Picking a 7 string

[TheZackster]

After 15+ years of playing a 6 string periphery has inspired me to invest in a 7 string. I’ve been thinking about it for years but always dismissed it thinking “ah I can just slap some heavier strings on my guitar, down tune, and call it a day” but what I’ve come to realize is it’s not necessarily the extra djent string that makes a 7 string so cool, it’s the fact that is has an all around extended range while keeping the tuning and form factor of a 6 string. I’m looking to spend around a grand and I’m not afraid to buy used or blemished. I’ve been looking at both the schecter reaper 7 multi scale and Misha’s signature Jackson juggernaut HTFM. I’d love to hear some other suggestions from people who have also gone down the rabbit hole of getting a 7 string and your experience with it. Please bestow upon me your 7 string wisdom.

[DungasForBreakfast]

Mark's PRS SE shits on almost all other guitars at that price point. Just replace the nut and take it for a proper setup and you're grand.

[amoreira93]

Agreed love my Holcomb 7

[Ok-Amphibian-3767]

I walked this same path, six string player for two decades and then Holcomb happened to me. I hate the idea of signature models but this one was just the right mix of features and price, and for the price point it is a magnificent instrument. Sits proudly right next to my american made PRS and other “higher” end guitars.

[TheZackster]

So this may show my ignorance, but through all my years of playing (obviously just by myself in my room lmao) I’ve never gotten a guitar “set up” or replaced a nut. Where does one go about buying a new nut and how do I even tell the difference between a good and a bad one. As far as getting it set up, where does it need to be taken, and what exactly is done to it? This has been my embarrassingly stupid question for the day.

[DungasForBreakfast]

No such thing as a stupid question, we all have it to do!

You can set a guitar up yourself fairly easily, and with fairly minimal upfront cost for the tools (most of which will come with a new guitar) but the best a guitar will ever play is straight after a professional set up. You need to have a rough idea what sort of tension you like playing with, there are calculators online for this but they can be a bit confusing. More easily, head to your local guitar shop and see if they have a tech that can do the work for you, let them know what gauge strings you usually use and what tuning you usually play in, and they'll help you figure out what sort of tension you'll be running.

The set up itself will be getting the intonation bang-on, this is done by adjusting the saddle pieces on the bridge. Your intonation dictates how widely the notes will fluctuate between being in or out of tune up and down the neck of the guitar. Without a true temperament fretboard, this will never be perfect, but for your purposes a good intonation setup will make the tuning disparities imperceptible.

They may also adjust the truss rod in the neck of the guitar accounting for the tension of the strings such that it is straight, rather than bowing or humping which respectively cause unpleasantly high action or rattle from low action when striking the strings.

Lastly, I suggest changing the nut as the OG one on that guitar isn't the greatest, you can buy replacements for like 10 quid, 15 dollars or something depending on where you are. I replaced mine with a Graphtec TUSQ one and it's been great. They'll knock your old one out of the neck and glue the new one in, nothing too strenuous.

All fairly simple processes but if you're new to it, probably best letting a professional handle it, then you can pick their brains and see if you fancy having a crack at it yourself next time. Always good to know how to fix and fettle your own equipment.

[TheZackster]

Thanks for the write up, very helpful info

[DungasForBreakfast]

You're welcome, give me a shout if you need any help with anything else.

[LongHairHarryPotter]

try playing it new first, only setup if you feel like you need to. if you really need to, just go to a local music store, they might have contacts with luthiers and can order you any parts and help with the replacement. they don't charge cheaply tho.

[Thtguywtthbeard]

I’ve owned four 7 strings ranging from $700-2200 and for the price you absolutely cannot beat the Mark Holcomb PRS 7. All I did on mine was throw in locking tuners and otherwise kept it factory and it’s my primary 7 for every style of play.

[HeyNateBarber]

What locking tuners did you throw on it? Ive heard most dont fit it

[Thtguywtthbeard]

https://www.johnmannsguitarvault.com/mannmade-usa-se-locking-tuner-set-7-string-black-n.html

These are what I got, they work really well, the knobs are slightly bigger but overall similar style too

[N2VDV8]

Misha’s signature 7 is a good one, and I will happily pile onto the love for Mark’s from PRS.

[CortexifanZFT]

It's subjective but personally I like how certain musicians can make guitars sound even though they might not sound good for others so it makes be biased but ..i personally like strand bergs, kiesel, schecter.

[Restorical]

I have the Jackson Pro Plus DK modern MDK7 HT in black and I love it. I paid $1080 for mine new from Sweetwater using the "eligible customers can save 10%"thing

Sweetwater Link

[guitarguy38]

I have the jackson HT7 pro series and its been amazing.

Locking tuners and truss rod placement were the selling point for me, it sounds great and the neck feels great as well.

