ManWithDaPlan
Well-Known Member
Hey, I might be getting a UV777BK soon. I'd like to know what some of you guys' opinions on it might be? As in tone, playability, versatility, looks, etc. whatever. Thanks.
UV777BK Opinions?
- Thread starter ManWithDaPlan
- Start date
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I'm pretty sure most will say it's a great guitar. Afterall, the UV is the KING of 7-strings.
UV777BK > UV7PWH with creme pickups
I'll let you know when I get mine in about 6 weeks!!! 
Drew
Forum MVP
Leon said:
That'd be a pretty low blow... if the pickups in my PWH weren't white.
Yeah, UV's are great guitars. I've never played a 777BK, but even without the all access neck joint my PWH quickly superceeded the 7620 that was my previous main player.
yeah, i've actually never played on a Universe. so, i don't have the slightest idea of what i'm talking about
however, i do want one.
ManWithDaPlan
Well-Known Member
Cool, anyone own one personally? And to any Universe Owners:
How would you say your UV ranks in: Tone, Versatility, Playability, etc.?
How would you say your UV ranks in: Tone, Versatility, Playability, etc.?
jforsythe
jforsythe
Tone:
The tone is very well rounded. Very nice balance of highs, mids, and lows. The stock pickups (Dimarzio Blaze), however, do not offer too much clarity. I replaced the bridge pickup for an Dimarzio Evolution 7. I have no complaints since then, but I wouldn't say it's a great improvement either. Don't even consider EMG's for this guitar. I've tried to have them installed but no tech will do it since the guitar is considered a "collector's item" and some of the wood would have to be drilled to make way for the battery compartment, thus probably sacrificing some of the wood tone and resonance.
Versatility:
I have played this guitar with a Mesa Dual Rectifier, a Peavy 5150, a Marshall JCM 800, and various Line 6 amplifiers. I've used this guitar for rock, metal, and jazz and it's worked decent for them all. Obviously you won't get an "authentic" jazz tone with it. In metal situations where you would have to maintain clarity and precision in your rhythm playing (like Fear Factory), I wouldn't say that this particular guitar works. It has a nice round lead tone, however. The clean sound is where this guitar really shines. Many options with the 5-way switch, however, I haven't found a use for the guitar in 3rd position (single-coil only).
Playability:
The best feature is the neck. Extremely comfortable. I never realized how great the neck was, however, until I tried other seven strings. The neck is unfinished so it feels very soft, however you will have to wipe it down frequently unless you want the maple to rot. As comfortable as the neck is, however, I recommend practicing frequently while standing up and thoroughly warming-up before a gig, or you might just find your fretting hand cramp unexpectedly onstage. The trem system is very reliable and stays in tune well. I've never had a string breakage during a performance and as long as you have the guitar regularly serviced, you should never have a problem with it. The only major problem that I have had with this guitar is the recessed input jack. I've probably had to have this serviced 4 or 5 times since I've bought the guitar because the sound will either cut out or I will get a lot of crackling. Maybe it has to do with the way I play the guitar, but it's something to consider.
Looks:
The guitar is visually beautiful, however, the body gets dented very easily. It is extremely delicate so if you thrash around on stage like I do you're going to have tons of dings in the finish, considerably lowering the resale value.
I've had my UV777BK since 1998. Since buying this guitar, my taste in guitars has changed considerably, but I would still say that this guitar is very nice. As mentioned before, I think the neck is what makes this guitar stand out.
The tone is very well rounded. Very nice balance of highs, mids, and lows. The stock pickups (Dimarzio Blaze), however, do not offer too much clarity. I replaced the bridge pickup for an Dimarzio Evolution 7. I have no complaints since then, but I wouldn't say it's a great improvement either. Don't even consider EMG's for this guitar. I've tried to have them installed but no tech will do it since the guitar is considered a "collector's item" and some of the wood would have to be drilled to make way for the battery compartment, thus probably sacrificing some of the wood tone and resonance.
Versatility:
I have played this guitar with a Mesa Dual Rectifier, a Peavy 5150, a Marshall JCM 800, and various Line 6 amplifiers. I've used this guitar for rock, metal, and jazz and it's worked decent for them all. Obviously you won't get an "authentic" jazz tone with it. In metal situations where you would have to maintain clarity and precision in your rhythm playing (like Fear Factory), I wouldn't say that this particular guitar works. It has a nice round lead tone, however. The clean sound is where this guitar really shines. Many options with the 5-way switch, however, I haven't found a use for the guitar in 3rd position (single-coil only).
Playability:
The best feature is the neck. Extremely comfortable. I never realized how great the neck was, however, until I tried other seven strings. The neck is unfinished so it feels very soft, however you will have to wipe it down frequently unless you want the maple to rot. As comfortable as the neck is, however, I recommend practicing frequently while standing up and thoroughly warming-up before a gig, or you might just find your fretting hand cramp unexpectedly onstage. The trem system is very reliable and stays in tune well. I've never had a string breakage during a performance and as long as you have the guitar regularly serviced, you should never have a problem with it. The only major problem that I have had with this guitar is the recessed input jack. I've probably had to have this serviced 4 or 5 times since I've bought the guitar because the sound will either cut out or I will get a lot of crackling. Maybe it has to do with the way I play the guitar, but it's something to consider.
