Jackson DK-7 COW Model

Features:

The DK7 is a pretty straight-forward setup, but has great features where it counts. Mahogany makes up both the body and neck. The fretboard is slick ebony with no inlays (just how I like it). It has a single EMG 707 pickup in the bridge. Hard-Tail. Reverse headstock. Single volume knob, no tone (!). The only thing that could be better here, would be better tuners. The tuners are nice, but I like Sperzels/Schallers. But, for $699 for an instrument of this quality, there's no room for complaints. Also, this guitar is flat out sexy. The pictures online really don't do it justice, seeing it at angles is especially flattering, which the pics below should show somewhat (although my digicam blows).

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Sound:

As many of you know, I've never been a big fan of EMG pickups. I've owned several guitars with 707s loaded, such as a Custom USA Schecter Sunset, a Custom KVK 7-String V, and an M307. In some it sounded nice, in others it sounded completely lifeless. This makes me think perhaps these are made inconsistently. Regardless, I got lucky with this one. The pickup actually sounds pretty damn cool. It has a very warm growly tone, with adequate bite. I still don't like how processed EMGs sound, or the dynamics, but it can be a fun change of pace. I don't know if I'd want this to be my only guitar, but it definitely sounds great and shreds - superb harmonics and roar. I like it.

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Playability:

This is where I was most surprised. Being an avid Ibanez/EBMM fan, I find most other 7-strings to have really fat necks (ESP and Schecter come to mind especially). The neck on the DK7 is no Ibanez, but it's definitely in the realm of comfort and speed. The fretwork is phenominal, and pulling off complex stuff is effortless. The frets seem to be quite large, making legato work even more effortless. The bottom line is, this guitar is fun to play. It was setup absolutely flawlessly by the tech at DrumCityGuitarLand, who tuned it to my specs (Bb tuning, 10-56 strings).

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Value:

At $699, to get a Japanese made guitar (from excellent luthiers, these aren't faceless Indonesians), with a real ebony fretboard, quality electronics/components, etc... you can't go wrong. The only "downside" is that it's a bolt-on, but that really isn't a negative at all, because the resonance and sustain of this guitar is phenominal, and the neck-joint isn't nearly as bad as it looks. I feel like this guitar is a superior value than the ESP SC-607 models, which cost upwards of $900 and have rosewood boards.

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Overall::

I really love this guitar. If these pickups are your thing, you'll be in heaven. It looks, sounds, and plays great - and won't break the bank. The bad reviews this guitar got on Harmony-Central turned me off from this guitar for a long time, now I realize those guys were morons (they complained because the guitar was too light, as if that's a bad thing). Only having one pickup and all that isn't for everyone, but if you want a straight-forward metal axe to grind out pummeling riffs and blistering leads with, the DK7 delivers.

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