Who here made the jump to a seven for the hell of it?

[TheMasterplan]

Just curious. I know a lot of people start playing sevens because they see a band they like using them and then typically some time down the road they develop in some other direction with it. I know personally I got my seven after I saw Nevermore doing some tasty things with them and nowdays I play seven stringed melodeath.

But did anyone here just play sixers and then go, "Well why the hell not?" and just get a seven without being inspired to do so by a favorite band or something? If so what was your thought behind making the switch?

 

[ralphy1976]

i did. i wanted to see if i could use it, how it felt, if i liked the sounds, voicing, and if it really made a difference when writting.

all i can say is it makes a difference when writting, and i really like having a broader spectrum, that's why i am also considering a 8 string.

But i do not shred, so it is for rythmic stuff.

 

[TheMasterplan]

i did. i wanted to see if i could use it, how it felt, if i liked the sounds, voicing, and if it really made a difference when writting.

all i can say is it makes a difference when writting, and i really like having a broader spectrum, that's why i am also considering a 8 string.

But i do not shred, so it is for rythmic stuff.

What's funny is that in my case, those were things I didn't even think about when I first got it, but not too long after when I started getting more serious about playing all those things started factoring into the equation. You probably had a hell of a lot more experience before making the decision than I did. Also a rhythm player, so I feel you there man.

 

[Scali]

Well, I never really was into seven-string guitars, or bands/artists who play sevens (I mainly play and listen to instrumental rock/metal/fusion stuff, and for lead playing the extra string isn't that useful anyway)...
But at one point I had one guitar that had a broken pickup, and it took months to get a replacement from DiMarzio (it seems their shipping to Europe is horrible).
And another guitar was at a luthier for a refret and restore job on the fretboard, so that was going to be away for a while aswell.

Those were both my trem guitars. All I had at the time was a Les Paul. The annoying part was... I already bought that one guitar as a replacement tremolo guitar because the other was disassembled, waiting on pickups. It was a rare and old guitar that I've always wanted. It just wasn't really playable at the time, so I had it restored.

So I figured I'd buy a cheap trem guitar to satisfy my tremolo needs while the other two were indisposed. I went for the Ibanez S series, since it's mahogany which I always like... and I've always liked the sleek look of the S series. I was also fascinated by the new ZR tremolo. And you could get them pretty cheap.
But then I noticed that they had a 7-string version. That was interesting, since it wouldn't be just yet another 6-stringer with a trem. So if I'd get my other guitars back, the extra string would still make it stand out and be a reason to keep it around and play it.

When I tried it in the store, I was amazed at how big it sounded. So even though I still didn't really have a concept of playing with a low B, I bought the guitar, and started playing it as a 6-string.
Then I started experimenting with the extra string a bit, since it was there anyway.

Then I had this theory that a 7-string Les Paul would also sound bigger than its 6-string siblings, so I started hunting down an Epiphone Les Paul 7 aswell. Which is why I now have two sevens.

 

[petereanima]

when i had some money saved and my old yamaha 6 string was broken, i went to the shop and tried some guitars...didnt event hink about a 7string. then saw it and thought "yeah...why the fuck not?" - tried it, (Epi LP7) and thought "oh...wow...." - tried another one (K7 i think) and thought "oh hell yes!". then grabbed the last one of the 3, an RG7420, and knew: "yeah, thats mine".

 

[ralphy1976]

What's funny is that in my case, those were things I didn't even think about when I first got it, but not too long after when I started getting more serious about playing all those things started factoring into the equation. You probably had a hell of a lot more experience before making the decision than I did. Also a rhythm player, so I feel you there man.

well, i've been serious about my playing for maybe 1 year now, having been in & out for a long time. I have just started taking lessons (which by the way is a blast). i know it sounds backwards but i just wanted to see if and what it felt like and what i could do with my own limited abilities.

I didn't go crazy on what i bought, i went along like everyone with a RG7320. honestly i don't like the way it feels and it will be on the market very soon, but i do like the idea of a 7 string.

I don't know if i will chose to use a 7 all the time over a "regular 6" but now i am thinking fo trying a baritone 7 to see what kind of sounds i can get.

It is nice to experience, it also opens different doors too.

 

[synrgy]

I saw one on the wall at my local GC.

I thought 'hey, I haven't tried to play a 7 string in about 10 years or so..'

I picked it up, and started playing.

Within minutes, I was hooked.

 

[Marv Attaxx]

I've learned playing the guitar on a seven string
My first and only guitar is my 7321. I was (am) a big Kornfan around that time so I asked my guitarteacher (a 7 string player, rg 2027) if there might be any problems buying one as first guitar and he said "get the 7 string".
And since then I've never looked back. Playing a six string is like playing with a missing finger or something

 

[lucasreis]

I began playing seven strings in 2001. I messed around with low tunings since 1995 and I honestly got the seven-string because of being lazy. I said to myself "Man, I gotta have this type of guitar, so I can play regular tuned stuff and lower tuned stuff and I don´t have to detune a thing. Turned out I was right. A lazy kind of guitar that opened the gates to a lot of awesome shit. I´m still a 6 string player too, I don´t feel like I need to stop playing them, they´re a whole different "animal" to me.

