Here is a 7-string like no other. A standard for what a 7 string should
be. A standard I hope that all others will be measured against.
This time, I have not only taken a guitar model and corrected it, I now
took a whole category of guitar and made it obsolete. As I have taken
a major segment of the guitar industry, namely strings sets and made them
obsolete as you have known them.
This guitar would not function or even exist without String Optimization
and ZOG strings. What the world has known as a 7 string guitar is nothing
less then an abomination and an embarrassment to human achievement. Its
an example when something is produced for all the wrong reasons, without
insight, without honor and without pride.
Its actually an embarrassment what passes as a 7-string at the stores.
Most people as usual are ignorant, uneducated and therefore gullible.
This is why they follow the insincere pimps who pay players to use their
products. Mindlessly and greedily the whores follow without advancing
or improving anything in the guitar world. They make no effort and have
no interest. As long as they see the money they will push any product
indiscriminately and with no standards. The pimps and the whores always
work together, they need each other, they only worship the golden calf,
nothing else.
Guitar morons then follow them mindlessly. The result is insincerity,
no goal or vision for excellence and most of all no substance. Not much
of substance is left unfortunately. Instead of great and real instruments,
you get figured tops, plastic gloss and pre-manufactured tone. Instead
of your own personal tone, you get computer modeling. Dweezil Zappa will
push it down your throat as the superior new thing. These days it is claimed
that you can sound like anyone and you can be anyone. How about just being
you and sounding like you. There is no money in that for the shysters.
The goal is to remove the playing from the guitar as much as possible.
I say let's put the playing back in and end the video game mentality.
There is nothing "virtual" about the guitar, its actually brutally
real or its not a guitar and its not playing..
As I was creating this instrument I couldn't stop thinking that Steve
Vai and the company he works for should be ashamed.
The guitar industry angers me and they drive me to shame them every month.
Its what I live for and what motivates me. Creation is what its all about.
Playing
a 7-String
Well, I have news for you guys regarding the playing of a 7 string. I
didn't have much experience playing 7 string in the past and let me tell
you it is surprisingly easy to play and to get used to. I agree with your
feelings of confusion and disorientation on the 8 string but NOT on the
7 string. The 7 string is easy and offers you a lot in return. Playing
ZOG 7 string sets is a total joy and it is very piano like with the additional
long 26" scale. It feels like a cross between a guitar and a harp. Best
of all it really works technically. You get the feeling that this is the
only way it can and should be.
Physically and technically the Z guitar design and the ZOG strings make
the instrument into something new and ultimate when it comes to 7 string
guitars. This is why I referred to it as NOT being anything like any other
7 string you may have tried or what has been offered up to now. Other
7 string gutiars are nothing short of useless.
So give the 7 string a chance. First of all, on the 7 string you only
have one extra string and its the same as your high B string. So all you
do is, if all else fails and you are not exactly Lenny Breau, then just
do on the low B what you are doing on the high B and you will be fine.
If you just remember this rule, you will be on your way to being creative
and inventive on the instrument. In fact, if you play the 7 string for
just a few days, you will actually wonder why you would want to go back
to the 6 string. The 7 string is much fuller sounding when using the low
B. If you involve the low B, you get a much thicker chord sound and of
course more range in each position for single note playing.
Also since the low B is tuned a 5th down from the E, you can play bar
chords for rock, the same way you would on the low E, except you get these
massive sounding low and dark bar chord. It is really cool. Play it and
in no time you will bet inventive and get used to it surprisingly fast.
At first you don't even have to use the low B, since you can play anything
you want as a 6 string on the upper 6 strings. Then gradually start incorporating
the low B. The trick to it is to first only use the low B for solo work,
which is easy. Then gradually incorporate the low B in your chords. Very
nice.
It is a tremendous challenge to optimize strings for the extra low string
even on a 26" scale, so I am seriously baffled how the "store" string
sets can be used at all. My 060807 has a set of ZOG11 7-string set on
and it does work and sound like a piano. I put the 11 set on because it
was requested. However, I don't even think an 11 set for 7 string is available
from the string companies. They offer only 9s and 10s for seven string.
I am totally baffled how anyone can use those sets. One can get away with
an undertensioned low E but there is no way a grossly undertensioned low
B will even function. It simply will not work.
For 7 string guitar a 10 set is the absolute minimum and that has to
be ZOG as well to make it work. Without optimization, without a long 26"
scale it will simply not work and its just rubbish. A 7 string set must
be very carefully optimized. It makes me wonder what the hell do they
get out of a regular 9 7-string set or even a 10 7-string set, which are
not Optimized? And why didn't anyone notice there was something wrong?
What about all these big-name endorsers of the major guitar companies?
Didn't they notice the rugular string sets are an attorcity? It only proves
that 7-string players are even bigger idiots then 6 string players, which
is really scary. I am seriously baffled how they can sell those severely
tension-incorrect sets and how anyone can use them.
One thing I had to do is to drill out the low B tuner hole, because the
ZOG low B would not go through it. This is really easy to do if you have
just a little brains and skill and the correct drill bit. Its funny that
guitar tuner manufacturers have not heard of ZOG strings and/or string
companies are making undertensioned low B strings just so they will fit
existing small tuner holes. What a disgusting industry. The disinterest,
ignorance and insincerity is overwhelming.
Another interesting point to highlight is that visually the neck of the
7 string looks wide but very interestingly, it does not feel wide and
it would take you all but 5 minutes to get used to it. I made the string
spacing at the nut identical to the Zachary 6 string necks and surprisingly
the 7 string does not feel wide. It just feels right, given the 7 strings.
Yes, the 8 string is a big challenge I admit but NOT the 7 string. So,
all I can say is that those of you who found the 7 string daunting, must
of spent very little time with it and dismissed it immediately, without
giving it a chance. It must have been a psychological block more then
an actual reason. I will say, play with the 7 string for 3 consecutive
nights and you will love it and it will even feel strange to go back to
your 6 string.
