Would appreciate home HONEST opinions on 7-string guitars

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npdcoremetal

Inspired
I have played almost any guitar that you could think of that you could pick up at your local guitar stores and any guitar stores while on tour. I have never had the chance to play a mayones, KxK, Bernie Ricco Jr., Blackmachine Etc. Etc. I know I like Bareknuckle Aftermath and Seymour Duncan Blackout pickups for my electronics. I prefer a mahogany body with either a true bolt on or set neck. The problem I run into is I think Ibanez guitars are ok, but lacking. They also only make one with a 26.5 scale. I though of using Schecters, however they feel empty to me. I have been pondering getting an Agile 7-String just haven't.

Ok sorry for the rant. I guess what I am wanting to know is there a semi-affordable 7-String guitar with mahogany body, bolt-on neck (5 Peice maple/walnut), black hardware, 26.5" or 27" scale, bareknuckle aftermaths or blsckouts or stock pafs that can be swapped out.

The huge reason I haven't gone for a Mayones, Decible, Blackmachine etc. Is due to the long wait to recieve the instrument being that I would have to sale most of my guitars to buy one of these. I also been looking for a long time for a place that could make me just the body and neck with the pickup holes routed and neck pocket and the neck with tuner holes, frets installed (frets do not need finished), and the nut shelf. I looked lots of places for these things, however I have had little to no luck. I either get the same old or things for what you are getting to be over priced.

If anyone has knowledge of places that make affordable guitars in the $1250-$2000 max or a body/neck maker between $500-$1000 max.

Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks!!!
 
Ibanez Iron label guitars, They're new. Check em out.

EDIT: sorry my mistake, only the 8 string is a 27.
 
Hey man,
Considering your budget I would recommend the Ibanez Iron label series. Besides that if you can spend a little above 2000 dollars you can get a bolt on BFR John Petrucci modle,I believe it has a Mahogany body,the new JP 13 would have a Mahogany body,so I would recommend if you wait a little for it to come out in the stores,cause that guitar would be in the 2000 range and is a high end instrument.

Also you must consider how much would you be using the 7 string. I am currently getting a custom 7 string made but that's because I'll be using it for all my 6 string and 7 string stuff. If you want a completely hand made guitar to your specs and are willing to drop in cash in the 3k+ department then I highly recommend Rash Guitars. I am currently getting myself one made,that instrument is incredible. The craftsmanship,the detail,and the build is excellent. Contact Kelcey at customguitarboutique.com and he can guide you towards what you want. Plus it would take 2 months for them to complete your guitar and Rash build pretty much the cream of the crop material when it comes to custom guitars. Rash® Guitars There are some old videos of Marco Sfogli using the Rash guitar,before he got a great endorsement deal with Ibanez that offered him a ton of clinics. The build and overall quality of Rash Guitars is excellent,but they are a small company and they make their guitars by hand. I am really looking forward to mine,will post pictures when I get it. check out this video to see a Rash 7 string in action. Another company you may want to look in to is Strictly 7,they have some great 7 strings for sale at a reasonable price.

Hope this helps. Cheers!
 
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immortal_soloist said:
Hey man,
Considering your budget I would recommend the Ibanez Iron label series. Besides that if you can spend a little above 2000 dollars you can get a bolt on BFR John Petrucci modle,I believe it has a Mahogany body,the new JP 13 would have a Mahogany body,so I would recommend if you wait a little for it to come out in the stores,cause that guitar would be in the 2000 range and is a high end instrument.

Also you must consider how much would you be using the 7 string. I am currently getting a custom 7 string made but that's because I'll be using it for all my 6 string and 7 string stuff. If you want a completely hand made guitar to your specs and are willing to drop in cash in the 3k+ department then I highly recommend Rash Guitars. I am currently getting myself one made,that instrument is incredible. The craftsmanship,the detail,and the build is excellent. Contact Kelcey at customguitarboutique.com and he can guide you towards what you want. Plus it would take 2 months for them to complete your guitar and Rash build pretty much the cream of the crop material when it comes to custom guitars. Rash® Guitars There are some old videos of Marco Sfogli using the Rash guitar,before he got a great endorsement deal with Ibanez that offered him a ton of clinics. The build and overall quality of Rash Guitars is excellent,but they are a small company and they make their guitars by hand. I am really looking forward to mine,will post pictures when I get it. check out this video to see a Rash 7 string in action. Another company you may want to look in to is Strictly 7,they have some great 7 strings for sale at a reasonable price.

Hope this helps. Cheers!
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I like the JP 7 strings, however they are 25.5 inch scale
 
Thanks for the replies, however I have seen every site mentioned except the Rash Guitars. I was hoping maybe I missed something.
 
I had two 7-strings over the years: Ibanez RG prestige of some sort (longer scale, don't remember the model number) and Ibanez Universe. Universe had beefier neck and felt _tighter_ with the same strings, in spite of having the regular 25.5 inch scale length. So unless you intend to use your new 7 as your only guitar, I would think twice about using a different scale length. For one thing, it will mess up your muscle memory for the normal scale length guitars. Not by much, just enough to annoy. For another, it's not guaranteed to feel any tighter than a 25.5 if it has a Floyd.
 
plexi59 said:
I had two 7-strings over the years: Ibanez RG prestige of some sort (longer scale, don't remember the model number) and Ibanez Universe. Universe had beefier neck and felt _tighter_ with the same strings, in spite of having the regular 25.5 inch scale length. So unless you intend to use your new 7 as your only guitar, I would think twice about using a different scale length. For one thing, it will mess up your muscle memory for the normal scale length guitars. Not by much, just enough to annoy. For another, it's not guaranteed to feel any tighter than a 25.5 if it has a Floyd.
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I am not tampering with the scale at all.
I am using it as my all solution guitar,when it arrives so yea don't want to be in a mess if I tamper with the scale length,no point in doing so.
 
