Ibanez K7 info and history

[BananaDemocracy]

So I can’t find much on these guitars. I remember hearing they are great but I don’t know if they are team j craft or what the u bar is. I know I love Korn and it’s their custom guitar so that’s a selling point

But what is it essentially equivalent to , like a universe or something ? What woods and what else is worth noting, besides I beleive a paf 7 set and edge trem
???


Any info and cool retro related media would be appreciated

 

[MaxAidingAres]

Basically a 7620 with a mahogany body, a u-bar on the trem and binding on the fretboard

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Built from 2001 to 2006 in Japan. Mahogany bodies.

Necks are similar to the earlier Universe models (UV7s), but a little rounder.

Came in blue and gray.

The U-Bar is just a different type of trem bar. Meant to be pressed with the palm of your hand.

They all came with special "ambidextrous" Lo-Pro 7s to accommodate the U-Bar.

Was replaced by the APEX.

 

[Aaron]

They had a Team J-craft version with an edge pro and the now typical 5 piece prestige 7 neck. This was followed up with the Apex series.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

I owned a Blade Grey 2003/2004 model. It was a good guitar, needed a few tweaks and I really disliked the Paf 7s in it but once it was setup well it played like butter, as any Ibanez should! It felt like a mix of an 1527, RG8527 and Universe. Fascinating how different Ibanez 7s can feel and play with just changing the neck profiles.

 

[BananaDemocracy]

I owned a Blade Grey 2003/2004 model. It was a good guitar, needed a few tweaks and I really disliked the Paf 7s in it but once it was setup well it played like butter, as any Ibanez should! It felt like a mix of an 1527, RG8527 and Universe. Fascinating how different Ibanez 7s can feel and play with just changing the neck profiles.

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHGGHHHHHHH
NOW I gotta get it
Thanks , meaning No thanks @Lorcan Ward lol

They had a Team J-craft version with an edge pro and the now typical 5 piece prestige 7 neck. This was followed up with the Apex series.[/QUOTE
Guessing 2001-2004 were j craft....???

 

[gunch]

They used to go pretty cheap but were invariably trashed by kids who saw the ads in guitar world and bought them, they took a bigger depreciation hit in the used market than say a 7620 or w/e because they were sig models

That said if you find one in decent enough shape they were built during a "gold era" of Ibanez production. Even if you find a trashed one for 600-700 I'd say it's worth rescuing

 

[27InchScale]

Heres NAMM pic

 

[27InchScale]

Catalog specs

 

[27InchScale]

IMO its a amazing guitar. Has been my favorite for years (and I own 93 green UV, LACS 7, RG7421XL, RG7620). The neck is perfect for my smaller sized hands. Its in between a UV and RG1527. Its not as thin ir flat as a UV, but not as thick as The RG1527. The rg7620 is very close to the uv neck. Also Max of Metal had it right its a little rounder and not flat. Stupid comfortable. If set up correctly the idea behind the PAF pickups was low to mid range output pickups with a high gain amp has a nice sweet spot if done correctly. All my guitars except one have PAF-7s in them. I LOVE them. I paid $900 for mine in 2010, it has one crack where it was dropped by previous owner by input jack. Other than that its mint. I will never get rid of it. Another thing to mention is earlier K7s did not have a valute, I believe 2004 ish on may of had valutes. Not positive on timeline but ive owned several older ones without, and played newer ones with it.

 

[jvms]

I bought one new in 2013 and it's been my main guitar since then. Solid as fuck. I did add a tone knob, a 5 way pick up selector and stainless steel extra jumbo frets when they worn out, but even stock, it's a beast. My only complaint is that the width of the last fret my model (2003) is slightly smaller (66mm, oposed to 68mm, wich Ibanez started using a few years after mine was made), and that causes the high E string to slip from time to time. I never heard anyone complaining about it, but it kinda bothers me. It's still an amazing instrument overall, and if you pick up a K7 from 2005-6, you won't have that kind of issue.

The pickups sound incredibly versatile. I'm a huge fan of low output humbucker because you can play whatever the fuck you want with them. They are awesome for cleans and if you turn the gain up, you can do death metal and everything in between. If you get the chance, add the 5 way switch to it, you will instantly go to Polyphia/Intervals heaven.

 

[JamesGrote]

I have an excellent condition Blade Grey K7 for sale: https://sevenstring.org/threads/ibanez-k7-blade-grey-near-mint.337093/

IbanezK7_3

• JamesGrote
• Jul 11, 2019

 

[MerlinTKD]

Store I used to work at had the flat green APEX... not sure how different they were from the K7’s but it was super comfortable and sounded fantastic... wanted to buy it so bad, but since I already had a decent 25.5” 7, I couldn’t justify it. Will always be one of those that ‘got away’...

 

[NorCal_Val]

I scored a used blue one 4-5 years ago from GC for $700, in really nice condition. Love the neck; it feels a little beefier than my ‘97 “silver dot” Universe. It didn’t have the stock pickups, but it sounds fantastic; a touch darker than the Universe.

 

[stinkoman]

Over the last couple years I had about 10 different MIJ Ibanez 7 strings, and even though I'm selling my K7 It's in my top 2 favorite. I'm still on the fence on selling it.The neck is definitely a nice balance of being a tad thicker and rounder than your average Ibanez neck, but by no means a big neck. For me its a perfect balance for shred and rhythm and not causing hand fatigue.It reminded me of the only J-custom I ever played especially with having a mahogany body and PAF's.

 

[Maggai]

I always loved the look of these, so nice and classy. Tried one of them in a guitar store years ago. Only time I saw one in the wild.

 

[Leviathus]

I actually like the inlay, makes this model unique (and I'm a KoЯn fan).

 

[PatientMental76]

Those would have been one of the greatest 7-strings of all time if not for the K-7 inlay

 

[NorCal_Val]

Those would have been one of the greatest 7-strings of all time if not for the K-7 inlay

I dig Korn, but I’m not a fanboi by any stretch. The k7 logo doesn’t bother me at all. How it plays/sounds is my primary concern.

 

[Merrekof]

Korn and this guitar is what brought me here on SSO. Back in the early 2000's I was a huge Korn fan. I moved on to death and black metal after nu-metal collapsed in on itself but still, they got me into guitar playing. I remember vaguely that there was this "insanely expensive" 7 string Ibby in the local guitar store, probably just an RG7620. The salesman talked me and my parents out of it and I got a Yamaha starter pack instead. Not that I blame him, 15 year old me would have never gotten a 1k+ guitar anyway. The only thing I could play were the first 6 notes of Nothing else matters.
The K7 has always been and still is a guitar I would like to own but even though I had some great used oppertunities and the funds, I never bought one because there was always another guitar I was saving for or I had 4 other 7-string Ibbies and I couldn't justify another one.
The Apex never really appealed to me, except for that dark grey-red pickup one..
I remember an interview with Munky about his guitars. If I am not mistaken, the K7 was a modern version of the Universe with AANJ and the Apex (maybe only the last model) is basically a Universe with a different PU combination.