# Blackmachine B7 custom copy (chinese)



## Kronikary (Aug 22, 2016)

Hi!

I make this post to show you what you can get when you order from China.
English is my second language so sorry for any mistakes.

Today I recived my first 7 string guitar. I orded it from the aliexpress from seller named Kevin Shi. I paid something like 280$ for the guitar and 65$ for customizations. 
I wanted to have classic shape of B7 but with some crazy top look (pictures below), stainless stell frets, ash body, maple neck and glossy finish. Everything what I wanted was done for 65$.
The contact with the seller was perfect. Kevin answered my all questions. 
Before he send me the guitar I could see what I will get (pictures).


The guitar has some very little issues, but I don't really mind about them becouse at all guitar is nice.

Few notes:
1. The binding is ok, could be better. https://www.dropbox.com/s/x48dbalvy9irn7k/20160822_192641.jpg?dl=0
2. Neck connection is weird to me. Haven't seen anything like this before
https://www.dropbox.com/s/48plpyd2xjtz951/20160822_181619.jpg?dl=0
3. Nect to body connection isn't precised.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wfq61mwyecem55b/20160822_181625.jpg?dl=0
3. And I don't get the idea of the jack input in the middle of the guitar.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1rq4mojxnj7tmyj/20160822_192815.jpg?dl=0=
Most significant issues:
1. Little damage on one fret but there is no buzzing or anything. 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/t9dboid9r5013d7/20160822_192527.jpg?dl=0
2. Magnet of the pickup isn't below the strings. I think that a little pickup bending will help. EDIT: I arched the holders and it looks like the pickup magnets are in the bad raster.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hk9kc6lp12uay0g/20160822_192839.jpg?dl=0
3. Scratch opposite the neck to body connection. It's not the wood but only glossy layout (I hope)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ro8lgwkx4zl3sv7/20160822_181551.jpg?dl=0

And here is a several advantages of the guitar:
1. Glossy finish,
2. Top painting,
3. Sound,
4. Pots,
5. Frets,
6. Tuners,
7. Freatboard
All of the picks https://www.dropbox.com/sh/74f3afuj4biff40/AABAxpSicYGOOJvaYKkxIQx1a?dl=0
Yes, the sound is good. And what I mean is that the guitar sounds great but the pickups needs to be changed. They aren't precised but give nice "kunk" on the power chords. I feel like the sound is better than I can get from my LTD ESP M-100.
LTD sounds better without amp than B7.

The thickness of the neck is ok. It feels very good in the hand although it's not thin. 


What would I change if I ordered again? Well, pretty much nothing  
I like it how it is, and these issues are nothing important. 

I do recommend Fakeamchine B7 from Kevin Shi.
Oh, and i paid 85$ for the taxes (VAT+duty).
At all I paid 440$.


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## nistley (Aug 22, 2016)

This is terrible. I would rather djent on a squire tele.


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## Pooty Skills (Aug 22, 2016)

I don't understand your issue with the "neck connection" as you put it. What is at all strange about it? Also, you didn't really list the advantages of the guitar so much as listed various parts of the guitar. Simply writing "frets" as an advantage makes no sense, all guitars have frets. I'm a bit confused by that.

Lastly, welcome to SSO!


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## jandro (Aug 22, 2016)

Seems to me like spam/self promotion but I'll bite anyway... looks terrible. Happy NGD though.


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## noise in my mind (Aug 22, 2016)

This all looks painful and awful.


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## mniel8195 (Aug 22, 2016)

looks like dog ..... Why you would not just by an ltd im not sure.


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## exo (Aug 23, 2016)

dont know what the market is like in Poland......but for $350 over here in the states, you could do way better used.


I hope OP is happy with the purchase, that's all that really matters.


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## gujukal (Aug 23, 2016)

The body looks pretty good actually, I wonder how the fretwork is though. It's usually in that area that separates a $1000 guitar from a $200 guitar.


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## Kronikary (Aug 23, 2016)

This is not spam or self promotion. I ordered the top look becosue I wanted one like that. It's based on this picture http://image.dhgate.com/0x0/f2/albu/g3/M00/48/8B/rBVaHFSNiJeAHx3BAAFKYD4Cbq8963.jpg

@PootySkills I have never seen made like that scarf joint. It's got weird shape for me.
I wrote advantages like that becouse there is not a lot I can say more about that and you can see the pictures. 

@exo Yes, Im happy with the purchase becouse I get everything I wanted.
In Poland I could buy for example Schecter Omen 7. But the most important reason I didn't is to have stainless stell frets. 
Still we don't know if Omen 7 is better than this B7  .

@gujukal 
Fret work is good. I didn't expect that. Only one fret looks damaged but still no buzzing. On dropbox there is one more pic with the fret job.


