Build A 7 String Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

As a Schecter user since 2002, I've been able to see their products improve from year to year. With this Hybrid Hellraiser, the build of this guitar is borderline flawless. A great combination of the SLS body style but the audio girth of their Hellraiser models. For a 7 string, it is about as light and fast as possible. Even though it's meant to handle the heaviest of metal, the neck is smooth enough to deal with a variety of styles. The stock locking tuners are solid as is my favorite EMG combination the 66/57 which provides all the goods. Headroom but gain, bite but warmth. To top it off, the looks of the guitar is as classy as possible. From whatever light is shining on it, the trans black is either a slight green, or a dark grey. So the personality of the guitar varies as much as what you choose to play on it. I've yet to own a bad Schecter. And this is the best one yet. It leaves all LTD's and Ibanez's in this price range in the dust.Druzovich

You do not have to spend $5,000 to achieve big boy vibe. The features on this guitar well exceed the price. I am pretty blown away with the impression it’s made and I just got it. After a good set up this guitar will gladly catch anything you thrown at it. You will definitely feel like a rock star with a Blackjack in your hands. The tone capability seems to be endless, I can’t really find an end to them. If you buy one of these, I promise you will be very happy that you did. Guitar dealers should be a little intimidated by this one because once you’ve got this one, you’re guitar buying fever will be quenched for quite awhile.Kevin

Overall: Ok lets start of with , I own PRS, Gibson, Fender, Epiphone… Never crossed my mind to ever try a Schecter . But i was interested in the Sustainiac pickup, so i took a chance and bought this model because i did not want the active EMG pick up , wanted active . Now this guitar is not cheap as you can see. So here it is open the box amazed at what i saw, stunning guitar, Came set up perfect slight tuning adjustment that was it , the intonation was right on..Lets talk neck ..thin 'C' with a 12”-16” Compound Radius ..Are you kidding ? Wow. Its probably the best i ever played compound radius along with a thin 'c' neck is like surf & turf…..Ebony fretboard ..super smooth tight grain , body and neck finish is flawless binding is perfect ,the pickups are real nice i am loving sustain and its real nice how they made it very adjustable . Only have a few days and i cannot put it down .sounds awesome , i play blues mostly and some rock and Santana, the sound is very clear and clean, i play through a Marshall dsl all tube, fender tube, and a Vox …On boost or other distortion it real kicks. .A…. I am very happy and would recommend this guitar to anyone regardless of the type of music you play , seems to cover a lot.. also its pretty light i would say around 7lb few oz's…it also has a set neck not a bolt on… Very impressed with this, only regret is i never bought one earlier..John

Its not super flashy and wont really capture any attention on stage but it does its job. Its a solid guitar, way better built than other guitars in its price range. Solid construction, great overall build quality, amazing tone and awesome pickups for the price range. Great 7 string to get your foot in the door if you are usually a 6 string player and if it doesnt work out for you you are not out alot of money and has decent resale value. I am going to get more comfortable with this guitar before buying a more expensive 7 string and use this as my backup 7 string while gigging. No regrets here or complaints. As always AMS shipped this thing instantly and it came well packaged and no damage! Thank you AMS!Mike Yakouba

Overall: Man, I can’t believe this guitar was less than 400 bucks. This is my First 7 string. I got it as an experiment just to see if a 7 string had any appeal. Well it did. It does.I did have to do a little work on the nut. The neck had a hard D profile that was irritating, so I shaved the shoulders and reshaped the neck. Fits like a glove now. I don’t know what people expect in this price range, but this guitar was bang for the buck rich.I found the stock humbuckers to be adequate. Tone and volume controls worked. No static in the five way switch. The pickups sound tight enough on the bottom.You won’t get any more 7 string bang for the buck until you spend twice as much.Scott

