[Christopher]

Okay so here's a little back story. I got my EB/MM Petrucci seven string in September of 2004. It's been my main guitar for everything since that time. Before that I used Carvins since around 2000.

Well the last couple of years I've gone through amps like underwear. Each time I get one (or two or three) I like part of the tone but I just can't get it all the way there and I move on to the next.

Well I got my Randall rig in December and had been really enjoying it except just like my Triaxis / 2:90, Mesa Mark IV, Rectoverb, Triple XXX, and Vetta I can't seem to get the tone just right. It still lacks a little something.

So I've been producing my cover band mate's country record the last couple of months and the Pet sucks for that really straty teleish country tone so I called my buddy up and borrowed back the last Carvin I owned. It's a beautiful DC 400 with a quilt top and a redbust that's just fuckin' awesome. Anyway, I borrowed it because it has dual coil splitters and even though it's a neck through you can really get good quacky single coil tones of it.

So I start jamming on it and just like the old friend that it is it feels like home. It's missing a string for sure but it's still feels great. And then I plug it into my rig and oh shit. There's the tone I've been looking for. I try it clean, it try it with a nice SRV overdrive, I try it with a cool modern high gain vibe, and lastly I try it with a smooth XTC Vai like lead tone. It's exactly what I've been missing.

Okay Houston we have a problem. First, this isn't even my guitar. Second I have this incredible guitar in the Petrucci. Well I took care of the first problem easily because my buddy's a drummer by trade and doesn't use it often anyway. I traded him my beater RG 570 and a little green and got it back. Now I have the Carvin and the Petrucci.

I was very happy with the tone and feel of the Carvins, and I even had three of them. I wanted to switch to all seven strings though and the Petrucci was the only seven string I could find with a piezo (my DC 400 also has a Fishman in it).

I love the Petrucci for sure. It plays like fuckin' butter. It's has one of those insane necks where it feel like you just put your fingers on it and it plays itself. The tone is way cool too but not quite what I'm looking for.

So all this got me thinking about just exactly what I need out of guitar(s). I must have a seven string for certain. The seven string is part of who I am. I always reach for a seven string first whenever available. I write all my original music on it and it's where I like to be. For live work I must have a piezo. Almost every project I work in live, uses a huge amount of acoustic and electric.

Well this train of thought is what got me to Petrucci land. What I never considered was having one seven string and one with piezo. I had this thing in my head that I couldn't jump back and forth from six to seven without awkward feelings. I've proven to myself the last few days that that is simply a myth. As I pondered this I realized that I haven't even used the low B and the piezo live once. When I need acoustic and low B I always reach for my Ibanez AJ 307 anyway but that's always been in the studio.

So what should I do my brothers? Should I sell my Petrucci and get a Carvin seven string? Should I keep them both? What's more important, feel or tone? Could I even live with myself with a Petrucci as a backup? Advice is needed my friends.

[WayneCustom7]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Okay so here's a little back story. I got my EB/MM Petrucci seven string in September of 2004. It's been my main guitar for everything since that time. Before that I used Carvins since around 2000.

Well the last couple of years I've gone through amps like underwear. Each time I get one (or two or three) I like part of the tone but I just can't get it all the way there and I move on to the next.

Well I got my Randall rig in December and had been really enjoying it except just like my Triaxis / 2:90, Mesa Mark IV, Rectoverb, Triple XXX, and Vetta I can't seem to get the tone just right. It still lacks a little something.

So I've been producing my cover band mate's country record the last couple of months and the Pet sucks for that really straty teleish country tone so I called my buddy up and borrowed back the last Carvin I owned. It's a beautiful DC 400 with a quilt top and a redbust that's just fuckin' awesome. Anyway, I borrowed it because it has dual coil splitters and even though it's a neck through you can really get good quacky single coil tones of it.

So I start jamming on it and just like the old friend that it is it feels like home. It's missing a string for sure but it's still feels great. And then I plug it into my rig and oh shit. There's the tone I've been looking for. I try it clean, it try it with a nice SRV overdrive, I try it with a cool modern high gain vibe, and lastly I try it with a smooth XTC Vai like lead tone. It's exactly what I've been missing.

Okay Houston we have a problem. First, this isn't even my guitar. Second I have this incredible guitar in the Petrucci. Well I took care of the first problem easily because my buddy's a drummer by trade and doesn't use it often anyway. I traded him my beater RG 570 and a little green and got it back. Now I have the Carvin and the Petrucci.

I was very happy with the tone and feel of the Carvins, and I even had three of them. I wanted to switch to all seven strings though and the Petrucci was the only seven string I could find with a piezo (my DC 400 also has a Fishman in it).

I love the Petrucci for sure. It plays like fuckin' butter. It's has one of those insane necks where it feel like you just put your fingers on it and it plays itself. The tone is way cool too but not quite what I'm looking for.

