Schecter A-7 Diamond Series 7-String

Generic string through fixed bridge. Double Duncan designed humbuckers with one volume, one tone, and a 3 way switcher. 24 frets too.

I play metal mostly and mess around with jazz fusion sounds and ideas. Unfortunately this guitar's stock pickups are really bad sounding. Any kind of chord sounded uninified and gritty. Not a very solid tone. Don't expect a tight or articulated sound out of this either. The pickups have a decent output, so i guess that's cool for metal. One last thing: If you play legato you will need to change these pickups, they have zero sustain and even simple tapping became a chore.

I bought this off a friend and the action is great. The playability is as good as I can expect from a 7-string. I've played expensive carvin and ibanez guitars and they don't really destroy this guitar like i had thought they would. It's got a fast neck with good fretwork
i don't think theres a better 7-string for the buck. Finish is beautiful and it looks fairly sturdy.

Stays in tune well and it seems like the hardware will hold up against any other guitar.The guitar sits well in the strap buttons without me getting nervous about the strap falling off. Very solid and dependable so far. No need for a backup (who can afford one anyway).

Never had to deal with them.

For a 7-string at this price its unbeatable. Once I put some new pickups in here it'll be just as good as any other 7-string you can think of. It easily compares to more expensiive 7strings . I'm very picky with guitar playability and I feel that this is a great guitar for any price save the crappy stock pickups.

As you probably know this guitar was chopped from a tree on krypton and is full of kryptonite. It is, as is know in the trade, "nails". Nuff said................
Simple two 'buckers and fixed bridge. Perfect!

I play everything from real gentle easy-listening jazz types to the sort of sonic hurricane that would embarras slipknot. It deals both beautifully and damned outright rudely as is required.
I use it thru my pod and a constantly (ebay updated) changing plethora of distortions and envelope filters into my pod and thusly thru my old fender jam into the atmosphere.Oh yeah, and i own a digitech whammy which never leaves my side!
It has a wonderfull rich and clear sound which warms the cockles of my heart and when heavily distorted just cuts me up. It is just so addaptable its shocking. Its also real easy to play and the extra string has really been a chore to get my head round but has taught me soooooooooo much............

ah. ok now-i must admit that the saddle tension screw on the high 'e' was different to the rats and that pisses me off. But otherwise the finnish is shockingly good! It was good to go straight out of the box and i had it set up again (after two years of hard use) just reicently and it came back just the same!!!!!!!!!!!!

i have no reason to doubt this wonderfull instrument at all in any way shape or form.

n/a

i just love this guitar and would not be without it. Nuff said? Damn tootin.............

Import 7 string with dual humbuckers and bolt-on neck.Strings thru body bridge.

The pickups seem to be rather muddy and nasal sounding to me. I played it through a V-amp, a Digitech RP200, and a Line 6 Pod. It made all my usual presets sound pretty bad. After spending some time tweeking the presets, I was able to obtain some usable sounds. I think I will end up replacing the pickups.

The action on this guitar is excellent.It has a very fast, flat radius neck.It is wide, but it is not as awkward as I thought it might be.I like the odd body style,and the finish was nice.I replaced the strings with heavier gauge. It helped the sound a little.

Seems O.K.

No Contact

I have been playing for over 25 years. I have played most every brand of guitar. This one has it's faults, but they can all be fixed. The fast neck on this 7 string makes up for those faults. I am impressed that you can get a guitar this playable for so little money.If you can still find one, it offers a great bang for your buck.

You've already read this in other reviews.

I play mostly metal.

I use it with a Line 6 Spider 112 and a boss GE7 equalizer pedal.

What I like best about this guitar is it's awesome tone! It has a really rich bottom, making it great for nice, clean sounds (to which I like to add chorus). The best word for the tone is incredibly warm, which is exactly what I want. Big thumbs up.

The action was set up quite low, but it still had great sustain - probably owing much to the strings-thru-body construction. I changed from .009's to .011's right away, and it didn't need a truss rod adjustment. The action on the low B, which I have detuned to an A (i play in drop A) was too low, though, making it buzz. This was quickly fixed.

