# 7 string 27" Baritone vs. 7 string 25.5 "



## syndrone (Nov 24, 2010)

hi! 

Yesterday i posted and asked for some 7 string tips. Now i think i will give those Agile guitars a shot (Ibanez and Loomis signature lost haha) and now i am not sure, if i really want to have a baritone or a normal scale Oo
because i own a baritone 6 string from LTD (mhb-400) and its really cool. but maybe with a 7 string its too much as i dont have big hands? i would like to have the option to go down to G# standard, but that should actually work with a 25.5" scale too or not? plus i want the solution that is more "stable" in tuning with the lightest string gauge possible (if you understand that haha)

My question is: as i will play 9`s to 42 with a 54 on bottom in B standard, is that gauge a lot heavier to play on the baritone 7 string? i am not a fan of heavy tight strings, so 9`s on my 25.5 " Ibanez RG 505 are pretty much enough tight hahaha for fast legato runs i need that because i am fragile  

i thought the strings will be looser on a baritone, and easier to bend, but people on here told me the opposite. 

anyway, some tips and some experiences would be very great and helpful.
but for now, i think i will buy the baritone version just to have more space for sweeps in the upper range (15th to 22th fret or so).

and tell me, which Agile you recommend me, because i cannot decide as they all look great haha 

my favorites:

Agile Interceptor Pro 727 EB Black Flame at RondoMusic.com (27")
Agile Interceptor Pro 725 EB Black Flame at RondoMusic.com (25.5)
Agile Interceptor Pro 725 MN Black Flame at RondoMusic.com (25.5 VERY NICE! this one in 27, and i go nuts haha)
Agile Interceptor Pro-B 725 EB Black Flame Duncan at RondoMusic.com (25.5)
Agile Interceptor Pro 727 EB Camo at RondoMusic.com (27", ULTRA metal, maybe too badass for me. i feel the colour will be boring soon)

what about the tremolo? couldn`t find many information here about the tremolos! are they good? i am used to pretty decent upper price range tremolos. so dont know?

thanks for your answers!  im looking forward to become a real member of this community here : P 

cheers

syn

ps: sorry if my english is a bit off at times.


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## jymellis (Nov 24, 2010)

i have both 27 and 25.5 7s. but they are IBANEZ lol. so i cant help with your decision on guitars. but i can tell you why i own both. my baritone is a fixed bridge. i use it for various tunings. a baritone gives me a wider variety of tunings with the same strings. i use either 8s or 9s on it with a 52 for the low B. elixir nanowebs on my other "RG" 7s that are 25.5 i use elixir 10-56 and for my 7 string S series 25.5 22 fret i use 9-52 elixir nanowebs. with the baritone you will notice your lower notes will be more pronounced. i can hear my alternate picking on lower notes alot clearer on the bari. plus i can tune the 6 to any drop tuning and the 7th accordingly


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## aslsmm (Nov 24, 2010)

^^ true dat! don't look at it as a 27vs25.5, look at it as "which one should i get first"


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## syndrone (Nov 24, 2010)

hahahaha aslsmm XD well if these Agile are as good as everyone here says, then i will def. buy another one with other specs! 

but jymellis, the tuning thing i think has more to do with the fixed bridge than with the scale length?
but low notes pronounced is a good argument, clear picking ofc too. i am just wondering about the tension of 9`s on both scale length.
sooooo, how do you feel the 9`s feel on your 25.5 and how do they feel on 27 inch? if they`re harder to bend and to play legato on the 27er, i will go with the 25.5!!! ^^

btw, i love Ibanez ;P i hope those Agile are not too worse in terms of quality.. i really fear em hahaha


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## darren (Nov 24, 2010)

syndrone said:


> but maybe with a 7 string its too much as i dont have big hands?



27" scale is only about 1 fret longer at the nut end than a 25.5" scale fretboard. From the second fret up, everything will feel "normal". I barely noticed any difference in the playability of my first 27" scale neck.



> i would like to have the option to go down to G# standard, but that should actually work with a 25.5" scale too or not? plus i want the solution that is more "stable" in tuning with the lightest string gauge possible (if you understand that haha)



You can go fairly low with 25.5" scale, but you just need heavier strings. If you're going that low, 27" might be better. I tune to drop-A, and i'm right on the tipping point of 25.5" vs. 27". 



> My question is: as i will play 9`s to 42 with a 54 on bottom in B standard, is that gauge a lot heavier to play on the baritone 7 string? i am not a fan of heavy tight strings, so 9`s on my 25.5 " Ibanez RG 505 are pretty much enough tight hahaha for fast legato runs i need that because i am fragile



It'll feel a little tighter, but not much. To get a feel for what it'll be like, try tuning your 25.5" scale guitar up 1 semitone. 



> i thought the strings will be looser on a baritone, and easier to bend, but people on here told me the opposite.



Longer scale length = more tension, given the same tuning and string gauges.



> anyway, some tips and some experiences would be very great and helpful.
> but for now, i think i will buy the baritone version just to have more space for sweeps in the upper range (15th to 22th fret or so).



The extra space isn't that much... like i said, only about 1 fret difference between 25.5" and 27". (Technically, 27.01653" is *exactly* one fret longer. Put a capo at the 1st fret and the remaining scale will be exactly 25.5".)

My first prototype builds are all 27" scale. I kinda like it, but i'm mostly a rhythm player. I think 25.5" has a sweeter, more harmonically rich sound which i think a lot of lead players would prefer. The harmonics are stronger and more present in the shorter scale, whereas the longer scale gets a clearer, stronger fundamental. Some of this can be compensated for with the right pickups.


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## SirMyghin (Nov 24, 2010)

9s on a 27 have close to the same tension of 10s on a 25.5. But because the scale is longer they should be easier to bend.

I would definitely go 27" also for definitions sake. Don't expect gold from mid range instruments however.


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## syndrone (Nov 24, 2010)

darren said:


> 27" scale is only about 1 fret longer at the nut end than a 25.5" scale fretboard. From the second fret up, everything will feel "normal". I barely noticed any difference in the playability of my first 27" scale neck.
> 
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> 
> ...




very nice reply, thanks darren!
well i think my 27" LTD 6 string feels a lot different than my 25.5 ibanez guitars hahaha but its totally okay to play.

hmmmm, so if i would, lets say, put 8`s to 40 or so on the Agile, would this work? like stable intonation, good sustain, no "cheap" feeling (as most guitars that i played with 8`s suddenly felt). 

i am picky, i know.. sorry haha : ))

and SirMyghin: well, i think it could be the same quality like my LTD baritone MHB-400? or is it more like a 600 Dollar LTD / Ibanez? i just want the tremolo to be decent, otherwise i will die : (((((((((((((((((


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## SirMyghin (Nov 24, 2010)

syndrone said:


> and SirMyghin: well, i think it could be the same quality like my LTD baritone MHB-400? or is it more like a 600 Dollar LTD / Ibanez? i just want the tremolo to be decent, otherwise i will die : (((((((((((((((((



If a decent trem is the goal I would find something you can retrofit with a OFR. However otherwise if money were an issue and I wanted a trem I would probably go with Ibanez, as they seem to do a lot in terms of the trem thing. Keep in mind My trem experience is all from OFRs, so I cannot vouch for quality, but people seem to like em. Ibanez necks are too dinky for me in their 6 market. Have not tried their 7s. I don't really go for production guitars.


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