Acoustic 7's?

[SCJR]

Nylon or steel string.

Only using a 7 string electric at this point and I would like a 7 string acoustic to keep it 1:1.

Any standouts?

Any clear stay away's you've encountered? A quick search yielded some underwhelming results and I could dig back through old threads but I get the feeling that there are significantly more options that have come about more recently than even 5-7+ years ago.

I put this in the Sevenstring as opposed to Jazz, Acoustic, Classical & Fingerstyle as it pertains specifically to 7's but if it needs to be moved then right on.

 

[budda]

Ibanez made one, they are hard to find though.

 

[bostjan]

Rondo music- straight and multiscale nylon and folk guitars have been available in the past. They seem to have nothing in stock right now.

Ibanez made a couple models. I own one and it's great.

Schecter made one. I never played one.

ESP made one. It looks cool, but I've never seen one in person.

Godin made a fretless nylon 7. It was awesome. Good luck tracking one down now, though.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I don't think any of what's readily available for reasonable prices varies significantly in quality or specs, so I'd just see what's available to you, within budget, and maybe post back if you need help being nudged one way or another between options.

If money is of little object, those Emerald composite acoustics come in 7s and they look badass.

 

[Scordare]

This is out now..

https://www.espguitars.com/products/24255-tl-7

 

[c7spheres]

I had that Ibanez one and it was awesome, but redundant for me. It was also freakin gigantic and uncomfortable to hug. The stock internal pickup was great though. No idea what's out there currently.

 

[odibrom]

Ibanez made 2 models, one way back in late 90's and a second one in early 10's. I have one of the late 90's and it's a pretty nice model. If you happen to find one, pay attention to the top's belly, these guitars NEED the "The Bridge doctor" thing... I believe their inside bracing are scaled for 6 string and they (Ibanez production managers) just added one more. More strings = more tension = more stress to the guitar's top. About 2 years ago I found mine with unplayable high action that I couldn't solve on the truss rod, nut or saddle... looking at the guitar's top there was a huge belly derived from the strings' pull. The "The Bridge Doctor" thing kind of helps a lot here to manage this...

These Ibanez 7 string acoustic guitars are jumbo sized and sound. The Ibanez wiki has info on them.

 

[SCJR]

This is out now..

https://www.espguitars.com/products/24255-tl-7

I did see that and was very intrigued by the thinline body but it seems that it is pretty underwhelming while unplugged by others' testimonies. Not that I expect sonic brilliance at this price point but a certain amount of volume at least.

If you didn't mind having to plug in every time then there are many great options along the lines of the Kiesel Zeus or their A/E nylon, a la The Brain Dance.

It would seem that a fully resonant 7 string that is not gigantic is still a pretty niche offering.

 

[Scordare]

I have two acoustic steel 7’s... A Raines Crossroads 7 and a Dean Exhibition Ultra 7.. the Dean is thin and small/boxy sounding but it still has decent volume.

The problem is.. not a lot of acoustic 7s have been made..maybe 10 now..? and most are lower quality produced for only a year or two. Then you hardly ever see them for sale used.. If you are looking for one, you just have to get what is available.

 

[odibrom]

... One can always go custom if the budget is good...

 

[Scordare]

This Schecter is still available too..

https://www.schecterguitars.com/gui...-stage-7-acoustic-satin-see-thru-black-detail

 

[LordCashew]

For steel string, I personally would probably go Rondo/Agile when they get some back in stock. I haven't played one but it seems like a multi scale option could be of great benefit for a low B acoustically.

I played one of the old Ibanez steel-strings years ago and remember it being about par for the course for its price range. I don't remember the low B being especially impressive.

The Ibanez nylon 7 and 8 strings, on the other hand, are really good guitars for the money. They have good volume
and projection even on the low notes (down to A, classical 8s aren't usually tuned like electrics) and have the rich, liquid sound classical guitarists look for in the high notes. I have the 8 and it's not rivaling a $5000 concert guitar by any means, but for $400 used it's absolutely killer. I did have a tuner fail on it, but who knows what the previous owner did to it...

 

[bostjan]

Ever played an acoustic hollowbody bass guitar? Well, if you haven't then you should probably know that the tone is pretty awful compared to an upright or electric bass.

It's all about the mechanics of the soundboard and body cavity resonance (bigger soundboard + bigger cavity = lower resonant frequency floor).

Any acoustic guitar with a lower register sort of suffers from the same limitations, to a little lesser extent, but still, I think that might be the problem that some people refer to when saying that the low B doesn't sound too impressive. Frankly, it never will unless you get a huge soundboard and a huge body. That's why the Ibanez was a Jumbo instead of a Dreadnaught. Even with that advantage, though, I agree that the unplugged sound of the low B is a bit boxy (lows are attenuated). Plugged in, though, it sounds fantastic. Unplugged, even, if you use low notes sparingly or wisely (with respect to the instrument's limitations), it sounds great.

If anyone knows an acoustic 7 that works better than the Ibanez Jumbo, I'd love to hear it.

 

[LordCashew]

Ever played an acoustic hollowbody bass guitar? Well, if you haven't then you should probably know that the tone is pretty awful compared to an upright or electric bass.

It's all about the mechanics of the soundboard and body cavity resonance (bigger soundboard + bigger cavity = lower resonant frequency floor).

Any acoustic guitar with a lower register sort of suffers from the same limitations, to a little lesser extent, but still, I think that might be the problem that some people refer to when saying that the low B doesn't sound too impressive. Frankly, it never will unless you get a huge soundboard and a huge body. That's why the Ibanez was a Jumbo instead of a Dreadnaught. Even with that advantage, though, I agree that the unplugged sound of the low B is a bit boxy (lows are attenuated). Plugged in, though, it sounds fantastic. Unplugged, even, if you use low notes sparingly or wisely (with respect to the instrument's limitations), it sounds great.

If anyone knows an acoustic 7 that works better than the Ibanez Jumbo, I'd love to hear it.

I’m familiar with this discussion of physics. Believe me, I derive great pleasure from the Talkbass threads in which guys are looking for a 5 string ABG with a useable unplugged low B, and even greater pleasure when posters claim to have found such in a sub-$1000 instrument. And you’re absolutely right that these same principles affect acoustic guitars.

But while I really don’t know of an production steel-string acoustic seven better than the Ibanez jumbo, I do find it interesting that the nylon ERGs I’ve played generally seem to fare much better on the lower notes, ie they have comparable tone and body to the E string notes. Could it be that the lighter construction of classicals allows for better low end projection relative to size? I also wonder if there’s something there that could be extrapolated to steel-strings, maybe through use of alternate materials. Makes me want to try an Emerald.

Also, in fairness to the steel string Ibanez I played, it is possible that it didn’t have the ideal type/tension of low B. That was quite a while ago, and it seems like logical string choices for low notes (especially by manufacturers) are a more recent phenomenon.

 

[CanserDYI]

That ESP seven up there has a 25 inch scale....why LTD?

 

[Wrecklyss]

Ibanez, Dean, Raines, and Schecter.

Currently own an Ibanez AEL207. I really like it, but I'm a fan of jumbos. Never tried any of the others, they're just too rare to come by. Wish I could be of more help.