I agree with you that Carvins are the bomb!!! I'd love to get one too someday, but PLEASE don't sell off your guitars to get one, Dee!! GAS is brutal I know, but I think you would regret selling your RG. I know it's hard to save money, I've been saving all year for the 20th anny RG as you know, but I'm so close now! Patience and perseverance will get you a Carvin someday without having to sacrifice your other guitars. Just my humble 2 cents to take for what their worth.

 

Me getting money it's a lot harder than you might think! Unfortunately, something like this does require the sale of personal possessions I'd rather not part with, but what can you do...

Ibanez are not really ticking the right boxes for me nowadays.

The mahogany body is light, no big deal. It's not a very thick guitar, really. I have the two piece mahogany neck as well, very nice stuff The medium jumbo frets are the way to go if you aren't already sold on the straight up jumbos.
They have lots of options, so you really need to call and talk to someone about all that's available. I don't know if they'll make one for you, but I wouldn't personally go with a S/H config, because what good 7 string single is available? Get the coil taps and put whatever hum you want in it in both spots. I don't have calipers or anything to measure the neck, but it's bigger than an Ibanez (by a bit) and smaller than a Schecter. It's really nice

I think I am sold on the jumbo frets, they are what I'm used to. As for single coils, I'm not sure. I wonder what the single is like on the 747? the Dimarzio Blaze would be my other choice. I agree with the idea of coil taps but I really like the amount of picking space you get with a H-S pickup config, plus I like the look of it.

 

The mahogany body is light, no big deal. It's not a very thick guitar, really. I have the two piece mahogany neck as well, very nice stuff The medium jumbo frets are the way to go if you aren't already sold on the straight up jumbos.
They have lots of options, so you really need to call and talk to someone about all that's available. I don't know if they'll make one for you, but I wouldn't personally go with a S/H config, because what good 7 string single is available? Get the coil taps and put whatever hum you want in it in both spots. I don't have calipers or anything to measure the neck, but it's bigger than an Ibanez (by a bit) and smaller than a Schecter. It's really nice

 

Well... you gotta do what you gotta do. I wish you all the best.

 

To be honest, I wish I'd saved my money on the 20th and put it towards a Carvin. I think they offer a lot more guitar for the money. As much as I love the RG, I can't see it getting used as much as it deserves since I bought a 7-string.

 

If that's the case then maybe it is best to sell it to someone who will play it and love it the way it deserves. I know you take very good care of your guitars so I'm sure your RG is in perfect condition. You'll probably get a good price for it there in the UK. But ay! It breaks my heart to think about it! hehehehe But it's not my guitar it's yours hehehe and you have to do what's best for you. Good luck sweetheart!

 

Everyone changes out the single on the 747, and nearly everyone changes out the humbuckers on both Tom Anderson used to make great singles, but they're all long gone now. I believe Rio Grande makes a Muy Grande 7 string single, but I haven't heard that one. Anyway, call up the 800 number and ask, they might not even do S/H.

 

Hey Dee! I don't know either about the H/S setup. I haven't seen any option about pickup routing in their site. The best thing is to call/email them.

Have you considered the price? I know first-hand that the charge to import a Carvin (in Greece) is huge. When I was looking for my 7-string I took a quote from the dealer here and it was twice the internet price, so I went with the RG1527. I don't know if you already had a quote, but it seems to me that only in the US you can get the right guitar for the right price. Maybe this goes just for Greece, but check how it works for the UK.

Have you considered installing a piezo system?

 

I'll get someone in the US to order it and take delivery, then send it over. Problem solved.

I haven't thought about a piezo.

 

My 727 is all mahogany with a maple top. The weight is a non
issue, my GMW 6 string with a bolt neck is way heavier (same body woods but bolt on neck).

BareKnuckle will make you a single coil 7 string pickup, call Tim and tell him what you're looking for.
I have stainless steel 6100 fret wire on mine and I love it.
One thing I would do differently if I could order this again would be to just go all Mahogany with
out the maple top and have the body tung oiled as well as the neck (my neck is tung oiled).
The Poly they use on the body is really thick and I wonder if it
"squashes" any of the natural tone of the guitars.
Mine sounds great now that it has BK pickups in it, but that thought is always
floating around in the back of my head when I look at the finish on mine.

anyways congrats, my DC727 is my favorite guitar to play (and I have some beauties)

 

My 727 is all mahogany with a maple top. The weight is a non
issue, my GMW 6 string with a bolt neck is way heavier (same body woods but bolt on neck).

