Rate Your 7 String Guitars

[M3CHK1LLA]

Thought it would be a cool idea to rate the 7 strings we own/owned as well as giving other members an idea of how good any given brand/model is.

A few rules:

1. to keep each post clean and simple as well as not having a wall of text, lets keep it to 1 guitar per post. if you have multiple guitars you'd like to rank, make a different post for it please.

2. post a 7 string only if you've owned it. include brand, model, any mods, pups or anything you had to do to improve it.

3. explain why you bought it, and whether or not you still own the 7. also why you may have sold the guitar and would you buy it again.

4. give it a final rating... 1 to 11 (yes some may go to 11 )

optional:

5. mini review - if you want, you could include a mini review of the guitar and its features, fit & finish, etc. you can also include a link to any reviews or ngd thread you may have...

6. include pictures....most of us would enjoy that

7. if you felt a members rating/review was helpful, or you agreed with it, give them a "like"

 

[M3CHK1LLA]

the first 7 id like to rate the

* ibanez uv777bk

* this is the 1st 7 string i bought. got it from a friend who talked me into trying it and who also by the way introduced me to sso. also some dude named vai played one...

* sadly i don't have it anymore because at the time i just could not get used to it after playing 6 strings for so many years. it just sat in my music room collecting dust and i felt bad about so i sold to fund several other guitars lol. i would gladly buy another one in the future and would highly recommend the model.

* the guitar is legendary to say the least...
it was solidly built and of coarse sounded great with stock pups. I kept it stock other than the strap locks.

* im rating it - 9 out of 11

im comparing this to 3 other 7 strings i own/owned as well as a few custom shop 6 strings including brands like esp and jackson.

* no pics anymore...photobucket hijacked them. anyways, you guys know what it looks like lol...​

 

[c7spheres]

* Ibanez Rg2027xvv

* I've owned 4 of these over the years and regret selling every one of them. One had to be sacrificed for it's parts for a custom I later had built. All the others had to be sold when in desperate emergency money needed times.

* I would highly recommend it. Out of all the Ibanez 7's I've had (5 or 6 rg7620's, two rg 8527's, 1 rg8427, 1 rg7ct a couple Gio's, and a cople others) they all had better feeling necks than any of those. Don't let them tell you all the wizard necks are the same. They are all a bit different. The neck on these is a little special due to it's mediium frets, not jumbo and 3pc maple neck.

* The stock pickups are kinda "meh". They sound good for pretty much everything but metal, imo. The piezo system with the double edge sounds really good and this and the neck is the best features of the guitar. The Mahogany body is "meh". I'm not a fan of the Ibanez mahogany. It's the same as all the Ibby Mohogany on the prev mentioned models. It's to light weight and hollow sounding. Most people seem to prefer it though to basswood, not me. It sounds good and compliments the piezo's really well though. This guitar is great for what it appears was created for, which is everything but metal. it excels in that area. I put 707's in one of them and it came to life, so a pickup change will turn it into a versatile metal machine. For extra nasty tones turn the piezo on with heavy distortion. Fun stuff.

* Im' rating it - 8 out of 11 overall. 11 for the neck's feel and playability, 11 for the DoubleEdge LoPro. The best LoPro ever. I'd definitly buy it again if I could find one for sale.

* The picture is the first one I had that I upgraded with EMG 707's and a hex guitar synth pickup as well. The double ouput jack was converted to a 13 pin output and a single 1/4" output with mix capability. I controlled a Kurzweil k2500rs rack using an Axon Ax100sb in parallel with a Mesa half stack, pedal board effects, and rack effects too. It was a kick ass time. This was the year before these came out. It was a 1999 model, actually. They started making them in 1999, not 2000 like all the info everywhere says.

 

[sleewell]

I only have ever owned 2 sevens. love them both.

Jackson X Series Dinky Arch Top DKAF7 MS Multi-Scale - this is my current #1. I love it. even the stock pickups are great. i upgraded tuners to hipshot locking. 10/10

Jackson JS Series Dinky Arch Top JS32-7 DKA HT - this is my backup. i love it. i upgraded the tuners to hipshot locking and pickups to BKP war pigs. this could easily be my main guitar. 10/10.

