Rg927qm or esp ltd aw-7

[nolanm]

hi, im lookin to buy my first 7 string...

i've shortlisted to these 2 guitars:
ibanez rg927qm
esp ltd aw-7

i listen to stuff like megadeth, dream theatre, periphery etc..
i also like to play alot of clean stuff...

could u suggest which guitar i should go for?

i've heard that the esp is too dark...

kindly suggest...

 

[Shredderboy1658]

for me buying a 7 is all about neck size and comfort than sound. the ibanez has a thin neck and the esp has a medium size neck.

 

[Ty Ty Ty]

I own a few Ibanez and ESP and have played both guitars you're interested in. To me the RG927QM seems to have a chunkier neck than other Ibanez seven string guitars ( to include prestige and Iron label series). The pickups lack tone IMO, they're clean but not focused or crystal clear.

The LTD AW-7 does have a medium sized neck, but to me it feels as comfortable as my ESP Horizon. The Craftsmanship on the AW-7 feels superb, the pickups can give you rich clean tones, as well as crystal clear distortion tones.

In the end, your amp will make a huge difference as well. I own two amps that are both loaded with EL34s, which I believe has perfect compatibility with darker sounding instruments.

 

[Forkface]

Lets see...
The Ibanez has stock pickups, which are decent at best; the LTD comes with Dimarzios already.
The Ibanez has a floating floyd rose-type bridge; the LTD comes with a hipshot based hardtail.
Ibanez has rosewood board; LTD has ebony board.
Bolt-on ibanez; neckthru LTD.
Ibanez runs at 1169 dlls new; LTD runs at 899 new.

So, it basically comes down to preference, because their specs are all over the place For all the reasons stated above I would go for the LTD. And it also looks more badass

And btw, the LTD is definitely not too dark. That's just what people who don't know how to use their rigs say. Even though I don't own one I've had plenty of play time on one through different amps and rigs, and none of them sounded "too dark" with a little tweaking.

 

[Ty Ty Ty]

Lets see...
The Ibanez has stock pickups, which are decent at best; the LTD comes with Dimarzios already.
The Ibanez has a floating floyd rose-type bridge; the LTD comes with a hipshot based hardtail.
Ibanez has rosewood board; LTD has ebony board.
Bolt-on ibanez; neckthru LTD.
Ibanez runs at 1169 dlls new; LTD runs at 899 new.

So, it basically comes down to preference, because their specs are all over the place For all the reasons stated above I would go for the LTD. And it also looks more badass

And btw, the LTD is definitely not too dark. That's just what people who don't know how to use their rigs say. Even though I don't own one I've had plenty of play time on one through different amps and rigs, and none of them sounded "too dark" with a little tweaking.

I agree with Forkface! All are valid points.

 

[fortisursus]

I don't think you have to worry about it being dark as said before. The D-Activators are bright and balance well with mahogany. I've never jived with the couple of Ibanez premiums I've tried. But found the signature LTDs to be great for the price. I've never had the AW-7 in particular, but had a LTD BS-7 which was incredible for the price.

 

[Charvel7string]

get the aw7 i have and its my first 7 but the best one ive played

and the d activators sound great

 

[nolanm]

i've always been a ibanez person...so im still in doubt whether to go for the aw-7.
don't any of u guys like the ibanez premium....

 

[DavidLopezJr]

The RG927 has my favorite neck profile of all time. I highly recommend checking it out first.

 

[BusinessMan]

Aw 7 is what I would choose. It has more specs I prefer

 

[leechmasterargentina]

The LTD is nice, brings D-Activators but...

I've always been a floyd rose guy. Not that I use it always, but when I want it, I have it.

I own an RG827QMZ (It's the same, except it brought CAP Ibanez pickups from factory; RG927QMZ brings IBZ/DiMarzio pickups). It's a great guitar, well finished, and has everything I always loved from Ibanez (Thin neck, playability, etc). Besides, the bridge is real easy to setup since it has the zero point system, so you won't spend hours to level it as other bridges.

I used it to record 3 of the 5 songs of my upcoming EP record with stock pickups. Even if they are stock, they do sound agressive and heavy; I'm really happy with the results. Soon after I finished recording the songs, I upgraded the bridge pickup to a D-Activator 7 Bridge. The sound of course was aimed for a more djenty sound, which forced me to compose and record another song for the EP record. Now that I know both sounds, D-Activators are made for a specific sound, but those CAP pickups can deal very well with high gain/metal situations but in a global side of things.

D-Activators are not that expensive, and since I never use the neck pickup, just buying the bridge pickup was enough.

Last but not least, I hate pickguards. I prefer to have electronics accessible from behind, and avoid taking out strings.

It's your choice, but Premiums are fine guitars. I could tell the effort in detail, but maybe that's why it's more expensive than the LTD.