BareKnuckle will make you a single coil 7 string pickup, call Tim and tell him what you're looking for.
I have stainless steel 6100 fret wire on mine and I love it.
One thing I would do differently if I could order this again would be to just go all Mahogany with
out the maple top and have the body tung oiled as well as the neck (my neck is tung oiled).
The Poly they use on the bodys is really thick and I wonder if it
"squashes" any of the natural tone of the guitars.
Mine sounds great now that it has BK pickups in it, but that thought is always
floating around in the back of my head when I look at the finish on mine.

anyways congrats, my DC727 is my favorite guitar to play (and I have some beauties)

Your 7 is mighty, no question. It's simply a beautiful instrument. Maple board on mahogany neck....killer combination.

 

Thanks man, I appreciate the input!

 

What do you guys think of swamp ash for the body? I quite like swamp.

 

I have a 747 with an ash body. It rocks. IMO no need to change any of the pickups. Super light.

The neck is nowhere as thin as the IBZ wizards.

They won't change anything that is not listed as an option. I asked.

It would not hurt for you to ask though.

BTW - I sold off all of my Ibanezes and now own two carvins.

 

I really love swamp ash, especially this example. Have a look, Dee.

 

Nice! Love the maple board with that body finish too. Is it cherry burst?

 

yeh, it's dark cherry sunburst.

 

I like it. I don't know if I'd like it more than quilted maple but the ash is a consideration. I wish I'd had more experience with it, actually, and it's hard to make a decision on what the best possible combination of woods might be when you haven't spent much quality time to study them.

Regardless, I was hoping "my" 727 finish would turn out something like the pic below. I'd be very happy with that, plus it has the black hardware, etc. I'm undecided on the board, but what the hell, I wouldn't complain at birdseye maple or ebony, both would be nice.

^^ I wish they made this in a 7.

 

Thanks Jim!
your input when I was deciding what to go with was definitely a deciding factor when I ordered!

Someone over on the 7 string Forum just ordered a DC727 with an Ash body
you should look him up and ask him to give you a review when he gets his.
This is what mine looks like now with the BKs' in there.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/kmanick/DSCN0908.jpg

 

Oh crap, I really wish I HADN'T seen your guitar kmanick! I've been thinking about maple fretboards recently and ideally would love a JCustom with one but I think they're as rare as rocking horse poop - actually there hasn't been one on 7 has there?

Just looked over at the DC727 gallery on the Carvin site, http://www.carvin.com/gallery/guitargallery.php?ItemNumber=DC727, and the maple necked ones are just awesome, especially with the burst edges.

Couple of Q's some of you probably can answer:

• What's the deal with Tung Oil? Does it produce a silky satin neck finish like on JCustoms?
• They don't ship internationally right? Or they do but you pay twice as much because there's no 50% to non-US residents?

 

I don't know about the international shipping , but I can tell you that the tung oil feels great.
I'm a Charvel guy from way back in the day so I'm used to having a "raw oiled" feeling neck. having it on my 7 was a huge bonus, I absolutely love it.
here are some more pics of mine (to help you "visualize what you could get")

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/kmanick/DSCN0617.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/kmanick/DSCN0620.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/kmanick/DSCN0910.jpg

 

I love your Carvin^. I still want one too. :mrgreen:

 

Shawn , why don't you just move one of your Ibbeys and get one?
Next SSorg Mass get together I will definitely be there and you can check mine out (hopefully my Loomis will be here by then as well)

 

Nice guitar. Looks cool, very simple.

 

that single coil looks odd though. im thinking about picking up the 727 too Dee. they are excellently built and play very very well.

 

The single coil sounds awesome on the clean channel with a little echo.

I can find no flaw with my 747 (except for my playing abilities).

I love the headstock. I wish they offered similar for the 145.