Product: DeArmond SevenStar
Price Paid: US $300
Submitted
03/23/2003
at
07:47am
by
...
Email: zen14362 at zen<dot>co<dot>uk
Features
:
10
Released officially in 2000, crafted in Korea.
-22 Frets
-Solid-top
-2 Volume, and 2 Tone knobs, with 3-way selector switch(like a lespaul).
-H/H 2 Humbuckers
-Special Design 7 string Goldtone U.S.A, Made in USA.
-Passive pickups
-Mahogany neck and body(Set-in Neck).
-Black finish.
-Body style: DeArmond JetStar.
-Bridge Style: Tune-O-Matic with a special stop tail piece.
-Die-cast chrome eagle head tuning pegs.
-25.5 Neck scale, with rosewood fret board.
Sound
:
10
The sound is delivered with prominent quality, these are one nasty pair of stock pickups. People tend to complain about certain 7-stringers by epiphone lacking sound due to the stock pickups. Well these pickups aren't muddy at all, they really deliver a solid high tone. They tend to get a little noisy, but that's understood with the little gap I leave between the strings and the pickup as well as the very high pickingup nature of the pickups.
My style basically covers various forms of metal, so I always require a solid sustaining machine, that delivers nasty high pitch harmonics as well as crunchy wall shattering palm mutes, and I must say.. I've tried everything from explorers, lespauls to new wave start shaped guitars with EMGS, and this guitar by far outclasses them all. It's a real shame it didn't get the kind of exposure it deserved.
I also believe the natural body delivers a solid tone due to the mahogany neck and body setin.
I am currently using a Korg Ax1000G into an Marshall 1974 head and cab.
I will be upgrading to EMG-707s someday on this guitar, as I hear they deliver a similar tone to the emg 81's and I think merging such quality pickups with such a quality guitar will produce some very interesting results. For now though, I must say even the stock pickups deliver hell.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
7
As far as the action goes, I had to re-set the guitar quite a bit. I like a low action, the guitar came with a high action, as well as the string quality, as they weren't all that good, I don't really like fender strings. Other than these factors, everything else was well in place and I was happy.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
Oh this guitar has survived hell, and it's still running. It's really one of those guitars that can take a lot of punishment, but I wouldn't recommend giving it too much punishment.
The hardware is QUALITY! That is all that one can say.
As for the strap buttons, I have my own special needs as far as long straps are concerened and all. I had schaller strap locks installed on this guitar. By standard though, the pegs are pretty okay.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I've never dealt with them, so I can't say much.
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing 5 years. I own an Epiphone lespaul 7 stringer, a Peavey Vortex 1, Samick Lespaul, an epiphone 1958 explorer with emg-81 and I recently got a hold of another DeArmond sevenstar as these birds are on the verge of extinction.
If it were stolen, it would give me enough grounds to stalk and kill. I'm trying to gather up as many pieces of this guitar as I can.
I love everything about it, the natural body, the hardware, the stock pickups, it came as an all in one package.
