7 String Explorer Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

ive wanted to try a 7 string for a few years and this is great for a first! the pickups are clear, the feel of the guitar is smooth, and the paint finish is v pretty, all for a great price! just change the thin stock strings out for ernie ball slinky 11-58 strings and it plays vvv well 🙂lonemat86

I picked this up the day it arrived, before it was put on display at a local GC. I carefully tested every aspect of this guitar and was shocked by its quality as others have noted. The bridge set up is the first string- thru TOM for me and the sustain is remarkable. The machines hold tune and tune with precision. I find the pickup set captures a tight lower register rather well. The action, fit, jumbo frets and finish are what anybody would expect from a FAR more expensive instrument. After a year of research, I'm convinced that this is by far the best 7-string in its class and I cannot find a single negative feature with this model. WOW!Snail

I was very impressed, especially for the price. quality of the product, other than a very small flaw in the finish (dip in the paint, not a scratch) next to the bridge pickup. The instrument plays well, has a good action, and sounds every bit as good as my other guitars which cost considerably more. Great buy for the money.Doug

I am both surprised and please with this guitar I purchased this guitar at GC Nashville after returning a Gibson Les Paul Classic that I bought online. (lesson learned, don't buy from GC online.) The staff there were great and had no issues with me returning a $2200 guitar that I bought online. Even more supportive in helping me pick out a much less expensive guitar. Great people. This Epiphone is awesome. The fit and finish are great. The action is low and no buzz. The tone is great and It is lighter and easier to handle than the Gibson . The best part is it cost a third of the one I returned. I really wanted a Gibson but I am so glad I picked up this Epiphone. A word of caution. I looked at and played several guitars at GC before choosing this one. I even played a couple of other Epiphone Les Paul Customs. No two were the same. One had razors for frets, one had an action you could drive a truck under and this one was just right. Go in an play them before buying.Mike

This is my second 6 string electric, and I couldn't be HAPPIER with it! My first guitar is an entry level Epiphone SG Special that was a couple hundred bucks back in the day. It got the job done…good frets, good tune, good everything. I recently decided to step it up and get a "mid-range" guitar but still not break the bank with an Epiphone. And I'm not calling Epiphone cheap…they are just more in my price range when compared to Gibsons. Stepping it up is the right description for this guitar!! It is AMAZING! The feel, the tone, the look! It sounds great and feels good in the hands too. I especially love the Silverburst color!! The main reason I wanted this specific guitar. It's Adam Jones from TooL color scheme finish but on an epiphone! They are coming out with his own model of epiphone, but I'm impatient lol. Looks are important to picking out a guitar as much as sound! The inlays on the fretboard look beautiful. The pick guard and finish are beautiful, the trim/binding around the guitar… this guitar has reignited my passion for playing! As of this writing, I have no complaints! Excellent guitar!Matt

I purchased this guitar because a Les Paul was missing from my gear arsenal and I didn't want to drop three grand on a Gibson. I played a wall model at a local GC store and decided to buy, but requested a factory new model sent to me, because the wall model I played had some nicks in the fretboard, a sketchy 3 way switch and had worn strings and the intonation was way off above the 14th fret. I paid for next day air shipping to expedite the process because I tend to want the things I pay for fairly quickly. The shipping tag originated from the same city I live in, meaning they had a factory new either in the warehouse or at the neighboring store about 20 miles away. So I essentially paid 42$ for expedited shipping and could had likely gotten it same day if I asked the right questions I suppose. Shame on me. The next business day my guitar is delivered to my residence, I open it and immediately inspected it for possible shipping damage or factory flaws. It arrives with a broken 3 way switch, all strings tuned nearly 2 steps flat and also needed to make a truss rod adjustment to straighten the neck. Completely unacceptable that these issues left both the factory and GC's "quality control" in the condition it did. Luckily I work at a local small box music store and worked with our own luthier after hours to set it up and correct the problems. All that said, this guitar is absolutely fantastic. It plays and sounds very good and even though the stock pickups aren't top tier, they are excellent performers at a very reasonable price point. Monster value in this guitar. If you can acquire one some where other than Guitar Center, do it. If you do purchase from guitar center, make absolutely certain to have it looked at by a professional before accepting it. 5 stars for the guitar and it's value. 1 star for guitar centers lack of QC shipping items.Dan

