59Bassman
Member
I've toyed with a 7 string mentally for many years. About 18 years ago my jazz teacher bought a 7. My next jazz teacher had one as well. I resisted, knowing I had enough trouble with 6 strings. But I've looked at them, and was actually pretty close to buying an LTD last year.
What held me back was what I'd really use it for, and what guitar would be really appropriate. There's a part of me that would like to try it for jazz, but I'm also interested in a 7 for metal. Most of the 7 strings I was able to look at (Ibanez, Schecter and LTD, mostly) were metal guitars. Ibanez occasionally makes a 7 string in a jazz box, but that's going to be as much of a one-trick pony as the EMG-equipped metal instruments. The Ibanez necks were way too thin, and most of the Schecter necks were too beefy (and as much as I love huge necks, these were WAY fat)
This past year, the Sterling JP-70 and the PRS SE 7 really piqued my interest, particularly the SE. I've had a PRS Custom 24 for about 18 years (just had it re-fretted by Philtone this past year), and it really is a jack-of-all trades. After the refret and getting a more suitable amp for it (Mesa Mark V), I've been digging the PRS like crazy.
So I've been cruising my local PRS dealers, waiting for them to get a 7 for me to try out. Guitar Center seems to be downsizing their import PRS lines. But another local dealer, Lane Music, got two of them in last week. I plunked on one briefly last weekend, and went back in today. I came home with it. So here it is, both alone and with my Whale Blue '94 CU24:
It's an import. Hardware is somewhat suspect - I'm thinking the bridge may get replaced with a Hipshot at some point in the future, and the pots absolutely suck. Unfortunately, the pots are the small shaft, so it'll require some drilling to replace them. Tuners seem OK. The only downer to the pickups are that the bass pickup is slightly offset to the treble side, so the high E string is just barely over the poles. It doesn't seem to affect the tone, but I did notice it when looking the guitar over. The nut is very well done, much better than I've seen in some of the online reviews. The flame is very nice, even if it is a veneer. The neck is maple, and the back is 3 piece mahogany.
It's pretty lightweight, and sounds absolutely great through my Mark V, both clean and distorted. The pickups are usable both clean and overdriven. The neck feels like a slightly larger version of my regular carve CU24. I'm very happy with this guitar, and Wyatt at Lane Music in Knoxville certainly hooked me up with the purchase. The gig bag is very nice, and a pretty decent replacement for a hard case.
In the future, I'm thinking a pickup swap (with new pots and a Megaswitch P model) may be first, followed by a Hipshot bridge at some point. Tuners may stay for a bit, but ultimately may be replace with Schallers. Even if I change hardware, I'm guessing I'll still be under $1100 for a very well built instrument modified how I want it. It plays great with no fret buzz, and seems to work in both jazz and rock settings. IMHO, this is a great "gateway" 7 string.
What held me back was what I'd really use it for, and what guitar would be really appropriate. There's a part of me that would like to try it for jazz, but I'm also interested in a 7 for metal. Most of the 7 strings I was able to look at (Ibanez, Schecter and LTD, mostly) were metal guitars. Ibanez occasionally makes a 7 string in a jazz box, but that's going to be as much of a one-trick pony as the EMG-equipped metal instruments. The Ibanez necks were way too thin, and most of the Schecter necks were too beefy (and as much as I love huge necks, these were WAY fat)
This past year, the Sterling JP-70 and the PRS SE 7 really piqued my interest, particularly the SE. I've had a PRS Custom 24 for about 18 years (just had it re-fretted by Philtone this past year), and it really is a jack-of-all trades. After the refret and getting a more suitable amp for it (Mesa Mark V), I've been digging the PRS like crazy.
So I've been cruising my local PRS dealers, waiting for them to get a 7 for me to try out. Guitar Center seems to be downsizing their import PRS lines. But another local dealer, Lane Music, got two of them in last week. I plunked on one briefly last weekend, and went back in today. I came home with it. So here it is, both alone and with my Whale Blue '94 CU24:
It's an import. Hardware is somewhat suspect - I'm thinking the bridge may get replaced with a Hipshot at some point in the future, and the pots absolutely suck. Unfortunately, the pots are the small shaft, so it'll require some drilling to replace them. Tuners seem OK. The only downer to the pickups are that the bass pickup is slightly offset to the treble side, so the high E string is just barely over the poles. It doesn't seem to affect the tone, but I did notice it when looking the guitar over. The nut is very well done, much better than I've seen in some of the online reviews. The flame is very nice, even if it is a veneer. The neck is maple, and the back is 3 piece mahogany.
It's pretty lightweight, and sounds absolutely great through my Mark V, both clean and distorted. The pickups are usable both clean and overdriven. The neck feels like a slightly larger version of my regular carve CU24. I'm very happy with this guitar, and Wyatt at Lane Music in Knoxville certainly hooked me up with the purchase. The gig bag is very nice, and a pretty decent replacement for a hard case.
In the future, I'm thinking a pickup swap (with new pots and a Megaswitch P model) may be first, followed by a Hipshot bridge at some point. Tuners may stay for a bit, but ultimately may be replace with Schallers. Even if I change hardware, I'm guessing I'll still be under $1100 for a very well built instrument modified how I want it. It plays great with no fret buzz, and seems to work in both jazz and rock settings. IMHO, this is a great "gateway" 7 string.