Concerning buying a 7-string

[arctopus]

Dear people at ss.org,

I have come across this site while searching for a 7-string guitar.
Unfortunately (or luckily) there are over 300 of guitar manufacturers. each of those manufacturers have approx. 50+ guitars (not even thinking about colour choice et cetera).
Which guitar should I get? I wish to play metal but jazz as well.
I'm not going to pay more than approx. 1100 USD (800 euros).

Thanks!

 

[308sc]

I would try to find a MIJ Ibanez 7, Such as a Rg7620, RG7621, 7421.

But I really think you would like a Ibanez K7, which has a mahogany body instead of basswood and comes with PAF 7 lower output pickups. It might be just what your looking for, but I don't know how hard they are to find in EU

Good luck

 

[jymellis]

IBANEZ \m/

 

[Skanky]

I just got my first 7-string and was also concerned about which one to get. I went with the Agile Interceptor Pro 727. I am absolutely 100% satisfied with this purchase - the guitar is incredible and the service from rondomusic.com (Kurt) is unparalleled.

I don't think you can go wrong with this choice. There's been some debate about the Licensed Floyd Rose tremolo, but I've given mine hell and it stays in perfect tune.

Good luck!

 

[Fred the Shred]

If it's your first 7 and you're still unaware of what you like or not, the very first step is to get moving and try as many as you possibly can. Don't worry about their pricing just now, as this may take a little while and, by the time you decide you want guitar "X", you may have more to spend on it.

It is very important that you explore what the market has to offer and see how it feels to you, as you'll find that our opinions and instrument choices are rather varied around here - if you get to narrow things down to a few models you tried and liked, it'll make it a lot easier for us to help you.

 

[arctopus]

If it's your first 7 and...

The problem is that I haven't found any store with 7-strings yet, so I haven't been able to test some. I'm also trying to avoid buying guitar Y and find out that X was way better.

Thanks for the answers so far folks!

 

[Fred the Shred]

I know, but a little investment in getting your hands on stuff is preferable to, no matter how well informed someone is, outside opinions when we know nothing about preferred scale length, neck thickness, shape, etc.. The risk of people suggesting a very good guitar that doesn't suit you is way to high - there's a lot of great guitars on the market, but they really aren't necessarily a one-size-fits-all type of thing, hence the suggestion to go a bit out of your way and trying some stuff out.

 

[arctopus]

I know, but a little investment in getting your hands on stuff is preferable to, no matter how well informed someone is, outside opinions when we know nothing about preferred scale length, neck thickness, shape, etc.. The risk of people suggesting a very good guitar that doesn't suit you is way to high - there's a lot of great guitars on the market, but they really aren't necessarily a one-size-fits-all type of thing, hence the suggestion to go a bit out of your way and trying some stuff out.

Either way we can go back to the question "on which stuff should I get my hands on?". I was thinking about a SCHECTER DAMIEN ELITE 7 FR MBK, but I've heard schechter necks are horrible.

 

[Daggorath]

What features do you find favourable on your 6 stringers? It's virtually impossible to pick an instrument to suit without atleast a little information about your preferences on wood/hardware/neck specs etc.

 

[arctopus]

What features do you find favourable on your 6 stringers? It's virtually impossible to pick an instrument to suit without atleast a little information about your preferences on wood/hardware/neck specs etc.

The problem is that I have no knowledge whatsover about the types of wood and which pickups I should take.

That's why I've posted on this forum, I'd like to know which pickups and types of wood are needed for the styles I wish to play and which guitars have all of that.

 

[WickedSymphony]

The problem is that I have no knowledge whatsover about the types of wood and which pickups I should take.

That's why I've posted on this forum, I'd like to know which pickups and types of wood are needed for the styles I wish to play and which guitars have all of that.

Take a look at some of the sounds you're trying to go for (favorite bands or whatever) and do a little research on what they use. That may not give you a definitive answer as to what to get, but that'll give you a good head start in narrowing down your options or giving some direction especially if you're unsure of any preferences right now.

But still, I agree with Fred that the best thing you can do is try to get your hands on different guitars and find what you do and don't like through personal experience.

 

[arctopus]

I might want the RGA8 from Ibanez, but I have no idea where I can test this guitar.
does anyone know a place in the northern parts of the Netherlands where I can test an 8-string?

 

[Gerbaschlonk]

The problem is that I have no knowledge whatsover about the types of wood and which pickups I should take.

That's why I've posted on this forum, I'd like to know which pickups and types of wood are needed for the styles I wish to play and which guitars have all of that.

Hey mate I'm also in the process of choosing a seven string and being in Australia it's very hard to find a good range. I always do a tonne of research and then get my guitars in from America. Much cheaper and a better range. My key point is do a lot of research if you can't find a store.

As to the quote I actually started building a seven string at the start of this year but broke my leg and had to stop :/ but I learnt a bit about woods and pickups.

For your stereotypical metal guitar they are generally made with a mahogany body, maple neck, maple top (if you want) and a rosewood fingerboard. Pickups are usually actives (EMG or Seymour Duncan) I chose to buy seymour duncan blackouts when I was doing my project because everywhere I looked people said they had a more natural tone that was closer to passive pups.

Unfortunately I never got to here them first hand so I cannot judge. How good a pickup sounds is always subjective though. My current guitar is a Michael Kelly Patriot Glory with ROCKFIELD SWC pups and they're killer. I've seen them cop some flack due to their poor performance in BC Rich guitars but the SWC are great. The cleans are realy nice and bright with a full tone and when you push them through some high gain it's the closest I've ever been to tone heaven. Mind you I am comparing this to EMG HZ passives and stock epi SG special passives. So my experience is limited.

That whole paragraph was almost pointless because they don't make a seven string model but what I'm pointing out is that something that sounds good to me may sound horrible to someone else or not even come close to the sound they're looking for. The best thing to do if you can't try some guitars first hand is too get onto youtube and look for some comparison videos. Also depending on your level of experience you may not even notice the minor differences in tone that there are between any two model of pickups although some are blatantly obvious.

As far as seven strings go I've found myself eyeing the Agile Septor Elite 725. I've heard good things about the hipshot bridge. Another thing to consider is what kinf of bridge YOU want to play on and what type of neck suits you best. The attack of the bolt on, sustain of neck through etc.
Anyway I hope somewhere amongst this midst of information you got the main points I was trying to share. Do your research, think about what you really want out of a guitar then selection will be easier.

Hope I was of atleast minor use. This is my first big 'help' post so if it was completely useless and hard to read please let me know, in a constructive manner aha. No

 

[arctopus]

I was also wondering how smooth the neck of the Agile Interceptor Pro 828 EB Black Flame is.
Can you slide easily, or does your hand get 'stuck' often?

 

[iddqd]

Be aware that Agile has no warranty outside the united states, and afaik u can't get them by local stores.

Schecter necks are not horrible, they are just thicker than the usual ones, but not to fat. I needed some days, but then it felt pretty comfortable.

If there is no local store around, order one online and return it if you just dont like it. Thomann is a pretty good online store with a pretty good returnpolicy i think.

Maybe you can get a rg7321 for less money, it's discontinued.

 

[Soubi7string]

custom guitar with features you want and that you can afford
and voila
you have a guitar you like and want