 

[Conspiracy795]

Except for 1 Fender Strat I've pretty much owned only 7s. Owned most EBMM JP models and switched in and out of them until the Majesty. Instead of 1 post per guitar I'd rather just write a short sentence of the ones that stick out so I don't flood the thread

My first 7 was an Ibanez RG7321 I got when I was I think 14 or 15 years old. Great guitar for starting out 7 string as it didn't feel much different from a 6 string. As a beginner 9/10. Overall though it's probably closer to a 6.

Then I got a JP7/12/13 over the next few years (mostly just straight up trades every year or so) which became the only guitars I used for a good 4 years. Mystic Dream was the JP7 (my favourite). Unreal guitars. I didn't even set them up from the factory and it was already perfect. 9/10 overall

Since 2014 I've owned 2 Majesty 7s. One is an Iced Crimson, the other is an Artisan Marrone. Both of them are 11/10. I bought a white RG7421 in between for fun and to mod but as far as studio and live, the Majestys are used exclusively and always will be. I can't recommend these guitars enough for the music I play but it's a VERY versatile guitar ( as most JP models are).

 

[cardinal]

Used Prestige: pretty much 10 out of 10.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

-Guitar: PRS SE-7 (25" scale) in Vintage Sunburst

-Mods: Mann-made SE Locking Tuners (easier string changes). Duncan Pegasus/Sentient pickups (stock neck pup was good but bridge pup was too muddy).

-Story: Was looking for a quality 7-string on a budget and this came up on local classifieds (Kijiji) for half-price retail and was in excellent condition.

-Still Own: Yes.


-Review:

Pro- Very comfortable neck. Well made. Fit and finish is very good. Flame maple veneer has a lot of movement and depth. Plays very easily and smoothly.

Neutral (Pro or Con)- 25" scale length is very comfortable and a breeze to play on, however, since it is technically a 'short-scale' 7-string some players will find they need to use thicker strings to achieve desired tension (scale length is fine for me using 10-59 in Drop A).

Cons- Frets are quite small. Arch-top is very shallow so isn't as comfortable as a guitar with a more pronounced arm-cut, but I don't think this will be an issue for most players. Stock neck pickup is fine but stock bridge pickup was very muddy.


-Rating & Final Thoughts: 8.5/10
If you're okay with a shorter scale length on a 7-string then this is a quality instrument; however, you will want to upgrade the bridge pickup. If you dig the PRS 7-string but don't dig the 25" scale then you can get the PRS SVN with 26.5" scale, which has better stock pickups.

 

[G_3_3_k_]

I've only ever owned one 7. UV777BK. Epic guitar. Wish I hadn't sold it. Fit/finish/setup were all top notch. Sold it after getting my first 8 string. Now every time I see one, I want to kick myself in the nuts.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Guitar: Aristides 070 in blueberry chameleon marble finish
Mods: none yet.
Why I bought it: because it's purdy as hell and had lundgrens. Also because I've been lusting after an aristides for years, but I didn't feel comfortable buying a new one first.

mini review: Fit/Finish/Setup is very damn good. The previous owner put a very insignificant ding on the tip of the headstock, but other than that it's basically impeccable. No sharp fret ends, no obvious tool marks, nothing. I've held/played comparably priced PRS that aren't as nice in terms of fit/finish. The lundgren m7s sound killer in it and the neck profile is very shred friendly. The neck is on the the thinner side but not so thin that it gives me hand cramps after extended play sessions like some of my other guitars (km7 mk3 std, carvin dc600, my old rg7421). Fret access is excellent even for someone with big hands like myself.
I've owned and played a bunch of guitars in this price range, but haven't felt inspired by them the same way I do when I pick up this guitar. I find that the riffs just fly out of me when I play it, and I can just play it for hours on end. It's hands down my favorite guitar at the moment.

I give it a 10/11

 

[odibrom]

I'm doing a review for 2 of the same guitars @c7spheres did, Ibanez RG2027XVV, but first pics! Don't mind the guitar in the middle of the 1st pic, it's an RG7421 obviously modded and most of you have already seen this photo at the post your 7s thread, next 2 pics are of the oldest (in my hands) of the 2.

I still own my first RG2027XVV, which is the one at the right and solo on the last 2 pics. I bought this one in 2001/2002 (December/January) and never went back to 6s. I was divided in engaging 7 strings or trying MIDI guitar stuff and though... "this will live longer, MIDI and digital stuff dies of pretty fast", or something alike, well this one still rocks big time.