Overall: I read some of these negative reviews and can't understand what they're talking about. This guitar is probably the best guitar for $200 I ever played , right out of the box it was setup perfectly. All I did was tune it , I've even got the same strings it came with. Which I normally change whenever I get a new guitar. The tuners are unbelievably tight , this guitar barely goes out of tune even if it has been sitting for weeks. Also I never attached the whammy bar , so I can't speak on that throwing it out of tune. Since I have over a dozen guitars I don't usually play it daily , but when I do it always makes me glad I purchased it. This is a very versatile guitar , I play mostly metal and this thing shreds. But I also play blues and it sounds just as good as my custom strat. I bought an Epiphone SG special in the same price range and let's just say the setup is night and day , the tuners absolutely sucked , "already replaced them" and the intonation was off. It was a mess , I've already put it on Craig's list and bought a G400 Pro instead , 10x better quality and setup , but I digress. I've got many high priced guitars but always go back to the GRX , the playability and neck feels so comfortable to play. The only thing I'm going to do eventually is throw in a Seymour Duncan humbucker and I'm definitely keeping this guitar. I don't know how Ibanez can sell this for $200 and keep the quality , but I'm certainly not going to complain. Whether you're a beginner or experienced this guitar delivers. Definitely will be purchasing another Ibanez down the road.Mike

I read a lot of reviews on this guitar before purchasing. Most common complaints revolved around tuning stability. I was expecting mine to go out of tune every 2 minutes. Not my experience at all. It seems to be strung with 10's, and holds tuning very well. Pick ups sound warm and tight. When I eventually upgrade I'll probably do the nut and tuners, but those are by no means urgent. There are so minor finish flaws, but i bought this guitar to play, not to stare at it. For less than £200, you really can't go wrong. Delivery was on time and without hassle.Ben A.

Sound: Does not have the cleanest sound due to the picks. Putting the right pedals and effects in line and cranking up the distortion makes it an awesome beginner / intermediate metal guitar. Features: For the price the materials feel great. Ease of Use: It sounds great on my Fender Champion 20 or Positive Grid Spark amp. Not the cleanest tone but a great metal sound and extremely easy to play. Quality: It feels made well, especially in the $200 range. I feel like this is one I'll have for years and once I get better definitely see this is a good platform for future mods. Value: This guitar is excellent value and at this price an amazing guitar. Manufacturer Support: I have not dealt with Ibanez. The Wow Factor: I must admit the aesthetic. It's extremely hard to find good looking purple color-based guitars. If I could dream up what I want a guitar to look like this is it. It helps that its quality is awesome. Overall: I love this guitar. Purple is my favorite color and a hard one to find good guitars in. It looks great. It feels great and I have yet to find any significant issues with it. No problems with the frets or fret buzz. Action is easy and low. It sounds great with my Positive Grid Spark amp. The pickups sound great. The HSH setup is very versatile. Not the greatest with clean tones like my Stratocaster, but amazing with the right effects.Josh

I've had this guitar for about 10 months, and it's great! It's everything you'd come to expect from the ESP LTD line. But the big question is, "How's that bridge?" My motivation for buying this specific guitar was my unending frustration with the floating tremolo on my previous guitar. We started jumping back and forth between standard and dropped D in our set, and making that work with a FR was a nightmare. With that, I had set out on finding a non-FR or fixed bridge, since I rarely used the trem' anyway. I had always wanted an ESP and the idea of each saddle being independent of one another was compelling. It can take a little to get used to, though. Tuning is done at the bridge, and the tension on the strings is adjusted by the tuning pegs. Once the string has the right amount of tension, that saddle will be "activated" in what is referred to as "zone 2". Here, the springs will counter any additional tension applied to that string up to a given point. This means that you cannot do bends or change the pitch in any real or easy way. Some people may like this, but it feels very odd, and the people at Evertune know that most people don't play like this. So, to get the best of both worlds, you will need to apply enough tension on the saddle to bring it right up to the edge of zone 2 by turning the tuning pegs. What I found to be helpful here is to not just listen for the note to change, but to pull on the string and visually inspect movement in the saddle. Once this is set, it feels like a normal guitar with just a tad more tension on the strings. The guitar will come with 10-gauge strings. I gave that a shot for a while. Only recently did I switch them out for some 9s. I think it feels a lot better with a lighter gauge string, especially considering that tad bit of tension. A tip I learned regarding Dropped D was to tune the guitar down by default. Then tune up the low E, which puts that saddle into "zone 3". This is far easier than the reverse and stiJohn Q. GuitarPlayer

