Why does everyone refer to budget guitars as beginner guitars? Ive been playing for 30 years and I'm broke AF. I love cheap guitars. Theyve come along way.
I bought a subzero baritone 6 for drop G and paid very little for it (205 USD) and truly was way better than I expected. Bought it as an experiment for fun because it was so cheap. The pick ups kind of suck but I might throw some bareknuckles in for better tone later on
I put the guitar down for close to 8 years and picked it back up about 3 years ago. Two of the 3 years was relearning all my music theory and learning theory I never understood (Modes). I actually play better now than I did when I played everyday and was in a band. I bought an Ibanez RG baritone almost two years ago and I love it. I still have the RG470 that I bought new in 1994 and I still love it. I'm playing and writing more Progressive Metal stuff so 7 string seems to be the way to go and I love Ibanez.
I’m on the same boat . I walked away from guitar playing for 30 years till a few years ago I remembered the great talent I had in composing music so I got back into playing while exploring new genres like Blues and heavy metal. I got and Ibanez 7 string just last month and oh my, I was delighted with it and thought where has it been my whole life. I love everything about the 7 string. It’s like having a base in a guitar, and since I’m still in the beginner mode it’s like it’s teaching me new methods of playing. I only paid $600 for the RGM 7. Best guitar I’ve ever had!
I absolutely love my ESP LTD M17. Only costs around $175 new from Guitar Center (I got mine on sale for $130). It's fantastic! Tuners are excellent, it never goes out of tune, pickups are actually great to my ear, neck feels great, and plays so smooth. Not a single issue and was setup perfectly out of the box. Just changed strings and it's good to go. I can't recommend these enough for someone wanting to try out a 7 string. I've tried several of the ones mentioned here and the ESP LTD was my overall favorite. Totally gig worthy and not a toy or a novelty- this is a quality instrument!
I bought an ESP LTD Viper 1000 a few years ago, in a second-hand store... it had a few scratches, and was missing the battery cover and a string.... but after I cleaned it up, made a battery cover for it and put new strings on, it became my go-to 6 string for some while. Huge respect for the brand
@MrMusicopath I had both at one point at the same time and I much preferred the ESP. The pickups on the Jackson were muddy and the guitar felt so stiff no matter what I tried. I ended up selling both because I got a Schecter Hellraiser 7 and needed to pay it off. The ESP was a great intro to 7 string and I will always recommend it based on value, feel, tone, and playability. You cannot go wrong, and if I hadn't spent as much as I did on the Hellraiser, I'd still be playing the ESP. It was great!
@@markkatain7891 thanks for the info, i do have a jackson js22 7 but is the only guitar that i've played in my life due to the prices in my country 😅 but i'm wanting now to try something else
I’ve been playing about 10 years off and on, recently started to take it more seriously. I bought a Schecter Reaper 7 in January, and I am absolutely blown away with the quality of it. Set neck, multiscale, etc. was my first Schecter. Last week a decided to buy a Schecter C1 Silver Mountain in the 6 string version, I don’t think I’ll ever need another guitar these are so good😂
I was looking for a 7 string about a year ago and found a used Schecter Banshee elite 7 for around 800 english pounds. Similar neck thru to your Amarok but with 27 inch scale. I absolutely love that guitar. Its the best instrument Ive ever put hands on. Id recommend Schecters to anyone.
I actually just bought a Schecter. It's a Jeff Loomis Signature V 7string, and it WAY exceeded expectations. I've got a Schecter 6 as well. Probably my favorite 6 string. I'd also recommend Schecter, but the good ones are just outside of what I think of as budget instruments. Having said that, I think I'd sooner spend $1000 on a Schecter than 2 or 3 times that on a Gibson
Great video Simon! In the US, you can pick up an entry level Jackson for around $200 new. I picked up my JS22 7 string for $175 on sale, and it slays! The 26.5" scale is brilliant! It seems to keeps string tension lower and never goes out of tune. It's string thru and a big chunk of wood, it simply sings! The only guitar of mine that has more sustain is my $6000 ESP neck thru. Seriously, these new Jacksons are awesome!
He got a fake or something cause my subzero 8 string is perfect and pickups barely needed replacing. They sound amazing. Fit and finish is perfect including the fret leveling. Just a file on the ends and it's my favorite 8 string. And I have a harley benton 8 that doesn't hold up to the subzero.
This is really helpful for me. Loved your breakdown of the specifics. I'm browsing for a 7 string for a few weeks now to determine what I want. But I hadn't considered Harley Bentons yet. I was leaning towards the Jackson JS-22 or the RG7421 from Ibanez.
Thanks for the great video. I have been considering a 7 string for awhile now and have watched many videos on them. Just maybe this 60 year old metal head will finally purchase one. Lol
Just got a JS22-7 for 150usd already with the bridge replaced. Stock pickups are good but those tuners are horrendous. Got $38 21:1 lockers off Amazon. Best new cheap 7 I ever got was the Schecter SGR C7. Great hardware good pickups and tuners. Other than that Indo and Korean LTD’s are the way to go used, late 90’s early 00’s.
