don't get a seven string guitar: here's why...

#7string #7stringguitar
In this video, wee talk about why you should NOT buy a 7 string guitar!

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[humthappa]

Video title: don’t buy a 7 string guitar
Me: ok 8 string it is

[ericsmith]

Once I got a 7, I actually became a better player cause it opened the door for so much more! I recommend a 7 for guys that want to open their door for song writing. I got it and never put it down! I love 7s!!! And I mean the chords I came up with even in clean, bar chords with a 7 is just killer!! Things you can’t do with a 6. So i recommend 7s to people who want to expand. If your tired of the same ol same ol from a 6, get a 7!! So many more options!!! Expand man!!

[nissenilsson]

A great feature of a 7 string is that you can comfortably switch between E and B standard without having to get lower gauge strings. You can just change the g string to an F# and then have B standard with a high E.

[loneponderer]

I've been playing for just shy of 30 years and did 90% on six strings with E standard tuning. I bought a 7 string after hearing how it feels like a whole different instrument. I had zero issues adapting to it. It felt as natural as playing a 6 string to me.
I think a lot of people struggle because they are overthinking it. Music is the art of sound. As such, the ONLY rule is does it sound good, or at least does it help convay what you're trying to say. Any other rule is nonsense. I love science, and with most things, I'm obsessed with knowing the facts and being able to back up my opinions with proof. Art is the one place such obsession is not only unessisary it's arguably harmful.

[jlwdith]

My name is Mubatu and we have no money for real guitar here in Africa. We made our own 14 string guitar out of thrown away rubbish. It's tune so low it causes groin injury

[coryjackson]

When someone sees me playing a 7 and the say that they wouldn’t know where to start on it, it makes me think they don’t know anything about playing guitar in the first place. It’s chords, it’s scales, it’s all the same. You’re absolutely right. Memorize the fretboard in a standard tuning first. Don’t drop tune, don’t take shortcuts. Learn your intervals before screwing up your tuning. Good video man. Peace

[shredenvain]

A 7 string guitar can be the best of both worlds if you can get used to the adjustment. It allows you to tune low as well keep the same scale patterns you are used to on a 6 string guitar.

[Ajz]

When I started getting into super heavy music like 15 years ago, I did a lot of research and decided I was going to get an 8 string. Upon finding one and testing it out though, I actually hated it. Going from a 6 to 8 string is like switching to an entirely new instrument. So, I tried out a 7 string. INSTANTLY fell in love with it. So much so, that I will NEVER buy a 6 string again. Ever. The 7 was actually very comfortable and easy to pick up for me.

[Gary-zqpz]

Once you get a 7 string, you'll have so much fun with it you'll want to get an 8 string.

[TheMajesticFreak]

Great timing with this video. I'm selling my 7-string today as I don't play it as much as I thought I would. Live and learn. Keep it metal, Ray! \m/

[descendinguniverse]

It took me a long time to get used to 7 string but now it`s perfect for me. I like the wider neck grip and the fact that I have a completely standard guitar I had been leraning for years plus an additional string for lower stuff. And I`m not soloing 99% of time.
Cons: same models of guitars are more expensive and there`s just way less of different models compared to 6 string. Finding Evertune 7 string with 25.5 scale is a hell of a task

[calebevans]

I only own a 7 string, playing a 6 string feels weird to me at this point. I love the harmonic capabilities of just one extra string. I even use it clean AT CHURCH and it's awesome

[lauscho]

The reason I wanted 7-string guitars was because a lot of my favourite bands played them, and I wanted to be able to play their material without having to drastically alter one of my guitars to do it. Then again, I'm more of a prog-metal guy than someone who goes for the heaviest thing out there. I like to have a low B while still being able to play those piercing high Es at the 24th fret.

I never really thought of the 7-string as harder with regards to theory, and I'm with you on the idea of thinking of a 7-string as "a 6-string with an extra fun string!" and that made it much easier for me to rationalize it. I can play all my usual 6-string material on one, but then use that low B for when I need that extended range.

I'll strongly disagree about the price point though. It's true that some models are much more expensive than their 6-string counterparts, but it's never been easier and more accessible to get into 7-strings when you consider the massive jumps of quality in cheap guitars over the last 10 years. I tried an Ibanez GIO 7-string recently, very inexpensive instrument that I easily could have afforded as a kid on my paper route job, and it was not terrible at all! A kid can drop not all that much money on a 7-string these days and get something that's not a pile of complete trash.

But otherwise, I see where you're coming from. 6-strings are still a lot more versatile than people think, and there are a lot of times where I'd rather use a 6-string than a 7-string.

[thisguy]

While there are general reasons you’d need more scale length, but don’t be afraid to just try stuff.

I took inspiration from Jason Richardson, so on my Jason Richardson 7, I’m tuned and intonated to drop G using 10-56. Jason takes it further using 11-58 with drop F#. This is because it also comes down to your feel and how you play. If you have a lighter touch, these things are doable, but extended scale is ultimately better if you want more tension.

[travisspaulding]

A heavy riff is a heavy riff no matter what tuning. A low tuning doesn't make it heavier. It just makes it thicker sounding. That's it. Sometimes the muddiness of the lower tunings take away from the riff. Not always, but sometimes.

[thet]

I play drop G on one of my 7-string 26.5'' guitars. 100% agree that any lower and you want 27'' or longer. Below ''G'' is ''F#'' which is standard tuning for 8-string guitars, so look for a baritone 7-string or just get an 8-string. I also use down-tuned 6-string guitars. You DO need to be careful when purchasing a 6-string guitar with the intent of down-tuning to the range of a 7-string. A lot of the stock hardware on most 6's can't handle the gauges for those extended range tunings.

[myronmosley]

I started on 6 strings, bought a few different ones over time, then bought an 8 string loved it and just got my first 7 string earlier this year. And absolutely, the amount of strings don’t make it “heavier” I have two albums out now that is primarily played on 8 strings but outside of a few obvious low chuggy breakdown type stuff, it sounds like I’m playing on a 7 string or a dropped tuned 6. And my heaviest song is on a 6 string in drop C#. I mostly use the F# on the 8 string guitar as an accent or more of an added layer of depth while playing chords, whereas a lot of 8 string players tend to live and die on that low 8th string. Which I find boring and unoriginal.

[davidtguitar]

Thanks for the video! Love these kind on YT, just sensible arguments delivered :)

[maraudermusic]

A JL-7 was loaned to me. Loved it. its 26.5. Did tune down half step like Jeff. Then I tried to learn Conquering Dystopia tracks. Standard tuning 5-1 with Drop A on 7. This was odd to me, yet I'm writing a song in this tuning now cause it just fell from the sky. Having standard tuned strings on a 26.5 was something I never though I would use, yet here I am. It is about the riff and what feels right. Many of us are not playing in a band so we don't have to have a rack of guitars on standby in various tuning. Anyway love your energy dude and you vids! Peace!

[SplotchTheCatThing]

I have a couple six strings, a seven and most recently an eight, and as a vocalist with whatever particular range I have, the thing I've really come to love about the lower tuning is that in the context of a full mix the guitar tone can take up a lot more space without getting in the way of my vocal.
And especially as the kind of vocalist who likes to go from a whisper to a roar on a dime with the changes in volume that entails, I've definitely found that having lower rhythm guitar parts results in a lot less need for precision EQing and a much more natural sound for both the guitar and the vocal :)