Do you yearn to elevate your strumming prowess? Or to finally play rock and metal without having to low tune your 6-string guitar? Perhaps, you crave the option of an expanded tonal range? Well, a 7-string guitar can help you with all this. It’s a basic 6-string guitar with an additional B string to enable you to reach five further lower notes.
The 7-string guitar boomed in popularity at the height of the Rolling Stones and U2 era in the 1990s. Since then, several manufacturers have jumped onto the bandwagon of making these guitars. The result is an excess of 7-string guitars in the market, which on the downside, toughens the selection process for any consumer.
That’s why we’ve compiled this comprehensive review that looks at the best 7-string guitars encompassing the top-performing and most endorsed among consumers – to ease the process. Read on to find what’s unique about these guitars, why they’re revered, and what you should look for when getting one.
Our Top Pick – Jackson JS22-7 Dinky DKA 7-String Electric Guitar Satin Black
Why We Love It
- Remarkable Quality
- Light and well-balanced
- Optimum performance features
- Sleek and aesthetically appealing
Last update on 2024-03-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Review of the Top 9 Best 7-String Guitars
Best Overall 7 String Guitar: Jackson JS22-7 Dinky DKA 7-String Electric Guitar Satin Black
Manufactured by the well-known Jackson brand, this guitar doesn’t disappoint. Everything is built towards maximum performance. It contains single volume and tone controls, excellent tuners, efficient pickups, and comes in a basswood body.
The pickups work great to produce smooth, clean sounds. The arched top adds more aesthetic appeal; the satin color adds a classy touch, smooth curves provide lots of comforts, and the high-quality materials work together to produce magnificent sounds.
Key Features
- Maple neck
- Basswood body
- 5″ scale height
- 98-pound weight
- Humbucking pickups
- Rosewood fingerboard
What We Like
- The sleek, satin finish looks stylish
- Excellent pick up sounds
- Thin and smooth neck
- No buzzing frets or visible flaws
What We Don’t Like
- The strings can be tad bit light
- You might need to replace the pickups down the road
Overall Rating: 4.9/5
Our Verdict
This is a excellent value 7-string guitar overall. The neck is tiny and smooth, the guitar well-balanced, it looks stylish, the pickups are great, with excellent tuners, and curves that allow for maximum comfort. Its price, $200, is the icing on the cake. It’s perfect for someone starting out with 7-string guitars.
Best Performance 7 String Guitar: ESP LTD EC-407 7-String Electric Guitar, Black Satin
Since 1975, ESP has been manufacturing guitars for every style of music to cater for varying needs. All their products are meticulously crafted and of the highest quality. This ESP LTD EC-407 is no different.
Within a black satin finish with a rosewood fingerboard, this guitar is sure to serve you well. The mahogany body ensures that the sound produced is distinctive, and even the lowest tones are noticeable and stand out to the crowd.
This guitar is guaranteed to last you a lifetime. And in case you encounter any breakdowns, worry not. You are covered with a limited lifetime warranty. The three pc maple neck provides strength to hold the guitar together, hence, lasting you longer. It also comes dressed in sleek satin finish complete with matching satin hardware finish.
Key Features
- 5-inch scale length
- Pau Ferro fingerboard
- 350 mm fingerboard radius
- Three pc maple neck
- 10-pound weight
What We Like
- Made with high-quality materials
- It is not too heavy
- Good aesthetic design
- It has a limited lifetime guarantee
What We Don’t Like
- Adjustments have to be made before use to tune it properly
Overall Rating: 4.8/5
Our Verdict
Despite its high price, it is worth trying it out. The high-quality materials ascertain phenomenal performance.
Best Adjustable Pickups 7 String Guitar: Schecter Hellraiser C-7 FR 7-String Electric Guitar
This Schecter electric guitar is the heaviest in our list, but not too heavy to tire you during play. Everything is designed with optimum performance in mind.
The body is made of mahogany wood. It contains split-coil pickup design to dial up any tone you want, and the pickups are adjustable. From clean to dirty or anything in between, it’ll enable you to come up with a single coin sound. The result is a clean, clear sound.
Furthermore, it is aesthetically pleasing. The wood finish is impeccable, the design is impressive, and it comes in three colors: white, black cherry, providing the freedom to choose the color that suits you best.
Key Features
- 1-pound weight
- 3pc mahogany neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Mahogany body
What We Like
- Limited lifetime guarantee
- Adjustable pickups
- Clean sound
- Smooth working controls
- Variety of colors to choose from
What We Don’t Like
- The initial setup could use some improvements; hence, you’ll need to set it up first before use
- The volume knob easily cracks
Overall Rating: 4.8/5
Our Verdict
Despite its weight, this guitar is impeccably designed and installed with features like the adjustable pickups to enhance its performance. If you prefer a guitar with a split-coil pickup, this is a perfect choice for you.
