Ibanez RG7321

I had been playing Deathcore and dropped tuning hardcore with my band Storm the Shoreline on a 6 string Schecter c1+. Eventually The Ibanez RG 7321 Made its way to me. It is a fantastic 24 fret RG for shredders on a budget. The INF IBZ pickups could be better but they scream for the price. Its a typical black ibanez with a bound rosewood fretboard...not much to look at. I'm not a fan of inlays period so the dot inlays aren't all that appealing to me personally but the tone makes up for the appearance. Its string through basswood body sustains for days and has an incredible low end. Especially for a meager $399.00. It came with D'dario mediums on it and in my opinion, these are the best companion for the 7321. THE BEST 7 string on a budget. I would like to see these available with a tremolo.

I was given this guitar by Bill Vigil from Madison Amps and in Your Face entertainment. He was displeased that I tuned my six string so low isntead of investing in a 7 string so he made me take his.

<a href="http://www.myspace.com/stormtheshoreline">http://www.myspace.com/stormtheshoreline</a>

I love the tone, sustain, and versitility of the 7321. It is a solid instrument from ibanez with a very appealing price tag. It plays very well, but might need some adjustment to suit your playing style when you get it, but factory setup was satisfactory overall. The pickups are fantastic and finger dancing sweeps are a breeze on the prestige neck. The low end of this guitar is vicious! So if you are into breakdowns, get your hands on one of these bad boys.

This guitar has no serious flaws. Personally I'd like to see it in more finishes but black suits most people.

This guitar is built like a tank. Just invest in new strap locks when you get it. Mine fell facedown onto concrete at a practice. It was a bit out of tune but aside from that, survived without injury. A real quality instrument. It has a very tight and 'together' feel to it. It's very easy to adjust as well. Its a simple and reliable instrument.

Case in point, this is a fantastic instrument especially for the price. If mine breaks, I'll have it replaced within the week. You won't find a better 7 string within the 7321's price range. So what are you waiting for? Get one of these mamajammas

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

SPECS
Neck Material: 5pc Maple/ Walnut
Neck Type: Wizard II-7
Body: Basswood body
Frets: Jumbo frets
Fingerboard: Bound Rosewood
Inlay: Pearl dot inlay
Bridge: Gibraltar Standard 7 bridge
NeckPU: AH17
BridgePU: AH27
HW Color: BK
Finishes: BK




NECK DIMENSIONS

Scale/Length 648mm/25.5"
a: Width at Nut 48mm
b: Width Last Fret 68mm
c: Thickness 1st Fret 19mm
d: Thickness 12th Fret 21mm
Radius 400mm
PICKUPS
Bridge Pickup
Name: AXIS SEVEN 2
Model No: AH27
Construction: Humbucking
Magnet: Ceramic
Description: Seven-string version of AH2 pickup.

Neck Pickup
Name: AXIS SEVEN 1
Model No: AH17
Construction: Humbucking
Magnet: Ceramic
Description: Seven-string version of AH1 pickup.

UTILIZATION

The RG7321 is designed to be an affordable alternative to the higher-end 7 string guitars out there. This axe was created to ensure that anyone could get into playing an extended range guitar, and the results are promising. Due to the price, one could expect that there are no fancy frills, but there are some nice touches - the rosewood fingerboard is bound, for instance, and the neck is a 5 piece design of maple and walnut. Much of the guitar's sustain capabilities are due to the Gibraltar Standard 7 bridge, which is a substantial bridge design, and it has no sharp edges or corners, making palm muting very comfortable.

SOUNDS

This guitar sounds nice for the price! The pickups are a touch on the muddy side, but they still offer some good warmth and power. With that low B string, the guitar rumbles the whole stage! This obviously is designed with hard rock and metal in mind, and it does that very well.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a good entry-level 7. If budget is a big consideration when choosing a 7-string guitar, this is a great idea. It is just inexpensive enough to be in reach for most, and yet a good enough quality to offer a real playing experience. I wouldn't try to get any 7-string that is cheaper than this one, as the lowest end 7s have awful fretwork for most of the companies out there.