Sound: The sound quality is pretty good believe it or not with the stock pickups, definitely have enough distortion to get pinch harmonics anywhere that I can on my Seymour Duncan JB equipped Schecter C-1. Although, the 7th string (B) or in my case G# can be a little muddy but this is why I also picked up a Dimarzio Crunch Lab and Liquifire to replace the stock pickups. But for now, it does fit my musical style pretty well which is mostly groove/progressive metal (or the cliche Djent term). It sounds great with other low gain music as well too, the 5 way selector which offers single coil mode is pretty useful. Clean sounds are pretty good . Keep in mind I'm only running through a Line 6 Spider II. Tips for making it sound better, would be include some dimarzios, or duncans as stock pickups which I know would increase the price but most of us are going to replace them anyways. Features: The most useful feature I would say is the 5 way switch, giving a variety of sounds. This is a pretty basic set up, so I wouldn't say there is anything useless at all. It has 7 inline tuners which I feel are more stable than the grovers on my schecter, they are nice and tight. It has a 25.5" bolt on (vs. my set through Schecter) maple neck with rosewood fingerboard with a more D shape to the neck, but also pretty thin compared to my schecter (a beefier U/C shape neck). The transition is actually quite comfortable coming from my 6 string. A flattop basswood body with 2 humbuckers, a 5 way switch, and volume (which I find gets in the way when trying to sweep pick, but I'll just have to adjust my playing style) and tone knobs. It also has a gotoh hardtail bridge. Ease of Use: It's very easy to get clean sounds out of this guitar, the distortion is pretty good as well, again a little bit of mud on the 7th string when tuned lower. It's easy to use with my amp, it's plug and play. Learning curve, is actually little to none it was an easy transition. It's very playable, the neck is fast and the bridge is comfortable. The body also has a nice belly cut and relief for your forearm. Quality: This product is assembled in Indonesia, my Schecter was in Korea. With that being said, I do think the Schecter's fit and finish is better but not too far ahead of the Ibanez. But, you get what you pay for with a $400.00 guitar. I bought this knowing it was not going to be a premium or prestige model. I haven't had it long, so I can't relaly comment on it's reliability. But from what I have seen so far, it feels very ruggedly made and everything feels nice and solid. Value: I think this product is 100% worth it's asking price. It's a solid guitar, the stock tone is great under clean/slightly overdrive tones, and acceptable under high gain. Again, to have it come stock with better pickups would increase the cost further. So for this price, it is very much worth it. Playability is great, loving the Ibanez Wizard neck. Manufacturer Support: I have not dealt with Ibanez before, but I have dealt with zZounds before. They are easy to get ahold of and very friendly. I have not yet had any problems with zZounds and very much enjoy the play as you pay plan. The Wow Factor: I find this guitar very appealing, especially with the white finish. What makes it even more appealing is the price and the stock features it comes with. I could have bought a baritone 6, but I've wanted a 7 for awhile. It just offers more tonal and range opportunities. Overall: In short, great guitar for the $. Stock pickups leave a little to be desired when down tuning. Playability is excellent. Quality is definitely acceptable, but not above and beyond.Kory

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.