Best Ergonomic 7 String Guitar: Ibanez RG7421PB 7-String Electric Guitar (Pearl Black Fade Metallic)
This electric 7-string guitar is pretty decent in terms of quality for the $399.99 price. It’s comfortable during use, sleek, produces remarkable sound with no sound buzz whatsoever, and is of an appropriate scale length to ensure everything is within reach and also allowing for standard tuning.
It comes in mahogany body and a maple neck materials, with a sleek pearl black fade metallic color finish.
Key Features
- 10-pound weight
- 5-inch scale length
- Jatoba fingerboard
- Two humbucking pickups
What We Like
- It is not too heavy
- It produces magnificent sound
- The pickups are great
- Thin and smooth neck to ensure maximum comfort when playing
What We Don’t Like
- Some notes are a bit on the low end, producing low sound quality
Overall Rating: 4.8/5
Our Verdict
The sound produced by these guitars is impressive, especially for the price. The tuners stay in tune well, pickups work great with no buzz sounds, and the mahogany body amplifies the sound.
Best Durable 7 String Guitar: Dean C750X MRD Custom Series 7-String Solid-Body Electric Guitar, Metallic Red
The first thing that attracts you to this guitar is its exquisite appearance. The basswood body is finished with metallic red, with the hardware in black. It sure is a beauty.
Dean C750X is not all about beauty, though. It works great too. The humbucker pickups amplify vibrations to produce a smooth, full, and thick sound with no buzz. The knobs tune with ease, the neck is smooth, and it’s equipped with good strings. Moreover, the basswood body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard combine to emit a magnificent sound.
Key Features
- 49-pounds weight
- Basswood top and body
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Maple neck
- 5″ scale length
What We Like
- Super smooth in feel
- Humbucker pickups are available
- Gorgeous aesthetic design and color
- Powerful sound with no buzz
- Neat packaging warrants maximum protection
- It is lightweight
What We Don’t Like
- Pickups might need a little switching up
- There might be a need for heavier gauge strings
Overall Rating: 4.8/5
Our Verdict
This guitar looks great, sounds great, and retails at an affordable $379. It makes for an intelligent and all-round excellent purchase.
Best Designed 7 String Guitar: Schecter Omen Extreme-7 Electric Guitar (Black Cherry)
This electric guitar contains all features needed for outstanding performance as well as having great looks. Its body is made of solid mahogany wood with a double cutaway design to enhance appearance.
The materials allow for powerful sounds and comfort. The fretboard is constructed using rosewood, the body of solid mahogany, and the neck of maple to emit great sounds. The neck is flat and smooth for maximum comfort.
This guitar comes with humbucker pickups, a coil tap feature, tuners, and excellent fret works. All these features work hand in hand to bring about a clean, articulate, and smooth sound with no buzz frets at all. What’s more, it’s covered with a limited lifetime guarantee in case some parts need repairs.
Key Features
- 25 pounds in weight
- Solid mahogany wood
- Rosewood fretboard
- Maple neck type
- Humbucker pickup
What We Like
- A slim comfortable neck
- Pickups and tuners work great
- Its solid construction with a superb finish
- Excellent fretwork
- Coil tap feature
- Bright tone thanks to materials used
What We Don’t Like
- Can be out of tune at first so you’ll need first to adjust it
- It has some fret buzz on the first two lower strings
Overall Rating: 4.8/5
Our Verdict
Materials and features all combine to create a guitar that emits powerful, clean sound. The finish is impeccable too, hence, elevating its look.
Best Value 7 String Guitar: Ibanez RG Series RG7421PB – Sapphire Blue Flat
The Ibanez RG Series electric guitar gives excellent bang for your buck. It weighs only 12 pounds which is light when carrying to avoid tiring quickly, comes with two humbucking pickups to aid in amplifying vibrations for more magnificent sound. It also has a fantastic thin neck for maximum comfort and appropriate fretboard width for ease during use.
The mahogany body, maple neck, and fingerboard enhance sound and tone quality. As a result, the guitar emits clean and smooth sound with no fret buzz.
Key Features
- Maple neck
- Mahogany body
- 12-pound weight
- Jatoba fingerboard
- Two humbucking pickups
What We Like
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Thin and smooth neck
- Is lightweight, thus, easy to carry
- Produces excellent and clean sound that doesn’t buzz
What We Don’t Like
- The volume pot can produce a bit of sound
- You might need to change the pickups
Overall Rating: 4.7/5
Our Verdict
If you’re looking for a guitar offering all vital features at a decent price range, this one is for you. The guitar produces clean and good sound, is lightweight, well-crafted, and comfortable during use.
Best Lightweight 7 String Guitar: Schecter C-7 DELUXE Satin White 7-String Solid-Body Electric Guitar, Satin White
This guitar is one of the cheapest in our best seven-string guitars review. Besides, it weighs a mere 7-pounds, making it the lightest on this list. This weight enhances optimum comfort during use.
The pickups allow for dialing up the tone whenever needed. Moreover, the basswood body, maple neck, together with rosewood fingerboard, work hand in hand to produce superior sounds. The high tones are suitable for rock and metal music.