I just got the Amarok-7, and I'm loving it. I have a Schecter Demon-7 I also love, that I have upgraded to Fishman Moderns, and will be replacing locking front tuners with soon that I got from Tone Ninja.
@@josepharguedas1091 I would recommend the Demon-7 for everything but frets, but I have a pretty heavy fretting hand, they were good frets, just wore down quicker than I expected, stainless steel I still haven't worn any down more than cosmetically.
@@josepharguedas1091 I would also say the stock pups in the Amarok are better, from what I can remember of the OEM blackouts(I still got em but don't have a guitar to put em in unless I changed everything so).
I love the Ibanez 7 strings but goddamn they need to make more of them 26.5 to 27 inch scale length and focus slightly more on hard tails (my opinion). Those are the main dealbreakers for me with their 7 strings. I would happily buy one if it wasn’t for all of their budget 7 strings having 25.5 inch scales and mostly tremolos. I feel like Ibanez should know that 90% of people nowadays buy 7 strings for modern medal stuff (aka lots of drop F# lmao, which 25.5 inch scales can’t handle well).
Interesting video mate, thanks. You should try the HB 7bbb it's a seven,multiscale cheaper than amarok. Is not active but I think sounds great and plays great... One to say that with all the money you forked out modding.....what kind of better specs guitar could have got....? You are knocking a few grand there aren't you? Still, I have quite a few guitars too...and if I had known better I would have probably invested differently, having said that nowadays the prices do not reflect the value of the guitar in far too many instances. Thank you and enjoy the 7 strings drops tuning is awesome! 🤘👽
The best budget guitars hands down are ibanez, tried a few last year and a lot of the brands compromise in the wrong places. Gear4music had a plastic fretboard that warped when you tune it, harley benton have horrible qc and microphonic pickups. The ibanez necks feel as good as the higher ranges and ive tested this, pickups arent bad either!
I really like Ibanez for their overall quality. I've tried several, from the entry level up to the mid range (around the $2,000 mark) and yes, few complaints. My only reservation is that in the same way as Japanese cars exude build quality, they don't have much "character". I prefer to play a couple of Schecter models over an Ibanez at twice the price. That said, my latest favourite 7-string is actually an Ibanez. In terms of general bang for the buck, I don't think anyone would be disappointed.
Im getting back into guitars after some years away and am surprised how many 7 string guitars above $1000 dont have locking tuners. Even at $1500 Im not seeing any. Ill have to check out the HB.
I've had varied experiences with locking vs non-locking tuners, and I actually think that overall quality is more important. I've had non-locking tuners, and when strings are properly installed, tuning is pretty good and stable. I've tried cheap locking tuners, and they were terrible. Overall the best stability comes with the Floyd Rose, or Ibanez equivalent - but then changing string gauge or tuning becomes a nightmare!
Played Ibanez since the beginning because our local guitar store made fun of my small hands, and Ibanez is the super thin Wizard neck brand...Just bought a Ltd baritone 27" scale and the Thin U neck, which I was adviced to avoid, is way better imo. Seems that the bigger radius on the Ibanez guitars is actually worse than a more rounded but smaller radius. Maybe it can help others with small hands too. It's not just the neck size, the radius is inportant as well. Feels so strange to be able to put the index finger over all strings and still have it stick out over the fretboard, and that on a 7 string lol
Yes, getting the right guitar is dependent on many things, and getting one that fits well with your hand size and even your ability to stretch is important. I can pick up a guitar, and know almost instantly if it's going to work for me or not
I've had some quite expensive guitars suffer from the move from a warm humid environment to a cold dry Canadian one. My Jackson 8-sting recently became unplayable as the neck developed a bad backward bow. And again, manufacturers continue to make improvements, and consistent quality, so maybe I just got a bad one. Even well known manufacturers can make some bad guitars - I also had an Epiphone SG with some really bad finish cracks, and poor fretwork. Since it had it's last visit to the setup guy, it's actually been quite stable, it's a shame that two other "specialists" were not able to sort out the main issue. Good to know you have a good one!
Hey Simon - Do you still have that Ibanez RGAIX7FM ? I’m having trouble finding one in black like that…. If so, I’m in the market looking to purchase. Thanks and great comp video 👍🏼
I've finally decided to get an Ibanez 7 string but which one? I dig the universe but also like the RG7421. I see pictures of the RG with a floyd rose but when I look online they are all fixed bridge.
Good day to you. Watched your review, it was well-made, informative, enjoyed that. In short - appreciate your work, keep it up. But here is the question: I have the same Harley Benton, but considering to upgrade bridge pickup. I'm new at this, but did you order standard 10 degree baseplate, or did you make custom baseplate? Thanks in advance.
