View other reviews for this product:
Hatsubai « Caparison's 7 String »
Published on 03/17/11 at 09:27The Dellinger 7 was Caparison's first ever seven string. It was brought into production thanks to Nils Norberg of Nocturnal Rites. Aside from it being a seven string, nearly everything is the same as the original Dellinger II. One thing worth noting is that it has an Original Floyd Rose instead of the standard Schaller. This is due to the fact that Schaller doesn't offer a seven string bridge. The neck is also a five piece neck similar to the way Ibanez makes their Prestige necks. Another thing is that Caparison has a push-push pot in the tone control to allow for splitting the pickups.
UTILIZATION
Caparison did an awesome job at making their first seven string guitar. Coming from an Ibanez seven string, this guitar will feel right at home. The neck feels very familiar, but it's just a touch more round and a touch thicker. It is not, however, obnoxiously thick like some other seven string necks out there. Access to the controls for on the fly switching is pretty good, and access to the higher frets is a breeze with the sculpted neck joint. Everything feels just right, and anybody coming from an Ibanez seven string should feel right at home.
SOUNDS
I never got to try the original pickups with this model as I bought it used, and the previous owner replaced the pickups with some DiMarzios. I wasn't really feeling those, so I replaced them with a 59-7 and a Custom-7. While it's a mahogany body with a rosewood fretboard and maple neck, the guitar is actually a touch bright. It cuts through nicely, but it's not quite as thick as my two Horus guitars. I didn't really like the push-push split as the middle position was out of phase, so I disconnected the tone (like I do in almost all my guitars) and replaced the switch with a proper 3 way switch. The middle position on the 3 way switch allows for a split coil sound similar to the way John Petrucci has his setup. Despite there being only three sounds, these three sounds are extremely distinct and allow for a very versatile setup.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a different take on the Ibanez RG seven string series, I highly recommend checking out the Caparison Dellinger 7. They can be hard to find and get ahold of considering only a few were imported into the US, but if you're willing to wait, you should be able to find one pop up on the used market.
UTILIZATION
Caparison did an awesome job at making their first seven string guitar. Coming from an Ibanez seven string, this guitar will feel right at home. The neck feels very familiar, but it's just a touch more round and a touch thicker. It is not, however, obnoxiously thick like some other seven string necks out there. Access to the controls for on the fly switching is pretty good, and access to the higher frets is a breeze with the sculpted neck joint. Everything feels just right, and anybody coming from an Ibanez seven string should feel right at home.
SOUNDS
I never got to try the original pickups with this model as I bought it used, and the previous owner replaced the pickups with some DiMarzios. I wasn't really feeling those, so I replaced them with a 59-7 and a Custom-7. While it's a mahogany body with a rosewood fretboard and maple neck, the guitar is actually a touch bright. It cuts through nicely, but it's not quite as thick as my two Horus guitars. I didn't really like the push-push split as the middle position was out of phase, so I disconnected the tone (like I do in almost all my guitars) and replaced the switch with a proper 3 way switch. The middle position on the 3 way switch allows for a split coil sound similar to the way John Petrucci has his setup. Despite there being only three sounds, these three sounds are extremely distinct and allow for a very versatile setup.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a different take on the Ibanez RG seven string series, I highly recommend checking out the Caparison Dellinger 7. They can be hard to find and get ahold of considering only a few were imported into the US, but if you're willing to wait, you should be able to find one pop up on the used market.