 

[8Fingers]

I started playing a 7 probably around 2002.In 2005 I start playing with DT cover and played with them for 2 years.

 

[Fred]

I don't think I was listening to any 7-string bands back when I bought my first one... I'd definitely never played one before! I got it because I needed a decent electric to gig with (before that all I had was my Yamaha Pacifica 012) and figured I might as well get the second-hand 7321 I saw on the basis it couldn't be much harder than a sixer and might open up my writing a little bit.

Same deal with the 8-string: I'd never played one in my life, let alone a 30" one, but having owned a 7 for a couple of years I thought the same thoughts, and am damn happy I did! Definitely wouldn't go for anything more than this, though.

 

[Pingu]

My first seven I got a few years back was a Ibby 7321 and I got that because I thought having more than six strings would be neat and it would confuse my friends by saying stuff like, "Usually guitars have seven strings. What have you been playing?" But I never really got into sevens until a good two years later when bands I started listening to used either seven strings or insanely low dropped tunings.

 

[Konfyouzd]

The first time I got a seven it was because I was really really really into Korn. I had it for a while but never really did much with it. I actually played my 6 a lot more. And eventually went back to playing only 6s.

I recently started playing them again as a result of having picked up the bass. I went straight to a 5 string and playing with the low B on that made me want one on my guitars as well.

 

[Ishan]

It all happened to me because of Meshuggah I guess
I've never had any 7 strings but played a lot on a double neck Schecter with a very low tuned baritone neck (G or F# standard) and 25.5" scale neck usually tuned E or D. The next step for me was an 8 string so I got one and mostly play on that right now (and a mahogany SSH Squier Strat with a Tone Zone in the bridge, it brings the old fart in me out )
I'm getting a Carvin DC727 soon so I'll finally be like everyone else on here

 

[troyguitar]

I got one of those Washburn WG587's for the hell of it when they were being blown out the first time for $199. Just thought it might be cool for shreddy stuff. I didn't start listening to 7-string bands until after that, and I still don't like many of them. The ones I like are Mercenary, Scar Symmetry, and Nevermore. That's about it really.

 

[ralphy1976]

if you wonder about 7 & string sounds / music...check this Keith Merrow / diabolics5150 playing..S.I.C.K!!!

 

[JohnIce]

I still don't really listen to any 7-string band, aside from Dream Theater and MUCC. I know of a whole lot of them but they're not something I listen to regularly.

I got the 7 just because it's just like a 6, only moreso. I use the low B mostly for clean stuff, or medium gain tones where you can really hear the resonance. My prog/sympho band tunes to drop C so I don't really see the need of a 7 there. So basically, the low B is more to simulate the range of a piano. A midi-7 would be absolutely killer, cause I'm bad at piano.

 

[Konfyouzd]

^ what's MUCC?

 

[Varcolac]

I sort of figured "why the hell not?". It wasn't a "listen to Meshuggah, buy an ERG" sort of decision. I'd always figured the rhythms were more interesting than the fact that their guitars are tuned lower than most basses. Steve Vai has always been out of my league for guitar acrobatics, so he wasn't much of an inspiration to get a seven either.

In the process of forming my band (which finally hit a stable and competent line-up on Tuesday with a new drummer), we had a second guitarist with a seven-string. He posts here from time to time. I figured "why don't I write some stuff that'll use that low A?", but as I'm too lazy to write complicated harmonies for six- and seven-strings, I went on eBay and bought myself a cheap seven. Our bass player followed suit and got a considerably more expensive five-string ESP.

I'd played five-string bass in a jazz band for a couple of years, so it wasn't an entirely alien concept. It's given me a lot more to play with for both rhythm and lead. Of course, Murphy's Law being the guiding force of the universe, the guy who introduced us to seven strings quit the band. We certainly don't regret entering low A territory though... however, I think I'll stop at seven. Eight-string guitars don't interest me... much.

 

[HamBungler]

I had never really been interested in sevens until I was in Guitar Center during their memorial day sale. I saw the Avenger just chillin' there for an awesome price, and since it was close to what I had earned from a show I had just played, I thought "Well, might as well try it out," so I plugged it in and it sounded absolutely enormous. I knew I needed that guitar, and still own my Avenger today. I came close to selling it but that was before I installed the X2N-7 and a coil tap, now its perfect. Those stock pickups nearly made me sell em' off, which is why I hate most stock pickups now Well, at least Duncan Designed 7 string pickups. The 6 string ones aren't so bad.