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6 String VS 7 String

22593 Views 22 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  lance, 
T
hi!
sorry if I dropped this thread in a wrong forum.

I really like 7 string guitars (do not know why :p) but I can't see reason buying it.
so I'm interested in why u 7-stringers prefer 7-string guitars over 6-string, what do u play on them, where do u use 7th and how do u tune them and so on...

so questin in shor form is like: "why 7 and not 6?" :)

thanks
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K
I don't own a 7 string, but I've tried one that has conviced me to like it (1527) ;)

I love 7 strings. Though I don't play metal, I would use that low B string for Jazz or in some Rock situations.
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G
I own two 7 strings and four 6 strings not including my acoustics. I don't really prefer one over the other. I love the 7 strings because of the low B string... it really adds a nice growl or rumble for heavy metal riffs without having to tune your guitar low. Jazz players seem to like 7 strings too.
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R
A seven-string guitar gives you the ability to play a scale with minimal fretboard movement. And it has added chunk to it. :D
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U
Roland said:
A seven-string guitar gives you the ability to play a scale with minimal fretboard movement. And it has added chunk to it. :D
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What he said...
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1
three reasons...

1) I am lefty but learned to play righty, so i wouldn't be limited to my selection of guitars. After all this trouble, i'm not gunna buy some generic lp copy. I want the guitar no lefty can buy. I really think that "righty" guitar was given that name cause most guitar players are righty. Im sure back in the day around the time of music just starting, it was just "guitar." and lefty's and righties played the same one. I have to say though, dominant hand on the fretboard rocks.

2) the wider neck just feels natural.

3) I like keeping my guitars in standard tuning... but i like tuning low too. I like standard tuning so i dont have to transpose scales. If someone says play C major, i dont need to think about how to play it on a drop tuned 6 string. Not only that, but having a low B, and high E gives you a wide range of octaves.
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sepsis311 said:
I am lefty but learned to play righty...
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Hey, me too! I'm also left-handed, but I play guitar right-handed. Feels great! I've got great fret-technique, but my picking technique needs some serious practice. Maybe that makes sense, since I am left handed... :D
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1
i had the picking technique problem too.... until i saw zakk wydle play live.
This guy's veins on the back of his picking hand are as girthy as the fuel tube on my 10 scale nitro rc car. His hand moves back and forth very commanding like, he doesnt give in to the strings. The amount of movement going back and forth is unbelievable. I started trying this technique out. It's sloppy at first, but after you get it, its wonderful. My picking is more consistent. I would recommend using a lighter than usual pick though, but yea...

lefty + thick pick + light playing = hand gets bitched around by strings

left + medum to thin pick + heavy playing = consistent lead paying

the hard part is getting use to keeping a light fret hand for fast movement, and playing hard with the right hand. Very very tough to get at first. I'm getting there though.
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R
You and I should definately talk, sepsis. I really need some help with my picking technique. But could you tell me if a Dunlop black Jazz III's a good start on the pick-side? Before that, I used a Pickboy 1.5mm.... Needless to say, that thing was hard.
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JJEMMER777
Here comes Flo:D
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A
Initally, I bought a 7-string for the "extended range", in the low end. But once I played a 7-string, the width of the neck just "felt right".
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7
I dunno, i got my first seven string about 4-5 years ago now, and the transition was quite natural.

I mainly decided on one as I've always played heavily downtuned and got sick of problems with action and having to have a wound g-string. That and the pickups always had quite a bit of mud in them when downtuned.

Anyway, apart from the extended scale in one position, you also get to do walking basslines, have a good setup for low tunings and get a good sound out of the low notes. All that and it just feels natural to me now, I kind of miss the extra string on the 6. Also I find with a 7 you start to get weirder ideas when it comes to chords and experimentation. AND you can play anything you can play on a 6string, in fact using two "views" as it were, one with the 7th string being dominant (as looking at a 6 string with an extra trebel) and one where the low string is seen as an extra and you play it like a 6 string and throw it in when needed is a good way to go about it.

