7-String Guitars
As obvious as it sounds, a 7-string guitar is basically a 6-string guitar with an additional thick string (a low B) just above the low E.
Some players worry that playing such guitar will be like trying to learn a new instrument, with new notes, chords, tunings and scales. The good news – it’s not! Just remember that anything you can play on a standard guitar, you can play on a model with one extra string.
Essentially this extra string only adds five extra notes. That’s it. As you get to the fifth fret of the low B you arrive at your low E, and the rest of the guitar offers the same notes as you are used to.
As for playing, it’s technically no different either – playing a powerchord is the same, playing a scale is the same, playing something with drop-D tuning (which would now be drop-A) is the same. It will just involve a lower sound if you utilize the B string.
A 7-string will also look pretty much the same as a 6-string, although the neck will naturally be a little wider. For example, looking at a Schecter’s Hellraiser, on the 7-string model the nut width is roughly 1.87”, compared to a slimmer width of around 1.63” on the 6-string.
You will also find that a 7-string guitar will have a slightly bigger scale length – around 26.5” compared to 25.5”, although every manufacturer and model is different.
Pros:
More tuning options allow for an expanded tonal range
Lower tunings tend to sound better on a 7-string
You can play anything on a 7-string that you can on a 6-string
Better quality guitars meaning less chance of ending up with a dud!
Cons:
The larger necks can feel less comfortable for players with smaller hands
There is less choice compared to 6-string models
There is also less choice when it comes to buying new strings
A 7-string can do everything a 6-string can, but you should keep hold of your 6-string guitar.
If you are a gigging guitarist, then you’ll also want to hold onto your 6-string. Playing a set including a mix of tunings? Do you really expect the audience to wait for you to tune down from E to B, then back up?
A 7-string guitar is another tool that every serious guitarist should consider adding to their arsenal – but not at the expense of ditching a 6-string.
Buying a 7-string guitar is an exciting move, whether you are a newbie to guitar, an experienced 6-stringer looking for more depth, or an existing 7-string player in need of another model. We’ve seen that everyone from jazz players to full-on metalheads love the sound that these instruments can produce.
7 String Electric Guitars
Ibanez GRG 7 String
Patterned after the legendary Ibanez metal monster, the GRE is the affordable gateway to that same combination of speed, Fury, and expression. This grg7221m’s poplar body is cloaked in high gloss finish, and complemented by a maple Fretboard equipped with string-bending-friendly jumbo frets.
ESP LTD EC-257 7-String
Extended range guitars don’t have to cost an arm and a leg to be great. These guitars feature excellent ESP Designed pickups, comfortable mahogany bodies, three-piece mahogany necks, and roasted jatoba fingerboards with 22 extra-jumbo frets.
ESP Guitars 7-String
Guitars in the LTD 1000 Series are designed to offer the tone, feel, looks and quality that working professional musicians require in an instrument. The LTD M Series has always been guitar designed for shredders, and one of the best examples ever is found with the fast and extremely playable M-1000HT and the seven-string M-1007HT.
Schecter Guitar Research Omen Extreme-7
Omen Extreme-7 Electric Guitar See-Thru Black. Schecter’s Omen Extreme-7 boasts a mahogany body with a quilted maple top, supercharged with a pair of Schecter Diamond Plus humbuckers that deliver the hard rock crunch needed to cut through today’s modern metal and rock mixes.
Ibanez RG Series RG7421 7-String
RG Series RG7421 Fixed Bridge 7-String Electric Guitar Flat Walnut. The RG is the most recognizable and distinctive guitar in the Ibanez line. Three decades of metal have forged this high-performance machine, honing it for both speed and strength. This RG7421 model has a Mahogany body and a Wizard II-7 neck shape that offers maximum comfort and speed.
Schecter 7 String Antique Fade Burst
A 7-ply Maple/Walnut/Padauk neck-thru construction, reinforced with carbon fiber rods for stability and utilizing a spoke-wheel truss rod to facilitate easy adjustment, is mated to a swamp ash body with Ivory binding and topped with flame maple for boutique looks and tone.
ESP 7 String LTD Deluxe M-1007
The LTD Deluxe M-1007 offers the fast feel and smooth playability of the M Series and provides it in a 7-string version for serious brutality. The sound of the M-1007 is powered by a pair of Fishman Fluence Modern Humbuckers
Schecter C-7 DELUXE Satin White 7-String
The Deluxe Series features: a Basswood body, Maple neck (C-8 includes Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Rods), Rosewood fingerboard, 24 X-Jumbo frets, and loaded with Schecter Diamond Plus pick-ups. The Deluxe Series not only looks cool, but also combines professional quality, playability and tone to excite and inspire.
Sterling by Music Man 7 String
The long awaited Jason Richardson 7-String Cutlass has finally arrived — engineered specifically to meet the demands of Jason Richardson’s technique, the ‘Richardson7’ features a custom contoured lower horn for fret access, roasted maple neck with rosewood fretboard, and highly figured Poplar Burl top.
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