Key Features
- 7-pound weight
- Maple neck
- Basswood body
- Schecter pickups
- Chrome hardware
- Rosewood fingerboard
What We Like
- Lightweight
- Gorgeous satin finish
- It’s comfortable
- It is quite affordable
- It comes in two colors
- It has incredible sound and tone quality
What We Don’t Like
- You might need to fine-tune it before use to get it to work flawlessly
Overall Rating: 4.7/5
Our Verdict
This guitar is the lightest on our list, making it ideal for playing for longer hours without exhaustion. Any guitarist who spends most of their time playing while standing should consider this feather-light guitar. It works well too.
Best Affordable 7 String Guitar: Ibanez GRG7221 7-String Electric Guitar Black
Patented after the legendary Ibanez guitar, this electric guitar is a cheaper alternative to it offering the same sound and superior quality. The fact that it retails at only $200 makes this guitar a great steal.
Extra attention was given to its craftsmanship to ensure maximum performance. The neck is even and smooth, the guitar is lightweight, humbucker pickups are present, and it comes in a poplar body.
As a result, the guitar sounds great when switching between pickups, has superb tone and sound, tunes and plays fine, is comfortable to carry around, long-lasting, and looks appealing.
Key Features
- Maple neck
- Poplar body
- 9 pounds in weight
- Humbucker pickup
- Maple neck and fretboard
What We Like
- Superb finish
- Great fretwork
- It sounds and plays well
- Available in a variety of colors
What We Don’t Like
- You may need to swap the strings
- There can be some dead notes during play
Overall Rating: 4.8/5
Our Verdict
Perfect for those looking to venture into the 7-string world and don’t want to waste a lot of money for something they might dislike. Or if you are strapped for cash and need a cheap guitar. Its retail price at $200 only makes it the most affordable on our list.
Buying Guide – The Best 7-String Acoustic Guitars
With lots of guitars out there all promising heaven, which one should you pick? Curated below are three vital tips to look for when buying the best 7-string guitar.
Neck Width
The suitable neck size depends on your hand size and how far you would want the strings spaced.
Generally, 7-string guitars have larger neck sizes due to the added string. So, if you have tiny hands, opt for the thinnest one you can find. A thicker-sized neck will place unnecessary strain on your hands. People with larger hands don’t get much affected, though.
Also, should you want the strings spaced as it is in a regular 6-string guitar, go for a slightly wider width to accommodate the extra string. Should you opt for a 7-string neck width similar to the 6-string’s, the strings will be closer together.
Scale Length
This is the distance between the nut and bridge. Most 7-string guitars measure between 25.5 and 27 inches.
Slight difference in scale length immensely influence the feel of the string, tone, and character of voices or harmony. Even a difference in a quarter an inch affects the guitar sound. Therefore, purchase the guitar with an idea of the tone you would want, cognizant with your playing style.
Furthermore, if you’re a regular 6-string guitarist looking to easily transition to a 7-string guitar, select a 25.5 inch 7-string guitar. The minute scale length difference from a 6-string guitar allows for quick transitioning.
Most companies now offer fanned fret guitars that have multiple scaled fingerboards. Meaning that the nuts, bridge, and frets are installed at varying angles. The incorporation of numerous scale lengths in one guitar allows for more excellent tonal range.
Comfort
Comfort is vital when playing any instrument. Ascertain that your guitar is comfortable in every possible way before purchase. To do this, wear it at the shop to feel how heavy and balanced it feels.
Generally, most 7-string guitars are more substantial and more extensive than regular 6-strings. Since its hard finding a light seven-string guitar, purchase a wider strap. A wider strap or wearing the guitar higher and closer to your body helps compensate for the extra weight.
You will also find that sometimes, this guitar isn’t balanced. This imbalance is due to the neck size being longer; resulting in the headstock diving downwards. This might force you to continually hold it with your fretting hand, which can be strenuous. To counter this, try your guitar beforehand to ascertain it stays balanced at all times.
A guitar is an investment. You want it to last, eliminating the need for constant replacements. Look for buzz-free guitars with proper quality hardware that will help the guitar last for ages serving you well through the years.
Final Thoughts
Getting used to a 7-string might require some physical and tuning adjustments. There are, however, many advantages to using a 7-string guitar.
One; the additional B tone allows you to reach lower tones, thus, providing a greater range for musical expression. This guitar also enables you to play both the treble chord and brass voicings simultaneously. What’s more, you won’t need to relearn afresh. Playing and tuning is the same as the popular 6-strings.
Our top pick the JS22-7 Dinky DKA 7-String Electric Guitar Satin Black has all this and more. It is well-constructed, aesthetically appealing, and designed for optimum performance.
We hope that our review and buying guide will come in handy the next time you’re out shopping. Should you buy any of our recommended best seven-string guitars, do share your experiences with us. We would be more than thrilled to hear all about it!
You may also read more about how to make your own customized guitar to elevate your experience.