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## bostjan (Aug 23, 2016)

I highly doubt those frets are the same grade of stainless used by Dunlop nor other well known manufacturers, simply due to the damage done to that one fret. SS frets should be significantly harder than standard fretwire, not softer.

It could be something lost in translation, though.

That said, I actually think the stain and the top look great, and the headstock looks pretty great, too. I don't care too much for the way the pieces of the neck were shaped together (the laminated pieces seem to all be converging, rather than parallel, the scarf seems to have multiple pieces, and various other things). The output jack placement is absolutely frustrating, though.

Overall, for $350, IDK if I'd ever consider buying one, but if this floats your boat, good!

HNGD!


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## Ordacleaphobia (Aug 23, 2016)

exo said:


> dont know what the market is like in Poland......but for $350 over here in the states, you could do way better used.



It's not always a matter of 'better,' sometimes it's just 'what I want.' 
That's usually what you're looking at with these 'replica' situations.
I absolutely am head over heels for the Blackmachine headstock. The rest of the guitar is just a well-made superstrat to me, but the design of the headstock is, in my opinion, really something special. If you don't have the shake for a B6, this is pretty much the option you're left with unless you have woodworking skills and equipment to make your own.

I bought a B6 replica off a different manufacturer in China, and of course as everyone can predict, it was no good. I replaced the bridge with a hipshot, the tuners with locking Sperzels, the pickups with Titans, swapped the the pots and wiring, replaced the nut, and will probably have it re-fretted at some point sooner rather than later. All in, I've probably sunk about $800 into that guitar. 
Totally worth it to me. I have dat headstock on a playable guitar. Granted, it plays more like a standard series Ibanez than a MiJ Ibanez, but it's playable.

Gotta be a labor of love.


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## bostjan (Aug 23, 2016)

To that point, I'm surprised there aren't secret garage shops who'll reshape your guitar's headstock into a Blackmachine headstock and then refinish it. Probably would be a sketchy operation, from a legal standpoint, but it could be a lucrative black market career.

To think about sinking $800 into a $350 guitar to make it equivalent, quality-wise, to a $500 guitar, well, I'm just thinking that you could have bought a $500 guitar and had the headstock reshaped and refinished for $150, and be quite a bit ahead of the game.


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## nistley (Aug 23, 2016)

bostjan said:


> I highly doubt those frets are the same grade of stainless used by Dunlop nor other well known manufacturers, simply due to the damage done to that one fret. SS frets should be significantly harder than standard fretwire, not softer.



They also look too brown/green, not bright enough, so looks like typical nickel. If they were SS and as coarse as they look, they would probably grind and break the string pretty easy. Perhaps a local guitar tech could check and verify.


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## Pikka Bird (Aug 23, 2016)

bostjan said:


> ...the laminated pieces seem to all be converging, rather than parallel, the scarf seems to have multiple pieces, and various other things...



Naw, just your standard scarf joint, put a little too far back so it interferes with the volute. The darker "laminations" are painted on.


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## bostjan (Aug 23, 2016)

Pikka Bird said:


> Naw, just your standard scarf joint, put a little too far back so it interferes with the volute. The darker "laminations" are painted on.





Painted on laminations? The guitar just lost ten points for that.

Letting that sink in a little, along with the issue with what I assume were supposed to be SS frets, ... I don't really see how the OP can be pleased with this.

Cool top, nice stain, really cool matching headstock, but fake painted on laminations, poorly executed scarf joint, fake SS frets with damage already evident and poor finish, clear coat not too great, some issues with pickups, some issues with binding, and no meat between neck pickup and neck pocket... does it all come out ahead?


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## Lorcan Ward (Aug 23, 2016)

nistley said:


> If they were SS and as coarse as they look, they would probably grind and break the string pretty easy.



This is the problem most people have when they say SS wears out strings quicker. Their frets aren't polished properly so they grind at their strings. You can't just hammer in SS frets into a cheap guitar and not dress, crown and polish them properly. Thats going to load to a ton of problems and be costly to fix.


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## jephjacques (Aug 23, 2016)

Sorry you paid $350 for a $99 guitar


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## Randy (Aug 23, 2016)

Congrats!


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## Kronikary (Aug 23, 2016)

How can you be so sure that it's painted on laminations?

I'm fine with the frets. They feel better than my nickiel fret in LTD.
Overall I'm happy with the guitar.


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## bostjan (Aug 23, 2016)

Kronikary said:


> How can you be so sure that it's painted on laminations?



I think he said that because the lines seemed to stop in the middle of the wood, which I saw and thought was odd, but had not concluded that they were painted. Are there two scarf joints (one where the darker wood stops, and another where the lamination is visible near the volute), or is there only one, with the darker stripes terminating at another location on the neck?



Kronikary said:


> I'm fine with the frets. They feel better than my nickiel fret in LTD.
> Overall I'm happy with the guitar.


