noodles
Contributor
eaeolian said:But did 7 strings ever really get to "the masses" before now? You see people playing them a lot more now than you did in, say, 1998. I actually think we're at the high water mark for 7 string sales right now - look at all the different models available, and some (like the Schecters) are backordered.
I think the hype flooded the market with them back in the 90s, and a bunch of people who wanted them for all the wrong reasons bought a cheap seven for too much when a good six down-tuned for the same price would have made them much happier. Now the selection is much more limited, but I see a lot of small operations building high quality guitars at reasonable prices. Not to mention that Schecter has stepped up to the plate to offer a great alternative to Ibanez and ESP in the midrange market. There is also always the Carvin route.
In the 80s, cheap guitars really were cheap in every way, and you had to spend a lot of money to get something that wasn't junk. Then, with the 90s the midrange market exploded, and the new seven string "fad" made seven strings the same as guitars in the 80s: pieces of junk and expensive, quality instruments. Now, with the seven string scene "dead" (you know, like metal "died" in the 90s :lol), things have balanced out and there is a broader range of sevens across all price points. You can get your $600 Schecter that will absolutely smoke, step up to a more expensive Ibanez that plays a lot better, and graduate to something in the $1300-1800 range from a small builder that will rival the various custom shops of the big boys.
When I joined Divison and needed to pick up a couple of sevens, I was pretty discouraged that I wasn't going to be playing something anywhere near as nice as my USA Jacksons. I've now seen that I can find something that nice, and at about the same price. It simply took people telling me where to look. If you think about it, there really is no "beginner" seven string market. Practically everyone starts with a six, and then steps up when they feel they need a low B without sacrificing the range they already have. By the time you're ready to step up, you're hopefully a more educated consumer who is willing to spend the time researching what you want.