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Help me out with opinions please. I'm looking at getting a guitar for playing low tuned metal stuff, Slipknot Shadows Fall etc. The ESP ltd 30th anniversary Viper has everything I want. They have a 6 and 7 string version. Same price. The only differences are; 6 string has string through body, 7 does not, 6 string has 81 / 85 EMG combo, 7 string has 81-7 / 707 combo. Please give me your opinions. I've played a 7 string a few times. I want something that will handle b and c tunings and will stay in tune! Please no other axe suggestions, don't add to my confusion.

For somethin that will handle B and C tunings get the 6, for something that will handle slipknot stuff like Drop B and Drop A, get the 7-string
I've got an RG 7-string, keep it in Drop A and capo up to get Drop B, it works wonderfully.
Rock On

If you've never had one, I say the 7. Find one in a local shop, and spend as much time with it, so see if it seems like a good fit.

Niethere...........get one of these. Custom made 8-String guitar.

from : localhost/www.nevbornguitars.com/

Unless the 6 string is a baritone scale i'd get the 7 string...

Thanks for the opinions. I never thought about a capo to go up to B cool idea! And if I find 3k lying under the matress I'll order a custom 8 string. My budget is Ltd for now. I was leaning toward the 7 more just to have something different.

I have tried low-tuned 6 stringers, baritone 6 stringers, and 7 stringers. Here's a few things I noticed about them:

-low tuned 6 stringers need to have HUGE gauge strings to keep them in tune. If you're used to 8's or 9's, the commonly used 12's are going to feel like telephone cables to your fingers!

-baritone 6 stringers solve this by adding scale length (27-28quot; is not uncommon). This enables you to use lighter gauge strings (say 10-11's) that will still stay in tune.

-I find that baritone guitars are uncomfortable to play, due to the shifting back (towards the rear strap button) of the pickups, bridge and tailpiece. You're really going to have to s t r e t c h those arms apart to play low on the neck. The ESP Lynch flame baritone suffered greatly from this. It just felt weird and uncomfortable to play.

-7 stringers KEEP the high 'E' string, whereas low-tuned and baritone 6 stringers only have a 'B' as a top string. This cuts your soloing scale way back (5 frets on the top end). It's like having the equivalent of say a 17 or 19 fret neck on a normally tuned guitar. This really isn't a factor if you're planning to just grind out some Korn type low end chunk. If you had planned on some Petrucci-esque shredding, you're out of luck!

-7 stringers have really w i d e nut widths. I've seen a few that come damn close to 2quot; at the nut. Unless you have big hands or longish fingers (monkey-like!), you're going to have a hard time with 7 strings.

-I have two 7 stringers, and like you, I'm considering adding a Viper 407 to my already too huge guitar collection! Best advice- drive down to your local guitar-mart and try a few of them out for yourself! Good luck, bro.

Awesome breakdown 7th Hell of pros and cons. I don't know too much about the whole low tuning business having just got back into playing in the last 12 months. My brother bought an Ibanez 7 string and I didn't know what it was. Sadly it's going to take some work to find one in the area. It didn't sound like the nearest guitar shop in the area that could get one, will unless they know I or someone else is going to buy it for sure. I guess I'll check some of the places in Seattle and Tacoma.

7 strings are something that you either gel with right away, or it takes time to adjust. None of my friends can ever really play my 7, the low B keeps tripping them up, or the neck or a myriad of other factors. But there's no sense in buying a 7 string without knowing how well you can adapt to the instrument.

My benefit was that I grew up playing a classical and the nut width is relatively the same (2 inches on the classical, 1 7/8th on the 7). Not to mention I have a fairly wide fingerspan and meathooks for fingers.

Just a recommendation that you spend some time playing a 7 string before buying one