Want to Buy High-end 7 String

[Gravy Train]

I want to buy my first very high-end instrument (i.e. $2K+).

The highest quality instrument I've ever played were the Ibanez Prestiges I had earlier this year (great guitars, but 8's aren't really for me).

I'm currently interested in:

- Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty Monarch 7
- Jackson USA Corey Beaulieu King V 7
- Mayones Regius 7
- ESP EII Jesse Liu Arrow 7

I won't be able to play any of these before buying unfortunately.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Ziricote]

Mayones

 

[scrub]

Majesty

 

[cardinal]

Two have Floyd. One has a non-locking tremolo. And the fourth presumably has a fixed bridge. That could be your first cut.

The Jesse has no neck pickup.

The JP has an oiled neck. The others painted.

Majesty has piezo.

Any of these things important to you?

 

[Gravy Train]

Two have Floyd. One has a non-locking tremolo. And the fourth presumably has a fixed bridge. That could be your first cut.

The Jesse has no neck pickup.

The JP has an oiled neck. The others painted.

Majesty has piezo.

Any of these things important to you?

I'm interested in the Piezo (I've never used one before) and am definitely into more into the non-painted/satin necks (which kind of rules out the Jesse Liu ESP as the others are either oiled or satin finished).

I'm not too picky on bridge TBH, though I am most comfortable on a tune-o-matic.

 

[diagrammatiks]

but multi scale tho

 

[xzacx]

The JP has an oiled neck. The others painted.

Beaulieu is not painted.

 

[bnzboy]

I have the ESP Jesse Liu Arrow 7 and for some reason I just could not bond with it. It has a Jugg and the guitar plays phenomenal but maybe I am just not a 7 string guy. The neck reminds me of Jackson soloist's neck.

 

[Gravy Train]

I have the ESP Jesse Liu Arrow 7 and for some reason I just could not bond with it. It has a Jugg and the guitar plays phenomenal but maybe I am just not a 7 string guy. The neck reminds me of Jackson soloist's neck.

Any issues with the balance or the shape?

 

[cardinal]

Beaulieu is not painted.

Oops, yeah I meant to type the KV has an oiled neck. I think the Majesty neck is painted but satin. I played one but can't remember now. Nice guitar. Very thin neck.

 

[cardinal]

I'm interested in the Piezo (I've never used one before) and am definitely into more into the non-painted/satin necks (which kind of rules out the Jesse Liu ESP as the others are either oiled or satin finished).

I'm not too picky on bridge TBH, though I am most comfortable on a tune-o-matic.

Since you're in the US, I might recommend buying a Majesty from GC or somewhere with a similar return policy and see what you think. If you love it, you're done. If you don't love it (and to justify the cost I think you'd have to), return it and move to one of the others on your list.

 

[Ajaydizzle]

I own an Artisan Majesty and I will be selling it next year. The thing plays like a dream, neck is super fast, the floating bridge is the best non locking bridge in the industry, and the fretwork on these are amazing. But... you should ask yourself if you need all the extra features on it (25db boost, piezo, coil tap/split). With only one output jack, it needs a battery for the guitar to function at all, which can be a bummer. My JP7 uses a Piezo, but the magnetic pups still work without a battery.

Just my 2 cents though, you can never really tell until you get your hands on a guitar.

In hindsight, I definitely should have picked up a mayones if I wanted a neck thru 7.

 

[bnzboy]

Any issues with the balance or the shape?

Nothing major. Mind you I strap my guitar fairly high so maybe that's why I never noticed it. Definitely nothing like Explorers. I really like the fretboard finish. I have blocked the trem and took out locking nut bolts because they were impacting the tone. Wish it was 26.5 scale.

 

[cip 123]

I know it's not in your list but I'd highly suggest a Schecter USA. You can find them new or used for pretty decent money, Axe palace has some and so does Reverb.

I only say this as I recently made the jump to high end 7's and before my Schecter tried 4 Mayones including 2 Master built ones and an EBMM JP16-7. I opted for the USA Schecter over all, it fitted my needs and played better than any. Just another to throw in the mix before you make the jump.

If you're not interested at all I'd suggest going with the Mayones, they were my 2nd favourite.

 

[The 1]

See if you can find a majesty to try out at a guitar center around you. They're fairly common and I've seen them at a couple guitar centers. Also, like mentioned above guitar center has a 45 day return policy, so it could be worth ordering one and returning it if you don't absolutely love it.

 

[FitRocker33]

I would give a music man jp15 a try as well. I like the more classic lines of it over the majesty and the quilted top and heavy flamed neck on mine puts many higher end PRS 10 tops to shame!

 

[Glades]

This is such a subjective decision. No real way to recommend you correctly from that list.

Just get the one that has the specs you like and looks the coolest to you.

 

[jephjacques]

Those are all very different guitars! I'd say EBMM if you want a trem, Mayones if you don't.

 

[mastapimp]

Three of the guitars you listed are in the $2-3K range (when purchased new), have the specs pretty much set, and may be available off the shelf at a music store. The regius is a different story because they're totally customizable when ordered new from Mayones. Unless you get a signature model of some kind, you're not going to find many that are identical or have the same options (they offer them with 5 or 6 types of bridges and at 2 scale lengths). Plus, if you go for a new guitar, they'll run you a few thousand more than the others you listed. I ordered a regius MBC wasabi as the base and added a few custom options (stainless frets, carbon rods, piezo, gloss finish, etc.) and it still ran me over $5K through a USA dealer.

Ordering based on other people's preferences and not playing one for yourself is definitely a gamble. I'd at least do what some of the others have said and seek out a majesty as I've seen them on the walls in several music stores.

 

[Gravy Train]

Three of the guitars you listed are in the $2-3K range (when purchased new), have the specs pretty much set, and may be available off the shelf at a music store. The regius is a different story because they're totally customizable when ordered new from Mayones. Unless you get a signature model of some kind, you're not going to find many that are identical or have the same options (they offer them with 5 or 6 types of bridges and at 2 scale lengths). Plus, if you go for a new guitar, they'll run you a few thousand more than the others you listed. I ordered a regius MBC wasabi as the base and added a few custom options (stainless frets, carbon rods, piezo, gloss finish, etc.) and it still ran me over $5K through a USA dealer.

Ordering based on other people's preferences and not playing one for yourself is definitely a gamble. I'd at least do what some of the others have said and seek out a majesty as I've seen them on the walls in several music stores.

Hmm, never thought about custom ordering. I was thinking of buying an in stick model at a Mayones dealer. You have given me a lot to think about..