I've owned over 15 7 string guitars since 2004. Ibanez (J customs and old UVs) Schecters, Carvins, ESPs,Kramer,and Jackson (SLAT-7)
what kind of neck shape do you like, do you want a floyd/floating trem or fixed,
do you like ebony or rosewood or even maple for a fret board? All of these are important as they will rule out certain manufacturers.
I have a BRJ custom hesperian 7 (his first neck thru hesperian 7 with the 2/5 headstock) and it easily destroys any other 7 I've owned
but.................I would not buy anything from Bernie these days.
GMW makes beautiful custom 7's but they are 25.5 scale. If you definitely want a longer scale you have Ran, Strictly 7, and Carvin.
 
I own a '90 and a '91 Ibanez Universe - i've played plenty of different ones over the years but I always go back to these guys. They're technically not vintage but being the earliest production 7 I guess they qualify when it comes to the world of 7's. There's a lot of really nice luthiers out there that you've already mentioned who make some awesome stuff, but they're expensive and the wait times are pretty long.

As far as 'cheap' options go I did the cheap custom route you mentioned and wouldn't do it again. Long wait times and I wasn't that ecstatic with the finished product, it was just missing something.

I guess it really depends on what you're looking for in a guitar, what sort of stuff you're going to be playing etc. I like extended scale guitars but I don't really need one with what I do - the Universe holds up great at 25.5 but I tune to standard with a low B using 11-70 gauge strings. I play death metal, i pick fast and hard.

In your budget I'd just go for an Agile and you can swap out the pickups if you don't like them, or an old Universe, sometimes you can pick them up at a reasonable price depending on the model and which Edge trem it has.

Ibanez guitars do tend to have that typical 'Ibanez' sound which can be a little annoying, I've been thinking lately about trying out another custom but I prefer playing older guitars. I'm not big on Schecter's although i've played a few that sound great. I wouldn't mind trying out that 7 string Explorer Gibson did at some point but I'm not an EMG guy and that kills it for me.

To reiterate, for how much your wanting to spend right now and if this is more of an experiment than a commitment, I would probably just try an oldie out for size or buy an Agile. You may have to sacrifice on your ideal scale length, woods etc but at least you'll be able to give it a go without blowing the bank completely and give you a better idea of where you want to move after that.
 
plexi59 said:
I had two 7-strings over the years: Ibanez RG prestige of some sort (longer scale, don't remember the model number) and Ibanez Universe. Universe had beefier neck and felt _tighter_ with the same strings, in spite of having the regular 25.5 inch scale length. So unless you intend to use your new 7 as your only guitar, I would think twice about using a different scale length. For one thing, it will mess up your muscle memory for the normal scale length guitars. Not by much, just enough to annoy. For another, it's not guaranteed to feel any tighter than a 25.5 if it has a Floyd.
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I get that, However I had an ibanez rga8 with blackouts for a bit and I liked the longer scale for the tunings i use. I would also like a 6 string 26.5 scale.
 
kmanick said:
I've owned over 15 7 string guitars since 2004. Ibanez (J customs and old UVs) Schecters, Carvins, ESPs,Kramer,and Jackson (SLAT-7)
what kind of neck shape do you like, do you want a floyd/floating trem or fixed,
do you like ebony or rosewood or even maple for a fret board? All of these are important as they will rule out certain manufacturers.
I have a BRJ custom hesperian 7 (his first neck thru hesperian 7 with the 2/5 headstock) and it easily destroys any other 7 I've owned
but.................I would not buy anything from Bernie these days.
GMW makes beautiful custom 7's but they are 25.5 scale. If you definitely want a longer scale you have Ran, Strictly 7, and Carvin.
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Sorry. I was quite vauge. I want a 26.5" or 27" neck 5 peice maple/walnut-Ebony Fretboard-Stainless jumbo frets- Flat Ibanez style neck-AANJ type. I would really like to find a body and neck I could finish myself.
 
npdcoremetal said:
If anyone has knowledge of places that make affordable guitars in the $1250-$2000 max or a body/neck maker between $500-$1000 max.

Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks!!!
Click to expand...

What about the ESP NT-7 ?? Most cats quip that the pups are EMG actives, but there are easy workarounds for this. I just ordered a brand new NT-7 and am having the dealer install BKP Blackhawks with coil-tap; including the install, rings, and OHSC, $2K on the button. If you want less spendy pups, you can easily cop this same axe for $1800 or thereabouts.

IMHO and YMMV, but ESPs are just sick with quality. Exceptional craftsmanship, consistency, and superb level of finish. If you're thinking about this I'd get on the train quick, as 2013 is going to be a pivotal year for ESP where they're keeping the sig models strictly ESP, and combining the rest of their wares under the new LTD Elite umbrella, which is a spin on the Korean umbrella of production brought into their Japanese facility. Honestly? I was selling my FR-II and once I heard ESP was doing this new Elite thing, I pulled the guitar from the classifieds and am keeping it.

Hope this helps. I'd go ESP NT-7 with some aftermarket pups and you're as good as gold.
 
esp 7's are very nice but they are 25.5
KXK sounds like it would be your best bet, maybe a bit too expensive for what you're looking to spend
otherwise Strictly 7 or Cavin would be where I'd look next.
 
kmanick said:
esp 7's are very nice but they are 25.5
KXK sounds like it would be your best bet, maybe a bit too expensive for what you're looking to spend
otherwise Strictly 7 or Cavin would be where I'd look next.
Click to expand...
Sorry, yes, missed this aspect. Apologies.

If you're looking at Carvins, go used market only. They drop in price like flies off a windshield.
 
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