7 String Guitars

The 7 string guitar may feel like a recent innovation, however the first mass-produced 7 string guitar was created by Ibanez back in 1990, with their Universe model. A signature instrument for guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, this cutting-edge Ibanez 7 string guitar was configured to provide you with a bellowing low B on its 7th string. Somewhat bridging the gap between a traditional 6 string guitar and a 4 string bass, this hybrid of sorts was a groundbreaking product back in the day.

With more or less all 7 string guitars adopting this tuning since, it was Korn that popularised the instrument in the mid-'90s, when the Nu-Metal genre hit full-swing. In the 21st Century, a huge amount of bands have utilised 7 string guitars to form their core sounds. Among those are modern djent bands like Periphery and Animals As Leaders, pioneering a more extreme and technically-proficient style.

A number of companies produce 7 string guitars, and as you’d expect, a lot of those are metal-centric guitar brands like Schecter and Jackson. However, more universal brands like PRS and Chapman Guitars have recently started to produce their own models to accommodate for the growing demand from players.