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## Kronikary (Aug 23, 2016)

There is only one scarf joint where the darker wood stops


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## Drew (Aug 23, 2016)

Kronikary said:


> There is only one scarf joint where the darker wood stops



Looks like the "darker wood" stops well BEFORE the scarf joint, though. Can you tell if there's any distinct seam there, or changes in the grain? A better closeup might help, but it doesn't look like there is. 

The neck joint looks pretty sketchy to me, and the fretwork looks REALLY rough. Also, the input jack would make it EXCEPTIONALLY hard to use this guitar with a strap. 

Still, it's a, what, $400 chinese guitar, with a pretty photoflame/ultra-thin laminate burl top? I guess you have to keep your expectations reasonable here. I'd rather a used 7321 for the price, though. 

Any full body pics? Something of the whole guitar, front and back?


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## Shredasaurus (Aug 23, 2016)

That neck lookin like a 2x4 lol you should post a video of you playing it so we can hear hngd tho


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## SlamLiguez (Aug 23, 2016)

HNGD, but when I saw that jack placement I burst into laughter.


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## A-Branger (Aug 23, 2016)

congrats and HNGD

shame about the painted neck, but Ive never seen chinese guitars with multi-laminated neck before. That is painted. You can clearly see the scarf joint further up. There is one close up photo in the dropbox folder. That was just back luck, they tried to replicate the photo you sent. Thats one of the issues with chinese copies, You have to CLEARLY explain everything you want 3 times

I was about to buy one years ago, I did all the research I could, I even joined a dediated forum for these kinds of guitars, and this is what I learnt:
-Chinese are really good to copy main brands (Gibson, fender, some prs??), the more un-conventional shape, the higher the chances for you to get a bad copy made
-Its a rusian roulette game out there if you dont know a good seller. There are factories, and there are sellers. You need to find is which one is the direct factory and try to avoid the re-sellers. Only very few of them would make a good accurate build and few would do it good to your specs if you want to go custom
-Stores change names all the times, so the one you knew it was good, might be know by a different e-store name now
-If you gonna go custom, then try to explain things clearly and ask for photos
-For the love of God, order the guitar with NO brand, or get a custom name on the headstock
-And lastly, approach these as "pre-assembled kit guitars", meaning, the chances are you would need to change pickups, electronics, and do some extra work on the nut/frets


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## farren (Aug 23, 2016)

That's the sort of guitar you gig with and people think you are a pro... Except for the savvy guitarists up against the stage who feel kind of bad for you.

But really, I imagine it would get the job done live with some decent pickups installed in it, and you wouldn't have to care if another hammer came flying at the neck in the middle of a show to mangle another fret.

Seriously, that fret, it's really bothering me... You're going to have to have it pulled and replaced. Please.


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## Xaios (Aug 23, 2016)

Regardless of whether or not the laminations are painted, why on earth would any guitar need a volute, scarf joint AND a laminate neck. Those all serve the same purpose, but usually two out of three is quite sufficient.


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## FrznTek (Aug 24, 2016)

the list of things I would do to it...
1. paint the pickup cavities a mate black (conductive shielding paint preferably)
2. buy covered pickups for it to help fill up the pickup cavity. (or.... pickup rings)
3. take it to a pro and have that fret replaced, and have a fret leveling/polishing done.
4. replace all other electronics as well.
5. good locking tuners, and maybe a Hipshot bridge.

but in the end as some have already said... If you like it, that's all the really matters.


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## Psionic (Aug 24, 2016)

congrats on the new Guitar. for a 400$ Guitar it looks pretty nice.

Dont know whats all the bitching about if he likes it and at that price with ss-frets it sounds like a good deal for a guitar you dont have to worry about damaging.

Ofc only if it works properly but as it seems it does.


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## canuck brian (Aug 24, 2016)

SlamLiguez said:


> HNGD, but when I saw that jack placement I burst into laughter.



The Blackmachine homepage must be a hoot.


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## bostjan (Aug 24, 2016)

Psionic said:


> congrats on the new Guitar. for a 400$ Guitar it looks pretty nice.
> 
> Dont know whats all the bitching about if he likes it and at that price with ss-frets it sounds like a good deal for a guitar you dont have to worry about damaging.
> 
> Ofc only if it works properly but as it seems it does.



Look more closely - those are not ss frets. That seems to be what has everybody talking about the guitar, that the specs are not real. And for the record I have no issue with a photo-top on a $350 guitar. It's stuff like the painted "laminations" in the neck, the fake ss frets (ss frets are not soft enough to deform as pictured), the weird design changes (jack placement), and the poor workmanship (binding, scarf joint, pickup routes, etc) that are where it lost me.

Of course, if the customer is happy, then it's all good for now. On the other hand, I can't build a nice guitar to save my life, but there are hundred, if not thousands, of other shops who could have done better than this.

