rack full of Axe-Fx III’s with the money I saved. ;)
 
I have mixed feelings about that approach, and I have upgraded guitars. It would have cost 300-400 euro for new pickups plus some time. I decided I would rather buy a guitar with good pickups already installed and get to playing instead of making it a project. If I go down the 2nd hand route, then I might reconsider.
 
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