Having said that, it isn't for everyone, but personally I think they are great. I feel a bit naked with a 6string!
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A
One of the things that I did want to try, but haven't done as of yet, is to add an .008 gauge and tune it to high A. I remember reading that suggestion on Rob Balducci's site a while back. So the tuning would be, E-A-D-G-B-E-A.

Have any of you 7-stringers tried that yet?
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U
Angelo Guitars said:
One of the things that I did want to try, but haven't done as of yet, is to add an .008 gauge and tune it to high A. I remember reading that suggestion on Rob Balducci's site a while back. So the tuning would be, E-A-D-G-B-E-A.

Have any of you 7-stringers tried that yet?
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I'm afraid of cutting off a finger with a super-taught skinny string! Seriously, though, I heard Vai tried it and kept breaking the high A string. I've considered it, but it would take a lot of work to get it set up properly and I don't think I would like the additional high notes as much as the low notes. BTW, Where in NYC do you live? I live on 56th and Broadway- way too close to 48th Street and certain temptation.
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buddroyce
I've tuned my Universe to E-A-D-G-B-E-A once (although the whole guitar was actually detuned a whole step to give is a slightly heavier tone but also to keep the high A string from breaking). It was kinda strage at first since I was used to using a Low B but it actually worked out to be pretty cool as I all of a sudden had extra high notes above where I would normally be on the high E. None the less I had to ditch the tuning and go back to the low B since the high A kept breaking when I used the trem.
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A
BuddyRoyce, thanks for the heads up on adding the high A. I had a feeling string breakage on the high A might've been an issue. Maybe I'll just wait to purchase an 8-string.

UV_Ray, I'm down by 18thst. and 1st. Ave. That's cool that you live near Musician's Row. I used to frequent 48th. St. Custom Guitars a lot. Luckily, or unluckily for me, the new Guitar Center is nearby, on 6th and 14th whenever I want to look at "what's new".
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L
I got a 7 string guitar as an impulse buy because it was one sale. I used to be into a lot of the downtuned stuff but I hated tuning my guitars like that so this seemed like a good alternative. That idea hasn't actually panned out yet, but I can get some very dark-sounding clean tones out of mine as well as some "all-original" low tuned metal.
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Flobanez
Toto said:
hi!
sorry if I dropped this thread in a wrong forum.

I really like 7 string guitars (do not know why :p) but I can't see reason buying it.
so I'm interested in why u 7-stringers prefer 7-string guitars over 6-string, what do u play on them, where do u use 7th and how do u tune them and so on...

so questin in shor form is like: "why 7 and not 6?" :)

thanks
Click to expand...
I've been playing sevens since '98 and have not gone back to 6 since. I play alot in B and in low A and incorporate low notes while im in standard tuning so it's the perfect instrument for me.

I used to tune my 6-strings down but then I'd be missing the extra high. With a 7-string, you have it all. 7 is perfect for me. I'd still play an 8-string though. :mrgreen:
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Flobanez
buddroyce said:
I've tuned my Universe to E-A-D-G-B-E-A once (although the whole guitar was actually detuned a whole step to give is a slightly heavier tone but also to keep the high A string from breaking). It was kinda strage at first since I was used to using a Low B but it actually worked out to be pretty cool as I all of a sudden had extra high notes above where I would normally be on the high E. None the less I had to ditch the tuning and go back to the low B since the high A kept breaking when I used the trem.
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That sounds like a great tuning as long as it's a whole step lower, even so if the high A doesn't snap in standard, I'd play that tuning.

I have 4 sevens with 3 different tunings. 1 is in baritone (BEADF#BE), 2 are in standard and the other is standard with the low B dropped a whole step down to A.
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J
I personally like the width of the neck and the low B. Its just more of an instrument to put it simply. About 5 years ago I wasnt real comfortable with the 7 string neck width, but after playin a 6 for 18 years and then playin a 7 over the last year, you begin to like the feeling of a wider neck. Its also a matter of your personal prefence. Buy a cheap one first to see if your going to like it.
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