Value: This guitar and others in the Epiphone line at this price point to $100 more are excellent value for money. If you need a set up and want to replace something, you still come out well under the price of the Gibson equivalent. The Wow Factor: It's different. It has character. It's sexy in It's own way. Just like me, haha 😉 Overall: It's been long years since I had an Explorer, mostly playing acoustics and Teles for a long time. I wanted humbuckers and a flatter fretboard than what Fender typically supplies, so I tried just about every Gibson and Epiphone model I could get my hands on. There were some contenders: LPs, 335s/Sheratons, even SGs which I never really cared for but was pleasantly surprised. None really felt comfortable to hold or play, all other factors being equal. Nostalgia called me back to the Explorer. It's big, drips with character and attitude, and is so easy to play sitting down or standing. If Gibson had a korina-bodied reissue model, I would have gone with that. The Olive Drab Green stood out to me, not positively at first, but I kept coming back to it. At this price, I could afford to upgrade everything from pickups to tuners for less than the price of a Gibson model. So, I pulled the trigger with zZounds because of their payment plan and great customer service.That being said, I had a few QC issues with the first one zZounds sent. It was shipped only in the box Epiphone packages them in, which got squished and shorted out the selector switch, and the neck was VERY bendy, like rubber spaghetti. zZounds was very cool about everything and I got a replacement in short order. It came with a box around the Epiphonr box, everything worked, and the neck was much more stable. It had some minor fret sprout in the upper frets, but that was the only issue.The guitar itself plays great, and the ProBucker pickups really push my amps. The bridge pickup is especially nice, but I plan on replacing them down the line with something with more clarity and definition like I've grown accustomed to from playing twangy Telecasters for so long. The ProBuckers are NOT muddy, dull cheap pickups like you would expect from an affordable sister company. The neck is probably the least articulate, even for a neck pickup, but it can still put out some great tones when pedals and amps are dialed in. Suitable for rhythm parts. Middle position is probably my go to, with the neck rolled back to 6-7, the bridge at 8-9, and tone at full tilt. The bridge pickup is excellent at driving leads and solos with the tone at 7-8 or at maximum. My first non-maple or ebony fretboard, I was well pleased with the Indian laurel. A bit of lemon oil conditioning was needed to bring it from Sahara dry to non-gritty playability. A couple of frets need some polishing to bring back in line, but nothing makes it unplayable. Just a little TLC and refinement, like any new guitar, and you're ready to rock and roll. So to speak. About versatility, the Explorer is a dark horse. Decades of hard rock and metal guitarists using them gives them a stigma, but they can play anything from blues and jazz to rock to metal if you fiddle with the knobs and get your pedals and amps dialed in correctly. My tastes are eclectic, and I wouldn't have bought or kept this guitar if I couldn't get the sounds I wanted out of it. Things I would like to see: push-pull coil splitting, a quieter selector switch, regular pickup soldering instead of quick connects, and a better-cared-for/out-of-the-box fretboard. Honestly, it was dry enough to be used for kindling.What I really liked: playability, fit of parts, very decent ProBucker pickups, Tusq nut, and the color. The Olive Drab Green gives a military/Cold War vibe that I love, and the poly finish is going to be able to handle years of my clumsiness and abuse and still look good. Say what you will about poly finishes, but they will survive the nuclear apocalypse.Jefferson

I bought this guitar 8 months ago and now have run it thru it’s paces. What a great instrument this is. I compared my Epiphone to my Gibson Explorer and honestly the sound on the Epi is right there. My Gibson is mahogany as opposed to the Limba on the Epi but the Epi still holds its own. The Epiphone is lighter and has a sweet, solid attack with a rich mid range that sings. The neck is super straight, the fit and finish is beautiful and hardware is great. The pickups are very sweet however I replaced mine with Pro Buckers to darken the sound slightly. The original pickups are great but with my rig I like the darker Alnico 2 sound. In my opinion the difference between the Pro Bucker and Classic pickups are the magnets. Not a lot of difference in output. Other changes I made were a white pick guard, CTS pots and bumblebee capacitors but upgrading these guitars is the best part. Stock it’s fantastic and adding a few new parts is just a joy ride. I consider this guitar completely ready for professional performances all the way.Roger