And I mean no ill will toward the OP. It's great that he was kind enough to post this guitar; however, I know no way to react to such a thread without saying something negative about the guitar. As an analogy, if I had someone in another nation build me a replica of a Dodge Viper, and I took a bunch of photos of it and posted it on a car website, I would fully expect people to point out the fact that the engine was not a real 12 cylinder engine, but rather a 6 with the facade of another 6 cylinders attached, or that the frame was made of plastic spraypainted metallic, etc. And that's exactly analogous to how this guitar is photographed in relation to the specs.


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## Psionic (Aug 24, 2016)

bostjan said:


> Look more closely - those are not ss frets. That seems to be what has everybody talking about the guitar, that the specs are not real. And for the record I have no issue with a photo-top on a $350 guitar. It's stuff like the painted "laminations" in the neck, the fake ss frets (ss frets are not soft enough to deform as pictured), the weird design changes (jack placement), and the poor workmanship (binding, scarf joint, pickup routes, etc) that are where it lost me.
> 
> Of course, if the customer is happy, then it's all good for now. On the other hand, I can't build a nice guitar to save my life, but there are hundred, if not thousands, of other shops who could have done better than this.
> 
> And I mean no ill will toward the OP. It's great that he was kind enough to post this guitar; however, I know no way to react to such a thread without saying something negative about the guitar. As an analogy, if I had someone in another nation build me a replica of a Dodge Viper, and I took a bunch of photos of it and posted it on a car website, I would fully expect people to point out the fact that the engine was not a real 12 cylinder engine, but rather a 6 with the facade of another 6 cylinders attached, or that the frame was made of plastic spraypainted metallic, etc. And that's exactly analogous to how this guitar is photographed in relation to the specs.



I totally get you there.
Took a look at the pictures and the fret dosent look like that happened because of pressure rather looks scratched but then you may be right too they arent ss frets.
Would be a wonder on this price lvl i guess.

The blackmachine design is being used by many companies now so i dont get the car comparison if its only for the headstock.

Maybe the features are fake i wouldnt expect them on a guitar in that price range anyways and its what to be expected when you order from china.
I think it wouldnt even make a difference if the neck would be real 5piece given to the quality of wood they would use.

I just think its ok for what it is a fancy looking beater you pay for the looks...

Its pretty obvious it isnt a meant to be a high end instrument.(if this makes any sense )


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## Kronikary (Aug 24, 2016)

Drew said:


> Looks like the "darker wood" stops well BEFORE the scarf joint, though. Can you tell if there's any distinct seam there, or changes in the grain? A better closeup might help, but it doesn't look like there is.
> 
> The neck joint looks pretty sketchy to me, and the fretwork looks REALLY rough. Also, the input jack would make it EXCEPTIONALLY hard to use this guitar with a strap.
> 
> ...



The neck and the headstock looks like to be 2 different woods but the same type.

I asked Kevin to make the neck joint smoother. I don't feel he did it. Maybe I was little late with that change. I asked for that in the middle of the production.

Full body pics are on my dropbox (link in the first post)



Shredasaurus said:


> That neck lookin like a 2x4 lol you should post a video of you playing it so we can hear hngd tho


I don't have good recording system so I don't think there is any sense of that. 



A-Branger said:


> congrats and HNGD
> [...]Thats one of the issues with chinese copies, You have to CLEARLY explain everything you want 3 times[...]



As I said the contact with the seller was great. I've got like 7 pages with messeges to Kevin. I send him a lot of pictures and he warned me that he can't make the same looking guitar (that's even better) as in the picutres.



farren said:


> That's the sort of guitar you gig with and people think you are a pro... Except for the savvy guitarists up against the stage who feel kind of bad for you.
> 
> But really, I imagine it would get the job done live with some decent pickups installed in it, and you wouldn't have to care if another hammer came flying at the neck in the middle of a show to mangle another fret.
> 
> Seriously, that fret, it's really bothering me... You're going to have to have it pulled and replaced. Please.



I don't think that savvy guitarists with only look can tell that's china made guitar  I'm interested in what would be yours reaction if i didn't say that guitar comes from China 

I don't need to change the fret becouse there is no buzzing and any problems.



FrznTek said:


> the list of things I would do to it...
> 1. paint the pickup cavities a mate black (conductive shielding paint preferably)
> 2. buy covered pickups for it to help fill up the pickup cavity. (or.... pickup rings)
> 3. take it to a pro and have that fret replaced, and have a fret leveling/polishing done.
> ...