So all this got me thinking about just exactly what I need out of guitar(s). I must have a seven string for certain. The seven string is part of who I am. I always reach for a seven string first whenever available. I write all my original music on it and it's where I like to be. For live work I must have a piezo. Almost every project I work in live, uses a huge amount of acoustic and electric.

Well this train of thought is what got me to Petrucci land. What I never considered was having one seven string and one with piezo. I had this thing in my head that I couldn't jump back and forth from six to seven without awkward feelings. I've proven to myself the last few days that that is simply a myth. As I pondered this I realized that I haven't even used the low B and the piezo live once. When I need acoustic and low B I always reach for my Ibanez AJ 307 anyway but that's always been in the studio.

So what should I do my brothers? Should I sell my Petrucci and get a Carvin seven string? Should I keep them both? What's more important, feel or tone? Could I even live with myself with a Petrucci as a backup? Advice is needed my friends.

Fuckin A sell your Petrucci to me
Have you tried shimming the neck on the Pet? Initially, I found the pups were a little muddy, with my action down between 1/16 and 1/32, I had little to no breathing room for the pups. I then shimmed my neck, lowered the pole pieces atouch, and now it's pure bliss! Oh did I mention that you can sell your Pet to me?

[Leon]

maybe try some new pickups in the JP7?

[NegaTiveXero]

Originally Posted by Leon

maybe try some new pickups in the EBMM JP7?

Exactly what I was going to say.

[Metal Ken]

Dude, if the carvin's got your sounds, then go for it. In the end, it doesnt matter what the guitar or how much it costs.. If it doesnt sound like you want, then get one that does. It sounds like you want a Carvin. And carvins are badass. you could probably sell the petrucci, get a carvin and still have enough money to buy a milkshake or 5.

[WayneCustom7]

I suggest shimming first, its cheaper. Those pups need to room to breathe! I'd love to know how much pup clearance there is between the strings and the pups while fretting...

[Papa Shank]

How much would you want for it?

[Shannon]

Why not get a fixed-bridge Carvin 7 & then put in piezo saddles? Seems like a winning combo for your situation.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by WayneCustom7

Fuckin A sell your Petrucci to me
Have you tried shimming the neck on the Pet? Initially, I found the pups were a little muddy, with my action down between 1/16 and 1/32, I had little to no breathing room for the pups. I then shimmed my neck, lowered the pole pieces atouch, and now it's pure bliss! Oh did I mention that you can sell your Pet to me?

Oh Paolo, how quickly you forget who the one that recommended the pole piece adjustment was. The action / pickup clearance is just fine.

Seriously, I've got the Pet set up as well as anything else I've had. It's not the Pet's fault I'm coming to believe. I actually can get amazing sounds out of the Pet. I thought long and hard about pickups for it as well. The bridge pickup is the one bothering me the most. It just sounds thin and wrong. I've got an email into DiMarzio right now asking them for advice on that. I'm sure NAMM is slowing them down.

If I had to put my finger on it I'd say that the Pet might just be the wrong guitar for me. It could be the pickup, the body wood, the neck construction, hell there are many factors involved but it just doesn't sound quite right. I blamed it on my amps for awhile but I think I was looking in the wrong place.

I've been a neck through junkie for years. My favorites have been USA Jacksons and the Carvins I had in the past. My favorite tone of all time came from a Carvin DC 131 that was all maple (neck, body wings) with an ebony fretboard and EMG's. I thought it would be a super bright train wreck of a gutar when I found it but it was just sweet. I suspect it's the neckthrough and the effect neckthroughs have on the midrange. There's just that certain throaty thing that just rocks me. I had one Carvin that was all maple, one that was mahogany wings and maple neck, and my current is maple / alder with a quilt top. Each had different tones but they all share a certain ungh! I think it's probably the neck through. Now that I think about it, all three Carvins and the two USA Jacksons all had different body woods and pickups but that same "insert unnamed quality" here.

My biggest hurdle now is the feel. It's kind of like sticking with a girl long term that you don't really like but the sex is bumping. It's hard to turn away even though you'd be better matched with someone else.

A pickup change is definitely the cheapest and least drastic thing so that's where I'll start. I know I want something creamier with more mids, maybe a PAF Pro or Tone Zone? Suggestions?

In the end the Pet may have to go. It would be hard simply because of the hours I've spent with it.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by Shannon

Why not get a fixed-bridge Carvin 7 & then put in piezo saddles? Seems like a winning combo for your situation.

The DC I have now has a fixed Fishman Acoustic bridge in it so if I went with a Carvin 7 I think I'd want a floater. I wish there were piezo saddles for the floyd already, I'd be in heaven.

Hey thanks guys for the help!