Thank you for the positive comments. I remember getting the bridge pickup custom made by Bare knuckle pickups in the UK. I may have actually measured the angle and let them know. They made both pickup and custom baseplate if I remember correctly. I'll see if I can find any record of the transaction and provide an update if I come up with anything
@@kirashite1184 I just checked my email history, and it seems that I had an email discussion with a helpful person at Bare Knuckle. This was to upgrade to a Juggernaut. Hi Simon, What we can do with this type of guitar is fit slanted coils under the covers. The covers need to be no-holes type (no screws showing). This means the pickups will fit nicely in the cavities but under the covers the pole screws will line up with the strings better - maximising clarity and power. The angle we fit under the covers is set at 10 degrees, but that should not affect performance too much at all, especially if you are going for the Juggernaut set. To order: select the soapbar shape pickups to the basket making sure you select 'no-holes' covers. Then head to accessories > guitar parts > slanted baseplates > and select 2x 10 degree slanted baseplates (this is an upcharge). Then in the comments box just confirm "SLANTED UNDER NO-HOLES COVERS". The 10 degree baseplate upcharge is £10 GB Pounds per pickup. Our mounting screws are set slightly further in-board but that is not a massive issue as you can just fill the old holes with matchsticks and glue and then make new, small pilot holes for the BKP screw positions. Yes we ship to Canada.
I got a Jackson js22-7 for 150 dollars and I want to change the bridge for a hipshot. What model did you buy for your Jackson? I would like to know to avoid problems :)
This is what I ordered for mine - 7 String Fixed Guitar Bridge × 1, Black / 0.175 / Right Handed, ordered directly from Hipshot. Do your research before buying as sometimes specs change
@@jrettetsohyt1 ultimately it's always a matter of personal taste, but in most cases where I've swapped pickups from relatively inexpensive ones to higher quality ones, there has been an improvement. With the cheapest Harley Bentons, the improvement is massive, there has always been a reduction in electrical interference, increase in output level and a reduction in the "muddiness" of the pickups. The Jacksons standard pickups are actually ok. Not great, but ok. A lot also depends on the equipment you are playing it through. The big question is always "is it worth it" and that's the personal taste, and budget. If you are on a budget, the Jackson is a good entry level guitar, and can be played without much in terms of upgrading. Generally, I'm coming round to the opinion that you should buy the best guitar you can afford rather than buy a cheaper one and upgrade it. The manufacturer can buy the parts cheaper than we can!
Yup, it was a total experiment - I was looking for reasonably priced fanfret 7-stings, having had a good experience with Harley Benton, and found the SubZero online. It's now quite playable, but it took a lot to get it there. I think most people would have given up on it by now. There are a lot of better guitars out there, and if someone is looking for something good value, I think I would look at the second-hand market first. I had not really played for over 20 years, and so had a lot to learn, and still do!
It's actually become quite a cool guitar, and it should be, if you include my labour time, it's probably had a total of around $1500 invested in it. I was looking at it the other day, and wondering if I should add a neck pickup upgrade so it matches the bridge. Since the last major work of fret leveling, and the full setup, it's remained stable. In some ways, I understand how imported guitars may have issues when brought into a climate like Canada - I just got an 8-String Jackson back from the same setup-guy, after it developed and actual back-bow in the neck. I think it had not been in the country long, and it got to the point where the strings were actually touching the frets! I've bought used guitars that have been in the country for a few years and they have been fine. I'm hoping that the Sub Zero has acclimatized now!
I recently bought an Amarok 7, and all the reviews I have watched or read are just raving. That being said, I think I must have gotten a bad or old prototype they had lying around. The neck is like a baseball bat, the tuners are Harley Benton branded instead of Grover like the site says, and the pickups…the pickups aren’t sounding like they should. They are kinda noisy, and the pots don’t seem to hardly effect the sound at all. And I love EMGs. Should I take it to a shop and see if they can look at it? Cause the reviews I see and constantly hear do not match my experience.
Depending on how long ago you bought it, I'd even consider messaging Thomann. I've had several Harley Benton models, and the cheaper ones (like sub $200) can have quality problems. But my personal experience with the Amarok was excellent. I'd rank it up there with more expensive guitars. If that's not an option and you can find a good guitar tech then maybe they could help.
Definitely send it back immediately. If you ever buy a guitar online and there's the slightest problem with it, you have to send it back as fast as possible. If the retailer's customer support gives you any problem, tell them that you are considering to message the consumer ombudsman/consumer affairs office/bureau of consumer protection, or whatever it may be called in your country. They will probably change their minds quickly if you do that.
