Advice on a first 7 string?

[DragonGuitar]

Hey guys I am new and I just joined here. I have been playing for a little over a year now all on a standard six string, and I have decided that before too long I would like to get a seven string to extend my range but I am not sure which one, and I would appreciate you guys' advice. My budget is sort of flexible (I could always save up for a bit longer) but ideally it would be within $500

Here are a few of the options I am looking at:

Jackson JS22-7: $200 (too cheap?)

ESP LTD M-17: Again, $200

Ibanez RG7421: $400

Ibanez RG7620: This one is tricky because I believe its out of production, so they are hard to find in good condition, which is a must. So idk if this is inn my range or not

Sterling Music Man JP70: $500 (huge DT fan here)

ESP LTD MH-417: a bit pricier, $750. A step up from the rest in quality?

Anyway, which of these (or another guitar in a similar price range) would you guys recommend and why? Are the Jackson and Dinky too cheap to offer real value? Is the price difference in the other ones justifiable? Basically, which is the most guitar for the money? Thanks everyone!

 

[Viking Shredder]

You can't go wrong with either the Ibanez or the JP. I own a RG7421 and probably am gona buy a JP70 soon. Although you may want to change the pickups at some point.

 

[OmegaSlayer]

It's all up to the features you want.
But for that budget, I would highly suggest to pick a Schecter, as I think Schecter offers the best bang for bucks in that price range.
(And to better qualify my comment I tell you that I'm a big Ibanez fanboy)

 

[Mad-Max]

For $500, it really depends on what specs you want. In that particular price range, your choices in terms of spec aren't extremely wide, so I wouldn't get too picky.

The Jackson and the LTD are decent for what they are, but what you're bound to run into is extremely sub-par electronics and hardware. You're going to find yourself investing more money in them later on that what you're initially looking to pay. Might as well get a good axe straight out of the gate and then only make changes due to taste or preference, rather than just because it desperately needs an upgrade.

Do you have a preference of bolt on or set neck? What about neck through?

Active or passive pickups?

Does scale length matter to you? (Scale length helps balance intonation and string tension for down tuning)

Does the body tone wood matter also? Do you prefer Mahogany (Typically darker in tone), Alder (Typically brighter in tone), Maple (Brighter than Alder), Basswood (Closer to Mahogany but more neutral) or swamp ash (The most neutral out of the bunch)?

You're probably most likely going to get a rosewood fingerboard in the price range. Sometimes you'll get Maple, but rarely.

Do you like a thick neck or a thin neck?

These are all questions I would ask yourself so that you get a little better idea of what you want.

 

[bzhan1]

You can definitely find 7620s in your price range, which if in good condition plays as good as 1k+ guitars, and is easily best of the bunch. Tend to be overpriced on forums due to their reputation but cheap on ebay.

 

[Ibycan7]

I happen to like the JP70. it was a great guitar. fast necks. the only thing I didn't like was the fret being medium jumbo, and the basswood (i'm a mahogany guy)

 

[DragonGuitar]

Thanks guys.

But for that budget, I would highly suggest to pick a Schecter, as I think Schecter offers the best bang for bucks in that price range.
(And to better qualify my comment I tell you that I'm a big Ibanez fanboy)

Which schecters would you recommend specifically?

As far as features I'm not too picky and practically every guitar in this price range seems to have a basswood body, maple neck, and rosewood fretboard. For pickups go I'm not too concerned because I might change them out and experiment a little bit. Thinner necks are better. I think I'm playing 25.5 scale right no, and that seems to be the most common option on the guitars I'm considering right now

 

[DragonGuitar]

Also, does anyone have any experience with the ESP LTD MH-417? Its a little pricier, but its got EMG pickups which I have been looking to try out, a mahogany body, which is a step up from basswood, and I dig the simple control layout. It also just looks badass.

 

[chaneisa]

I second the Schecter thing. A Damien Platinum from Schecter is around $650 (on their site), has a mahogany body, maple neck, and comes with EMG 81/85-7's. Their stealth series is similar with a mahogany neck and passive pickups. Also it's 26.5".

Edit: Their Damien Elite is the same, except it's bolt-on And doesn't have the crazy bat inlays.

 

[Konstantine]

Is there a large music store you can go try some at? That's the way to go.

I had a js22-7 and while the finish on the body was nice, the guitar played like ass and sounded like it too, all the hardware was flimsy. For the few hundred dollars you'd dump in a m17 or js22, you could just get something nice to begin with.

Get a second hand schecter or ibanez 7421. If you're patient you could score a MIJ 7421 on the net in good shape in your budget which will play great and likely have upgraded pickups already put in.

 

[Mathemagician]

I own a JP70, and I dig it for the price. But IMO the Jackson @$200 is just as good. Honestly up to you, but that Jackson should suck way more than it does.

Edit: but used is the way to go. A few songs never hurt anyone. Except compulsive micro-fiber wiper-downers.

 

[DragonGuitar]

The Damien Platinum looks awesome, although I'm not too sure about the bat inlays yet. Maybe they will grow on me,maybe not. The Elite-7 also looks good, I will add those two to the list.

