NGD: SE Custom 24 7-String

[garrett]

Chugga chugga.

 

[alantig]

 

[The Robot Cow]

Awesome!

 

[charliefrench]

So it arrived! Congratulations

 

[ScottR]

Saweet!!! Very nice congrats!

 

[bodia]

Coolio!

 

[shinksma]

Niiiice! I love my SE-7! A djenting machine!

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Yaaass!

 

[garrett]

Some more info, now that I've decompressed from yesterday:

I'm not really a metal head nor a jazzer, but I've liked the idea of a seven string as a tool to expand my playing for a good while. I didn't want to drop a lot of coin on something that I might not stick with, so hadn't made the move before now. I stumbled upon this one at a price I couldn't refuse, so I pounced.

It's a 2014 model that looks like it was played a lot, yet taken care of pretty well. Some dings and surface scratches here and there, but nothing major. The tape and scrape on the faux binding isn't the cleanest job, but it looks okay. Interestingly, the maple cap is three pieces. The inlay material has this metallic silvery swirl to it which makes it cool-looking and a bit darker than the abalone on my core guitars.

Feel-wise, it's quite light weight. I expected that with the long neck and the extra tuner that it would be neck heavy, but it is surprisingly well balanced. The neck is definitely thin, seems flat on the lower frets, but a little more curved as you go up. I wish there was a bit more meat on it, but my left hand didn't seem bothered. I don't think I've even tried a seven string before, but it didn't take long to adjust and to start moving comfortably around the neck.

I had some fun playing various styles and tones. So far I find it very handy for playing songs in lower tunings without having to retune, like "Moby Dick" (drop D) or "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (C#). It's a best of both worlds situation, since I can still do all the regular stuff, but I can also take things lower when I want to.

Tone-wise, I am very impressed with the Vintage Bass in the neck. It has a classic humbucker tone with great clarity. Sounds pretty decent split as well. The HFS, as expected, is a hard-pushing crunchy beast. That's not my thing, but it worked well when jamming with a couple of recordings. Split is okay as long as the tone knob is turned way down. The middle position is excellent, no mud at all.




I have a few things in mind to bring it to the next level. It is a very good guitar as-is, but I'd like to personalize it more to my taste.

I'm going to give it my 8 position wiring mod, with some upgraded components. I have a set of black lampshades and black pickup mounting ring screws as well.

I got a couple of long alnico 5 magnets to try out to see how that reshapes the tone. I also scored another set of the HFS/VB pickups for $10 on the 'bay, so I'm planning to try a double VB set up.

Should be lots of fun, both playing and tweaking!

 

[charliefrench]

Way to go!

 

[Ovibos]

8 positions?!?

 

[garrett]

8 positions?!?

Yup. Five-way Super Switch, plus a push/pull.

Push/Pull Down:
Position 1: Bridge humbucker
Position 2: Bridge humbucker + Neck single
Position 3: Both humbuckers
Position 4: Neck single
Position 5: Neck humbucker

Push/Pull Up:
Position 1: Bridge single
Position 2: Bridge single + Neck single
Position 3: Bridge single + Neck humbucker
Position 4: Neck single
Position 5: Neck humbucker

Same options as a three-way with two mini toggles, but with one less switch.

 

[bodia]

Nice! Love the mods!

 

[garrett]

There was an annoying scratch on the back of the neck and that 0000 steel wool wasn't doing any good just sitting there in the garage, so...

Hello, satin!

Before:

After:

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Congrats, I find the SE-7 to be one of the most comfortable 7's that I've played. I threw a Duncan Pegasus/Sentient in mine because I was not gelling with the HFS bridge at all. The VB was nice though.

Really curious to see how the A5 magnet changes the HFS tonally. Be sure to update!
In addition, I've always been curious as to if the VB-7string uses an A2 like the 6-string version or if its an A5.

 

[garrett]

Congrats, I find the SE-7 to be one of the most comfortable 7's that I've played. I threw a Duncan Pegasus/Sentient in mine because I was not gelling with the HFS bridge at all. The VB was nice though.

