Jackson DR7 7-String

This is my review of a 2000 Jackson DR7 SN#9651765.Made in Japan.It has 22frets with a trans red body slightly figured top. Standard DR7 electronics configuration (1 tone,1 volume and 3-way toggle).It is equipped with 2 Duncan designed humbucker pickups,a rock maple neck and I believe a basswood body.It also is a non trem tun-o-matic with non locking tuners.

As far as the type of music that I prefer to play,I would have to say it's along the lines of a Tool meets Staind meets Sevendust. I prefer original material along them lines. The Jackson is well suited for this kind of music. I run the axe into a crybaby 535, a slew of Boss effect pedals,and a Digitech Whammy before finally patching into a Marshall TSL-100 head with two cabs.A 1960av cab and a 1960ax.The best description of the sound I get from the DR and the effects is fat but slightly muddy. I personally don't like the Duncan design pickups and plan to try the Dimarzio Blaze custom in the bridge very soon.I have a tendency to compare all of my other guitars to a 1995 Gibson Les Paul standard that I have but that's because I do feel that it gives me the closest sound to what I'm after.Absolute nirvana for me would be to have the Gibson sound but in a seven string guitar.

I couldn't say how well the guitar was set from the factory because it was quality checked and reset up at the dealership. What I can say is that Guitar Xpress (where I purchased it from) did an absolutely superb job of setting this guitar up.No complaints here. It plays like a guitar should play and looks great. I do not notice any flaws in the workmanship or material,however I can say that I got what I paid for...a solid guitar without the high end features that a custom one would have.

This guitar will withstand live playing with only one exception that I've seen. When you hammer on it,it has a tendency to go slightly out of tune. At least mine does.I also use 9's which could be part of the problem. I would suggest to anyone out there who has a similar problem with the DR7, try using 10's or even 11's it might correct it.Other than that-solid all the way around.

I've never dealt with the Jackson company but from what I've heard and read they seem to be helpful.

I've been playing for 21 years,started when I was eleven.Back to the DR7,if it was lost or stolen I would like to have Jackson build me a custom very similar to the DR7 professional but with the minor discrepancies addressed.My overall opinion of this guitar is very high. It's comfortable,sounds decent and plays great.The only two things that I could possibly add would be locking tuners and better pickups.

see post at top $249 paid.
Thought it had potential, one small snag, you CANNOT install EMGs in it UNLESS you modify the PU cavities (not looking forward to that one)

The stock pickups SUCK big ones, the reason Im posting this is to warn you. IF you intend on replaceing the stock Duncan Design POS PUs
with EMG 707s you WILL have to mod the PU cavities. The EMGs have squared edges, where the stockers have rounded edges. I went out and bought an EMG 707, got it home to see if it would match up, and low and behold it wont, so I plan on doing the unthinkable unholy act of
modifying the body of this guitar. It doesnt look like it will require MUCH wood to be taken out, but it will MORE than probably need a PU ring to be installed so it wont look like shit. Ill repost to let you know how it goes

Ill repost after I defile it by routing out the PU cavity

not sure of the year, but it's a Jap made Dinky Reverse 7 string. 22 frets. Solid top, blue (purplish) finish. 1 volume, 1 tone and a 3 way selector for controls.

2 duncan designed passive humbuckers

alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard.

string through body stop tail (no trem so I can change tunings on the fly) because all my other axes have floating bridges.

jackson tuners. hardware has a cool dull silver finish (anodized?)

25.5" neck scale

not a lot of options but enough to rock!

I'm a metal head with an excellent technical background. I've been playing this through Laney V series amps and a Mesa Boogie Mark IV. Acoustically (unplugged), this guitar is very resonant and responsive which helped me decide to pick it up. the duncan designed pickups are less than high output. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Ibanez's stock Q and F series pickups, there's nothing wrong with a lot of stock PUs, but these duncans are medium outputs so tone is warmer with less bite. I'll need to try the Dimarzio Blaze PUs in here next.

action is very good. nice slim taper neck like Ibanez wizards. finish was very good, but not great.

we'll see, it's too soon to tell....

haven't used them.

I've been playing for 16 yrs. this is a great guitar for the money. It doesn't compare to the USA made BC Rich Mockingbird 7 strings with the low B porting for sheer tone and quality. That's the 7 you should get for professional use.

pickups need to be a bit higher in output. a bone nut or graphite nut would be nice also.

1999 Japanese-made DR7 with Korean-made Duncan Design pickups. Found it used, but in mint condition. Pretty straightforward, other than the seven strings. 22 frets, maple neck, solid body, black finish, two humbuckers, tune-o-matic. A basic guitar, but that's what I was looking for.