I had played one of these in a store and liked the feel. After having one for a few weeks, I like it even more. I'm slightly taller than the average guy. Hence my fingers are a bit longer than the average guy. Maybe it is just because the neck seems to get thinner as you get up to the higher notes, but it seems like the neck is a little wider than the rest of my guitars up around the 15th to 24th frets. ("rest of my guitars" include Les Paul, Strat, Ibanez RG550, EVH Wolfgang, and others for reference). Aside from how great the paint job LOOKS, it does not have a gloss coat on it. This is a good thing since the paint job extends up the back of the neck allowing your hand to slide quite freely on the back of the neck. The bridge humbucker is fantastic. It screams the notes clearly with ZERO noise or hum when not playing. I'm not that impressed with the neck humbucker, but that's comparing it to the neck hum on my Les Paul, Carvin, and PRS Custom. AND, for about 90% of the 80s hair band songs you are never using that pickup anyway. The Floyd Rose is great! I got tired of waiting for it to need minor tuning adjustments naturally, so I'm to the point of TRYING to make it go out of tune even slightly and it STILL stays locked in tune. Overall, this guitar is now my GO TO for anything 80s (the biggest chunk of my playing preference).Steve

I was keen to find a 6 string that had a fixed bridge that I could use for covers and so I can retune to alternate tunings easily without having to get the screwdrivers and spending a lot of time retuning like a Locking Tremolo guitar. Thankfully the guitar already had Seymour Duncan pick ups in which are essential to having a aggressive tone but as well allow good expression so this meant it would be a case of getting the guitar out the box and playing rather than buying separate pick ups having to fit them in and so on. As I wanted a guitar that wasn't black or brightly colored the desert sand finish on the guitar really stood out and attracted me. Most of the SLP2's have a great selection of finish's. As for the neck and wood finish it is very smoothly and allows you to get quick access from from end of the neck to the other. Behind each the tuners on the headstock, there is this interesting circular turning device to help lock in the strings. This may help keep it in tune more but I also just attribute it staying in tune due to the general quality of the guitar. I bend the strings a lot for my lead playing and I play very aggressively with thick picks and rhythmically so once I put some heavier strings on (my preference) and configured the bridge saddles with a very small L shaped Allen/hex key the guitar stayed in tune.Tom H.

I rarely write reviews, but felt compelled to with this purchase. First, I received the guitar the NEXT DAY after ordering! In these Covid-cursed times, that's damn impressive. It arrived in perfect condition. Second, as for the guitar – I've been playing a long time and wanted to try out a 7 string, and for the price I thought, why not? Mine was set up perfectly, and with great new strings. If AMS did this, they did a great job. Had 2 new packs of strings at the ready, didn't need them. This guitar is a beast. Really high output pickups, which is what I think most of us would want with this type guitar. Neck feels good and is straight as an arrow, and all hardware is solid. You can back off the volume on this thing and still get all the pinch harmonics you want. For $200, this is a no brainer for anyone interested in diving into the 7 string world for the first time. I had misgivings about buying a "GIO", but I'm very impressed.Ken

Hey guys. I have one of these that i had for about 3 years. Along with my GRG170DX, I'm very pleased. I haven't had really any negative experiences with these guitars, a side from needing setup out of the box. But come on, what guitar doesn't need one. Typically guitars aren't shipped set-up. If so it's very poorly done and seems like a beginner is the one who does it. So to respond to the people saying there is fret buzz, it needs a setup, won't stay in tune or/and that the strings are bad and need changed. Well they are just speaking the obvious, even guitars but of a showroom floor is going to need a good setup. So take the time to do so ( it's really not hard, there's all kinds of videos out there to watch), or if you really want have someone do it for you. Once a setup and a string change is done, than this guitar is simply an awesome guitar. I have no tuning issues, string changes are easy. The guitar is balanced nicely, I had a Ibanez AX series 7 string…. That guitar sound good and wasn't a bad guitar. But man was the balance terrible. The neck likes to nose dive on those and the guitar was pretty heavy. So goes to say, I didn't keep it long. I traded it. Got a 8 string. But up against my JP70. My GRG7221 is a decent guitar. Im probably going to drop some Bare Knuckle Juggernauts in the one i have now. But i fine that this guitar has good tone. Fast attack, clarity, and great sustain. As long as you do a setup, and make sure your pickups are not too close to the string( as you should on EVERY guitar, especially the ones you have shipped to you) this is a very nice guitar for the buck. ALOT of bang for your buck,and really underrated. And for some of you out there who is wondering….. Yes it does Djent.Matty C.

