7 string help

[Buddha92]

im lookin to buy a seven string. $800 is my limit. i love the Stephen carpenter signature series. but i dont know if the S207 is any good.
i want to buy used too.

any suggestions or anyone selling anything similar?

help is appreciated.
thank you.

[t3oi]

Schecter makes a decent 7-string in that range. The most bang for your buck would likely be a used Carvin 7.

[Buddha92]

edit: or if you are selling any SRC esp guitar four under 1k let me know.

[Archangelyabbo]

Schecter Loomis....
SC LTD Plays awesome too...

[twoheadedboy]

I love the early Japanese Ibanez RG 7-strings. I recently picked up a 1999 RG7620 in excellent condition for $450. Awesome guitar.

[Artur_I_Tis]

Dean Vendetta 1.7 is nice for $270.

[speedyone]

I'll second a Carvin.

I've had 2. The DC727 I had was a phenomenal player. I only sold it because I love strat tones, and the Carvin wasn't strat-sounding being a neck through.

[snowblind56]

It really depends on what you like. Trems or no trems? Thick or thin necks? Active pickups or passive?

The biggest Schecter complaint, is that their necks tend to be on the thicker side and that they have EMG's. The Ibanez RG7620 is awesome if you like thinner neck, basswood, and trems.

[dspellman]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Rondo Music yet.
First, visit the Seven String forums (sevenstring.org, I think) and do your asking there. TGP tends to be oriented toward more expensive, traditional six-string guitars.
Second, get out of Guitar Center; it's NOT the place to be for seven-string guitars.

Rondo and sevenstring.org have been pretty synergistic over the last few years when it comes to extended range guitars. One of the first that sevenstring users asked for was a seven-string tele. Next thing you know, Rondo's got one. The T-7 Texan runs about $499.

Perhaps more than any other company, Rondo has been adding 7, 8 and even 9-string guitars to its stable, including extended scale (27, 30") and multi-scale ("fan fret") guitars. At the moment, you can buy a seven-string guitar from them for anywhere from $189.95 to $1295.00, and all points in between: http://www.rondomusic.com/7string.html

The Pendulum multiscale (25.5" to 27") with an angled Cepheus active pickup, Kahler trem and volume control only is a simply amazing instrument to play (you get used to the fan frets by the end of the first day; it's actually easier to play than straight frets because your hand angles in the correct direction). But it's out of your budget range.

Here's a typical guitar at $799:



Designed based on specs requested by our customers
Double cutaway light weight mahoganny arch top body
27" scale
5 piece neck thru body design
Hip Shot Bridge
Maple fretboard with no markers. Position markers are located on the side of the neck.
24 Extra Jumbo 2.9mm frets and a 13.7" (350mm) radius neck for fast play
Grover Die Cast tuners
USA made Seymour Duncan Blackout pickups
Reverse Headstock, string through body.
Width of the neck at the nut: 1 7/8"; at the 22st fret: 2 3/16"
Uniform Neck Profile - For ultra fast playing - 21.5mm at the frest fret and 22mm at the 12th fret.
Thickness of neck at the first fret approx 11/16"
Overall length, including the strap button: 42"; Scale length: 27"
Pickups Dimensions: 3" wide, 1 3/8" tall. Mounting screws are 3 3/4" appart.
String Gauge: 009, 011, 016, 024, 032, 042 and 056
Actual Weight is only 8.5 lbs

Note that this is a NECK THROUGH guitar (not a bolt-neck), a mahogany body (the S. Carpenter is basswood), extended scale (27"), real SD Blackouts and a real Hipshot bridge. This is a quality guitar.

[Sandy Cheeks]

I'd love a fan fretted 7 string that worked for jazz, with a fat contour neck. Most 7 strings are shreddy, although I do like the Agile Texan:

http://www.rondomusic.net/photos/electric/t73ts1.jpg

[dspellman]

I'd love a fan fretted 7 string that worked for jazz, with a fat contour neck.

Available with or without a trem (Kahler). With or without active pickups, Several colors, configurations. Agile Pendulum Pro 7.

http://www.rondomusic.com/photos/electric/pendulumpro7rnnat1.jpghttp://www.rondomusic.com/photos/electric/pendulum7flatblack1.jpg

[Sandy Cheeks]

Um, I'm looking for something more like this:

http://www.destroyallguitars.com/images/kollRE7-1.jpg

[Buddha92]

i like no trem but i dont want an agile. heard they're pretty cheap sounding and playing.( friend actually owns one). pick ups i like both so its not a big deal. i like thin necks.

[dspellman]

i like no trem but i dont want an agile. heard they're pretty cheap sounding and playing.( friend actually owns one). pick ups i like both so its not a big deal. i like thin necks.

I have two Agiles. They're anything but cheap sounding or playing. Dunno what you've heard, but if you're in LA, I'll give you a chance to look at the ones I have. I've got some expensive Gibbies you can compare them to.

I'd suggest that you do a bit more research than "I've heard they're pretty cheap sounding..." I dunno what your friend has, but when you're talking $800 guitars from a source that doesn't pay endorsement or advertising deals and doesn't have an additional layer of profit being taken by a brick and mortar like GC, you should be comparing them to guitars that are roughly double their price. IOW, this $800 Agile guitar would be a $1600 guitar at GC. Compare that to your $399 ESP, which would probably be a $199 guitar at Rondo.

Same goes for Carvins -- a 7-string 747 or 727 starts new at around $849 to $879 (HH or HSH pickup configuration) but would probably compare more directly to something in the $1600-1700 range at a GC because they're built custom for each owner and purchased factory direct.

Note that in both cases (Agile and Carvin), the guitars are neck-through and have virtually no neck heel (compared to a clunky bolt-neck) and are extremely fast-playing guitars, particularly in the upper fret area. The Agile has a 13.7" radius, which is slightly flatter than the usual 12". Carvins are available with both a 14" and a 20" radius.

[snowblind56]

I have two Agiles. They're anything but cheap sounding or playing. Dunno what you've heard, but if you're in LA, I'll give you a chance to look at the ones I have. I've got some expensive Gibbies you can compare them to.

I'd suggest that you do a bit more research than "I've heard they're pretty cheap sounding..." I dunno what your friend has, but when you're talking $800 guitars from a source that doesn't pay endorsement or advertising deals and doesn't have an additional layer of profit being taken by a brick and mortar like GC, you should be comparing them to guitars that are roughly double their price. IOW, this $800 Agile guitar would be a $1600 guitar at GC. Compare that to your $399 ESP, which would probably be a $199 guitar at Rondo.

Same goes for Carvins -- a 7-string 747 or 727 starts new at around $849 to $879 (HH or HSH pickup configuration) but would probably compare more directly to something in the $1600-1700 range at a GC because they're built custom for each owner and purchased factory direct.

Note that in both cases (Agile and Carvin), the guitars are neck-through and have virtually no neck heel (compared to a clunky bolt-neck) and are extremely fast-playing guitars, particularly in the upper fret area. The Agile has a 13.7" radius, which is slightly flatter than the usual 12". Carvins are available with both a 14" and a 20" radius.

Most people from sevenstring.org would agree that the Agile build quality is on par with Schecter or ESP LTD. It feels cheaper than a USA or Japan made guitar, but it is not a crappy guitar by any means. Quality can be hit or miss from what I heard. The necks are thicker than Ibanez, but thinner than a Schecter. Definitely solid guitar, if they have the specs that you are looking for, don't be afraid to try one out.