The Ibanez RG7321 is a guitar that is built for the player who wants get into owning a good quality seven that feels and sounds like the higher end Ibanez RG guitars, but doesn't cost nearly the same as the Prestige models like the RG1527. It's built overseas and features a basswood body, maple neck with rosewood fretboard, 24 frets with dot inlays, sealed tuners, a hardtail bridge and a pair of dual Ibanez humbuckers. It's basically a seven string version of their popular RG321 six string guitar.

UTILIZATION

The design is basically that of a classic Ibanez RG but in a seven string format. It's quite light and sculpted like all Ibanez RGs and the neck has a thin Wizard profile that is perfect for fans of the classic Ibanez shredding feel. It has great upper fret access too due to the AANJ neck heel and the very deep cutaways that allow reaching right up to the 24th fret.

Getting a good sound out of this guitar is decent overall. The stock electronics leave a bit to be desired in regards to their clarity and articulation but all in all it's easy to dial in. You have to watch the bass and low mids as they can get a bit lost on the lower strings, but it's not too bad overall. The split coil tones are great for clean or some odd order overdrive tones as well.

SOUNDS

The tones out of this guitar aren't too bad as stock. The OEM pickups really leave a lot to be desired in the clarity department, but the guitar is not a high end instrument so that is to be expected to a degree. They sound good when put into a decent high gain amplifier for metal or fusion riffage for sure but they do tend to get kind of muddy in the low end which is not such a good thing with a seven string. These guitars do open up quite a bit if you put in a nicer set of pickups such as DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan, and if you're a fan of the feel, it might be worth it to invest in a nice pair of humbuckers to go into it. This is a common complaint I have with Ibanez guitars in general (stock pickups) so at this point I factor a pickup swap into the cost of any new Ibanez guitar.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Ibanez RG7321 is a great seven string for the price. It has a great feel, is easy to play, and if you put in a new set of pickups it would sound pretty killer. At about $500 new this guitar is fairly priced, though I'd rather find a used one for about $300 and pop a new set of pickups into it for some great seven string tones.

This guitar pretty much started the 7 string trend. The RG7321 is all you need to play some 7 string riffery. The guitar is barebones simple but gets the job done great. This guitar is a stripped down 7 string that has been in the Ibanez line for many years now. It has slightly changed recently and this change has made it even better. The guitar has a basswood body like most Ibanez guiars. It has Ibanez's famous wizard neck so the neck is super thin and playable. The neck has a rosewood fretboard with 24 jumbo frets. It has dual Ibanez pickups. The upgraded part on this guitar is they recently changed the bridge. It has a Gibraltar style bridge now instead of the Fender style hardtail. This new bridge is much more comfortable than the old Fender style bridge. The onctrols are simple with a volume and tone for each pickup with a 5 way blade switch.

UTILIZATION

The super easy to play nature of this guitar helps downplay the fact that it is a 7 string. Because the guitar is so easy to play you hardly notice how wide the fretboard is. Ibanez Wizard necks are some of the thinnest guitar necks out there. They are well known for their playability. The body of the guitar has some deep cutaways so it is very easy to get to the upperfrets. The neck join is sculpted and rounded so it does not get in the way much when playing up there either. I prefer this guitar over Ibanez's other 7 string models because it is a hardtail. I always look for hardtail guitars over tremolo guitars. I would rather have the tuning stability and the ease of changing strings in my guitar.

SOUNDS

The stock pickups in Ibanez guitars are usually very weak and this is no different. Going from a guitar with aftermarket pickups to this and you will think someone changed the settings on your amp. This pickups are dull and tired sounding. The pickups are usually the first thing you throw out when you get an Ibanez. A set of 7 string Dimarzios will really help you get the best out of your sound on this guitar. The stock pickups do not give it justice.

OVERALL OPINION

The RG7321 has been the best way to get into 7 string guitars for years. Its simple hardtail design means you have less to worry about and its super thin neck means you and jump right in and dont have to adjust for much. With a swap of pickups this guitar can be a real beast. It is really all you need when getting into 7 string guitars. It has the playablity and the simplicity that you want. If you are looking to get into 7 strings you can do a lot worse than getting one of these.