Ibanez ARZ307

The Ibanez guitar ARZ307 is 100% mahogany body and neck, the fingerboard is rosewood. The neck is glued nesting is done in such a way that one has the impression that it is through. The bridge is fixed. The tuners are Gotoh oil bath type everything there is more standard. It covers 2 octaves (24 frets). Two passive humbuckers, one tone control, a volume and a 3-position switch. It is a 7-string. It was made in China in 2011.

UTILIZATION

The increase from 6 7 string is no problem so the handle is comfortable and well sized. I do not have big hands, and yet I did not feel any particular discomfort on the grip that this is the increased width or length of the pitch.
Balance is a success. The weight is very well distributed. The player does not suffer any discomfort.
Access to treble from the single-cutaway shape is perfect. The sustain is long set neck forces. We recover the dark side of mahogany, it's deep. Despite tuning in A (ADGCFAD), tuning is easy and takes over time. A small adjustment handle opening the door of the truss rod, and go! In short, a violin perspective, gameplay is a 10/10.

SOUNDS

The guitar is plugged. I go through the pedals on an all-tube amp.
The micro neck is nice, round and full. Perfectly usable light, it brings a lot of heat. A little rough with overdrive, but perfectly usable for coloring some solos. Everything is to play well in untying the notes on the lower strings to get something coherent. It goes well with mahogany because despite its fullness, it brings on attacks a very special resonance in the high-mids (a kind of "kwink" on lightweight duck). It is subjective, but I think the micro neck is a nice surprise and will remain a few years mounted on my guitar.
The micro bridge meanwhile is a big shit. A very high level of course but it is very rough output agreements out badly, with overdrive or distortion, the seventh string is simply unworkable. But I have changed all possible settings on my pedals and my amp, it's still nothing to clean the 4 most high strings. On the other, it's bad. Mediums are non-existent, suddenly no attack. With mahogany already much darker, then it's downright dull, on a 4-note chords, basic does not come out, we perceive only the fourth. Ibanez has not laughed client on the violin, for against the micro bridge completely.
I will make an edit when I have mounted a Dimarzio DP706 http://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/7-string/d-sonic-7 taking care to set the bar towards the bridge.

OVERALL OPINION

So a few days that I use and I enjoy thanks to its gameplay. However, I am very disappointed (though not surprised) the quality of the micro bridge is to throw.
Just by his violin, this is a bargain. You just have 100 euros more to change the micro bridge! Without it I would have put a 10.

The specs on the fly are:
24 fret mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, scale 25 "
Mahogany body
1 volume / 1 tone
2 HB Ibanez Liabilities
Tune O Matic Chrome
Ibanez Chrome Gotoh mechanical way.
Available only in black in Europe (available in finishing FM> Flame Maple Top in the U.S. and Fapon)

Indonesian factory in April 2011.
The peculiarity of the model is to be one of the only Singlecut "Les Paul inspired" 7-string on the market (apart from a Epiphone LP7 which is no longer manufactured and is currently an LTD EC 407 EMG).

UTILIZATION

The lightness of the guitar is rather significant and unlike other seven strings of the same class tend to pitch down, the balance of this ARZ307 is ideal.
The junction body handle body allows access to acute copy. The handle, rather late in the 7-string kind, proves easy and fun to play.
The pitch of 25 "long adds to overall comfort but, in return, can alienate fans of low tunings.
The simplicity of the bridge has been proven, the settings are quickly provided we know how to do it.

SOUNDS

Most 7 strings are for lovers of big win metal and are often provided for the purpose of EMG. I wanted a 7 string I can get sounds like clean / crunch-rock classic.
The ARZ307 seemed a good candidate even if that share its passive pickups, so replaceable by something other than the EMG. The pleasant surprise is that the pickups Ibanez which it is equipped proved very satisfactory in the register in which I move.
Plugged in my Cornford Roadhouse 30 (without any effect), the ARZ offers a rather bright for its full of mahogany, although it remains far from the sparkle of a Les Paul.
The equilibrium low / medium / high is rather significant, especially in group mix.
The bridge and neck positions get away with the honors, but the intermediate position has left me somewhat unsatisfied.

OVERALL OPINION

After acquiring my first 7 string, an RG 7620, I continued my quest with a 7 and a LTD Viper LTD EC407. I have a crush on this ARZ307 for its price and because it seemed to me a good base to upgrade. Until now it shows me that I was right. It has become my favorite in no time.
The pleasant surprise is that she is doing rather well at the base.
I now use it for a month with as much happiness always. She undergoes a full electronics, knob, switch and mic especially: a set of Bare Knuckle Riff Raff 7, which provide all the finesse and gravel as I hoped.
The tuners and bridge work but still seem cheap. This is certainly the weak point of this guitar. But given the ridiculous price of the instrument (even new), this detail does detract from the value for money of this ARZ307 unlikely.