RG7321 What are the negatives?

[Grimbold]

So, like about a million other young shredders, i too have decided to buy a 7 string guitar

now i've seen the RG7321, and it seems SPECTACULAR
however, i have a few questions

1. If i could choose between this guitar now or a luthier made 8 string in a year and a half, what do i choose?

2, If i could choose between this guitar now or a nice 7 string by the end of the year which do i choose?

3. What are the problems with the RG7321, i see a lot of positives, but what are the negatives?

best.
grimbold

[ZOMB13]

Tuning machines are a bit unreliable.
Pickups are decent.
Nut would be a wise thing to replace.

Aside from that, the neck shape is comfy and the new RG7321s have a nicer bridge. Body is basswood but that never bothered me.

Can you get one for cheap while you save up for another 7 ?

[metale]

1- Depends, do you want an 7 or a 8?

2- I would say a rg7321 now, and if you find you do enjoy playing 7s, a better one in a year, or two, or whenever you have the money

3- Frets MAY need some work comparing to prestige or premium ibanez.

[marked]

Alot of friends i know use them, some play all the way down to F for "djenty" sort of sounds, others with drop G for "deathcore" sounds and my old band played in B standard for progressive metal (incl. clean sounds) it sounded amazing for all those types of music.

pretty epic price for a decent guitar

[EtherealEntity]

I love mine, proper workhorse. Only mod is Dimarzios which was a good upgrade. I've never had a problem with the tuners, it stays in tune very well. I've got it set up lovely - tuned to drop G#.

[GhostsofAcid]

Hmm...

-Stock pickups aren't the worst out there like some will tell you, but aren't good by a long shot
-QC is hit or miss, the nut was filed poorly on mine and some of the solder joints were loose, somewhat poor fretwork as well
-Gloss black finish collects fingerprints like there's no tomorrow, seems to dent and chip more easily than other guitars ive owned

On the plus side, the bridge is comfortable and tuning stability is decent. I like the neck as well, but it is D shaped with noticeable shoulders so if you are used to guitars with a C neck profile make sure you are ok with this.

[Konfyouzd]

-The fretwork was definitely useable but not outstanding.
-The bridge screws stick out significantly when you lower the bridge to an acceptable height.
-Stock pickups are less than desireable.

[Grimbold]

thank you guys for the great advice!
keep it coming!

[RobZero]

i had one too. poor fretwork, excessive shoulders on the neck profile that make it rather uncomfortable, the screw on the saddle was extremely annoying, dull sounding instrument.

decent for the price, but i'd prefer to spend a bit more and buy a used 7420/7620.

[Konfyouzd]

The shoulders on the neck do make it feel a little weird. They're very pronounced. I imagine anyone familiar with the earlier 90s RG7s might find it a little uncomfy. I owned several 7620s and an awesome 7421 before getting the 7321 and the neck was definitely one of the first differences I noticed. I didn't list it before because I didn't know if it was a "negative" or not, but it certainly was "different" for me.

[rekab]

I love my 7321. It isn't as perfect as my 7420 but I play it just as much. All things considered I think it's great for the price. It's those who expect near perfection from a budget instrument that are let down by them typically.

[Captain_Awesome]

Aside from the other points, I personally don't like he finish or the shape of the body, it's very, very boring - I know they're only aesthetic issues. Someone correct me on this, but what's the deal with the Rosewood they use at the lower end, it looks so cheap and nasty, but is it just not painted or something?

[Konfyouzd]

Probably just different cuts. May have been dried differently...? Perhaps a different species??

[matt397]

Assuming your buying a new 7321, it is an excellent entry level 7 string. I wasn't too fond of the pickups in mine when I got it. My suggestion would be to do both, get the 7321 now and save for something better in the future. Once you upgrade, mod the shit out of the 7321. Throw in some new pups, upgrade the wiring, maybe throw in a graphite nut and install a new bridge like a hipshot.

[FarBeyondMetal]

Originally Posted by Konfyouzd

-The fretwork was definitely useable but not outstanding.
-The bridge screws stick out significantly when you lower the bridge to an acceptable height.
-Stock pickups are less than desireable.