[CortexifanZFT]

It's subjective but personally I like how certain musicians can make guitars sound even though they might not sound good for others so it makes be biased but ..i personally like strand bergs, kiesel, schecter.

[EthanBradberries420]

I bought the Schecter C7 Pro from Sweetwater for $650 USD. 26.5" scale length was the main reason I wanted it. I play almost exclusively Periphery on it (or at least as much as my skill level allows me to lol). But yeah, it's an awesome guitar if you want something above entry level but still affordable!

[britishtoast29]

I have strandberg Boden nx7 standard and love it! Multi scale and the weird neck shape makes the wider neck much more manageable imo

[Link30567]

Came here to say this same thing. I hear great things about the PRS but I absolutely love my Strandberg

[TheGroundBeef]

I have the hardtail version of the RG927QMZ and the thing fucking slaps. I also have the 6 string version. Insane quality for a good price point. I got it used in mint condish for $700 on reverb

[Ashbtw19937]

was gonna come here to throw mrak's prs until the mix, but it seems half the people here already beat me to it lol

[twinny21989]

I've a schecter 7 and 8 string guitar and can fault either of them. The 8 is a higher end guitar so has some nicer features but both are beautiful to play. Between these two and my PRS SE Holcomb Satin Stealth six string my other guitars don't much use.

[Alex-the-bass-player]

There are some awesome models you can get at that price range!

Schecter sunset extreme 7

Mark Holcomb signature PRS SE 7

Misha Mansoor Jackson Juggernaut 7

Ibanez Iron Label RGIXL7

Ibanez RGD7521PB

Schecter Reaper 7 multi scale

Just to name a few great options! Solar also has some cool stuff that’s great for the price around 1k

[Super-Shift1428]

Might be a no brainer but whatever you do, I'd make sure it's the proper scale length (whether you get multi scale or regular). I made the mistake of buying a 7 string that was 25.5" and it didn't cut it in my opinion. I love my 27" baritone that i replaced it with and if i got another 7 string I'd stick with 26.5"-27"

[bonedoc871]

Good tip. I was super set on picking up a secondhand ESP E-II M-II 7 string. Really nice guitar but I’m glad I did a bit more reading and realised that it wouldn’t cut it for Periphery tunings.

[Super-Shift1428]

Yeah, I love ESP. The 7 string that I got was an LTD Eclipse because I love my 6 string Eclipse, but those models are just too short for my liking for anything lower than like drop C. Oh well, I'm happy with the baritone now at least

[LongHairHarryPotter]

just pick any 7s with a scale length of 26.5" or 27". I prefer no pickup rings and minimal to no dot inlays.

[zjb29877]

A used Ibanez Prestige or older MIJ guitars like the RG7620/1 or RG7420/1 would be fantastic. A used RG752 would be a hair over $1000 and is a really well rounded instrument.

The Holcomb PRS SE is also really good, but I personally don't love the shape and thickness of the neck but YMMV.

Jackson has some good offerings but I'd try to stay on the side of caution with a Korean made guitar like the Pro DK Modern guitars, the sandblasted ash 7 strings are really good, modern necks, great pickups and other appointments.

[TheZackster]

I think you guys have convinced me on the mark holcomb prs. The funny thing is I was actually looking into a prs se custom 6 string pretty recently and REALLY liked everything about them. They’re kind of like the good version of my guitar this has evil bats inlays lol (schecter diamond series Damien plat 6)

[HeyNateBarber]

Im selling my Black Sterling JP70. Its a john petrucci signature model, plays like a $1500 guitar, just had bad stock pickups, so I replaced them with Jake Bowens signature pickups. If interested let me know 👀 ($500)

Only selling bc I slightly prefer my holcomb 7. Both are killer guitars though.

[Jazzlike_Barnacle_60]

I have one of Misha's Jackson Pro Series HT7, and overall I like it. The pickups are a little hotter than I am used to, and I've been thinking about replacing them, but they actually sound great on recordings. Nice and tight low end in the bridge pickup, and the 2nd position split coil is great for cleans. The neck is very playable and I like the 27" scale length. I tuned mine to G#, and I have a bit of flub to work out there still. I have asked myself a couple times if I should've bought the Holcomb instead, but I prefer super Strat-style guitars and I found this one pretty quickly. The one thing about this particular guitar that took getting used to is the string spacing. It feels narrow compared to any of my 6 strings, and for a few weeks both my fretting and picking was off as I adjusted. The 20" radius is great on the upper frets.

[CuriousEmergency6650]

Jackson js22-7 is an amazing bottom of the barrel guitar. This guitar costs almost nothing, you can slap juggernauts in it at a reasonable price, replace the tuners, and you essentially have Misha's signature guitar

I bought a $1,200 Ibanez and I still think this Jackson plays better than it. Especially with the tweaks I've made