Steve Vai and Ibanez Didn't Invent the 7 String: The History of the 7 String Guitar

[@johnnytwo-shoes9798]

When i started playing guitar in the 90s in yr7 (first yr of highschool) we had the a musical instrument showcase night. I wanted to play: 1. Trumpet - parents said no 2. Violin - parents said no 3.Saxophone? - parents said no 4.Drums - parents said oh hell no They said, "Your uncle has a 20 year old acoustic..”, from Soviet Ukraine (Russia). "...You can play and learn that.” It was a rusty 7 string acoustic that had sat in his garage for the last 20 years untouched, no case, just rust and krudd. And so a few tetnus shots later, I started playing guitar. Calluses aplenty. Jokes on them. I got into metal rather than jazz and started getting GAS rather than having a good couple of instruments (thinking trumpet or violin)

[@Andreas_tropicalwinter]

For me it was definitely KoRn. I bought a used RG7620 from 2000. The colour is grey nickel and I love it till today, even if I'm not playing 7 strings anymore. I got the sun burst Apex signature from Munky later and sold it again. It never felt, played or sounded anything near my old one. I kept it till today and it's the best sounding guitar I ever played. From time to time I open up it's case and feel the same as for the first time I saw it...just smiling and wrap my hands nervously around the neck.

[@johnnathancordy]

I HAD A GREY NICKEL 7620!!

[@Andreas_tropicalwinter]

@@johnnathancordy Haha...so great

[@thomaslarson438]

All of the Korn Signature guitars from the K7s to the Apex are all based off the Universe

[@zacharyoliver1325]

Thank you! I've been waiting to see someone make some music on a 7 string that wasn't just about chugging riffs. There's nothing wrong with good palm mute, but I want instruments that are capable of a range of expression and had a hard time figuring if extended range could add breadth.

[@mixodorians12]

The entire Passion and Warfare album? Came out in 1990. Vais work of Slip of the Tongue was also 7 string predominantly.

[@thetheoristtranscriptions]

Animals as leaders self titled album , Ichika's early EP's ? Both albums are full of clean pieces with a 7/8 string guitar and make use of the extended range without chugging

[@mikeaustin4138]

Studied jazz guitar for a bit back in 1969 with Howard Morgen in Queens, NYC. He had a D'Angelico(?) 7-string George Van Epps model guitar, wrote a book on 7-string jazz guitar, and also wrote articles for different guitar magazines on 7-string and fingerstyle jazz guitar. A great teacher.

[@dck6546]

Gretsch Van Eps model, I'd bet.

[@mikeaustin4138]

@@dck6546 Doesn't ring a bell, but it was 50+ years ago. I do remember that it was sunburst and was a big semi-hollow, like a Johnny Smith Gibson.

[@davidsperduti3767]

Steve Vai introduced me to 7 string. And then Korn who picked it up from Vai reintroduced me to it. Steve Vai brought this into your living room. Even though they’ve been made before, it’s very much the scenario of EvH’s tapping. It had been done before but he brought it into your home. Props to Vai and Ibanez for doing this!

[@Ashtrid-i5f]

Awesome video, I got a 6th string guitar for my first guitar but because I’m more into death metal I realized that most songs I wanted to learn were on a 7, hell even an 8 string I didn’t even know those existed but once I bought a 7 string, the Jackson Js22-7 still an awesome guitar I never wanted to go back to a 6. 8 strings are good too but I prefer 7, it has everything a 6 string has plus lower ranges I don’t see why it’s not a win win

[@marianocolombatti4942]

Try to tune this guitar in major thirds. Amazing tuning for the 7th strings, you can use piano's voicings that way

[@the1trueporkchop]

I used to play praise and worship on a 7 string. Definitely want to get one again!

[@TooSlamToGiveADamn]

I bought a 7 string because of Korn. I played a 7 string because of Jeff Loomis and John Petrucci. It took almost a decade of gathering dust before I finally started to respect it as more than just a low tuning. The scale and chord patterns and tuning possibilities of extended range guitars is where the excitement is at.

[@CliffKant]

I learned about 7 string from Jeff Loomies around 8 years ago. At that time I was the only guitar player in my church and we didn’t have a bass player so I got the 7 string to play some bass part and also to be able to play the normal things. Anyways, now I love my 7 string and it is my main guitar for the church that I play in (we have a full band now) and almost 95% times I don’t play both low B and E string but the feel of 7 string is very relaxing for me. I own schecter sun valley 7 fr.

[@davuspg]

The "maybe it had a PRS saddle" line cracked me up

[@reesehaller4085]

I love clean tones on drop tuned or extended range guitars! Sounds great John!

[@paulcaton7093]

One of my favourite acoustic players, Yamandu Costa, mainly plays seven string.

[@joshuadsmusic94]

There’s a genre of Brazilian instrumental music called Choro in which the the 7 string classical/acoustic guitar is a huge part of, playing chords and basslines (the basslines being a big thing). Dino sete cordas I think was one of the first guys, and there were probably others. Then came a guy called Raphael Rabello, who i think took it took it to another level. The guitars and players can be found almost all over Brazil in a lot of their genres, but guys like Alessandro Penezzi and Yamandu Costa are really on another planet!