I bought the DR7 because our band does ONE song that requires a baritone guitar part. I re-strung my mid-70s G&L to fill that role, but I'm all about carrying around the least amount of gear possible. With the low B string I can cover the low end and still play everything else on the same axe.

I was pleasantly surprised by the sound. The Duncan Design pickups have a full tone and plenty of punch. I play the DR7 through a 1984 Peavey Encore 65 (basically an all-tube 50w amp) and a Digitech RP5 for my effects. I have heard nothing but raves from my friends about the tone of the Jackson. I am picking up a new Fender Hot Rod Deluxe tonight, so I'm excited about how that will sound.

I play in an all-original band that is pretty much r&b/pop influenced. I cover a wide range of tones, from clean, reverby rhythm to screaming solos. The DR7 hasn't disappointed me yet. I have no reason to swap out the pickups.

I didn't change a thing as far as the action. I string the guitar .011 to .056 (high E to low B) and keep the action a little high since I play slide occasionally. The neck is wide and flat and feels good (satin finish). I've never played a seven string before, but it was an easy adjustment for me. Plays smoothly and in tune up and down the fretboard.

The pickup switch was noisy, but some contact cleaner fixed that. The strings go through the body and there are six metal grommets on the top of the body. They are not fixed in the holes, they just sit on top. It's not a big deal, but it was a surprise the first time I changed the strings. The bridge is oversized and solidly built.

This has become my main guitar. It's the only one I bring to gigs now, and I used to carry three!

It sounds great, stays in tune, and looks good (I love the shark-fin inlays). Strap buttons are nice and big. With a strap that has thick leather ends, you'll have no need for strap locks.

I've only had the guitar for three months now, but it feels very solid and I am confident in it standing up to whatever I can dish out.

I contacted Jackson with the serial number, because you can't look up the numbers of non-US made guitars on their website. I got an answer in two days. Since I bought it used, I doubt if I'll be dealing with them, but the quick response was nice.

I love this guitar! I've seen it brand new selling for $660, and I feel that I got a great deal. The 7th string has given me new avenues for scales and chord voicings, and the playability and tone is everything I could have asked for. I believe in finding bargains--I still have the 1961 Les Paul I got for $325 in 1981, and the Peavey amp I mentioned earlier? I bought it for $200 in 1984 and am just now replacing it! If the DR7 was stolen, I would want to replace it, but I would think long and hard about the retail price tag!

This is a 2000 Pro model, the last year the bolt-on Jackson imports were made in Japan before moving to India. It has dark blue finish (sometimes called "cobalt blue" and other times "candy blue") over an alder body. The neck is maple, with 22 frets on rosewood board. Not sure of the neck radius, but it is wide and flat like most Jackson 6-string models. The sharkfin inlays are the plastic psuedo-pearl typical of most imports. The tune-o-matic bridge, Jackson tuners, tone knob, volume knob and 3-way toggle are are the "satin chrome" type. Pickups are Duncan Designed humbuckers.

For a Japanese guitar without a trem, this has everything it should have. Perfect 10 -- what else would you need that you'd expect to find stock?

I bought this guitar because it was on clearance, and because I like the Jackson Dinky design, not so much because I wanted a seven-string guitar. I play thrash metal (Megadeth, Testament, Slayer) or Swedish-style death metal (In Flames, At the Gates, Darkane), and I don't know that I would call this a perfect fit. I don't tune down my other guitars, and my style is not at all similar to the current crop of bands who tend to use seven strings. However, for the price, I wanted to experiment to see if I could add something to my songs with a seven-string guitar.

Although I use several effects and a variety of amps, the core of my sound has always been Seymour Duncan humbuckers, an ART Xtreme distortion/effects pedal and Peavey TransTube combo. I have played other guitars with Duncan Designed pickups and found them a bit muddy. I didn't expect this guitar to be any different, and it wasn't, but because I will be using it for a somewhat different role, I don't feel any need to change the sound I get with these pickups.

When playing chords using the low B string, it has a somewhat "unnatural" sound to it, almost a synth or phaser sort of tone, but that's not a bad thing necessarily. No noise to speak of either, which was a surprise. My intention is to record additional (lower) guitar tracks with this, so I don't have the same needs as I would from one of my "lead" guitars. The tone is a little bit thin, but not to the point that I feel the pickups should be replaced. It's deep, it's dark, and that's what I expect of it.