I've been playing rock and metal for near 53 years, and have owned EVERY manufacturers guitar at some point. And for the last 20 years I've been exclusively an Ibanez man; and this is THE best Ibanez model I've ever owned, period! It's solid, dependable and just plain fun to play, shredding machine; and the craftsmanship is outstanding! The basswood body is very light, resonant and the satin finish has a nice feel to the touch. The maple fluted neck is SOLID, and almost plays like a 6 string. The 26.5" scale does an excellent job of bringing out the bottom end string definition, and gives leads a nice warm character considering the solid maple fretboard! The nicely dressed fret ends and the Gotoh machines are a nice touch of quality as well. Now most new guitars usually need an upgrade when it comes to pups… NOT needed here. These DiMarzios are perfectly voiced for the basswood/ maple combination and offers tons of sustain and endless pinch harmonics all over the fretboard! NOTE: I installed a Seymour Duncan Pegasus, played it for a half hour and re-installed the DiMarzio. No need to change pups; you want "chugg", you've got it, you want "chunk", you've got it, you want "clean", you've got that too! The Ibanez Low Pro 7 works perfectly and is reliable; been playing tremelos myentire life and so I have no issues with tuning. The ONLY upgrade was a brass tremelo block, and trem-spring silencers. One more thing: The single volume control comes with an excellent treble bleed cap; between that and the high quality 3-position switch, I can get ANY tone, and play any genre I want out of this guitar. Thanks Ibanez and Team J Craft.alimik0

Ok, I give it 5 stars for the money, but disregarding the cost I'd give it close to 4 stars anyway. I found I needed a 7 string to complete some demos…. And this cheapy did the job admirably. Setup was fine right out of the box, action and intonation were spot on, I changed nothing. Fretwork is tidy and well executed, and the jumbo frets are nice. The neck is really playable, nice profile and satin finish, there's even a bit of a flame in the maple. Fretboard is a little streaky, clearly a stained, lighter wood due to the CITES regulations, but it feels fine and looks ok. Hardware is basic but functional. It stays in tune perfectly, and I bend a lot, particularly lower down, which I find often pulls instruments out of tune. The body is really resonant when played unplugged. I debated between the longer scale of the Jackson Dinky, and the better upper fret access of the Ibanez, and I'm happy with the choice I made, although I'll go slightly heavier on the strings when I change them. If I was a proper metaller I'd probably throw in some (insert uneccesary, expensive, trendy pickup here), but I bought it for demos, and I've had no problem making it sound how I want, so it's staying as it is. The only surprise, not that I'm bothered, is that the centre of the burst is much darker than I've seen on any of the official pictures, it's practically black, much more subtle than shown. It'll probably come alive under stage lighting though.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

First guitar I ever bought was a Fender Strat Squire for $95 and yes it was fun to play and great to learn on it, I was tired of down tuning and going back to standard so much bc of the different songs I like, my high e kept breaking and the pickups didn't like a whole lot of gain. I had looked at a ton of the cheaper side 7-strings like the Jackson Dinky or a used Schecter Omen-7, or something like that. For me though, the feel and the sound of the Ibanez Gio GRG is amazing and a lot easier to play than my Squire. I'm glad I picked it up for $220 and I'm for sure going to be playing it a lot. I do wish the body was a little thinner, and that it had some sort of tremolo system, but that's okay, I can live with it. Amazing build and great finish.boomythecrow

Sounds terrific, rich bassie, solid sound. Heavyweight player that is light on the purse. Great for seeing what more than the conventional 6, can do for you, without spending the family silver.Timbo