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

Sound: The sound is absolutely great, I like metal and this is great for that.and it's great in any pickup settings, it goes from mild to wild with the flip of the toggle, has two styles of sustain, feedback, and a slower buildup for a different sustain, battery life is good when you turn the toggles off and disconnect the instrument cable, or it powers the EMG, Features: This for its cost has a set neck, materials are some of the best mahogany body, and if I remember the neck. Tuners work well, pickups are incredible.rosewood with bat inlays. It just looks good, and sounds better everything on this is great quality,I have always liked guitars that don't inlay the first fret, just me, but I know where the first fret is, it really throws me off. Ease of Use: This is a very easy to play guitar, even not using the big neck magnet it sounds great, the only learning curve was leaving it plugged in, when I would leave it in the stand, the floating tremolo had givin me a few problems but watching a few YouTube videos I got it down pretty fast, I listened to 1 gentlemen and he says cut all of the strings bad information there, but I got past that, bought a bunch of high E strings I would go for the tuners up top and broke a few, but, it's just remembering the fine tuners. Quality: I would have to say it's built better than guitars I own that don't have the set neck, mahogany is durable and imagine it being a collectors, item, that's 30 years, I don't see any problems with it lasting me forever, I won't sell trade. I will just play it and enjoy doing it… Value: Oh yes, I had seen one being played online, was made by another Co. And it was over 3,000.00, Schecter was giving them away. I jumped right on that once I saw it, I would never had the chance, except for you fine people at zZounds. A value yep!! Manufacturer Support: Haven't had to contact them for there problems The Wow Factor: Just looking at it makes my day, anyone that sees it admires it's mean look, the bats are very neat, looks better than grape vines, or other goofy inlays. I wouldn't pass it up because I did get to hear one that cost way more, and it didn't have the look. I love people's reaction when I activate the Sustainiac they can't put their finger on the big change in the sound.. Lots of fun Overall: I own 3 Schecter's and I have had some minor problems, that said I am partial to them, the Damien is always my first choice, it's got sound as long as that toggle is on no more getting up close to a 300 watt amp for my sustain, it works on a 20-watt practice amp. It's well made, solid, a little heavy, but so what it's a set neck,got an EMG pickup that's excellent in it's position,holds tuning well for me.The inlays are cool, it's art to me I hang it so I can admire the flat black, with the silver awesome. My only problem no paperwork there website was lacking anything, but once you figure out the tremolo good to go, I personally took of the top string locks still stays in tune, and I change tuning so much,it's better for me. Seems to be a lot of different turnings. I am about 1 1/2 hours good traffic, and have been thinking of checking out what they do there. Have to say a huge thanks to zZounds they are really good with helping a guy like me has bad credit, never a problem, I will never shop anywhere else..not that I could..Thanks to everyone that works there!!!Dean

This guitar is very awesome looking with the bat inlays , on top of it feeling great in your hands. For the price you truly Couldn't ask for a better guitar. This thing is loaded with custom pickups and Grover hardware and the emg pick ups sound awesome. It is my favorite guitar to play out of my collection. I am no professional but this thing makes me sound like one and is very easy to play. The Floyd rose is a super plus because it holds tune well and you can whammy out. All in all I would recommend this guitar to everybody but a part of me wishes I had the only one. If you don't have one your not living right, so do your self a favor. You will thank me later.Eric

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

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

This is a nice looking guitar, very playable, the sloped frets are a definite plus at the body end of the neck. Surprisingly light and comfortable to play. It has a great range of tones via the 5-way selector and switch. The tail-end tuners are really smooth.Rob C.

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

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

I absolutely love this guitar! The neck feels really solid, and the fretwork is flawless. I prefer a fixed bridge, but maybe in time they will make it an option for this guitar. Then, I guess I'll have to buy another one 🙂Omikron

I used to own a 1990 Ibanez Universe 77MC 7 string guitar and I loved the way that guitar played. It had a nice feeling neck and the Edge Low-Pro bridge worked great. Not to mention, it was a bad-ass looking guitar! Multi-colored swirl by Darren Johansen, 3-color disappearing pyramid inlay, Edge Low-Pro tremolo with cosmo black hardware (see photos for comparison). I mention all that because I regret to say I sold that guitar and was missing my Ibanez Universe. So, I decided to buy another one that wouldn't soak my finances and bought a new Ibanez Universe UV70PBK Green Dot 7 string guitar. There are significant differences in the feel and playability compared to the original's. The UV70P's have a finish on the neck's almost like a clear coat varnish which seems to be a standard on the Ibanez Premium line of guitars. The original's didn't. They were more like a light tung oil finish. I do have to say, that the necks on the Premium line are designed to be a lot more sturdy than the original's, which is a good thing. The UV70P's have the new Edge-Zero II-7 bridge which doesn't have the same feel and response as the Edge Low-Pro. Supposedly the same basswood body, but they seem much lighter in weight that the original's. The pick-up's are the same, but the tone is just not quite thesame as well. And of course, another obvious difference is the the original's were made in Japan and the reissues are made in Indonesia which determines the quality somewhat. Don't get me wrong, these reissue's are still a good quality guitar, but once having an original Universe you can tell the difference in craftsmanship. I will probably keep my UV70PBK just so I can have a 7 string guitar again and it is a bad-ass looking guitar, but I will always regret selling my 1990 Universe 77MC which was for me, the Ultimate Universe!!!designrol