The bridge humbucker would be sufficient for solos, partially because of the good sustain I mentioned above, although not really it's strong suit. For crushing riffs, a Floyd Rose actually seems to improve the sound, but even with a tune-o-matic, this model holds down the low end nicely. The neck pickup, although having a good clean tone, is much weaker than on most stock pickups I've come across.

As I said before, I don't think I have a need to upgrade the pickups, but if this was my one-and-only axe, I'd probably start shopping for something with less mud and a more musical sound.

I bought this guitar on clearance at Guitar Center. Normally, I would expect it to be in rough shape and needing a good professional setup to get it in top playing condition, but this was just right, straight off the rack. The action is comfortably low, and while the neck is of course going to take some getting used, it doesn't seem overly wide. The pickups are adjusted fine, and I found no finish flaws. The neck/headstock joint seems a little sloppy, with excess glue under the finish, but that is only if you look really close. No problems I saw with the fretwork, and while I think that the fake pearl inlay material looks rather cheap on a rosewood fretboard, the inlays were applied nicely. The bolt-on neck fits great, no gap at the joint.

The only thing I'd worry about is the satin chrome finish. Over time, I wouldn't doubt that friction from the strings will take the satin finish off the bridge and tuner posts. Jackson finishes tend to hold up fairly well. The strap buttons are monsters, and the tune-o-matic bridge is certainly less hassle than a Floyd. The body is light and alder tends to be a little soft, but it feels solid.

I haven't need any support on this guitar yet, but in the past, Jackson has always been very helpful.

Counting the DR-7, I own five Jackson guitars, plus a Hamer USA and Dean import, and Charvel bass. Over the ten or so years I've been playing, I've never strayed too far from the more conventional body styles...super-Strat, Les Paul and such. I paid $200 for this, when a week before it had been $700. I would not have paid the full price for it, both because it is Japanese and because it is a seven-string, but for $200, no problem! I bought it to experiment on recordings, not as a live-playing instrument. I wouldn't be heartbroken to lose it compared to my Soloist or custom Dinky, but I'd still be mad if someone stole it.

Note that when I say I wouldn't pay $700 for this guitar, that's because a seven-string is simply not worth that much to me. But a year from now, I may feel different. The bottom line, however, is that Jackson guitars are generally of better quality than their competition, even in a seven-string market dominated by Ibanez and Schecter. The features are just what I wanted, the sound is good for stock pickups, and it feels great. If any of my scores don't seem to be "glowing", keep in mind that I'm mentally comparing the DR-7 to my other, more expensive guitars that were bought to "do it all" as opposed to doing one thing.

This guitar plays quite nicely, this is my first 7 string guitar, but it is a fairly easy transition. The neck feels great and the body is quite comfortable.

The stock pickups in the guitar leave a little to be desired, I've heard worse, but I've heard better also. I do plan on replacing the stockers with REAL Duncans.

I bought this guitar used, but it is VERY clean, it has hardly been played, I would say the factory did a very good job of setup.

I have yet to play this guitar in a live situation, but I think once I've replaced the stock electronics it will perform quite nicely.

N/A

I've been playing guitar for 16yrs, I have owned many guitars, and I must say that for the price I paid this guitar is an EXCELLENT value.
I'm not sure if the price I paid is reflective of the average used price for this model but if it is I urge anyone in search of a 7-string or just a change in scenery to try this one out.

Sensational Guitar, 23 1/2 frets solid metallic dark purple body, pearly shark fin fret inlays, 1 vol knob, 1 tone, 5 selector. Duncan design pickups.

I use Gauge 65 as a B string, through a marshall v100r. Also go through a Boss fuzz and the two distortion channels on the amp. Phat sound. Very tight, but easy to play with thinner gauge string, naturally. But this allows me to belt the absolute crap out of it. Nothing like ferocious heaviness.

Not sure really, i threw on the big 65's before i got a chance. No flaws except a couple of exta frets.

very strong and reliable no need for a back up unless you intens on smashing it. Why would ya.

1999 Model, made in Japan. 22 frets, shark fin inlays, solid body, 1 volume nob, 1 tone nob, 3 way selector switch. Start style body, reverse head stock, H/H pickup configuration, tune-o-matic bridge, string through body, non-locking tuners. I'm giving it a no opinion in this category, becuase it has the normal featues of a straight forward electric guitar.

