Baritone, 7 string or 7 string baritone?

[metropolis_4]

ESP LTD MH-1000 Baritone, to be precise, @metropolis_4


Put it in the house over lunch after delivery because UPS and leaving it on the front sidewalk


Grumpy, 5 minute first impressions:

Positives---
1. Sleek AF
2. 27" scale is not an issue. Neck profile is great and super comfortable. It feels fairly chunky towards the neck joint area.
3. Plays very nice and not a big jump in neck perspective from 25.5 I am used to imo.

Initial negatives---
1. Reverse headstocks suck. They look cool but in actual usage for tuning; getting used to what seems like always grabbing the wrong tuning peg is going to take some work.
2. After playing with an actual guitar physically tuned to B; it isn't the Boss pitch shifting with that weird low end. It's the tuning. Too loosey goosey and sounding like a dubstep wobble for my tastes. That is the exact description for the low B, too; dub step wobble.
3. Active pickups suck. I thought it was the Fishmans but I don't like these EMGs either. Blech.

Ran it through the Boss XS-100 and tuned it up a step for LB riffs. Sounded fake but passable. Sort of a side quest to this overall discussion.

So the jury will decide over the weekend. Ideally; C# standard with a pickup swap to passives would be about perfection I'd say. Unironically I was kind of hoping for an out of the box slam dunk but it's me (ugh) and also the real gear world doesn't work that way either.

I had the regular 25.5” scale version and I liked the guitar itself. I thought the neck felt great.

I’m with you on reverse headstocks. They’re the worst. It’s one of the few non-starters for me with guitars.

If the pickups are the typical 81/85 it’s worth swapping them and putting the 85 in the bridge to see if you like it any better. I don’t think there’s a pickup in the world I hate more than the 81. I like the 85 better. It’s not the best EMG but it’s better.

 

[Mikael Dez]

My favorite pickups are SDs, all the way. I love the Pegasus, Custom 5, or JB in the bridge, and I don't have a preference between the Jazz or 59 in the neck, both are sweet.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I’m surprised even with the extra length that low string is wobbly. I wonder what they used for a gauge? I’ve been using 10-59’s on my 7, which has been in drop A for a little over a year now and while I do need to lighten up my picking hand a bit but not terribly so.

I actually have a pack of Trivium signature strings 7-string set (they were like $5 on Amazon a couple weeks ago) that’s 10-63 I plan on putting on this weekend, I’ll let ya know how it goes.

Some of that wobble probably works well for the first 2 albums, before they had other people ensuring their guitars were setup to handle A standard.

It doesn't FEEL wobbly (though there is some give to it) it SOUNDS like a dubsteb wobble. It's the tuning. My ears must be super sensitive to it for whatever reason?

Clearly there’s no bitchpicking on JT’s side of the fence!

My Dimarzio pickups are so damn low it's not even funny! Lotsa wrist

I had the regular 25.5” scale version and I liked the guitar itself. I thought the neck felt great.

I’m with you on reverse headstocks. They’re the worst. It’s one of the few non-starters for me with guitars.

If the pickups are the typical 81/85 it’s worth swapping them and putting the 85 in the bridge to see if you like it any better. I don’t think there’s a pickup in the world I hate more than the 81. I like the 85 better. It’s not the best EMG but it’s better.

It has 81 and a 60. Not swappable for a good upgrade. The neck is AWESOME but the headstock is real close to falling into that instant nope zone. I'm such a picky turd!

 

[gearJunkie]

I'm such a picky turd!

 

[DrewJD82]

Ibanez just put this up today, fitting for this thread-

 

[laxu]

2. After playing with an actual guitar physically tuned to B; it isn't the Boss pitch shifting with that weird low end. It's the tuning. Too loosey goosey and sounding like a dubstep wobble for my tastes. That is the exact description for the low B, too; dub step wobble.

I think that low tunings, or 8-strings for that matter, put a lot more demand on your amplification. It's interesting how much more I like my 8-string with the more metal oriented BluGuitar Amp 1 Iridium vs the more old school Mercury Edition. Everything just feels tighter and more precise, even though tonewise they are not that far apart.

It also becomes a lot harder to get things to sound clear and present. There's a good reason e.g Korn's bass is pretty much a "clank" sound when the guitars are taking so much of the low end.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I think that low tunings, or 8-strings for that matter, put a lot more demand on your amplification. It's interesting how much more I like my 8-string with the more metal oriented BluGuitar Amp 1 Iridium vs the more old school Mercury Edition. Everything just feels tighter and more precise, even though tonewise they are not that far apart.

It also becomes a lot harder to get things to sound clear and present. There's a good reason e.g Korn's bass is pretty much a "clank" sound when the guitars are taking so much of the low end.

Absolutely. I have a room full of Boogies so I should have that covered

Played some more after getting home from the gig last night. Reverse headstock is workable I'd say. The neck on it is AWESOME.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Speaking of Baritones...

I'm still checking the EBMM site for this Baritone the MM guys at JP's guitar camp in August said they would be making a run of 100, to be released in September. They had one there, and I should've taken a picture, but as I recall, it was red with black edges in a burst finish, with creme PU's, and white binding along the neck. Really sharp-looking guitar.

DT just played a festival in CA, and JP was playing it on Panic Attack. (Maybe the one I played? ) In that EBMM "Big Sound" video, he played what looked like a dark purple one w/ black PU's, which I'm pretty sure is an old model he's had for a while.

So perhaps his playing this red one is a sign they may indeed start producing it. I hope so, because it's the one I'd like to get.

This is the best shot in which I could see the color clearly:

And it looks like a Rosewood board, which I have on only 1 of my EBMM's, and it feels better than Ebony.

And the bridge PU has that solid bar across it, which I think means it's a Crunch Lab:

A better shot of the bridge PU:

 

[JiveTurkey]

Pickups are next on the list I need the strings to settle in more and some LOUD time with the EMGs (to confirm I'm not a fan)

 

[TSJMajesty]

Here's a pic of that Bari from the JP camp:

I PLAYED IT BEFORE IT GOT IN PETRUCCI'S HANDS!

 

[laxu]

Here's a pic of that Bari from the JP camp:
View attachment 52825
I PLAYED IT BEFORE IT GOT IN PETRUCCI'S HANDS!

Who is this Petrucci guy? Why is he playing TSJMajesty's guitar?

 

[JiveTurkey]

Here's a pic of that Bari from the JP camp:
View attachment 52825
I PLAYED IT BEFORE IT GOT IN PETRUCCI'S HANDS!

Did you ever make a thread about that experience? How was it? I bet you had a blast!

 

[TSJMajesty]

Did you ever make a thread about that experience? How was it? I bet you had a blast!

No I didn't. Idk why not.
I should do that though.
But yes, it was very cool. I was like a 14 yo schoolgirl seeing Taylor Swift up close!