7 String Guitars

7 strings guitars have, you guessed it, 7 strings! The extra string is most commonly a low B. This extended range opens up a world of possibilities from new chord shapes to low riffage. To accommodate the seventh string, the neck of 7 strings are very wide and the radius tends to be quite flat.

7 string guitars have been around in Russian and Brazilian music since the 18th Century and these extended range guitars have continued to be popular among classical guitarists. Really though the history of the modern 7 string electric guitar begins in the 80s with Steve Vai. Vai’s signature Ibanez Universe guitar, the UV7, was the first mass produced 7 string electric guitar. It would go on to define the genre and was played by the likes of John Petrucci and Korn.

Since then, 7 string guitars have been a staple of modern metal music, a variety of brands have released 7 string guitars, including Schecter, Ibanez and Jackson. The low, beefy tones being a perfect match for bone shaking distortion sounds and skull crushing riffs. Popular signature 7 string guitars are Matt Heafy’s Epiphone Prophecy, Mark Holcomb’s PRS SVN, Misha Mansoor’s Jackson HT7 and Keith Merrow’s KM-7.

Why Should I Choose a 7 String Guitar?

• A 7 string guitar is great for heavier styles of music
• Extended range is used in a lot of modern music
• More reliable than downtuning on a 6-string guitar