Looks:
The guitar is visually beautiful, however, the body gets dented very easily. It is extremely delicate so if you thrash around on stage like I do you're going to have tons of dings in the finish, considerably lowering the resale value.
I've had my UV777BK since 1998. Since buying this guitar, my taste in guitars has changed considerably, but I would still say that this guitar is very nice. As mentioned before, I think the neck is what makes this guitar stand out.
Vince
Contributor
ManWithDaPlan said:
Worst guitar ever made. It pales in comparison to Kurt Cobain's Fender Mustang.
*smack*
WTF did I just say?
ManWithDaPlan
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the elaborate jforsythe. Honestly, I can't stand EMG tone anyways, so that's not a problem for me. I really like DiMarzios and I've become a new fan of the Tom Anderson pickups. Though I don't know if they have 7 string pickups.
Anyone else?
Anyone else?
Congrats, guys! The UV777BK is a nice guitar. I had one 3 years ago. Mine was a '98 and it was pristine. I regret selling it.
<--------Im just happy I have this.
<--------Im just happy I have this.
jag-stang, wasn't it?desertdweller said:
Naren
OldschoolGhettostyle
Leon said:
Well, I don't know for sure, but Cobain's main guitar was a Fender Jaguar - and I'm sure he had quite a few of them, since he destroyed them on stage at the end of many performances.
As for the Universe, I just played one yesterday. Good stuff. As everyone has said, pretty sweet guitar. I particularly like the look and the way the neck feels.
ManWithDaPlan
Well-Known Member
Cool, thanks for the feedback people.
Would you guys say it's worth the price?
Would you guys say it's worth the price?
Drew
Forum MVP
The Jag-stang was Kurt's custom-shop Fender.
Gotta add my thoughts here - I differ in a few areas.
First, I find the Universe to be VERY defined. The Blaze bridge, in particular, is incredibly clear, with it's scooped midrange and sharp treble. it might not lend itself to death metal quite as well as EMG's, but it'll get you there as well as any passive I've played, and with a mice, middy mid-gain amp setting, it's a tremendous lead pickup. I do have to agree that the Blaze single is fairly underwhelming, although FWIW I never use the middle single on my strat much either, and find it's real value lies in the out-of-phase combination settings rather than in its own tone.
Also, my '91 UV, while granted has only been in my hands for about 6 months, has yet to have input jack problems. It's a pity the reversed, recessed jack is considered somewhat of a signature detail on this guitar and has not spread to the rest of the line yet, as it's a big improvement over the non-recessed straight-down design on the 7620.
Is it worth the price? Debateable... I personally felt that even without the AANJ, my PWH destroyed my 7620, but especially if you're buying new the $1800 list figure is awfully high if you compare it to a secondhand 7620 at $400. Used, I've seen these as low as $900 for a player. New though it's a personal choice. I've never played a 777BK, but my gut feeling is if you have the cash, yes, it probably IS worth the price. It's a gorgeous guitar that plays incredibly and sounds great straight out of the case.
-D
Gotta add my thoughts here - I differ in a few areas.
First, I find the Universe to be VERY defined. The Blaze bridge, in particular, is incredibly clear, with it's scooped midrange and sharp treble. it might not lend itself to death metal quite as well as EMG's, but it'll get you there as well as any passive I've played, and with a mice, middy mid-gain amp setting, it's a tremendous lead pickup. I do have to agree that the Blaze single is fairly underwhelming, although FWIW I never use the middle single on my strat much either, and find it's real value lies in the out-of-phase combination settings rather than in its own tone.
Also, my '91 UV, while granted has only been in my hands for about 6 months, has yet to have input jack problems. It's a pity the reversed, recessed jack is considered somewhat of a signature detail on this guitar and has not spread to the rest of the line yet, as it's a big improvement over the non-recessed straight-down design on the 7620.
Is it worth the price? Debateable... I personally felt that even without the AANJ, my PWH destroyed my 7620, but especially if you're buying new the $1800 list figure is awfully high if you compare it to a secondhand 7620 at $400. Used, I've seen these as low as $900 for a player. New though it's a personal choice. I've never played a 777BK, but my gut feeling is if you have the cash, yes, it probably IS worth the price. It's a gorgeous guitar that plays incredibly and sounds great straight out of the case.
-D
JJ Rodriguez
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I've been considering getting one as well. Are the Blaze pu's that bad for death/black metal? What would be a good pickup choice in this guitar for that in anyone's opinion, besides EMG's? I have EMG's in my 7420 and like them, but how could I take a router to a Universe? I would feel awful.
ChrisPcritter
Contributor
I have a 99 UV777bk a 97 RG7620 a K7 and an AJ307ce. I would say the UV has the best all around tone meaning you can play anything with it. The RG has the highest output (I called Dimarzio and that's what they said). The K7 has a lot of bass with decent mid and treble. A common myth is that the 7620 has blaze pickups but dimarzio said that they aren't. They are New7's and are also called Custom7's. I have been playing 20 years and got the 7620 at a shop where steve vai was signing autographs before the G3 sencond concert and bought it and had him sign it that day.
ManWithDaPlan
Well-Known Member
Well, I'm now getting one. It will arrive on Monday.
I'm definitely excited about it.
I'm definitely excited about it.