Get it replaced. The QC is basically left to the customer with these. You could end up with an amazing deal or with something barely playable. Shielding issues are a known issue, might be worth checking if the cavity is shielded and the ground wire makes contact with the bare metal of the bridge
Firstly, the issues I had with mine were more with things like the neck and frets, and general build quality. The pickups were not good in my opinion, so they need some kind of upgrade. And adding a Floyd Rose would require some quite fundamental changes to the body, probably beyond the average person's capabilities. My other concern would be trying to add a Floyd Rose to a multi-scale (fan-fret) guitar. It's already had to find pickups that have the required angle to fit, but I'm not even sure how a Floyd Rose would even work on a multi-scale. Finally, when you consider that decent pickups are going to be in the $300 range, and a Floyd Rose is going to cost you another $300 at least, I would simply look for a better base guitar, that has the improved items included by the manufacturer (who is not paying retail prices).
I Will still die on the Hill that an extended range Harley benton without a good pickup sounds like absolute garbage, no matter what rig you put it through. You NEED to invest in a good pickup for that guitar before its usable beyond drop D
Yup, my general experience is that on the cheaper guitars, pickups are the weak point. I've tried quite a few Harley Bentons, and the cheaper ones have mostly had terrible pickups. Personally, if you are just starting up, and have a very limited budget, you can still get something to learn on. However as soon as you get in any way serious you are going to want something better. My fanfret HB had pretty bad pickups, low output, lots of noise hence the upgrade to Bare Knuckle custom
I know that's at the high end, but we are talking 7-string guitars at this point, so it takes us out of the super-cheap category, and I assume that if someone is going to try a 7-string, they are already fairly serious. I feel that between $100 to $1,000 (Canadian) you go from some pretty awful guitars, up to something you can use as a serious instrument. I see people selling Gibson and Fenders at $3,000 and up, and there are some other brands up in this price bracket. In my experience, there can be a huge difference between say $150, and $1,000, but there is a lot less difference going from $1,000 to $3,000. I was recently offered a "special edition" ESP on the used market - it's original list price a few years ago was about $1,300 but the guy selling it was claiming it had a value of $3,000 to $4,000. To me, rarity doesn't make it worth more if you want to play it. I'm sure there are "collectors" out there, who will pay what he wants, but for me, it's still a used $1,300 guitar. Like I said, you can get some very playable instruments at low prices now, but they can also get better if you go up in price. Do you have a favourite or recommended brand at the cheaper end of the range?
Not a fan of the statement "Budget xxx for beginners". There are plenty of experienced players who don't have or want to spend a lot of money on something and are looking at budget options.
Yup - I take your point - years ago, I was blown away when a guy turned up to play with a bunch of us, and he brought with him one of the cheapest guitars you could buy at the time. He played way better than the guys with the expensive guitars.
I guess you got a bad egg on the subzero because mine came perfect out of the box. No electrical interferences at all. Pickups stock sound amazing. Only issue was fret ends that i filed down to perfection in 1 hour. And the fact that you spent $173 Canadian makes me believe you got a fake fake fake. Its $361 American for the real deal
The $173 was the cost of the pickup I bought for it. The guitar itself was $347 USD when I bought it. I know that quite often the quality control of the lesser known brands can be all over the map, so some may be good, others may not be. I may also have got an early one, and they may have improved things on the later ones. I can only speak from personal experience. When all said and done, it's now quite a usable guitar, but it's total cost is now over $1,000 CDN or about $700 USD. I think there is more variability on the more entry level guitars, I've had Harley Bentons with ground wires not soldered properly, a pretty basic Quality Control issue, but that's one way to keep the costs down.
@@simontonkinson8073 I completely agree with you. I'm replacing the pickups soon. I want to use the fluance pickups. Do I need the 9 string ones to fit?
@@joecharpentier6636 not sure on fluence ones. The design of the Aluma ones means that the regular 7-string ones work well, even at an angle. I had custom built bare knuckle pickups, and they were very responsive online and helped me order exactly what I needed. Seems like the specialist manufacturers care more about their customers than some of the mass market guys.
Why does everyone refer to budget guitars as beginner guitars? Ive been playing for 30 years and I'm broke AF. I love cheap guitars. Theyve come along way.
That's a shame for the SubZero Guitar cause it looks fantastic. I'd totally rock it if it wasn't practically unplayable.
absolutely, they look stunning
I bought a subzero baritone 6 for drop G and paid very little for it (205 USD) and truly was way better than I expected. Bought it as an experiment for fun because it was so cheap. The pick ups kind of suck but I might throw some bareknuckles in for better tone later on
@@kylejarmolych hell ya that's pretty good to hear then.
@@reactedboss99 yeah! My first cover with it is up on my page as a short!
I put the guitar down for close to 8 years and picked it back up about 3 years ago. Two of the 3 years was relearning all my music theory and learning theory I never understood (Modes). I actually play better now than I did when I played everyday and was in a band. I bought an Ibanez RG baritone almost two years ago and I love it. I still have the RG470 that I bought new in 1994 and I still love it. I'm playing and writing more Progressive Metal stuff so 7 string seems to be the way to go and I love Ibanez.