I liked it so much that I bought a 2nd one in 2016 and had the opportunity to buy 2 more through out my history. One back in 2004/5/6/7 (can't remember when) I've played it and was priced pretty well, but I was a silly little boy and the other was recently in an Italian site mistakenly identified as a different model. Why I bought a 2nd one? Well, by 2015 I noticed that the mags and piezos mix was kind of wonky, so I did a surgery to it and found that my earlier surgery to it had the saddles all mixed up. They came from factory with alternate phase piezos which is not very good for the mags and piezo mix. The guitar bought in 2016 (the one at the left in 1st pic) was a way to find how all piezos in the same phase would sound like. It happened by a struck of luck that they had their piezos mirrored , so after some soldering both had the piezos all with the same phase. The mix results are way more interesting, flexible and usable.

First mod done was pickup swapping for DiMarzios Blaze Neck and Custom, which stayed there for a long time. Tested some other DiMarzio pickups but the blazes were top. Besides these, I installed PCB connectors so I can swap pickups in/out pretty fast, and also the pickup selector switch, just for fun. I have several VXL91 with different wirings so I can try different sounds.

Since the first and last photo, I've installed the KJG mod for mags and piezo mix, replaced all piezo elements and the preamp (both from LR Baggs, the preamp already comes with a 3 way mini switch for the mix and a white push/push button tip), vol pot for a 1Mohhm alfa (i think), medium to high alnico custom pickups...

Both guitars sound fantastic, responsive and super articulate. They can do heavy and rock and whatever my fingers feel like...

Contrary to @c7spheres, I kind of prefer this mahogany to basswood, maybe because "I was raised" with an S540 since 1995...

 

[mlp187]

Ibanez RG7PCMLTD 9/10. Would be 10/10 but I hate that my Cosmo black knobs started showing wear within a week of playing. The trem and nut still look new, miraculously.
I like this one so much I sold my prestige 7s because I never played them. I play this as much as my EBMMs.

 

[BrailleDecibel]

Though I already have kind of a mini-review on this thing in my NGD thread, I don't see any of the newer run of Ibanez RG7421's in this thread yet, so here I come to save the dayyyyy!

I bought this guitar because I have always had a good experience owning Ibanez 7-strings, and because of the understated good looks of the Walnut Flat finish. It did not disappoint! Mere minutes after getting it out of the box and giving it a few to acclimate from a cold Fed-Ex truck to my living room, I had it in drop-A and was jamming like it was going under prohibition the next day. The feel of the satin finish both on the neck, and under my arm was amazing, and just makes me want to play it as much as humanly possible. The stock pickups sound better than pretty much any other stock pickups in any guitar I have owned up to this point...the tone fits my playing like a broken-in, comfortable pair of boots.

Still own it? Obviously I do, given the newness of the instrument, but the real fun part is that I am gonna be owning this one for a loooooonnnnggg time, probably gonna take it to my grave with me.

Would I buy it again? In a heartbeat, I haven't been this stoked on a new guitar in a long time.

Final Rating: 10, but louder.

 

[M3CHK1LLA]

i started this thread to see reviews and ratings...but now its turning into massive gas.

must

delete

thread...

wallet

may

not

survive...

 

[_Mick_]

oh geez rick, so many RG2027X I think I'm in trouble haha

Heres my additions
* ibanez UV7PWH - UV7BK - RG8527

* These things are all insane. I've lusted after all of these since starting guitar. the UV's and the J Custom are pretty much tied for me for dream guitars. I just vividly remember my first time stumbling upon Steve Vai and seeing the MC and Green Dot and I knew I needed to have as many of these as possible.
The RG8527 is something that I never imagined I'd actually own, after seeing so many here on SSO I finally got one!

* I have all 3 of these still and I think they'll be buried with me. These are forever guitars for me.