Unfortunately I can't seem to get the intonation right on this string,, bnut of course it may just be the low tuning or my lacking skills... I don't know.

The tone knob has contact with the body, so they're grating a little against each other when it is turned - I've just pulled it a bit up...

The pickup adjustment was quite bad. There was hardly any difference between the combined and the neck position, and the bridge position sounded to tinny, so I had to adjust those as well.

And finally, the diamond inlays in the guitar are quite... ugly... in the border between the "filling" and the fretboard. Looks a little bit like it's been filled with PVA glue, that hasn't quite dried up yet. But some of my freinds say they look great, so I guess it's in the eye of the beholder.

I have nothin to complain about in this category - all seems fine. The finish is extremely sturdy.

I have no idea.

I love this guitar. It's easy to play, looks cool and has absolutely KILLER tone. The things about the pickups and action have all been adjusted by myself, except the intonation thing. If these problems hdn't been there, I would have given it 9 or 10. But that's just too many flaws in a new guitar. This in mind, it should be rated about 6 or something. But on the other hand, I would still have bought it if I had known these flaws were present. So I don't know how many points I should award it. Judge it yourselves. If you can fix problems as these by yourselves, you like the look and feel of of it, and especially the tone - then by all means, buy it.

Black 1998 7 String with 2 humbuckers, volume, tone, 3 way switch, 24 jumbo frets and grover tuners. "Duncan Design" pickups. Came w/gig bag. I have had this almost 4 years now. I dunno where it was made, but it was not made in America.

I play blues/jazz and a little rock. This can hold it's own in each category. The neck has a flat radius which is great for blues bending. Right now I play through a Peavy Classic 50, but I have in the past played through the Classic 50, Fender Blues Deville, Hughes and Kettner tube 100 (half stack), and a Fender Ultimate Chorus. It always has a rich, full sound. The pickups have a lot of output, but complex chords still stay reasonably defined. (This depends on the amp a bit too though). If you are looking for a straty blues tone this won't come close(i use a strat for that). If your looking for a singing Robben Ford humbucker sound it can be found here. If you are trying to mimick a hollowbody jazz guitar sound this does a reasonable job with the pickup selector in the inbetween position and the tone rolled off a bit. The shielding inside works well.

The setup was great, the pickups were fine. Everything seems to be routed correctly, fitted correctly, etc. There were no flaws. I am not especially careful with it, and after 3-4years of gigging with it it has gotten a few dings and scratches. It has also taken one or two tumbles off a 5 foot stage and not been damaged, much to my surprise (don't try that at home though)

The only reason i rank a 9 in this category, is because of the neck heel. It really is this big clunky piece of wood you have to deal with when playing around the 19 - 24 frets.

This guitar is a tank. I have played it live at least weekly for 3 years now. Not only does it get banged around, but I play lots of blues gigs and i have a tight grip. Not only has the body and neck held up well, but the frets haven't worn too badly. The finish is thick. The only thing i have replaced is the pickup selector switch which went bad after about a year. The trade off is that it is a heavy guitar. I am a young, semi-physically fit guy and 4 hours with this on my shoulder hurts my back.

No warranty, no nothing as far as I know. No help when my switch was broken. When I emailed the company with a question about it I never recieved a reply.

This is my favorite guitar. It is the best guitar I own, but I have played with some regularity a parker fly and a srv signature strat, as well as other single coil and humbucker strats. This isn't as light as the fly or as smooth to play as the SRV, but in a way i feel like they are all apples and oranges. If you want to tap you can, but it is really at home with some searing Robben Ford licks, or for some hip comping with that seven string. Don't expect that low string to twang like a baritone guitar. The scale length wouldn't be nearly long enough.

its ok. the fact that it was the 1st CHEAP 7string help =)

never played it clean. why bother? its a shred guitar. its ok at that.

they messed up the volume knob and it cut into the paint. damn it. the action is, acceptable?

ive dropped it, didnt scratch the paint.. that was cool

who knows

ehh, its okay for a budget 7 string, to see if yo ulike the idea. I paid half as much for a dean, and actually play it.