Really curious to see how the A5 magnet changes the HFS tonally. Be sure to update!
In addition, I've always been curious as to if the VB-7string uses an A2 like the 6-string version or if its an A5.

Thanks! I started looking into the Pegasus/Sentient combo today upon the recommendation of a friend. I saw your posts about it on SevenString.org. So you're still liking them? The whole "metal" way they market that set confuses me. Medium output, scooped mids, alnico 5, and claims of clarity and balance. Designed specifically for extended range guitars. Seems like the most versatile set they have, not just "metal" pickups.


Well, with surgery always comes risk. Sadly, my Vintage Bass did not survive the magnet swap. Despite being careful, I some how busted one of the coils. When I took it apart I noticed the broken coil was finished a bit sloppily, so I don't think it's all my fault. Anyway, there goes my double VB idea, unless another bargain comes along.

Good news is the HFS came through its A5 makeover with no problem. Once my other set comes in, I'll swap the new VB to my A5 and get it all back together again.

I would guess that stock on the VB 7 is A5 just due to the clarity. The stock magnet is 2.75" long and my replacement from Mojotone is 2.625". I'm very interested to see how the set will sound after the swap.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Hawt.

Also really nice hearing about all these mods. Sounds like you really know how to get the best out of this guitar.

 

[charliefrench]

Well, with surgery always comes risk. Sadly, my Vintage Bass did not survive the magnet swap. Despite being careful, I some how busted one of the coils. When I took it apart I noticed the broken coil was finished a bit sloppily, so I don't think it's all my fault. Anyway, there goes my double VB idea, unless another bargain comes along.

Ouch!

Will you eventually attempt a repair/rewind?

 

[garrett]

Hawt.

Also really nice hearing about all these mods. Sounds like you really know how to get the best out of this guitar.

Thanks. I hope so! Mainly, I know what I like in a guitar and I think I've worked out how to make it most useful for me.

Ouch!

Will you eventually attempt a repair/rewind?

That's a good idea. I may take a shot at repairing it.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Thanks! I started looking into the Pegasus/Sentient combo today upon the recommendation of a friend. I saw your posts about it on SevenString.org. So you're still liking them? The whole "metal" way they market that set confuses me. Medium output, scooped mids, alnico 5, and claims of clarity and balance. Designed specifically for extended range guitars. Seems like the most versatile set they have, not just "metal" pickups.


Well, with surgery always comes risk. Sadly, my Vintage Bass did not survive the magnet swap. Despite being careful, I some how busted one of the coils. When I took it apart I noticed the broken coil was finished a bit sloppily, so I don't think it's all my fault. Anyway, there goes my double VB idea, unless another bargain comes along.

Good news is the HFS came through its A5 makeover with no problem. Once my other set comes in, I'll swap the new VB to my A5 and get it all back together again.

I would guess that stock on the VB 7 is A5 just due to the clarity. The stock magnet is 2.75" long and my replacement from Mojotone is 2.625". I'm very interested to see how the set will sound after the swap.

The Sentient I like but it's not exactly 'my style/tone', it's got a single-coil-like characteristic which is cool, but I tend to prefer higher output neck pickups with more punch and saturation. Ultimately, the pickup is great, but I prefer a different style for my neck pickups.

I really like the Pegasus overall, worlds more than the HFS-7. The Pegasus is interesting because most 'metal' guitarists prefer higher output pickups with a lot of aggression, etc. The Pegasus is not that at all, it is medium output and 'polite,' so the Pegasus becomes a love/hate for a lot of 'metal' guitarists because it's not what many are expecting. It has a fair amount of harmonic richness and clarity, which is great for 'prog-rock/metal', but it's also great for most any other style as well, in my opinion. The midrange is also prominent but not too pushed, so you get a nice rich midrange that is clear and audible without getting any honkiness. The lower-mids can be a little grunty though at times (this can be good/bad, depending on taste) when you get into the lower notes, but if you up the gain a little the pickup will saturate a little more and it will lose that grunty quality.