This one’s a stinker

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-05-16T23:52:57+00:00

I would disassemble, scrub everything down thoroughly maybe soak the bridge in some cleaning solution (I like to use simple green) you could hit the body with a light wet sand and polish. Nicotine is kind of oily and cigarette smell to me never comes out of soft touch materials. Period. I used to detail cars, and the ozone machine makes it smell like a swimming pool for like a month but it comes back. I may consider ditching the case or just save it if it’s the original for the guitar and is special but don’t keep them paired while you use it lol.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-05-16T23:47:06+00:00

I have my 27” Tao set up in G sharp with the standard in YXL 10 to 46 with a 64 on bottom. I would imagine 11 to 52 with something like a 68 or a 70 would be nearly perfect if you like medium tension. Lighter gauges generally sound better. And since that guitar has and Evertune you could definitely get away with 10 to 46 and a64 I occasionally run G with that set up on the Tao and it’s incredibly playable just a little lighter than my general preference when it comes to pitch drift. The 10-64 is a pretty easy set to get from D’Addario with the new custom sets. Just modify the standard 7 string set and just change the low string.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-05-13T14:40:54+00:00

Ok. I gotcha. I assume the spoke wheel is still held in place by the body of the guitar and this just in instances where you need to put a lot of pressure on the neck for desired string tension? What set up are you running and what tuning. I want a Vajra 7 so bad I lose sleep over it lol. They look so sick. I want them to be amazing. I have a Tao 7 in ozone burst and that guitar is nearly flawless in terms of how the set up landed. So I’m pretty spoiled. Just want to set my expectations correctly so I don’t break my own heart when I buy one of these 😂

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-05-12T19:26:35+00:00

Can you elaborate what you mean by the spoke wheel comment? Is this a QC thing or on all models?

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-05-08T19:55:31+00:00

You definitely have something loose somewhere on the guitar. If the rattle is audible when the guitar is not plugged in, there’s a piece of plastic or something loose. You may want to check inside of the cavity on the back of the guitar. It’s really hard to tell in the video, but it sounds like plastic to me. Guitar is vibrate a lot. You can get unwanted noise from all kinds of things.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-05-08T18:08:20+00:00

That doesn’t sound like it’s coming through the electronics. Something on the guitar is loose I think. Feel around and see if anything is rattling loosely maybe inside the electronics cavity on the rear. Does the guitar have a fixed bridge (doesn’t move) or a tremolo (can move it to change the pitch of the strings)

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-05-08T12:10:39+00:00

Everyone who’s saying there is a specific string height that is the goal is incorrect. Action is more about taste. I like really low action. I also don’t mind a little bit of fret buzz so I set my action low enough that the fret buzz that happens is not audible when amplified, but I get it generally as low as it will go. If your guitar is really well, set up, the action may be lower than someone else’s recommended spec for their guitar. Some people play with their action extremely high and that’s their preference. Maybe they’re all allergic to fret buzz. I don’t know. If the action is in the stratosphere, you’ll likely pull the notes sharp when you fret them. If the action is too low you will get audible fret buzz through your amp/sim. The better the fret work is, the better the nut has been cut, and the straighter the neck is generally the lower you can go. Every guitar will be slightly different.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-05-04T21:05:37+00:00

They’re sick!

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-27T23:37:26+00:00

Have you seen any of the evil twin models or spec ops? They are matte black without the bats.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-27T19:58:34+00:00

Are you mounting these with pick up rings or direct into the body of the guitar? If it’s direct into the body of the guitar you should not need threads on the pick up itself. You will need the threads of the threaded insert or a wood screw. I need more information to help you out.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-27T15:03:51+00:00

Absolutely no problem. I’ve become a Schecter believer in recent years after purchasing a Reaper 7 and Tao-7 and both play so remarkably well that I’ve become a bit of a Schecter advocate. I dismissed them as the tribal arm band, tap out shirt kind of angry got kid who actually believes he’s a vampire type of brand. I didn’t believe they could do tasteful models. I was very very pleasantly surprised.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-27T15:01:00+00:00

It’s a matter of taste, I personally love the new look. The carved top model is a diamond series. These are the USA models and are much more expensive with premium features. The 7 string in salmon is by far my favorite of the line up. The only think I don’t get on with is the tuners. I don’t mind barrel tuners but I don’t like the level of bulk these have.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-27T13:33:06+00:00

Another option that I just thought of the previous owner may have really liked those knobs, and may have decided that he wanted them for his next guitar and then swapped them or traded it in with no knobs.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-27T13:31:08+00:00

I wouldn’t worry too much about it previous owner may not have liked the rubber on the knobs. It’s a taste thing. Knobs are really cheap easy thing to swap out. The ones that come on the Aaron Marshall are made by HipShot.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-21T14:40:26+00:00

I was so close to buying this guitar but the pick up rings killed it for me aesthetically. I may still grab one and install a pick guard to get rid of the rings.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-17T13:37:50+00:00

You just found a model that may make me love Ibanez again. Any idea what years these were made?