* I reckon the Green Dot is a 10/10. Condition wise it's basically a museum piece with no tarnish on the hardware and only very light pick marks on the guard.
the RG8527 is a solid 9/10. I needed to shim mine to get it where I wanted it, but its absolutely insane to play, neck is thicker than my UV's, but its a nice difference

 

[Charlie Foxtrot 3rd]

Kiesel Andy James signature 7 string

Stock as.
Evertune
Lithium active pups
It’s green and black

I would absolutely buy this guitar again. I was taking a gamble as we all do when buying an instrument from the interwebs and after reading about some people’s bad experience with ordering a custom guitar from Kiesel.

Out of the case day 1, fit and finish was flawless, I scanned every millimeter thinking I would find some problem, nothing. In tune and the sound just punched me right on the nose (in a good way)

People are gonna get sick of hearing me bang on about this guitar, best I’ve owned and played.

 

[G_3_3_k_]

Guitar: Aristides 070 in blueberry chameleon marble finish
Mods: none yet.
Why I bought it: because it's purdy as hell and had lundgrens. Also because I've been lusting after an aristides for years, but I didn't feel comfortable buying a new one first.

mini review: Fit/Finish/Setup is very damn good. The previous owner put a very insignificant ding on the tip of the headstock, but other than that it's basically impeccable. No sharp fret ends, no obvious tool marks, nothing. I've held/played comparably priced PRS that aren't as nice in terms of fit/finish. The lundgren m7s sound killer in it and the neck profile is very shred friendly. The neck is on the the thinner side but not so thin that it gives me hand cramps after extended play sessions like some of my other guitars (km7 mk3 std, carvin dc600, my old rg7421). Fret access is excellent even for someone with big hands like myself.
I've owned and played a bunch of guitars in this price range, but haven't felt inspired by them the same way I do when I pick up this guitar. I find that the riffs just fly out of me when I play it, and I can just play it for hours on end. It's hands down my favorite guitar at the moment.

I give it a 10/11

Aristedes and Strandberg are the two guitars I most want to try right now. I have a distinct feeling that I'm going to come to the conclusion that if I could get a headless Oni made from arium with an Endureneck it would be an amazing guitar. I need to make myself not like one of the above since this doesn't exist.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Aristedes and Strandberg are the two guitars I most want to try right now. I have a distinct feeling that I'm going to come to the conclusion that if I could get a headless Oni made from arium with an Endureneck it would be an amazing guitar. I need to make myself not like one of the above since this doesn't exist.

the endurneck is very much a love/hate thing. they of course advertise it as being ErGoNoMiC but I found it to be one of the most uncomfortable necks I've ever played. The IPNP profile they licensed from Toone is much better ime.
Arium is a neat material but it's not exactly lightweight so I don't think it's well suited to a headless if weight reduction is the goal. It is pretty resonant, but not more than a good wooden guitar ime.
My 070 weighs like 8 lbs

 

[G_3_3_k_]

the endurneck is very much a love/hate thing. they of course advertise it as being ErGoNoMiC but I found it to be one of the most uncomfortable necks I've ever played. The IPNP profile they licensed from Toone is much better ime.
Arium is a neat material but it's not exactly lightweight so I don't think it's well suited to a headless if weight reduction is the goal. It is pretty resonant, but not more than a good wooden guitar ime.
My 070 weighs like 8 lbs

Interesting. That actually does curb some of my GAS. Might be better off with Padalka and Oni then. I DO like the idea of the Multiscale trem on the Strandberg though.

 

[stevexc]

Easy peasey.

I've only owned 3 (and am borrowing a 4th). And aside from the loaner, they got progressively worse. First was an RG827Z. that was a fantastic guitar. Everything about it was great, I just didn't like dealing with the trem.

Next was an older Hellraiser C-7. It was alright, but I couldn't get along with the neck. Too thick, too wide, too long - it seriously tired me out to play it.

Then was an RG7321. It was... okay. But I couldn't get a good tone out of it. Then I murdered it with a dremel trying to fit in soapbars because I'm dumb.

Now I've got a second RG7321 on loan from my drummer, and I'm having much more success with it through an entirely different signal chain.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Interesting. That actually does curb some of my GAS. Might be better off with Padalka and Oni then. I DO like the idea of the Multiscale trem on the Strandberg though.

eh if you want a multiscale with trem the way to do it is do a half fan with the bridge as the zero fret. Then you can use any trem whatsoever while still getting some of the multiscale benefits. Also has the side benefit of opening up a lot of options for pickup choices as you no longer have to slant the pickups.