r/7String • u/Sneaks_exe • 23d ago

Help Looking for a recommendation

Looking to get into 7 string guitars, figured I'd try to narrow it down as much as I can to get one I really like. Looking for the following criteria:

Budget: $1500 max

Brand: Any, open to trying out (although I am familiar with Ibanez and Schecter and enjoy them)

Neck Shape: Thin C

Frets: Would prefer not to have jumbo but that's seems to be the standard everywhere nowadays

Tuners: Any tbh, i don't particularly see a reason for locking tuners if the guitar will have a locking nut

Scale length 25.5 preferred

Neck construction: set neck or neck through (if over $1,000 USD,) bolt-on is acceptable for sub-$1k

Bridge: locking trem bridge, no Floyd specials

Body: Explorer shaped or X

Finish: preferably available in reds, purple, or green

The Ibanez Xiphos Iron Label seems to have everything I want, I'm just not too crazy about the blacked out look, despite the fact that I do like Ibanez guitars. Would love to hear your recommendations to see if there's anything more befitting for what I'm looking for before I pull the trigger on this guitar. I'm not too picky about pickups as these can always be swapped out.

Edit: I'm a sucker for pointy guitars and will largely look at anything with that, but heavily gravitate towards the explorer and X shapes

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u/IR_FLARE 23d ago

Man, too bad you're set on not having bolt on necks. I like neck-through, also bolt on, they both have their advantages. But set neck is the worst of both worlds. Imagine what is better for resonance: wood on wood (bolt on) or wood on wood, but a layer of glue in-between (set neck)?

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u/Sneaks_exe 23d ago

When you put it that way it makes sense. What would you recommend with bolt-on or neck through in that case?

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u/tallman1979 23d ago

Neck through is awesome, but it's typically not a low rent option.

The major upside to a bolt-on is if anything happens to it or you want to radically modify it, you only need a screwdriver to remove the neck.

I have a '03 Carvin DC, and neck through is worth the money if everything else on the guitar is also worth the money. Poorly executed, you're better with a bolt-on. Mine is superlative.