I've built several of these diddley bow kits and they're historically authentic, with the exception of using a new guitar tuner instead of a bent nail or whittled tuner. A cigar box makes a great resonator and these diddley bows sound nice and loud. These kits are just a little more involved than the C. B. Gitty "Pure & Simple" kit (also sold on Musician's Friend: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/c.b.-gitty-cigar-box-pure-simple-3-string-slide-guitar-kit). You'll need to cut a hole for the neck to go in…but it's still a very easy instrument to build. Great for pedagogy. The guitar is played with a slide (provided) and is a great way to learn the slide guitar concept. Blind Willie Johnson started out on a one-string "diddley bow" cigar box guitar and used a pocketknife for a slide. He developed his unique slide style from learning songs on a single string. It's a process heard time and again from many old blues legends.Shane S.

I wanted a fretted guitar, but got an unfettered one. I don't remember the ad specifying if the instrument was fretted or not. If the information was clearer on the ad, that would be helpful. I really like the Wal-Mart web site. I always go there for anything I want or need.Buster

When we bought this, I figured it would need some putting together. Be prepared with a couple hours and make sure you have the correct tools. I have neither so will most likely get another one.Twenty five down the drain 🙁Roy

I have 2 of the 6 string versions with the reverse headstocks and maple necks for my cover band, but in my solo instrumental music I use 7 and 8 strings. This is my new go to for writing and recording my material. Sounds amazing with my rig and you can never go wrong with a wizard neck and an edge tremolo. It plays fast and clean while being able to handle heavy riffs, soaring chords, speed picking, legato and arpeggios. I’m definitely going to be perchasing the Dragon Eye with the fixed bridge and/or a second one of these in the near. Future. When I bought the 6 strings I said to my band that they could put my name on it and call it my signature model, but I thin the 7 would be the one.Don

My new Ibanez 7 string arrived with a damaged tremolo post due to quality control at the manufacturer. I called AMS and informed them of the issue. They are sending me a replacement tremolo from the Ibanez factory. The rest of the guitar is absolutely flawless. AMS offered to replace the entire guitar but I have no problem just replacing the damaged tremolo. The body and neck on this guitar are awesome for the price.John C

Out of the box, this guitar cannot be setup with anything but .009 gauge strings. The problem is, at least in Pittsburgh, you most likely will never find .009 gauge 7 string sets. When you try to set it up with .010 gauge strings, you will spend an hour or two fighting the trem system before realizing, this guitar needs a fourth tension spring to be able to counteract the added tension of the strings or you'll never get it even close to in tune without the bridge being at a 90 degree angle to the body. Then realize, Ibanez designed this bridge so that you can only put 3 springs. I took my brand new out of the box guitar to the machine shop and added holes to the trem block so I could set it up with 4 springs JUST TO PUT STRINGS ON MY GUITAR. Now I'm waiting for a local shop to swap pickups for me because as you might have guessed, the stock ones are straight mud. The guitar is beautiful, but if I could give this a 0 rating I would have.jables

Finally arrived my beloved RGD71ALPA…Sound and feel fantastic. Looks georgious. BUT! The individual saddles wasent bolted down properly (they was floating), and the foam under the pickups wasent set properly, so the pickups bouncing back and forth when you set up your instrument. Small things, but this price range im not expected this kinda things…All together after the fix up, brilliant guitar for blues to MathMetal. Tracking is awesom, and the coil split tones are woow..Tamas N.

Waited for this guitar from jan21(when ibanez announced it) finally got it the other day (Jun 27). Well worth the wait. Looks amazing and plays even better. Bare knuckle p-ups are ??. AMS is the best. Thanks guysChauncy

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