There is a guitar center somewhat near me, but as far as the website says they only have one or two 7 strings in right now... still, I intend to go in and try them out.

Looks like the schecters, ibanez's and the JP70 are all scoring some points.

Also, I have looked around online and I haven't seen any RG7620's for sale in good condition for my price range...

 

[Mad-Max]

The best bang for your buck is definitely going to be Schecter. They do an awesome job at making guitars with incredible spec for not a ton of dough.

If you're looking into the Damien Platinum, I highly suggest looking into a Banshee. Right now the word is out that they're being discontinued, and so they're being discounted left and right, and you may be able to score one for around your price range before they're completely out of stock.

Another model to look into is the Schecter Stealth C-7. Only $550, and it has a Mahogany Body and neck, Rosewood Fretboard, Thin neck profile, neck through, 26.5 inch scale length, Schecter Passive pickups, and hardtail bridge.

 

[Konfyouzd]

7... 6... 2... 0...

Or try to find a Schecter Banshee 7. I got mine for $400 new at Zzounds.

 

[DragonGuitar]

Ok guys, I guess the list now is:

Ibanez RG7421

Sterling JP70

Schecter Banshee 7 (active vs passive?)

Schecter Damien Elite 7

Schecter Damien 7 Platinum

Schecter C-7 stealth (heard the pickups aren't great, better w/ replacements?)

ESP LTD MH-714

All of them are around $400-$500 except the MH-714, which is around $750. I'm guessing I would be happy with any of them because they all seem like good choices... but does anyone have any other advice?

I guess it comes down to features, like Mad-Max said a while ago haha

 

[Mad-Max]

I think your issue now is that you have a common problem of option overload, where you just have way too many options. Which to a certain degree isn't a bad thing, but I would try your best to narrow it down to at the most 3 guitars, rather than 7.

What it comes down to now is what you can and can't see yourself living without. If you find yourself going, "Eh, that feature isn't extremely important" or "I'd really like my 7 to feature this" then that'll make it a little easier to narrow it down.

My suggestion would be to stay away from a Floyd Rose guitar, especially when you've only been playing for a little over a year. You'll be spending more time trying to set one up and figure out how to use a Floyd, rather than trying to play the instrument. So I would seriously consider sticking to a Hipshot style or Tune-O-Matic style bridge for now so that you can get right to playing. Plus you can achieve a a much bigger variety of tunings with those bridges than you could with a Floyd.

And since this is your first 7 and you've only been playing a 6 string for a year, I wouldn't go past $650 or even $700 personally. Adjusting to a 7 string can take a little bit of time, especially if you've never really played one before. Your first 7 is mainly a "getting to know it" kind of guitar, and then after that you start figuring out things you like or don't like which will ultimately help you decide on your next 7 when it comes that time.

On pickups, you really don't know until you get it yourself and play it through your own rig. I wouldn't judge your decision too much on what other people may say about certain pick-ups, if they sound good through your rig, then so be it. If they don't, then save money and replace them. Pickups are gambles, especially when you're starting out. You should only consider changing them if you've done everything you can possibly do with your amp settings and set-up of your guitar to compensate for a tone you're dissatisfied with.

Let me put this into perspective. I just bought a Schecter 7 with the a set of Schecter's custom shop SuperCharger Mach 7 pickups. When I bought the guitar, the first thing I thought I was gonna have to do is change them out, but honestly, I got the guitar and plugged it in, and absolutely LOVED the tone they had, and had no reason in the world to change them out. Something similar may happen to you, so don't ever be afraid to buy a guitar just because of the pick-ups. Try them first.

 

[DragonGuitar]

K thanks everyone! I just purchased a used JP70 for a steal of $350. It is undamaged, plays great, got it from guitar center. I tried a few other 7's that were mentioned on this thread, but the JP was my favorite overall- great tone, looks good, plays great- and they happened to have a used version in excellent condition for practically half price! I will post a NGD thread and a review in a little while.

 

[knet370]

rg7620 highly recommended

 

[Great Satan]

I had a js22-7 and while the finish on the body was nice, the guitar played like ass and sounded like it too, all the hardware was flimsy. For the few hundred dollars you'd dump in a m17 or js22, you could just get something nice to begin with.

Really? Mine seems to play pretty well, no complaints. I upgraded the bridge pup without even really listening to the stock pickups so i can't comment on the sound stock, but the amount of upgrades i put into it equalled just $100.
No problems thus far with the bridge or tuners either.

I dunno, maybe i just enjoy cheap guitars but i got mine to sound pretty good with minimal effort. So much so that i don't feel the need to get any other 7 stringers at the moment.

 

[CrucibleContact]

Also, does anyone have any experience with the ESP LTD MH-417? Its a little pricier, but its got EMG pickups which I have been looking to try out, a mahogany body, which is a step up from basswood, and I dig the simple control layout. It also just looks badass.

Sorry to resurrect a very dead thread, but I bought the mh417 back in like 2011 and had it until around 2015-16. Wonderful guitar, I just grew tired of active pickups and the battery drain etc associated with them. It was super comfortable. Stayed in tune pretty well and had decent tone, as far as EMG will allow. Just my 2 cents