2. I will buy ring and place it.... soon
3. I don't have to replace the fret but I will polish them. There is no need to level them
5. For now I'm fine with that. I will change that when I get more money. First - pickup change.



bostjan said:


> Look more closely - those are not ss frets. That seems to be what has everybody talking about the guitar, that the specs are not real. And for the record I have no issue with a photo-top on a $350 guitar. It's stuff like the painted "laminations" in the neck, the fake ss frets (ss frets are not soft enough to deform as pictured), the weird design changes (jack placement), and the poor workmanship (binding, scarf joint, pickup routes, etc) that are where it lost me.
> 
> Of course, if the customer is happy, then it's all good for now. On the other hand, I can't build a nice guitar to save my life, but there are hundred, if not thousands, of other shops who could have done better than this.
> 
> And I mean no ill will toward the OP. It's great that he was kind enough to post this guitar; however, I know no way to react to such a thread without saying something negative about the guitar. As an analogy, if I had someone in another nation build me a replica of a Dodge Viper, and I took a bunch of photos of it and posted it on a car website, I would fully expect people to point out the fact that the engine was not a real 12 cylinder engine, but rather a 6 with the facade of another 6 cylinders attached, or that the frame was made of plastic spraypainted metallic, etc. And that's exactly analogous to how this guitar is photographed in relation to the specs.



I will ask my teacher about the frets. Personally I feel that they might be SS becouse all the binding, slides are easier to do. 
And at all I just hope I wasn't lied by the Kevin about SS.




Psionic said:


> [...]Its pretty obvious it isnt a meant to be a high end instrument.(if this makes any sense )[...]



Yes it can't be. But do I really need the guitar for XXXX$? I'm not pro and I'm still learing. I needed 7 string guitar. I didn't want to have casual black Jackson, Ibanez, Schecter. That's why ordered this copy.



And overall don't understand me bad. I'm not defending Kevin and mistakes. But when I ordered this I expected to change everything after unboxing. I was suprised becouse I needed only to set the bridge and tune it.
Just in the scale of the guitars from China where some are bad, some are good, this B7 is great. At this point Kevin Shi got 10/10 from me.


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## bostjan (Aug 24, 2016)

According to Warmoth, SS frets are made of 403 Grade Stainless Steel. Normal frets, even though they are called "nickel silver" or "nickel steel," are actually an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc (they are more accurately described as a sort of white brass), which is why they are so easily machined, and contain neither silver nor iron (thus "nickel steel" is a misnomer, and "nickel silver" is highly misleading). In fact, decorative "gold frets" are simply a different bronze or brass alloys in which the copper is enough to contribute some colour.

So......

403 grade stainless is a weakly ferromagnetic metal. A magnet should respond to the frets. I will test this later, but I would imagine the pull with a SmCoFe or NdFeB magnet should be quite noticeable, where as "nickel silver" frets should have a much much weaker pull, which I do not expect to be noticeable.

Until now, I had no idea which grade of stainless was used. I guess I never thought to try a magnet, since most grades of stainless steel are so weakly magnetic that you can't really tell anything is happening when you hold a magnet to them.

One thing I have noticed as pretty striking, though, is the smell. SS frets smell like nothing to me, totally neutral, while nickel frets smell like coins to me.

The other obvious thing would be harness, SS frets should be much harder than nickel frets, which is the initial reason I called this into question. SS frets should be hard enough to maintain their shape. In fact, 403 Stainless is harder than steel wool, so any attempt at polishing with steel wool is useless.

A little internet research shows lots of SS fret guitars coming from China that use some unknown metal - grayer than ss frets from the west, and softer. There is a good chance that the fretwire is manufactured somewhere in China or just outside of China and made of some other alloy.


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## Fraz666 (Aug 24, 2016)

Kronikary said:


> But do I really need the guitar for XXXX$? I'm not pro and I'm still learing. I needed 7 string guitar. I didn't want to have casual black Jackson, Ibanez, Schecter. That's why ordered this copy.


I know what you mean because I thought the same, I bought a fake Mayones on aliexpress.
But then I realized that would not be so cool to play live with a fake, and people would have noticed from the photos, so it was easy to cancel the order because in the first pictures they sent me the color was different from the original image.
For a slightly higher price I got a good looking original Ibanez, colorful and far from the 'boring black': surely it is better built&#8203;&#8203; and will have a higher value as used.
For me, the chinese fake make sense when they're extremely cheap.

Anyway, the important is that you fell good with it, so HNGD!


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## Kronikary (Aug 24, 2016)

Fraz666 said:


> I know what you mean because I thought the same, I bought a fake Mayones on aliexpress.
> But then I realized that would not be so cool to play live with a fake, and people would have noticed from the photos, so it was easy to cancel the order because in the first pictures they sent me the color was different from the original image.
> For a slightly higher price I got a good looking original Ibanez, colorful and far from the 'boring black': surely it is better built&#8203;&#8203; and will have a higher value as used.
> For me, the chinese fake make sense when they're extremely cheap.
> ...



I thought about ordering Mayones copy but then I realized I live in Poland so guitarists would kill me  (Mayones is polish brand).
I spoke to a lot of sellers before I ordered and I get a lot of pictures. Mayones copy looked really bad and poor.