Overall: I purchased the Viper 400B expecting a middle of the road guitar for lower tunings. When it arrived, I was blown away by the quality. This guitar is my first ESP purchase, and now I'm a big fan. The pickups are great for heavy guitar, as you'd expect from EMGs. The matte finish is beautiful, and i catch myself staring at the guitar across the room when I'm not playing it. I've been able to get an awesome clean tone for intros out of this axe, and the palm muting(chugs) and chordal stuff I do really growl and punch nicely. Single note passages sing out beautifully, and the neck feels very nice to my hands. If you're like me, and you love Melodic Death Metal Bands that use B standard tuning(Amon Amarth, Avatar, Kataklysm, etc.) and want to capture that tone yourself without having to file the nut down on a normal scale-length guitar, I don't think you can find a better option anywhere else in this price range. Great job, ESP! You've got yourself a new loyal customer!James

This is an absolutely stunning instrument! A real workhorse guitar with a versatile set of tones thanks to the pickup switching and coil tap options. As a baritone scale length guitar, it is designed for lower tunings whilst maintaining string tension and it does this very well. The Fusion Edge pickups combined with the Ash body give it a brighter sound than you might expect, but excellent clarity even when driven. Having played the early Iron Label guitars, this model is several steps ahead in terms of quality and playability. LOVE it!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

First at the foremost, you're gonna buy it for how it looks. And let me say that the pictures of it doesn't do it justice. It looks so much better in real life! After cosmetics, it feels great to hold and play. The neck is fun to play on. The EMG 81-7 sounds beefy and aggressive, but still warm. Once set up, the Floyd works great. I play in B standard, so the strings are perfect for big chords and my very modest shredding right out of the box. In short, it feels like a guitar over a grand. Worth every bit! Just a few minor complaints. Like a little spot of the binding is a little messed up. And one of the screws on the battery compartment was stripped out in the body. But overall, nothing I would send it back for. It is a beast! Owned quite a few LTD's and own a ESP Horizon 7. It hasn't disappointed.Matt H.

Great construction and sound. I like the jumbo frets, they allow me to riff comfortably and hard. Evertune bridge is awesome however if you play it in zone 3 will act as a regular bridge and you will have to tune again after a couple of songs. If you play in zone 2 it will preserve tuning but no bendings will be allowed frp the bridge for you to perform.Jay

It has a cool design and plays pretty smooth (after setting it up myself.) The main issue I have with this guitar its particularly at the 1st fret high E. When playing I keep slamming my finger into the sharp corner of the bone nut. That is really the kicker of it all. The pick ups are pretty good and have a pretty balanced sound that let you play clean cleans and dirty articulated lows. Holds tune pretty well. The feel of the neck is pretty smooth and doesn't feel like a 2×4 with strings on it..3-alch3mist-3

I've played a six string for 22 years and this is my first foray into the world of seven string guitars. I was a little intimidated thinking it would feel completely alien to me. I was also worried about the multiscale neck, for not having ever played one before. Taking all of that into consideration, this guitar feels fantastic. The tone is excellent and it feels great in my hands. I was able to learn a lot of new songs in no time. I would recommend this guitar to anyone thinking about switching over to a seven string.JOHN

Overall: This guitar is ideal for tunning under drop A, I play it in drop G and it is just made for great range. You can chug all day and solo like a shredder on the top. The tension on all the strings is great. You will need to get it set up so if you can do set ups yourself that is great, will not take long at all. The rail pickups are new to me but they cut the muddy freqs quite well! they are hot and clear. The pictures also do not do this guitar justice! In person the fretboard looks amazing and the finish is a nice dark red. Its a metal machine and the rounding of the neck joint is very nice to have!Vaughn

This is the first ESP E-II guitar I have owned or played. I also have owned an ESP custom shop in the past. I must say this fret board feels just as good as the higher end ESP custom shop guitar. The neck is thin, but not too thin. It is flatter than my jackson sl1 compound radius fretboard, and it is a nice change. The pickups have a great range, totally different sounds bridge to neck giving a lot of versatility. Had a lot of fun with this so far!Steven the Yellow Dart

What an absolute MONSTER this guitar is! This is a metal machine with looks that kill. Absolutely stunning quilted maple top, despite being a mahogany body it's relatively lightweight, the dual Bareknuckle Aftermath tiger pickups are excellent and the maple fretboard is stunning making this guitar really pop. My favourite thing? Mine came with a SATIN neck, despite many photos online, even on ESP's website show it as a gloss finish. Also, it's definitely green – not turquoise.Andrew M.