I agree with the last two points big time. I have my action set pretty low, so the bridge screws scrape my hand when really digging in with chunky palm mutes. I also replaced the pups with duncan blackouts, and now the guitar screams!

If you can wait until later on to buy a better guitar, I'd say wait. I just pulled the trigger and bought a schecter blackjack atx c-7 today, and IMO they blow the ibby outta the water. My two cents only.

[Mordecai]

i love my rg7321, i swapped out the bridge pickup for a dimarzio crunch lab and some dimarzio clip lock strap locks. made the guitar a total work horse/fantastic pleasure to play. id reccomend it. or a douglas scope... i own both and they compare to eachother. but i would think the 7321 is a bit nicer for the money.

[All_¥our_Bass]

I love my 7321, it's not perfect but it's decent and a really good deal.
Give it a good setup, a pup swap and you're set.

[Stealthdjentstic]

$200-$300 gets you a 7421 which doesnt have that stupid screw scraping your hand

[Swyse]

Just file down the underside of the screws so they don't stick out as much.
I agree with stealth, not only because he has the best avatar I've probably ever seen, but because the made in japan quality of the 7421 is going to be noticeably better than the quality on the 7321 almost every time.

[Judas Prius]

Originally Posted by GhostsofAcid

Hmm...

-Stock pickups aren't the worst out there like some will tell you, but aren't good by a long shot
-QC is hit or miss, the nut was filed poorly on mine and some of the solder joints were loose, somewhat poor fretwork as well
-Gloss black finish collects fingerprints like there's no tomorrow, seems to dent and chip more easily than other guitars ive owned

On the plus side, the bridge is comfortable and tuning stability is decent. I like the neck as well, but it is D shaped with noticeable shoulders so if you are used to guitars with a C neck profile make sure you are ok with this.

Originally Posted by Konfyouzd

-The fretwork was definitely useable but not outstanding.
-The bridge screws stick out significantly when you lower the bridge to an acceptable height.
-Stock pickups are less than desireable.

Mine has some poor fret work as well. I swear the 16th fret is a little high. I'm about to level 13-24 myself.

With the saddle screws... when I had my luthier set it up, I gave him a pack of shorter 4mm saddle screws to use since some were so high. He just cut some of the high ones off, files them smooth and you can't even tell he did anything to them. Much more comfortable now.

I threw in a set of Dimarzio D-Activators, but I'd like to swap them out for PAF's.

I think the body looks great, the neck feels great. My 7321 is black, and I plan on bastardizing it with colorful stickers of sea turtles, along with Reverend Horton Heat stickers

[JosephAOI]

Mine's amazing

I take my guitar with me whenever I go to Guitar Center to hang out with my buddies that work there and jam and we all agree that my RG7321 is probably the best playing 7 in the store (Which includes a JPXI, Damien Elite, and another 7321). I guess I just completely lucked out.

Planning on using some steel wool to give it a satin finish for now. At some point, I'm putting a veneer on it, adding some bevels, Dimarzio's, and probably a new nut and saddles. (considering tuners at some point as well). I think it's that good of a guitar to put enough work and money into it.

Therefore, my reccomendation is try one before you buy one and make sure you buy the one you like because they are VERY hit and miss. I've played five or six different ones. Mine's amazing, one or two others were decent and all the others were horrible.

Hope this helps

[Grimbold]

joseph that was very helpful

thank you so much guys
i think ima go to the guitar store to try this bad boy out soon!

[Mprinsje]

it is a very good guitar for the money, pickups are a bit weak, but not really aweful, if you upgrade the pickups it will become a guitar you might play for a long time.

and if you've got the chance, try to pick up the RG7321 FM, which has a red maple veneer over it, which looks nicer than black IMO.

all in all a very decent guitar, for a very nice price

[simonk]

stock, this guitar is really below average. all you need is to put a little TLC and $$ into it and it's actually a substantially great guitar!

[Ryan-ZenGtr-]

The worst part about these guitars is the fret ends often overhang the board, which feels like 24 tiny razors attacking your palms with a uniquely Japanese method of torture.

To fret dress the instrument often means damaging the binding, so requires a patient luthier.

Other than that, they're great. After all at the price they go for you can afford to upgrade them to suit your requirements, perhaps one piece at a time.