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Who makes a quality 7 string for about a grand or less. I need to get one for recording some stuff for a friend and I have almost no experience with them.
Thanks
Chris
Thanks
Chris
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Re: 7 Strings
ibanez...look for a used universe on ebay...you can routinely pick them up for less than a grand...seen ones that were black and green in the 6-700 area...d.m. -
Re: 7 Strings
Jackson makes one but they usually need pickup changes...Schecter makes em but never played one..Ibanez makes high end and lower priced versions..Comment
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Re: 7 Strings
As far as Ibanez, if you want a new one, get an RG1527. They can be had around the $600 price range, less if you don't want a case or find a great deal. You might want to swap pickups (I put a Duncan Custom/Jazz set in mine) but that is personal preference. If you want to go used, try to get an RG7620. They are essentially the same as the RG1527 but with Dimarzio pickups and the older Edge trem. These can be had for $300 all day. For some reason they just don't seem to hold their value. They're great guitars however. I think the Universes are a little overpriced for what you get, but that is just my opinion. Although, if I could find one for $600 at the right time, I would probably jump on it, too. Even the black and green ones. They don't seem to hold their value as much because people tend to think that they're butt ugly. I like the color scheme, though.Comment
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Re: 7 Strings
lol...the color scheme is interesting to say the least...i'm having a chrome pickguard made for mine...d.m.Comment
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Re: 7 Strings
There was an extensive thread about 7-string guitars a couple of months ago or so that would give you some good advice--not sure whether it made it over to this new board, however.
I've gone big into 7-string guitars just this year. I've currently got two Schecter 7-strings. Here are a few thoughts:
1. Schecter. I have the A-7 Elite neckthru and the V-7 bolt-on Strat 7 strings. They are both pretty nice guitars for the price, particularly the A-7 Elite. Although the only Schecter 7 string currently in production is the really crappy Revenger-7, you can (I believe) still get a new old stock A-7 Elite from Drum City Guitarland for a little over $400. It's a very playable Korean-made neckthru 7-string with Tune-o-matic bridge. Used A-7 Elites show up on eBay occasionally for a bit less. I would say that the Schecter 7 strings are the best value, since they don't have the same 'name value' as ESP, but are made in the same Korean factory and seem very similar in many ways.
2. If you want a 7 string with a trem, I would recommend going with an Ibanez RG 7620, 1527 or Universe, as these have high quality trems. Until very recently, there were no other high-quality 7-string trems being made, so even guitarmakers like Carvin were stuck with cheapo crappy 7 string trems. There is now an Original Floyd Rose 7-string trem, but no guitar makers are yet using it as original equipment. So get the Ibanez if you need a trem. Otherwise, the Ibanez guitars are merely 'ok' in my opinion. They have basswood bodies which are not great for 7-string guitars, in my opinion (too mushy on the low end) and the necks are decent, but not the best in the 7-string business.
3. Jackson. I just won a DR-7 on eBay and will be reviewing it here (yes, along with pictures!) when I receive it. The rap on Jackson 7 strings has been that the necks seem bigger (chunkier) than other brands and that they only have 22 frets. I played an RR-7 recently, and I thought the neck was fantastic, which is why I bid on the eBay guitar. If you like Jackson 6-string necks, I think you'd like the 7-string neck--even though it isn't very thin--as long as you can live with 22 frets. Also, the hardware on the Japanese Jacksons these days is not as high quality as you'd like, but that stuff is pretty easy to replace--much more so that getting good frets or tonewoods or such, which is where the Jackson 7 strings excel.
4. ESP. I personally believe that the ESP LTDs are the most overrated, overpriced guitars on the market right now. They always seem to have crappy fretwork, which is really the heart of any guitar. That said, there are at least a couple of people on this board who swear by the ESP 7-strings--particularly the H-207, which can be had fairly cheap on eBay these days. ESP still makes the SC-607, which is the Stephen Carpenter neckthru signature model--don't confuse it with the SC-607B, which is a 27" scale 'baritone' version of that guitar. The out-of-production M-307, H-307, and and MH-307 neckthru 7-strings are bringing pretty high prices on eBay nowadays--almost as high as they were when new. The H and MH307 are archtop guitars, with the MH having a trem and the H having a tune-o-matic bridge. They are probably nice guitars, but overpriced right now--I'd go for a new old stock Schecter A-7 Elite for less money, personally.
5. Carvin still makes very nice 7-string neckthru guitars in the DC727 and 747. They will cost you more than the other guitars listed above, however. And the general rule about used Carvins selling for dirt cheap doesn't really apply to the 7-strings. They routinely sell used for $6-700, if they have nice options. A worthwhile option if you want to spend that much on a used guitar. Beware, though, that Carvin guitars have a tendency toward being bright sounding, and some routing will be required if you want to swap out the Carvin pickups (which many people don't like) for something else.
Since you are willing to spend a grand or less, you might consider getting a new Carvin and having it made of mahogany (to get rid of the excessive bright sound), but be aware that it will take awhile to get the guitar, since it is made to your order.Comment
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Re: 7 Strings
Thanks for the input, I'll try and find the other thread you mentioned as well
ChrisComment
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Re: 7 Strings
1. From my experience, the Universes are much better built than most Ibanez 7s these days, which is no surprise because they retailed for $1800 to $2000 plus. I also think they play and sound better, looks are subjective but I love the UV's looks also. The garden variety cheapo Ibanez 7s will be worthless after they have a couple years of playing on them, they are mass produced and cheap to begin with. The Blaze II pups in the UVs are very good pups but not superhot, still you can easily drop in an Evo7 bridge, etc. The neck Blaze II is already excellent IMO.