I’m on the same boat . I walked away from guitar playing for 30 years till a few years ago I remembered the great talent I had in composing music so I got back into playing while exploring new genres like Blues and heavy metal. I got and Ibanez 7 string just last month and oh my, I was delighted with it and thought where has it been my whole life. I love everything about the 7 string. It’s like having a base in a guitar, and since I’m still in the beginner mode it’s like it’s teaching me new methods of playing. I only paid $600 for the RGM 7. Best guitar I’ve ever had!
The Amarok also has stainless steel frets which is an insane feature
So does the Subzero
I absolutely love my ESP LTD M17. Only costs around $175 new from Guitar Center (I got mine on sale for $130). It's fantastic! Tuners are excellent, it never goes out of tune, pickups are actually great to my ear, neck feels great, and plays so smooth. Not a single issue and was setup perfectly out of the box. Just changed strings and it's good to go. I can't recommend these enough for someone wanting to try out a 7 string. I've tried several of the ones mentioned here and the ESP LTD was my overall favorite. Totally gig worthy and not a toy or a novelty- this is a quality instrument!
I bought an ESP LTD Viper 1000 a few years ago, in a second-hand store... it had a few scratches, and was missing the battery cover and a string.... but after I cleaned it up, made a battery cover for it and put new strings on, it became my go-to 6 string for some while. Huge respect for the brand
do you know if that M17 is on par with the jackson js22 7?
@MrMusicopath I had both at one point at the same time and I much preferred the ESP. The pickups on the Jackson were muddy and the guitar felt so stiff no matter what I tried. I ended up selling both because I got a Schecter Hellraiser 7 and needed to pay it off. The ESP was a great intro to 7 string and I will always recommend it based on value, feel, tone, and playability. You cannot go wrong, and if I hadn't spent as much as I did on the Hellraiser, I'd still be playing the ESP. It was great!
@@markkatain7891 thanks for the info, i do have a jackson js22 7 but is the only guitar that i've played in my life due to the prices in my country 😅 but i'm wanting now to try something else
Jackson 7 is beautiful. SubZero has beautiful double color. Ibanez, my choice since 35 years. Thanks for the video Simon.
I’ve been playing about 10 years off and on, recently started to take it more seriously. I bought a Schecter Reaper 7 in January, and I am absolutely blown away with the quality of it. Set neck, multiscale, etc. was my first Schecter. Last week a decided to buy a Schecter C1 Silver Mountain in the 6 string version, I don’t think I’ll ever need another guitar these are so good😂
I was looking for a 7 string about a year ago and found a used Schecter Banshee elite 7 for around 800 english pounds. Similar neck thru to your Amarok but with 27 inch scale. I absolutely love that guitar. Its the best instrument Ive ever put hands on. Id recommend Schecters to anyone.
I actually just bought a Schecter. It's a Jeff Loomis Signature V 7string, and it WAY exceeded expectations. I've got a Schecter 6 as well. Probably my favorite 6 string. I'd also recommend Schecter, but the good ones are just outside of what I think of as budget instruments. Having said that, I think I'd sooner spend $1000 on a Schecter than 2 or 3 times that on a Gibson
Great video Simon! In the US, you can pick up an entry level Jackson for around $200 new. I picked up my JS22 7 string for $175 on sale, and it slays! The 26.5" scale is brilliant! It seems to keeps string tension lower and never goes out of tune. It's string thru and a big chunk of wood, it simply sings! The only guitar of mine that has more sustain is my $6000 ESP neck thru. Seriously, these new Jacksons are awesome!
I also bought a js-22 7 string for around $180 from Boston
I was about to buy the subzero guitar. You just saved me almost 400 bucks lol.
He got a fake or something cause my subzero 8 string is perfect and pickups barely needed replacing. They sound amazing. Fit and finish is perfect including the fret leveling. Just a file on the ends and it's my favorite 8 string. And I have a harley benton 8 that doesn't hold up to the subzero.
I just loved your video. Wish all of RUclips was like this.
This is really helpful for me. Loved your breakdown of the specifics. I'm browsing for a 7 string for a few weeks now to determine what I want. But I hadn't considered Harley Bentons yet. I was leaning towards the Jackson JS-22 or the RG7421 from Ibanez.
I have one of those little Blackstar ID amps, and I think it might be the best practice amp on the market! Love the Delay effects. Great video!
Thanks for the great video. I have been considering a 7 string for awhile now and have watched many videos on them. Just maybe this 60 year old metal head will finally purchase one. Lol
If you can, pickup a new Mark Holcomb 7 string PRS. It’s a fabulous instrument. Sounds amazing and the finish is top notch.
Just got a JS22-7 for 150usd already with the bridge replaced. Stock pickups are good but those tuners are horrendous. Got $38 21:1 lockers off Amazon. Best new cheap 7 I ever got was the Schecter SGR C7. Great hardware good pickups and tuners. Other than that Indo and Korean LTD’s are the way to go used, late 90’s early 00’s.
