Best 7 String Electric Guitars: Ultimate Buyers Guide …

It is tempting to think of a 7 string guitar as simply an instrument for metalcore, death metal or extreme shred but a 7-string is much more versatile. Seven string guitars are used in Jazz and they can be used to achieve chord voicings that are not possible on a 6-string electric guitar. Sure, the majority buy 7 string guitars to “chug” and we’ll admit there’s nothing more satisfying that “chugging” on a 7-string.

If you’re looking to get into 7-string guitar playing then you’ve come to the right place. In this guide we’ll look at the main differences between a 6 and 7 string guitar, what to look for when buying a 7-string guitar, some of our favourite 7-string shredders and of course a list of 7-string guitars for all skill levels and budgets. Let’s get into it.

• Difference between 6 and 7-string guitars
• What to look for when buying a 7-string guitar
• Top 5 seven string guitars
  • On a budget
  • Multi-scale / Fanned Frets
  • Budget 7 String Guitars
  • Top End 7 String Guitars

 

Difference between 6 and 7 string guitars

It sounds like a stupid question as the answer is of course that there is an extra string as we can see below in standard tuning.

 

However this also presents a difference in the range of notes available on the guitar as with an additional B string. The first 4 frets and the open string on the low B present an opportunity to incorporate a new octave of notes (B through to Eb) that you don’t get on a traditional 6-string. This of course gives a deeper sound and one that you commonly hear with metal bands using a 7-string guitar. You can of course also tune down the low B to an A to get that “Drop-D” .. or Drop-B sound or if you want to go further into the “chug” then dropping the whole string set down a tone you’ll enter Korn territory.

What to look for when buying a 7-string guitar

Fitting an extra string on the guitar creates design changes that you will need to consider when looking to purchase a 7-string guitar. Here are a few of the differences to bear in mind.

Neck Width

Again, pretty obvious, but due to the extra string the neck is going to be wider and in some cases it may also be thicker due to the extra support needed to keep the guitar straight and in-tune. A number of guitar brands still have relatively thin necks on their 7-string guitars, such as Ibanez but the likes of ESP and Schecter look to have slightly thicker necks on their 7-strings.

Why does this matter? Well if you have small hands and you are used to a 6-string the moving up to 7 will most certainly feel different. It of course depends on your style of playing but let’s be honest, while 7-strings are used in Jazz, 90% of purchases are probably for metal / shred purposes. So if reach is a problem then you might want to test out brands with thinner necks like Ibanez.

 

Multi-Scale / Fanned Frets

Put simply, a multi-scale guitar has different length scales per string to make sure that string tension is correct across the string set. Having the same length fretboard for a low B string and a high E string, can mean the low B string is too loose. A multi-scale guitar solves this by altering the length of the fretboard at the different positions of the strings. This also means you can play around with different gauges on strings should you wish.

 

These slight changes in fretboard length do produce the fanned frets and therefore when purchasing a multi-scale it is important to note there will be a difference in feel initially until you get used to the slightly different position of the frets. The fanning is much more pronounced at the extreme high and low notes of the instrument – so bare this in mind. They look cool, but they also take a bit of readjustment in terms of your finger memory.

Best Budget 7-String Guitars

Guitars aren’t cheap and if you’re not sure about a 7-string then a budget option is always a good option as it allows you to test the waters without getting sucked into paying thousands for a new axe. Here are some highly recommended 7-string guitars on a budget.

Best Multi-Scale / Fanned Fret 7-Strings

If you’re a pro or you want to dive straight into your Djent / shred fantasy then these are the fanned fret / multi-scale 7-strings you want to be checking out. It gets wild!

Best Top End 7 String Guitars

If money is no object and you simply want the most versatile, high performance 7-string guitars on the market then these are our top 2. Get your wallet at the ready.