2. Be cautious about the Carvin 7-string! The neck is VERY THICK, it reminds me of a baseball bat!!! On one hand, this makes the guitar feel very solid, and it does have some nice tones, but I much prefer the thinner UV neck. As usual, Carvin build quality is awesome though.
3. ESP, er ahem "LTD" is going through a slump much like Jackson. Both of those brands used to be top shelf, but seem to be somewhat lost these days.
4. I haven't played the Schecter 7, but their recent 6s are NICE and not expensive either. I'm sure the 7 is cool.
5. Any other 7, including the Ernie Ball John Petrucci model or boutique 7s will cost you an arm and a leg.
I would say your best bet is to find either a used UV or new Schecter.Comment
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Re: 7 Strings
Conklin GTG-7 or GTG7T. T is for tremolo. Find it, buy it. If you're disappointed... your standards are too high. lol, j/k, it's a super-nice axe, especially for the scratch they're going for now. Just throwing a name out there, I own one, and it's the cow's vagina.Comment
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Re: 7 Strings
The Ibanez RG7620 I had was pretty nice... too bad it had a (b)asswood body and didn't sound all that great.
When I get another 7, it will be most likely be a Carvin or a Conklin. Those Conklin Groove Tools 7s are made in Korea to Bill Conklin's specs, and the vintage/two-point trems on those models can be retrofitted with a real Floyd arm socket.I feel my soul go cold... only the dead are smiling.Comment
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Re: 7 Strings
How well do the Conklins with trem stay in tune? The only one I've played had the trem springs cranked so tight that the trem wouldn't move.
They do have a very nice neck on them, I have to say.
However, the Conklin's body is made of cherry and the one I played seemed rather thin-sounding--could just be the pickups, I guess.Comment
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Re: 7 Strings
I'd got with pro-fusion on this one, although I like the LTDs a little more than he does. I'll sell you one, cheap. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
I _would_ throw in one more used one to look for, though: A Washburn Sonic 7. They're kinda rare on evilBay - I have one of the three I've ever seen - but I got mine for about $400, and it's better than every import 7 string I've ever played, including the Universe. Maple neck, mahogany body, real Duncans, and the Buzz Fieten system. This is not the WG587 you see all the time - which isn't a bad guitar for the money - but a very high-quality USA made instrument.
Not good, though, if you want a paper-thin neck. In fact, ONLY the Ibanez are good if you want that. I've found that after I got used to the additional width, the super-thin necks reall bother my hand angle on a 7 string - but to each their own.
If you're looking to spend up to a grand, I'd go the Carvin route, and get the body wings made out of mahogany. The one I played was pretty nice, but too bright 'cause it was all-maple. My maple/alder Soloist 7 sounds nice, but I've heard a maple/alder Jackson CS 7 string that didn't sound all that great. (Of course, it was stolen shortly after that.) Maple/mahogany really seems to be the way to go with 7s.
MikeComment
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Re: 7 Strings
The Conklin also has a thin neck--thinner than an Ibanez, actually.
One reason (in my opinion) that Carvins tend to be brighter sounding is that they have thinner bodies than you usually see. Most Jacksons have 2" thick bodies, where Carvins are only about 1.5" thick--more like a Gibson SG. I'm not sure that mahogany body wings alone would be enough to compensate. By the way if you are into Carvins, there was a very nice-looking DC727 available in the 'guitars in stock' section of their web site last time I checked.
I'll have to look out for one of the Washburn Sonic 7s myself. All I ever see on eBay are the WG587, which are yet another variety of Korean-made basswood Ibanez imitator.Comment
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Re: 7 Strings
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The Conklin also has a thin neck--thinner than an Ibanez, actually.
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Yeah, I didn't like those much, either - I didn't think the cherry body sounded very good with it unplugged.
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One reason (in my opinion) that Carvins tend to be brighter sounding is that they have thinner bodies than you usually see. Most Jacksons have 2" thick bodies, where Carvins are only about 1.5" thick--more like a Gibson SG. I'm not sure that mahogany body wings alone would be enough to compensate. By the way if you are into Carvins, there was a very nice-looking DC727 available in the 'guitars in stock' section of their web site last time I checked.
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Maybe go all-mahogany? Or one of their laminated necks? I dunno.
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I'll have to look out for one of the Washburn Sonic 7s myself. All I ever see on eBay are the WG587, which are yet another variety of Korean-made basswood Ibanez imitator.
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The frets on mine are as good - or better than - my CS Jackson 7. It weighs a ton, and the shape is a bit odd, but it sounds and plays great.
MikeComment
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Re: 7 Strings
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1. Schecter. I have the A-7 Elite neckthru and the V-7 bolt-on Strat 7 strings. They are both pretty nice guitars for the price, particularly the A-7 Elite. Although the only Schecter 7 string currently in production is the really crappy Revenger-7, you can (I believe) still get a new old stock A-7 Elite from Drum City Guitarland for a little over $400. It's a very playable Korean-made neckthru 7-string with Tune-o-matic bridge. Used A-7 Elites show up on eBay occasionally for a bit less. I would say that the Schecter 7 strings are the best value, since they don't have the same 'name value' as ESP, but are made in the same Korean factory and seem very similar in many ways.
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The 007 Elite and Blackjack C-7 are both still in production, aren't they? I almost bought a 007 Elite - they've nice guitars.
MikeComment
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