Man this guitar kicks ass... let me tell you. I think its 2000 leftovers but oh well who cares! 24 x-jumbo frets.... biggest i've ever played! I was looking for a good 7 string and i found it here. And a warning... when you pick this guitar up and put it on... you'll feel like the KING of guitars, every other guitar you pick up feels like they were made for babys. I don't like the duncan designed pickups, but i have dimarzio blazes on order. No tremolo, which is good. Passive eletronics. Oh yeah very nice Grover tuners, feels like your turning hot butter.

Like i said before, the pickups dont sound all that good. The low B turns to mud. If you buy it plan on getting some new pickups.

Nice low action... not as low as my friends jackson(hahaha you cant tune his to Drop D without bad fret buzz). Pickups didnt need adjusting. No flaws at all.

God i would use this guitar for live playing so many times, the hardware is very sturdy. I dont know about the finish. At least this thing doesnt fall off the straps. I would definatly use this without a backup.

never had to deal with them.

I've been playing about 14 months and i own a Squier Strat(very cheap) and some no-name acoustic. I am so happy with this guitar i wouldnt trade it even for a PRS or a Gibson. If it was stolen i would track down the motherfucker that stole it and beat his ass with it. I like everything about it!

2000 leftover, but brand new. I got the Gunmetal-Grey one.
Awesome lookin!!!!
The horn on top is kinda gay lookin', I thought. Otherwise I love the "spacey" look.
The pickups are passive( Ididn't see mention of that here)

I only play Heavy shit, so this thing rules!
Even though I've never even played a 7 stringer, before I was really amazed at how thick this thing sounds, even thru my Digitech RP200 and Suqire Champ 15w practice amp.
Man!!!
As soon as you throw this thing over your shoulder, you feel like hurting someone....It's just so heavy and mean feeling in your hands.

Purchased from Woody's Music. Setup was nearly flawless. It was almost in tune when I got it from UPS.
I tilted the pickups just a little, but they really didn't NEED it.
The wood in the fretboard looked like it had player wear at first, but it turned out to be the grain and color of the wood. it's kinda cool, really.
I went over it with a fine toothed comb, and couldn't find one defect.

If I were playing a gig, and a riot erupted, I'd use this MOFO as a weapon!

n/a

I v'e only been playing for 2 years, and on a Parker Fly Deluxe.
After playing the A-7 for 2 days, then pickin' up the Parker, I felt like I shoulda' had a friggin' pink skirt on.
Two COMPLETELY diifernt worlds.
I chose this axe because I wanted a heavy mohagany body, 2 Hums, 7 strings, and everything else it has.(I woulda payed extra for a set-neck, though) I almost went with the ESP LTD H-307.
I could buy 3 A-7's for what they're askin'.

US assembled, Korean made (I think, maybe Mexican). No problems out of box, reliable string action, perfect condition. 24 jumbo frets, seven high quality strings, Duncan Designed pickups (about as good as you ever get out of the box, but I plan on replacing them with Seymour Duncans or D'Marzio's shortly). Sleek, classy look, unique yet attractive body style, great resonance. Bolt-on neck (sort of a bummer), solid top (I think), high quality materials, satin finish, tune-o-matic bridge with locking tuners. Honestly, this is a great piece in this category.

Almost perfect.... varies from a true bass guitar sound in the low register (through a bass amp of course) to a stunning lead sound, including everything between. The mids really show this baby to perfection though: crunching rhythm sounds perfect for rock, alt rock, metal, classic rock, fusion, etc. The only reason this gets only an eight is a slight buzz on the B string. After some fiddling with the bridge it fixed itself, but I plan on getting it checked out with a local dealer anyway to make sure the hardware integrity is good despite my work.