I just got the Amarok-7, and I'm loving it. I have a Schecter Demon-7 I also love, that I have upgraded to Fishman Moderns, and will be replacing locking front tuners with soon that I got from Tone Ninja.
I'm actually torn between the Amarok 7 and the Demon 7, which one would you recommend the most?
@@josepharguedas1091 I would recommend the Demon-7 for everything but frets, but I have a pretty heavy fretting hand, they were good frets, just wore down quicker than I expected, stainless steel I still haven't worn any down more than cosmetically.
@@josepharguedas1091 I would also say the stock pups in the Amarok are better, from what I can remember of the OEM blackouts(I still got em but don't have a guitar to put em in unless I changed everything so).
I love the Ibanez 7 strings but goddamn they need to make more of them 26.5 to 27 inch scale length and focus slightly more on hard tails (my opinion). Those are the main dealbreakers for me with their 7 strings. I would happily buy one if it wasn’t for all of their budget 7 strings having 25.5 inch scales and mostly tremolos. I feel like Ibanez should know that 90% of people nowadays buy 7 strings for modern medal stuff (aka lots of drop F# lmao, which 25.5 inch scales can’t handle well).
Interesting video mate, thanks. You should try the HB 7bbb it's a seven,multiscale cheaper than amarok. Is not active but I think sounds great and plays great...
One to say that with all the money you forked out modding.....what kind of better specs guitar could have got....? You are knocking a few grand there aren't you? Still, I have quite a few guitars too...and if I had known better I would have probably invested differently, having said that nowadays the prices do not reflect the value of the guitar in far too many instances.
Thank you and enjoy the 7 strings drops tuning is awesome!
🤘👽
The best budget guitars hands down are ibanez, tried a few last year and a lot of the brands compromise in the wrong places. Gear4music had a plastic fretboard that warped when you tune it, harley benton have horrible qc and microphonic pickups. The ibanez necks feel as good as the higher ranges and ive tested this, pickups arent bad either!
I really like Ibanez for their overall quality. I've tried several, from the entry level up to the mid range (around the $2,000 mark) and yes, few complaints. My only reservation is that in the same way as Japanese cars exude build quality, they don't have much "character". I prefer to play a couple of Schecter models over an Ibanez at twice the price. That said, my latest favourite 7-string is actually an Ibanez. In terms of general bang for the buck, I don't think anyone would be disappointed.
Wow thanks for your review
Im getting back into guitars after some years away and am surprised how many 7 string guitars above $1000 dont have locking tuners. Even at $1500 Im not seeing any. Ill have to check out the HB.
I've had varied experiences with locking vs non-locking tuners, and I actually think that overall quality is more important. I've had non-locking tuners, and when strings are properly installed, tuning is pretty good and stable. I've tried cheap locking tuners, and they were terrible. Overall the best stability comes with the Floyd Rose, or Ibanez equivalent - but then changing string gauge or tuning becomes a nightmare!
Played Ibanez since the beginning because our local guitar store made fun of my small hands, and Ibanez is the super thin Wizard neck brand...Just bought a Ltd baritone 27" scale and the Thin U neck, which I was adviced to avoid, is way better imo. Seems that the bigger radius on the Ibanez guitars is actually worse than a more rounded but smaller radius. Maybe it can help others with small hands too. It's not just the neck size, the radius is inportant as well. Feels so strange to be able to put the index finger over all strings and still have it stick out over the fretboard, and that on a 7 string lol
Yes, getting the right guitar is dependent on many things, and getting one that fits well with your hand size and even your ability to stretch is important. I can pick up a guitar, and know almost instantly if it's going to work for me or not
Great video
I've never had any problems with my Subzero, maybe I got a rare well-made one 😅
I've had some quite expensive guitars suffer from the move from a warm humid environment to a cold dry Canadian one. My Jackson 8-sting recently became unplayable as the neck developed a bad backward bow. And again, manufacturers continue to make improvements, and consistent quality, so maybe I just got a bad one. Even well known manufacturers can make some bad guitars - I also had an Epiphone SG with some really bad finish cracks, and poor fretwork. Since it had it's last visit to the setup guy, it's actually been quite stable, it's a shame that two other "specialists" were not able to sort out the main issue.
Good to know you have a good one!
Hey Simon - Do you still have that Ibanez RGAIX7FM ?
I’m having trouble finding one in black like that….
If so, I’m in the market looking to purchase.
Thanks and great comp video 👍🏼
I've finally decided to get an Ibanez 7 string but which one? I dig the universe but also like the RG7421. I see pictures of the RG with a floyd rose but when I look online they are all fixed bridge.
Hi Simon, if you're ever looking to sell the subzero, let me know!