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## bostjan (Aug 24, 2016)

Where'd your video go? I thought you posted a demo.  Was the demo of the guitar being played or was it a recording dubbed over or something else?

Anyway, I still think the top and the headstock look really cool. It seems the guitar is in working order to your expectations, so it probably doesn't matter which materials were used.


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## Señor Voorhees (Aug 24, 2016)

All I'm gonna say is that I've got a Kiesel Vader with SS frets that's a year and a half old and the frets are still shiny/new. I've never cleaned them, polished them, leveled them, etc. I have played the thing extensively, and I only replaced the strings twice... Once immediately after receiving it, and once like two days ago. (I'm cheap, god damn it.) If they weren't stainless, they would show some form of wear. 

The frets on this guitar are tarnished, and not a nice shiny silver... They're not SS frets. Any "better feel" you're noticing is either all in your head, or will fade with time. Any of the close up shots of the frets show some degree of tarnish, which is evidence to them not being SS.

As for the painted laminates, they are indeed painted.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/74f3afuj...JvaYKkxIQx1a?dl=0&preview=20160822_181619.jpg

You can see where the painted stripes end and where the scarf joint begins much more clearly in this picture.

Not sure what's so hard to understand. A chinese guy making fraudulent copies of guitars using stolen designs and brand names, lied to you. Honestly, it shouldn't be a big deal. You expect cheap crap when you buy these things, and you always take a gamble on if they turn out right. I always advise against them because you never know, regardless of how "nice" the seller is, how the guitar will turn out. You seemed to have lucked out and received a decently playable guitar with some relatively minor issues. The bridge is mounted straight, the pickup cavities aren't all cattywampus, and you say there's no dead spots or buzzing.

Aside from the jack placement, it all looks relatively acceptable. The biggest part is, does it sound good? Does it play/feel good? Do _you_ think it looks good? You're obviously happy with the purchase, though everyone usually is during the honeymoon phase. Provided you're not just lying to yourself and there really are no dead spots/buzzing/acceptable action, it does sound good, and you're willing to overlook that you've been lied to about the laminate and SS frets, I say this is a win for you.

Congrats, and I hope the guitar treats you well! It's always good when you role the dice and come out on top!



> The Blackmachine homepage must be a hoot.



Nah, the strap buttons aren't placed _right up_ against the jack like the copy is. Playing the copy with a strap might be difficult.


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## Kronikary (Aug 24, 2016)

Señor Voorhees;4635818 said:


> Nah, the strap buttons aren't placed _right up_ against the jack like the copy is. Playing the copy with a strap might be difficult.



Yea, I used the belt and I was afraid that the guitar will fall.



bostjan said:


> [...]Where'd your video go? I thought you posted a demo.  Was the demo of the guitar being played or was it a recording dubbed over or something else? [...]


Yea, I posted a video but I will send something... better


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## FrznTek (Aug 24, 2016)

Kronikary said:


> 2. I will buy ring and place it.... soon
> 3. I don't have to replace the fret but I will polish them. There is no need to level them
> 5. For now I'm fine with that. I will change that when I get more money. First - pickup change.



Well, if you buy new pickups they will likely come with rings. My concern with the fret isn't so much about buzz as it is about premature ware on the strings, as well as playability if you go to bend on that fret. (might also be like sandpaper to the affected string). I guess if you start braking the string('s) that are over the damage, you will at least know a likely reason why.

as for the strap button placement issue, I suggest a Dimarzio Clip Lock strap. 
http://www.dimarzio.com/straps/cliplock/2-inch-nylon-cliplock


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## hairychris (Aug 25, 2016)

FrznTek said:


> Well, if you buy new pickups they will likely come with rings. My concern with the fret isn't so much about buzz as it is about premature ware on the strings, as well as playability if you go to bend on that fret. (might also be like sandpaper to the affected string). I guess if you start braking the string('s) that are over the damage, you will at least know a likely reason why.
> 
> as for the strap button placement issue, I suggest a Dimarzio Clip Lock strap.
> http://www.dimarzio.com/straps/cliplock/2-inch-nylon-cliplock



Pickups *don't* come with rings...


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## FrznTek (Aug 25, 2016)

hairychris said:


> Pickups *don't* come with rings...



That depends on what brand you buy I guess. My SD Pegasus/Sentient 7 string set did.


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## Señor Voorhees (Aug 25, 2016)

The only pickup that I bought that ever came with a ring was a bill lawrence l500xl. I've bought a handful of SD and Dimarzio sets and they typically only come with screws/springs.


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## AkiraSpectrum (Aug 25, 2016)

Señor Voorhees;4636511 said:


> The only pickup that I bought that ever came with a ring was a bill lawrence l500xl. I've bought a handful of SD and Dimarzio sets and they typically only come with screws/springs.



Interesting, I got a pickup ring with my TB-Pegasus 6.