I'm glad to have this guitar in my small collection of guitars. It's built and designed well. The EMG active pickups it is equipped with is the most popular combination used by big name guitarists in their music. (85 & 81 series) The neck is like nothing I have ever played before, so comfortable, a very nice change from my loved LP.buffrt66

The finish looks great, neck feels great, multiscale is comfortable, fret work is great, came set up out of the box. I was completely happy until I plugged it in and it just didn't work. I'm sure this is a 1 in 500 instance. The guitar itself was great. If you want a super playable 8 string with a neck that feels as accessible as most 7 strings….this guitar is a great pick. I just can't give any further review on the Jackson blade pickups that replaced the EMGs that were in previous models.Andy

I've had this guitar for a few weeks now. I use it mostly for metal, but have also used it for classic rock songs during a gig. Before I get into the bad stuff, let me just say this guitar is awesome. This guitar was absolutely awful when it arrived. Aside from Fedex taking a .75" chip out of the body, it wasn't set up in the slightest. The original strings are way way too thin on the low end, the action is all over the place, and the neck had a pretty gnarly back bow. That being said, switching to heavier strings, setting up the neck and actions it is one of the best 8 strings I have played. I was a little concerned going with the passive pickups, but they have plenty of bite for heavy tones while providing plenty of clarity for clean parts. This guitar plays and sounds great. If you're thinking about getting it, do it!S.

Shipped fast and arrived unscathed. The guitar looks amazing and the EMGs sound great. It's lighter than I expected with it being a 7 string. The neck is smooth and feels nice to play. If you're really interested in a 7 string, this one won't disappoint. This is my second guitar from AMS and they've been fast and sent great guitars both times.Jonathan

The active emgs and the fast fretboard make this guitar a blast to play. This is my 3rd 7 string guitar (Halo Morbis and a schecter blackjack) all are great sounding instruments…to my ear this sounds better..very meaty…great sustain and aesthetically looks better…very satisfied with this guitarbbruno123

I bought this as a gift. It's a very beautiful color and I love the pearl in the neck. I'm very excited to see it in the hands of the player!Tasha

Overall: I love this guitar. I've purchased multiple guitars from zZounds and have owned many others over the years. This one is a monster. I'm a Floyd rose guy..not because I use the tremolo much but the tuning stability is something I just learned to "need". So I've generally avoided hard tails for that reason.(I own a Ken Susi LTD with the everyone and that's a different thing altogether) First Jackson guitar ever…love it. Smooth play..great tone…visually stunning!! Prettiest guitar ever made. (My opinion) it's flawless. Does it stay in tune like a Floyd? Of course not, but it does stay in tune. Long story short, there are guitars all over my house and I pick this one up 9 out of 10 times I play. It's truly a thing of beauty. (4.5 stars for value = at this price should at least be a gig bag if not a hard case.)Rich

Let me start out by stating this guitar is HEAVY!!! A good thing, if like me, you dig the whole weighty single cut thang! The purple shattered mirror finish is breathtaking. The great Jackson neck/fretboard is classically playable. The passive EMG p/u's offer great full tones and diversity, as well as plenty of chuggy crunch. I love this guitar 🎸 😍!!!Christopher

This is a gorgeous instrument, hands down. I love the Burled Top, I love the Satin finish, I love the shape and feel of the body. The cut-away on the lower horn is MASSIVE, and on top of that, the backside of the cut-away is rounded off so you can reach even higher. Absolutely no trouble reaching the highest frets on any string. I was pleased to find that the Floyd Rose tremolo felt exactly the same as a 6-string Floyd Rose would feel. Not overly stiff and flutters just how I wanted it to. For $1300-1400 it's not a bad instrument, but it's pretty low tech compared to the other stuff you could be getting with these features. No Luminlay Side Dots, no locking strap buttons, a slightly lower end Floyd Rose tremolo. I have returned this instrument, as much as it pains me, it didn't have a place in my collection of guitars. It would have just been a glorified wall ornament for me. Here are a couple of issues that I had with it, and some of these may be a problem for me but not anyone else. The higher string tuners often seemed completely unresponsive, requiring a 1/4 turn before they even start registering a pitch change. This may not be a big issue considering it has a locking nut and micro-tuners on the Floyd. In the end, it's not a big deal, but I felt it should be pointed out. Whenever I flutter the tremolo, the Tremolo Arm rattles in its socket, no matter how tightly I secure it. There's always a little bit of play in it. The tremolo flutters perfectly, but if you're playing unplugged, the rattle gets to be very annoying. Not to mention, the rattle is close enough to the pickups, that you may actually be able to hear it through your amplifier/speakers. I'm assuming this is an issue with this particular Floyd Rose 1000 series and not the guitar or manufacturer. I'm out of room for comments. Ok, shorter version: Apparently I don't like EMG's that much, the neck is noticeably square and wide, but perfectly playable, the thing is heavy.HotRodasaurus