This guitar originally came with Duncan Design Pickups. The neck one sounds really nice, but the bridge one sounds better with thick tube amps. I had it replaced with a Dimarzio Blaze which sounds killer with my setup. My sound is solid state with pretty much raw edge distortion. I plug this into my Peavey Transtube Supreme head which powers 2 Peavey 5150 cabinets. For distortion, I either use a DOD Death Metal pedal, or the Distortion in my guitar head (I haven't decided which one I like better coming through the PA. I mic my cabinets with an Shure SM57, into our mixing board.) I also scoop the mids with an RFX equalizer pedal in my effects loop. I also use Daddario 10's for strings. With this setup, I like a Dimarzio Blaze pickup in the bridge more with this line up I have. I does suit my music very nicely, METAL!!!!! I've also noticed that the tune-o-matic bridge has better sound quality and tone than the Ibanez 7621 fixed bridge, and the same outstanding sound quality as the Ibanez 7620 floating bridge.

I had to lower Bridge a little but that was my own preference, not a screw up from the factory. The guitar did not contain any flaws in the least. I was very impressed.

This guitar is extremely well put together. I have 2 other 7 strings (Ibanez 7620 and Ibanez 7621.) The 2 Ibanez's have little flaws in them. Like the pickup selector switch nob falls off, or part of the fret board chipped off. The Jackson DR7 does not have signle thing wrong with it at all. Very sturdy. I take good care of my guitars, but I do beat the piss out of the strings when I play, and the Jackson has held up. I also own a jackson Rhandy Rhoads 6 string, which is very durabl and well put together. I'm noticing a trend here.

Never Had to Deal with them.

I've been playing guitar for 6 years, and have been playing 7 strings for almost a year. The only thing I wish that this guitar had was a 5 way selector switch that allows you to slit the coils in the pickus like the Ibanez RG 7 strings have. Other than that an absolutely fantastic value. If you are looking for a fixed bridge, 7 string, strat shaped guitar, without coil splitting capability, this is it. Very well put together. The stock pickups that it comes with are just a matter of taste depending on your string gauge and equipment.

This is a re-review of my Jackson 7-string. 1999 model, made in Japan, 22 frets, solid body, 1 volume pot, 1 tone pot, 3-way switch, H/H pickup configuration, passive Duncan Design pickups, Basswood body, maple neck with rosewood fretboard, glossy, solid black finish, super-strat body style, Tune-o-Matic style bridge with a string-thru body design, non-locking Jackson tuners, a thin neck with jumbo frets. Reverse headstock, reverse sharkfin inlays. 7-strings.

This guitar definately suites my style of music, which is Metal. I use this guitar through a Boss Metal Zone to a Peavey Bandit 112. It isn't the best setup, but it still kicks ass. It can get noisy, but that depends on my other equipment. It has a full, distorted tone. I love the sound, put i probably will switch the pickups to EMG 707's anyway.

It's setup was awesome. The action is high only at the bridge, then goes LOW once it hits the fretboard. This guitar is so DAMN EASY to play! The pickups were set up high, about 2 or 3 millimeters from the strings. the only i found was that the volume pot was kinda off when you turned it, but who gives a shit? it works. everyon else is awesome. This guitar is basically dream to me, compared to my old Ibanez RX20... piece of crap it was.

This will definately withstand live playing. It has a good finish, but it sorta dents easier than i expected. Not enough to chip off the paint though. The start buttons are very wide, definately do their job. I culd definately use this guitar without a backup, even though i dont gig.. yet. I play carefully so i doubt i'd break a string at a show. This guitar will stay in tune no matter what happens.

Never dealt with them

I've been playing for a year and a half. If it were stolen, i would find the thief, and submit them to extreme torture until they cry mercy... ? But i'd definately look into buying another jackson. I play anything from grunge (nirvana, alice in chains) to metal (Fear Factory, Cannibal Corpse). I was originally looking into the Ibanez RG7621, but it never came in, so i went with this one. I especially like the reverse headstock, and the inlays. Plus, the Low B string really adds so much to your sound. Overall a great guitar.

1999 model, 1 volume and 1 tone nob. 22 frets with reverse sharkfin inlays. Reverse headstock. Tune-O-Matic type bridge, and satin chrome hardware. Two duncan design humbuckers. 3-way switch. Black finish. Rosewood fretboard. 7 strings. Bolt-On neck.

Sounds amesome. Perfect for metal. Very chunky. It can make a lot of sounds.

This action is a bit higher than a locking tremelo, but the strings are loose and it plays great. Good jumbo frets. The wood seems great, and has a good finish. Pickups were adjusted very high, which i like.

It seems very sturdy, I think it will last forever... maybe. The start buttons rock, i had trouble putting the strap on. I could definately depend on it.

haven't dealt with them.

Great guitar. Worth the money.