Good day to you. Watched your review, it was well-made, informative, enjoyed that. In short - appreciate your work, keep it up. But here is the question: I have the same Harley Benton, but considering to upgrade bridge pickup. I'm new at this, but did you order standard 10 degree baseplate, or did you make custom baseplate? Thanks in advance.
Thank you for the positive comments. I remember getting the bridge pickup custom made by Bare knuckle pickups in the UK. I may have actually measured the angle and let them know. They made both pickup and custom baseplate if I remember correctly. I'll see if I can find any record of the transaction and provide an update if I come up with anything
Thank you so much, you've literally saved me. Will passionately wait for your next updates
@@kirashite1184 I just checked my email history, and it seems that I had an email discussion with a helpful person at Bare Knuckle. This was to upgrade to a Juggernaut.
Hi Simon,
What we can do with this type of guitar is fit slanted coils under the covers. The covers need to be no-holes type (no screws showing). This means the pickups will fit nicely in the cavities but under the covers the pole screws will line up with the strings better - maximising clarity and power. The angle we fit under the covers is set at 10 degrees, but that should not affect performance too much at all, especially if you are going for the Juggernaut set.
To order: select the soapbar shape pickups to the basket making sure you select 'no-holes' covers. Then head to accessories > guitar parts > slanted baseplates > and select 2x 10 degree slanted baseplates (this is an upcharge).
Then in the comments box just confirm "SLANTED UNDER NO-HOLES COVERS".
The 10 degree baseplate upcharge is £10 GB Pounds per pickup.
Our mounting screws are set slightly further in-board but that is not a massive issue as you can just fill the old holes with matchsticks and glue and then make new, small pilot holes for the BKP screw positions.
Yes we ship to Canada.
Yeah, that's what I wanted. Thank you again and all the best!
I got a Jackson js22-7 for 150 dollars and I want to change the bridge for a hipshot. What model did you buy for your Jackson? I would like to know to avoid problems :)
This is what I ordered for mine - 7 String Fixed Guitar Bridge × 1, Black / 0.175 / Right Handed, ordered directly from Hipshot. Do your research before buying as sometimes specs change
Did the new pickups in your Jackson change the clarity, tone etc?
@@jrettetsohyt1 ultimately it's always a matter of personal taste, but in most cases where I've swapped pickups from relatively inexpensive ones to higher quality ones, there has been an improvement. With the cheapest Harley Bentons, the improvement is massive, there has always been a reduction in electrical interference, increase in output level and a reduction in the "muddiness" of the pickups. The Jacksons standard pickups are actually ok. Not great, but ok. A lot also depends on the equipment you are playing it through. The big question is always "is it worth it" and that's the personal taste, and budget. If you are on a budget, the Jackson is a good entry level guitar, and can be played without much in terms of upgrading. Generally, I'm coming round to the opinion that you should buy the best guitar you can afford rather than buy a cheaper one and upgrade it. The manufacturer can buy the parts cheaper than we can!
Never heard of Subzero guitars.
Yup, it was a total experiment - I was looking for reasonably priced fanfret 7-stings, having had a good experience with Harley Benton, and found the SubZero online. It's now quite playable, but it took a lot to get it there. I think most people would have given up on it by now. There are a lot of better guitars out there, and if someone is looking for something good value, I think I would look at the second-hand market first. I had not really played for over 20 years, and so had a lot to learn, and still do!
Sun Zero is Gear4Music’s house brand. Same as Harley Benton is Thomann’s house brand.
Does anyone know where to find any information on that last ibanez, I cant find any trace of it existing online.
ibanez.fandom.com/wiki/RGAIX7FM
SubZero - is cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's actually become quite a cool guitar, and it should be, if you include my labour time, it's probably had a total of around $1500 invested in it. I was looking at it the other day, and wondering if I should add a neck pickup upgrade so it matches the bridge. Since the last major work of fret leveling, and the full setup, it's remained stable. In some ways, I understand how imported guitars may have issues when brought into a climate like Canada - I just got an 8-String Jackson back from the same setup-guy, after it developed and actual back-bow in the neck. I think it had not been in the country long, and it got to the point where the strings were actually touching the frets! I've bought used guitars that have been in the country for a few years and they have been fine. I'm hoping that the Sub Zero has acclimatized now!
I recently bought an Amarok 7, and all the reviews I have watched or read are just raving. That being said, I think I must have gotten a bad or old prototype they had lying around. The neck is like a baseball bat, the tuners are Harley Benton branded instead of Grover like the site says, and the pickups…the pickups aren’t sounding like they should. They are kinda noisy, and the pots don’t seem to hardly effect the sound at all. And I love EMGs. Should I take it to a shop and see if they can look at it? Cause the reviews I see and constantly hear do not match my experience.
Depending on how long ago you bought it, I'd even consider messaging Thomann. I've had several Harley Benton models, and the cheaper ones (like sub $200) can have quality problems. But my personal experience with the Amarok was excellent. I'd rank it up there with more expensive guitars. If that's not an option and you can find a good guitar tech then maybe they could help.