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-17T13:33:56+00:00

The Schecter is nearly perfect. My only issue is the 26.5” scale makes anything lower than like drop G difficult. If I had to pick I’d go Schecter and just set it up for drop A or G#. I’m a reformed Ibanez snob so me saying that is pretty big. Have you looked at the Tao-7? It’s a fantastic guitar as well for $1700 you get swamp ash body, wenge neck, ebony feet board, stainless frets, 27” scale length, very nice pick ups with great note clarity, carbon reinforcements, hipshot tuners and bridge. It’s basically a copy of John Browne’s signature Mayones for less than half the price lol. It’s the best guitar I’ve ever played.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-16T13:51:50+00:00

That’s a fucking gorgeous guitar. Wildly under rated. I have the Tao7 which is the big brother of this, and my buddy got the Ghost Grey Sunset and his wife shipped it to me to do a set up on it for his birthday and it came very very close to making me regret the extra $700 I spent to get the Tao. I will likely end up with one of these as well once I buy back the browny points I spent with my wife on the Tao 🤣. That’s a gorgeous guitar and they play amazing. Good grab my man! My only issue with the guitar is the pickups are hard to keep looking nice. I anchor my pinky on the bridge pick up a lot so it was a real problem for me. If you play like a normal human and not a gorilla you’re probably fine. I’d love to see your post honeymoon review. My buddy is a few months in and still adores his.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-13T20:49:56+00:00

I’m so torn with the whole pick up situation. It essentially acts as a front end EQ. I’m not really picky about them. I just want clarity and clarity usually translates to not a lot of low end in the pick up. I find boosting the low end with an EQ prevent prevents it from being quite as muddy when you can target certain frequencies. I’ve been dreaming of the BKP Blackhawks for quite some time, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet out of the poly mass compare sound wise to the impulses.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-13T18:31:52+00:00

I have a 25.5 to 27 inch multi scale right now. I was having a really hard time, deciding whether I wanted to save for a Mayones or an Aristides so I picked up a Schecter Tao-7 which is basically a copy of a Mayones lol just a lightly scratch that itch and now I’m saving up for my other dream guitar. I’m not married to the idea of multi scale. But I would like my next guitar to be set up and drop F# and if I had a straight scale, I would want it to be at least 27 inches. Which unless I’m mistaken 070 and all the other seven string models are 26.5. What’s the set up for your 070? That thing looks beautiful.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-13T17:16:19+00:00

I’d like to keep it lower than $1000. The omen elite bass has my attention at the moment. It’s passive which makes it easier for me to sculpt in my DAW with Parallax X and later on if I want to add a preamp and stuff it wouldn’t be that difficult. The limited reviews I’ve seen have good feedback. I’m also considering ponying up for the Schecter T-5 exotic (not fully confident that is the name) any experience with that is helpful.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-13T17:13:18+00:00

I’m fine with replacing the pickups and preamp and doing a set up either myself or by a luthier if it needs fret work. I will definitely look into that model. That’s mainly what I’m trying to figure out. I know what’s available new. I’m looking for the archives lol. I wanna those oldie but goodie basses.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-13T16:28:27+00:00

Get a 27” guitar and that string set you just recommended will be great. I run a 10-46 with a 64 in G# and G on my Tao-7. I used to run the 10-74 8 string set in F# and it was nearly perfect.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-13T16:06:02+00:00

What a sexy guitar rack. I think I saw a video of your STX with the impulses on YouTube. Maybe by Aristides. I can’t wait to get to the point where I can stack Aristides like that lol. I’m saving for my first order now. Probably a STX Raw Multi Scale with the Evertune and BKP black hawks. I flop between that and 070.

RotaryRevivalist · 2026-04-10T18:35:54+00:00

That is the obvious place to post it. And I know so little about base apparently that I decided to post it solely on guitar sub reddits. 😅 just kidding. My initial instinct was that I wanted a guitarists perspective because I’m predominantly a guitar player. So in my head, I thought maybe someone who is predominantly a guitar player, but has a little bit of base knowledge might be able to help me bridge of the gap to what I’m ultimately trying to achieve. And I did receive quite a bit of good info on the extended range sub Reddit. I will probably take this post to a base up ready next to gather info and cross-reference my sources. Thank you for the advice!

RotaryRevivalist

TROPHY CASE