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## InCasinoOut (Aug 25, 2016)

Kronikary said:


> I don't think that savvy guitarists with only look can tell that's china made guitar  I'm interested in what would be yours reaction if i didn't say that guitar comes from China



I can tell it's a fake without needing to know it's from China. Anyone savvy with Blackmachine knows Doug doesn't do colored tops like this, and that very flat contour at the bottom of the body is a pretty big giveaway it was badly copied from the original design. The knobs and switch don't even look in line with each other. If you're happy with it, cool, but I think you're underestimating savvy guitarists, especially on a board of hardcore gear nerds


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## mike1033 (Aug 28, 2016)

Kronikary said:


> How can you be so sure that it's painted on laminations?
> 
> I'm fine with the frets. They feel better than my nickiel fret in LTD.
> Overall I'm happy with the guitar.



Check the pic of the neck pickup cavity, the one with the pickup out. The lams are not on the end of the neck.


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## aciek_l (Aug 28, 2016)

Looks terrible.  With some luck you could get pretty good used guitar for that money...


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## Alex Kenivel (Aug 28, 2016)

> And overall don't understand me bad.



You're posting about ordering a Chinese Fakemachine on SSO. That was your second mistake.


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## Esp Griffyn (Aug 28, 2016)

Those pickup routes are absolutely brutal.


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## InCasinoOut (Aug 28, 2016)

Kronikary said:


> Yes it can't be. But do I really need the guitar for XXXX$? I'm not pro and I'm still learing. I needed 7 string guitar. I didn't want to have casual black Jackson, Ibanez, Schecter. That's why ordered this copy.



I missed this, but man if you're still learning that's why those big brands are a better choice because they will be far more consistent instruments _worth_ learning on. They all make budget 7 strings that don't only come in black. 

I wouldn't judge a beginner because I'm stoked to see people get into guitar, but I'd judge a beginner who clearly bought a guitar where the looks were the main priority and every other flaw was deemed acceptable because it "looks" cool.


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## Pikka Bird (Aug 31, 2016)

Kronikary said:


> How can you be so sure that it's painted on laminations?



Because ... they _obviously_ are?

There's no indication of any other kind of joint in the area where they stop before the headstock, and if they were proper laminations with a scarf jointed headstock then the points would not be straight lines like that, but curved slightly. So no, it's not two scarf joints (how would that even make sense?), but just a rather low quality piece of maple that has been shaped, taped off and sprayed with black paint.

Take a look at this (another Aliexpress BM copy, this one even more blatant with the backplate and everything), and look at the complete lack of any indication of a joint there. The painted fake laminations are a "feature" of many Aliexpress guitars (this one too)



Kronikary said:


> I don't think that savvy guitarists with only look can tell that's china made guitar  I'm interested in what would be yours reaction if i didn't say that guitar comes from China



I am willing to bet that 80% of SSO would be able to call this out from across a moderately sized room under regular lighting conditions. It really isn't up to scratch, but for what you paid it can't be expected to be. It's fair enough that you think it was worth the money, but don't claim that it holds up to scrutiny.



bostjan said:


> ...replica of a Dodge Viper, and I took a bunch of photos of it and posted it on a car website, I would fully expect people to point out the fact that the engine was not a real 12 cylinder engine...



Okay, let's be that a-hole: All production Vipers have 10 cylinder engines. 


Hey, something else: The output jack- other than the awkward placement, how is that even attached? Barrel jacks like that have a nut that has to be tightened from the back, so ... how? Was it installed before the veneer/photo top was glued on? If so, how does one fix wiring issues and resolder a loose connection? Or is it just jammed in there?


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## Kronikary (Sep 2, 2016)

I've ordered Behringer C1U so I will make some sound recording. Soon


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## Fred the Shred (Sep 2, 2016)

As an actual B7 owner (former owner, to be exact), nothing about the guitar adds up. Doug doesn't do that sort of stain, no shiny gloss is allowed near the instrument whenever Doug makes it, proportions are also wrong. This is, of course, replying to the whole "savvy guitarist" bit - if he's remotely into BM's, he can spot it's not the real deal a mile away.

Having said this, the nasty bit isn't really that (who cares if it's a good approximation if you like it), but some fit and finish issues that should never be there and are bound to be quite the headache (and investment, in the case of the frets and shielding pickup cavities for instance), and that makes it way too high a cost for mere aesthetics in my eye. If you're happy, more power to you, but I confess I'd feel gutted if something like that ever made it through the door.


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## Jeffbro (Sep 2, 2016)

Why is SSO so obsessed with bashing $300 knockoffs for flaws when some $2k Gibsons aren't much better

It looks fine, let the man enjoy his guitar


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## Humbuck (Sep 3, 2016)

Because it's junk and it's kinda funny when people buy junk and defend the hell out of it. It's a pattern.