Definitely send it back immediately. If you ever buy a guitar online and there's the slightest problem with it, you have to send it back as fast as possible. If the retailer's customer support gives you any problem, tell them that you are considering to message the consumer ombudsman/consumer affairs office/bureau of consumer protection, or whatever it may be called in your country. They will probably change their minds quickly if you do that.
Get it replaced. The QC is basically left to the customer with these. You could end up with an amazing deal or with something barely playable. Shielding issues are a known issue, might be worth checking if the cavity is shielded and the ground wire makes contact with the bare metal of the bridge
The necks are like that even if you get a good one. No idea who Harley Benton is but his hands must be enormous.
Do they make any lefty’s ?
If I were to change the pickups and add a Floyd rose on the sub zero, would it be a good guitar?
Firstly, the issues I had with mine were more with things like the neck and frets, and general build quality. The pickups were not good in my opinion, so they need some kind of upgrade. And adding a Floyd Rose would require some quite fundamental changes to the body, probably beyond the average person's capabilities. My other concern would be trying to add a Floyd Rose to a multi-scale (fan-fret) guitar. It's already had to find pickups that have the required angle to fit, but I'm not even sure how a Floyd Rose would even work on a multi-scale. Finally, when you consider that decent pickups are going to be in the $300 range, and a Floyd Rose is going to cost you another $300 at least, I would simply look for a better base guitar, that has the improved items included by the manufacturer (who is not paying retail prices).
What aboaut Cort kx307ms ?
I Will still die on the Hill that an extended range Harley benton without a good pickup sounds like absolute garbage, no matter what rig you put it through. You NEED to invest in a good pickup for that guitar before its usable beyond drop D
Yup, my general experience is that on the cheaper guitars, pickups are the weak point. I've tried quite a few Harley Bentons, and the cheaper ones have mostly had terrible pickups. Personally, if you are just starting up, and have a very limited budget, you can still get something to learn on. However as soon as you get in any way serious you are going to want something better. My fanfret HB had pretty bad pickups, low output, lots of noise hence the upgrade to Bare Knuckle custom
Budget guitar...$1,000.00....oookay.
I know that's at the high end, but we are talking 7-string guitars at this point, so it takes us out of the super-cheap category, and I assume that if someone is going to try a 7-string, they are already fairly serious. I feel that between $100 to $1,000 (Canadian) you go from some pretty awful guitars, up to something you can use as a serious instrument. I see people selling Gibson and Fenders at $3,000 and up, and there are some other brands up in this price bracket. In my experience, there can be a huge difference between say $150, and $1,000, but there is a lot less difference going from $1,000 to $3,000. I was recently offered a "special edition" ESP on the used market - it's original list price a few years ago was about $1,300 but the guy selling it was claiming it had a value of $3,000 to $4,000. To me, rarity doesn't make it worth more if you want to play it. I'm sure there are "collectors" out there, who will pay what he wants, but for me, it's still a used $1,300 guitar. Like I said, you can get some very playable instruments at low prices now, but they can also get better if you go up in price. Do you have a favourite or recommended brand at the cheaper end of the range?
Video is super quiet
I'll try to increase the volume next time. Thanks!
Not a fan of the statement "Budget xxx for beginners". There are plenty of experienced players who don't have or want to spend a lot of money on something and are looking at budget options.
Yup - I take your point - years ago, I was blown away when a guy turned up to play with a bunch of us, and he brought with him one of the cheapest guitars you could buy at the time. He played way better than the guys with the expensive guitars.
Sun zero are horrible
Why? :( Did u have one?
I guess you got a bad egg on the subzero because mine came perfect out of the box. No electrical interferences at all. Pickups stock sound amazing. Only issue was fret ends that i filed down to perfection in 1 hour. And the fact that you spent $173 Canadian makes me believe you got a fake fake fake. Its $361 American for the real deal
The $173 was the cost of the pickup I bought for it. The guitar itself was $347 USD when I bought it. I know that quite often the quality control of the lesser known brands can be all over the map, so some may be good, others may not be. I may also have got an early one, and they may have improved things on the later ones. I can only speak from personal experience. When all said and done, it's now quite a usable guitar, but it's total cost is now over $1,000 CDN or about $700 USD. I think there is more variability on the more entry level guitars, I've had Harley Bentons with ground wires not soldered properly, a pretty basic Quality Control issue, but that's one way to keep the costs down.
@@simontonkinson8073 I completely agree with you. I'm replacing the pickups soon. I want to use the fluance pickups. Do I need the 9 string ones to fit?
@@joecharpentier6636 not sure on fluence ones. The design of the Aluma ones means that the regular 7-string ones work well, even at an angle. I had custom built bare knuckle pickups, and they were very responsive online and helped me order exactly what I needed. Seems like the specialist manufacturers care more about their customers than some of the mass market guys.