Action is masterful - this is truly the guitar to buy if you are looking for a seven string. Despite the necessary wide neck of any 7 string, I can play faster and sweeter on this baby than I can on my Ibanez or my Epi. Very enjoyable.
Everything came as I expected, without flaws and with the exact specs I ordered... thank americanmusical.com for that, they haven't missed yet and they always have a better price than any other discount store on the stuff I'm interested in. In addition, the overall setup - pickups, bridge routing, assembly, etc. - was much better than I expected. I got this guitar so cheap that I was anxious about setup flaws.

This guitar is a beast. Regardless, I've only played it at a couple of gigs so far, and I play keybaords more often than guitar in my band. However, all the buttons and knobs seem solid, the finish is superb, and the sound quality has been dependable as of yet. I'm leaving this blank... only time will tell, I guess.

Schecter is friendly, but we have had any major problems to sort out. American Musical Supply is friendly, but their delivery was so prompt (free shipping in one business day) and their product so good that I haven't had to call them since they arrived.

This was a great deal. I can't give this a 10 because of the buzzing low B string, but I have never played on a seven string that got this time of tone quality or this speedy action - and I've played everything by Ibanez, Jackson, etc. I would snap this up, especially as Schecter is hustling in newer lines of equipment - I have seen this as a closeout deal at many stores online. My band loves its sound, and our lead guitarist - who is much better at guitar than I am, since I'm mainly a keyboardist - keeps looking at it and then at his explorer in a wistful way.

1999 Made In Korea, inspected in the USA, (someone takes a glance at one out of every hundred made). 24 HUGE frets, biggest I ever played. Its solid mahogany body with a maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Two Duncan Designed pickups with a three way selector switch, two rather large funky knobs, one volume and one tone. Dark metallic blue (not my first choice) and string-thru body bridge.
Grover tuners, and large wide but thin neck.

Easy, Sounds Good!
First, I had to adjust the action and make it higher because of the strings resonating on the frets. Then, I took off the God awful strings they put on and replaced them with some Ernie Balls 10-56. I play it through a new VS2000 AVT50H into a VS412A (Celestion Goldbacks). Sounds Good to me! Before I got this guitar, I only played a Les Paul Standard by Epiphone, but this sounds better. Not just because of the low B string, but it sounds, (to use an overused buzzword for lack of a better term) "fat". It just seems more thick and rich then the Les Paul. This means I am going to have to replace the pickups in my Paul, no big deal.
Second, People seem to complain about 7 strings being to muddy, well, dig into your lower strings. It took me a little bit to realize if I dug into my 1-6 strings I could cut into and hold my own with the low B string. I had to get a thicker pick and be more aggressive with my playing, but its worth it.

Guitar was setup was all right, buzzing because of the strings to low to the fret board, So I raised the action. The paintjob, and the over all construction of the guitar rocks. Its sturdy as a rock. Like my Teacher said in his review of the A-7+ of you want to bash this guitar you better take your vitamins. It is a big Heavy guitar, it isn't for those who are looking for the lightest nicest thing around, it has some gonads! Its big, its heavy, and it sounds good! Personally I like big heavy guitars, I never thought I would like any other guitar but a Les Paul, but this has proved me wrong.

This is a Kevlar vest with strings. It is built incredibly well, so well it astounded me when I first played one. The finish, the wood, the workmanship, this thing is going to last you.
You shouldn't gig without a backup, but if you can somehow nock this thing out of commission that you cant use if for a show, you got some serious problems. I bet it could withstand me backing my s-10 over it. (but I wont try it) it just feels that well built.
Oh, I don't use the strap buttons, I put strap locks on it instantly (because the strap I am using is a p.o.s.)

Answerd e-mails withen a day, seem friendly, website sucks, but oh well, cant have it all.

My friend turned me on to this guitar, and from when I first played it I knew I loved it. Its big, its solid, and its really comfortable! It sounds better then my Les Paul, and the neck makes it easier to do some stuff on the lower strings where my hands seem to be strained less then on the Paul. It took me a little bit to learn you have to play it hard, almost like a cave man, but I am good at that. I could swear the thing was made of concrete it is so heavy, but it sounds really good. The diamond inlays are neat I guess, and the headstock is a little funky, but hey, to me its all good. The only headstocks I really don't like are the ones made by fender.