i didnt get this guitar from musicians friend but those of u who are waiting for this thing to get in stock u made a very good investment. This is probably the best guitar ive ever played. its really comfortable and sounds like a beast. i wish the pickups werent active but they actually sound really good especially with high gain tones. its got all of the features i think any metal or rock guitar player is looking for. long story short BUY IT!!!!cdedgar27

Overall it's a nice instrument. Korean but well made. Neck through design, EMG pick ups, Grover tuning keys all winners. Ergonomics are good and comfortable. The body and head stock binding are nicely done. With all that said, out of the box she was a train wreck. I had to adjust the Truss rod, String height, and Intonation on 4 of the 7 strings. For a guy or gal who doesn't know how to, that's an additional $150 dollar set up cost. After set up my guitar plays very well and sounds brutal and the neck through really makes it easy to play. At the $899 price point I would like to have had a soft shell case at least, it doesn't even come with a vinyl gig bag, no cheap strap, cable, or picks. After a complete set up it is a nice instrument. Thanks..2148mike

I have been an avid ESP player for awhile now and I thought is was time for a 7-string. This guitar is now one of my favorites. Plays smooth and the EMG's sound amazing. I have had it for about a month now and have not had any troubles or bad things to say about it.Jakers-.2kdm

An inveterate downtuner, I wanted a 7-string for many years. I played enough different ones to be able to identify what I didn't want. Neck had to be just right. Neck curvature. String scale. Rigidity. I had played an earlier generation of this guitar, with a different finish + Seymour Duncan pickups. Somehow I stumbled upon this listing and pored over the details. Ebony fretboard atop a maple neck, neck-through design perfect to stand up to 7-string tension. Fishman pickups with great versatility and clarity. Evertune tailpiece and all it promises. This is a world-class instrument. I've paid 3x as much for a guitar and now wonder why. It is an absolute joy to play. If you want, you get sustain for days. The neck feels fantastic. I've never had ebony on maple before. Ebony's my far-and-away preference for fretboards because of the solid, smooth feel. This neck is awesome. The Fishman Fluence pickups are active and multi-voiced. The pickups, the flawless neck, and the Evertune combine to make this guitar feel like none other. It's an addictive quality.Randy

Other than being extremely beautiful, this guitar packs a punch and gives you a strong sound. The pickups are great for lead or for rhythm. Very impressed. It's my first ESP and will not be my last.J Jaks

Overall: I got this guitar a hair over a month ago, and wanted to wait awhile before I wrote a review so I could get past the "honeymoon stage" and write a fair review. Well it turns out I might as well have fired this review off on the 1st day, because nothing has changed!!This beast arrived set up so well that even the stock strings sounded good for my initial riffage, but once I got my preferred strings on there, man, that Ibby lit up!! The chugs were thick and grindy, the chords chimed, the leads sang, and I was blown away!!The pickups in this guitar are maybe the tiniest hair lower-output than my personal preference, but nothing to ding points over, and the 5-way switching opens up the possibilities! Build quality, fit, and finish are outta this world for a guitar at this price point, and yes, this guitar does sport a slightly larger neck than the traditional Wizard 7 string profile, which for my giant hands, feels like home. In conclusion, if you are looking for a great new flavor of 7 to add to your collection, or need a first one that won't let you down, dive in!!Chris

Let me just start off by saying that I've been playing 6 string guitar since 1995, however this is my first 7 string guitar. This Ibanez gio has amazing craftsmanship and playability unparalleled at its price range. I have guitars that cost three times as much that aren't as well made. This was setup well no buzz on the frets. If you want to change it's tone later on just buy new pickups. Only downside is the fretboard is a little soft for heavy hands so don't go smacking the crap outta it. You can see me play it on Instagram for reference @blakesguitars.Blakesguitars