[@theiranxican7412]

I just recently ordered an oldie but goodie ibanez rg7321and couple of older Schecter 7 string models as well (007 elite and 2010 Omen 7). And I'm about to top it off with a Jackson js-22 7 (with the maple fretboard) tomorrow. I love me some 7 stringers! And don't worry, my Fenders are still treated kindly too lol All for around $550ish (used) all together. Of course I plan on modding them all if need be. Yep tomorrow is going to be a good day! 😎🤘

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

John Nathan Cordy The Russian 7 String Tuning is basically a Perfect Fourth below the English Guitar Tuning plus an Extra Low Bass String

[@picksalot1]

There's also the Harp Guitar, which has many more bass strings and an interesting history. I occasionally play a 17-string Lute (8 double courses, and single high string). But, it's a hassle to tune. The Theorbo is an interesting steel string, usually single course, Lute like instrument, with an insanely long neck (to get good bass response). It uses "re-entrant" tuning, which is some high pitched strings on the bass side of the instrument. That type of tuning makes it possible to easily play some amazingly fluid, melodic, and beautiful passages. Re-entrant tuning is also used on the Vihuela. The music of Santiago de Murcia (18th Century) as played by Miguel Rincon, is particularly good.

[@allenmitchell09]

Very informative

[@sambroxguitar]

You know I love Vai. It was actually the Whitesnake album that put me on to 7 strings. His playing on that album is just ridiculous. Anyway, finally got a Universe a month or two back, my first ever 7 string

[@Crabfather]

7 strings are great! I e been playing them for years now and I'm not a metal player. Somewhere between hard rock and quasi modern country or something. Best I've had is a schecter omen extreme, with the coil tap it's really versatile, and damn nice pups.

[@jasonsullivan4584]

I went from jagstang and fender mustangs to just Ibanez 7 strings just because you can get getter playability out of them

[@robertclarkguitar]

Definitely looking into 7s lately for that extra depth in my weird stuff.

[@tappistrt]

Steve Vai and Joe Satriani were my first exposure to a 7-string as well, and were both the inspiration for me to start playing guitar when I was in junior high school. I've owned a handful of 7-strings over the years and I will probably always have at least a couple in my collection. And yes I fit the stereotype for it: primarily a metal player.

[@theturtleproject]

just wanted to say great work on the marathon album man , love that album

[@johnnathancordy]

Oh wow cheers!!

[@CalanReichel]

I love that this video has the look it was shot for a community college, art history class project. lol Good stuff, just turn on some lights and turn down the background music please

[@jessenicholson1777]

The only 7 I ever owned was actually a double neck guitar, an Ibanez STW. 6 string with a Floyd on the bottom and a fixed bridge on the 7. I never was into nu or modern metal so I could never find any real use for the 7 string part of it. I really only liked it on clean tones as sort of a droning bass note under arpeggiated chords.

[@johnnathancordy]

Wow that must have been rare?!

[@jessenicholson1777]

@@johnnathancordy yeah I think no more than a few dozen were made. It was a a special release made for the 1999 Summer NAMM show.

[@MB-rc8ie]

Whoa. Nice. I guess the one more string gives you a lot more options for chord and scale shapes, aditional bass notes. 7 string is also useful if you try to transcribe other instruments like cello and run out of notes on fretboard. If you think of it, 6 strings are fairly limited. I don't own one, but my favourite tone is Jeff Loomis in Nevermore, DHIaDW album

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

I have a Doff 7 String Russian Guitar & I love playing Russian Music

[@dividedbytimestudios]

We need more like that intro

[@christianboddum8783]

I might pull the trigger on a 7 string one day, just to be able to play a full 3 octave run in one position 🙂

[@tunelowplayslow5623]

Morbid Angel and Messugah were both using Steve Vai 7 strings in the early 90s before Korn and Limp Bizkit.

[@scramblesthedeathdealer]

I am a huge Ibanez fanboy, I love my 4 RGs.... must... get.... a... JEM/JPM... they're lonely 😉, oh, and a baritone RG!

[@adamwood87]

i bought an Ibanez RG7 in 1996 because of Korn.

[@aristocaster]

In Soviet union they had 7 string acoustics like forever. Oh, ok it was on video too 😀

[@johnnathancordy]

Yeh!

[@aristocaster]

@@johnnathancordy Maybe better if i wait to the end of the video before commenting, now i commented before i even started the video.

[@thomaslarson438]

Invent the 7 string? NO!! Steve and Ibanez definitely Revolutionized the 7 string for rock and Metal music! I love all brands of guitars but IMO Ibanez makes the best 7 string Guitars

[@vtz7]

Vai, Petrucci, Korn

[@thesquillyexperience9442]

a lot of russian classical is on 7 string!

[@oskarkacin4104]

absolute legend demoing in an oodie lol

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Actually the 7 String Guitar Originated in Russia hence the name "Russian Guitar"

[@cfibanez]

If you don't play the 7th string, it's just like any other guitar.

[@johnnathancordy]

If the guitar sits in its case, it's just like any other guitar

[@TheBbtlegit]

Not a fan of seven string guitars.

[@Crabfather]

More for the rest of us :-)

[@TheBbtlegit]

@@Crabfather You can have them. Metal head.

[@Crabfather]

@@TheBbtlegit whoa there tiger, no need to get crispy. And actually no i don't play metal.

[@shirtpants4203]

Deaftones self titled is really what made me want a 7 string