I'm getting new equipment this year...

[Fleshbleed]

Hey guys im getting new equipment this year so I was wondering what I should get. I'm looking into getting a 7 string Carvin DC727 with active electronics but I am not sure what type of wood i should get. I was thinking of getting either all Mahogany or Koa for the wood. I like a floyd rose bridge setup but I'm not good at changing the strings/setting up the bridge on them, so I'll probably end up getting a standard bridge setup. Also I hear that I might wanna change the pickups out of the guitar as well. What are some good pickups I can put in there?

I want to have a guitar that will be good for progressive metal,fusion,blues,jazz and classical. I like stuff like Meshuggah,Dream theater,Steve Vai,Joe Satriani,Planet X,Spastic Ink,Greg Howe etc. (I can go on forever naming Bands.) So basically I want to be able to play some heavy rhythm, shred and have a good clean tone.
I plan on getting a new amp as well. I know mesa boogie makes some good sounding amps but are very expensive. Are they worth getting? I dont wanna have just an amp for metal but have it sound good for various styles. How is the Peavey XXX? I was thinking of getting a line 6 pro xt, a new sound card and a midi keyboard. At the moment I will just be using the stuff to record music on my pc,but I want to have the equipment for when I play on stage.

I know this seems a lot but I need suggestions on what I should buy considering, I'm gonna be spending all this money on this equipment. Thanks for your help guys.

[screamndemon69]

for a new 7 string guitar, i would click on the LGM banner up top and look at some of his original work first. he does nice work.
welcome to Jemsite.

[Drew]

Well, tonewood for a seven is a HIGHLY subjective thing, but I'm of the school of thought that mahogany isn't really ideal, as it doesn't have a strong treble, and it's "bass" is really lower midrange. As such, the low B string loses a lot of impact... unless you use a "scooped" pickup set, such as the Dimarzio Blaze's (scooped) or Dimarzio Evo7 or SD JB7 (not a true scoop, but good treble coupled with a strong upper midrange/scooped lower midrange).

The problem here is you have to route Carvins to replace their pickups, as they're a fairly odd size. I'd suggest something brighter - Ash or Alder, which should give you a crisp, detailed low end.

Mesas smoke, too- I'm in love with my Nomad-45.

[jim777]

I don't think a mahogany neck through would be your best bet in a 7. My 727 has alder wings, and it sounds fine now that it has DiMarzios in it. Koa is a great sounding wood, so that should be fine, too. Carvins do need some routing on the pickups, but a reputable luthier will do it for you without overcharging you. The routing on mine came to $50 bucks for both humbuckers, and it is flawless (note to self - post some pics).
Generally, with a used UV777BK around the price of a new Carvin, I would point you to the UV. The necks on the Carvin 7s are great, but they are much thicker than an Ibanez neck. Of course, damn near everything is much thicker than an Ibanez neck. If you play Ibanezes and count the neck as the best part of an Ibanez, you won't like the Carvin. Trust me on this. If you've ever played a Nocaster or an N4 you'll have an idea about the Carvin. If you get an Ibanez, you'll also get a much better bridge, much better pickups, the added brightness from a bolt on maple neck, and a much easier upgrade path should you decide to change pickups down the road.
My amp opinion hasn't changed in 30 years; namely, get one that sounds great clean and loud. If does clean and loud at the same time really well, it's likely as versatile as you need. Get some pedals for the rest. And yeah, Mesa is as good as they say (get a Nomad 2-12 like Drew and be happy). For a good synth I would get a used Yamaha Motif 6, and that's just what I did. There is a site called Motifator dot com that sells DVDs cheaply to show how to do the bazillion things it does. The manuals will only put you in a trance. Get the Motif and the DVDs and you'll be so set you won't believe it.
How much money do you have? I could spend it all day

jim

[Fleshbleed]

The UV777BK does sound nice but I am planning on getting my new guitar within a few weeks. I will be looking around for one for the time being. I'll be putting about $1000 into the guitar so If I get this carvin I'll be ordering some DiMarzios to replace the pickups. What should I get DiMarzio Blaze in the neck and a DiMarzios Evo7 in the bridge? How big are the Jumbo frets? Will medium Jumbo be too small? I dont have big hands and I dont know how big the fretboards are on my guitar. I wish I could measure it but I cant find my tapemeasure.

[jim777]

Carvin has a stainless fret option, I think those may be medium sized. Those don't wear out and are worth considering. A new Carvin, if you don't buy one of the "in stock" ones off of their website, will take them about 6 to 8 weeks to build and ship to you. So, if you want a new Carvin next month the options available to you are slim. (I have an Ibanez AX-7521 you could have very cheap if you wanted something high quality Japanese to play on soon, PM me if you're interested.)
As for the frets, jumbos are best for lead playing, and can be less good for chording work. Medium jumbos may make a better choice if you are going to play a lot of styles on the guitar. Again, consider the stainless frets if you are going to order a Carvin made to your specs. Check the classifieds here to see if anyone has a UV available cheaply (or even a 1527 or 7620), you might get both a good price and quick availability. I have a 7620 that I'm getting a custom body made for, and it will end up being cheaper than either a new carvin or used UV, even factoring in Bartolini pickups.
Also, edit your profile to add your location, so folks know where you are

jim