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## Ordacleaphobia (Sep 3, 2016)

Jeffbro said:


> Why is SSO so obsessed with bashing $300 knockoffs for flaws when some $2k Gibsons aren't much better
> 
> It looks fine, let the man enjoy his guitar



Well as much as I'm not a fan of Gibson, lets not pretend that serious QC issues are as common an issue for them as they are from Chinese factories.

Honestly this thread isn't so bad, a couple years ago this would have been a mire of angry opinions but so far it's mostly just been factual observations of issues that OP may or may not want to address, or inconsistencies with the genuine article that OP may not have considered.


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## Jeffbro (Sep 3, 2016)

Humbuck said:


> Because it's junk and it's kinda funny when people buy junk and defend the hell out of it. It's a pattern.



Except it's not junk...



Ordacleaphobia said:


> Well as much as I'm not a fan of Gibson, lets not pretend that serious QC issues are as common an issue for them as they are from Chinese factories.



Because they cost 10x as much...

It's just funny when OP says it plays well and sounds good and people just refuse to believe it's a possibility based on the origin and price


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## Rawkmann (Sep 3, 2016)

Looks cool to me! Obviously not gonna be on par with a legit one, but probably about as solid as my brother's Vietnamese LTD Eclipse I played. If You're happy OP then thats what matters at the end of the day.


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## bostjan (Sep 7, 2016)

Jeffbro said:


> Except it's not junk...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



"based on the origin and price," not the lack of honesty in the design/specs.



If the OP likes the outcome of this, more power to him! That said, the painted on neck lamination and half a dozen or so other obvious concerns with the guitar are easily seen in photos. The OP posted a video of how the guitar sounded (I'm not sure how, exactly, since the audio/video didn't seem to be from the same thing), but took it down and we haven't seen another video, yet, so maybe there will be something that screams out "this is an awesome guitar!" to the internet, but, given the lack of replies lately, I think we might not hear much more about this.

Based on the information available, I can only say that I hope the OP is adequately happy with his purchase, but I would strongly recommend others not follow in the same purchase without very serious consideration to the points other users pointed out in the thread.

You keep wanting to compare this to a Gibson with QC issues, for some reason, but man, that's just out in left field. I mean, did Gibson sell any guitars with fake wood laminations or inoperable jack placements or pickup routes that go into the neck cavity?!


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## purpledc (Sep 7, 2016)

I ordered my first custom chinese guitar about two months ago. After inpecting it, filing a claim and returning it, it goes without saying I also purchased my LAST custom guitar direct from china. You can get a decent guitar for the money. But if something doesnt work out you are in for a fight to get it worked out. I would rather spend my money on reliable brands instead of rolling the dice. But if you paid $440 for a guitar with a 10 piece body and a crack in the neck pocket I would say you got duped. Sorry.


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## Kronikary (Sep 8, 2016)

Well it's 3 piece body and as I said... it looks like glossy finish crack.


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## purpledc (Sep 8, 2016)

Kronikary said:


> Well it's 3 piece body and as I said... it looks like glossy finish crack.



And I am saying that given the lack of quality, the crack and the multipiece body (its more than 3 pieces if you count the veneers) I think you were scammed. Sorry. But from what I am seeing in the pictures I would not recommend anyone buy one.



Jeffbro said:


> Except it's not junk...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You challenge the opinions of other people all the time. People are looking at the pictures of an obviously flawed guitar and the owner defending it. Thats a better reason to question his expertise than anything you run with. And yes, the guitar is junk. Not because of where it was made. But because of how poorly it is made. If we cant say it is junk based on pictures clearly showing its shortcomings than you have even less reason to defend it. My guess is the argument is more important to you than the actual guitar.


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## Kronikary (Nov 12, 2016)

Ok, sry for late respond. This is what I fast recorded today with Bias FX and Focusrite Solo, guitar china B7 with Fog Up Seventh Son pickup. Drums somewhere from yt. https://www.dropbox.com/s/plryvsocj342jt4/90bpm.wav?dl=0

I know It's not perfect but it shows something... 


Another Samples (but recorded with LTD):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8ajg7oqt1hn8a69/Marigold 2.wav?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pemf88dw7k1rybg/Marigold 1.wav?dl=0


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## purpledc (Nov 13, 2016)

Kronikary said:


> Ok, sry for late respond. This is what I fast recorded today with Bias FX and Focusrite Solo, guitar china B7 with Fog Up Seventh Son pickup. Drums somewhere from yt. https://www.dropbox.com/s/plryvsocj342jt4/90bpm.wav?dl=0
> 
> I know It's not perfect but it shows something...
> 
> ...



Links don't work.


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## Kronikary (Nov 13, 2016)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6aqYpGrGPKuY3EtRjRKY1hSTnM/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6aqYpGrGPKudGhsQWJoUTRlOUk/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6aqYpGrGPKuemFId2ljRXZ3Zlk/view?usp=sharing

Marigold recorded with LTD.


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