Acoustic 7 strings: Eastman, Moll and Bourgeois?

[Dr_turkey]

I've never played a 7 string archtop though I play extended range electric with at least the same frequency that I play 6 strings and enjoy them. The only extended instrument I had a problem with was the 8 string classical Ibanez used to make with a neck wider than my 9 string.

Aside the point though, I have been second thinking spending so much on an acoustic 7 string, starting to figure instead of trying to compare everything to Gibson I'd be better off just buying a used no frills Gibson and getting a more modern 7 string with an acoustic tone that's just good enough for personal enjoyment

[Greentone]

The Moll is a no-bs great guitar. Bill Moll built some outstanding instruments, and some of the best of those were his 7-string John Pizzarelli models.

I can vouch for the Benedetto qualities of the Dale Unger American Archtop 7-string guitars. I spent a weekend with Dale at a trade show in which his booth was next to mine. We traded lots of stories, I played his guitars and he heard them through my amps.

I noticed the headstock and neck angles of his instruments (which sounded _excellent_) and asked him if there was a Bob Benedetto connection? He said that Bob B was his teacher in luthiery. We discussed the virtues of the Benedetto geometry vis-a-vis the more traditional Gibson/D'Angelico archtop geometry. There _is_ a difference and it seems to favor Benedetto in many ways. The break angles over the nut and bridge sure yields a sonic delight when you play a Benedetto or an Unger guitar.

The $4K American Archtop is a very nice guitar at an attractive price point, IMO. If it were me...

That said, the Moll is a safe bet. Great guitar/great sound/etc.

[Woody Sound]

I don't know if this was mentioned yet or not, but how about an Eastman? Not as much money, giving you the chance to see if 7-string is really for you. And if so, you might just like it enough to be a keeper. Here are examples of a 17" and a 16", although the 16" appears to be a thinline.

Eastman 810ce #25145 2014 Sunburst | GuitarsnJazz, Summit, NJ | Reverb

Eastman Jazz-Elite 16-7 #10030 2014 Classic | Reverb

[Dr_turkey]

I am familiar with Eastman though I've never had the opportunity to try one myself. I'll probably get a used Eastman 6 string from guitar center to get an idea of how it sounds since they've got a good return policy. I love that red finish on their guitars though. I also was emailing support at benedetto earlier to get an estimate on bravo deluxe, very adorable with the payment plan or turns out.

Unger is also looking tempting and I may look into their custom guitars too. I also opened a conversation with archtops.com about the devoe and need to reply to their reply. I keep going back to that Moll though. Come to think of it somebody messaged me earlier about the Pizzarelli model and I decided against it despite being a fan

[ronjazz]

7-string is really for finger style players, if you want to take full advantage of the range. Playing it with a pick is very limiting because of the low overtones and the size of the "plane" you're addressing. I have been playing 7-string mostly for 45 years, and now play almost exclusively on nylon-strung 7s, from the Godin Multiac to custom-made flamenco 7s. Amplification is really a must for the full bass sound of the 7th, since guitar bodies are too small to project tones that low. But the RMC pickup system really works well, and through a Bose Compact with its built-in sub-woofer, the nylon 7-string sounds amazing. The RMC system also has a synth send, and accompanying singers or other instrumentalists with the Roland GR-55 along with the guitar sounds on the 7-string is big fun!

[floatingpickup]

7-string is really for finger style players, if you want to take full advantage of the range. Playing it with a pick is very limiting because of the low overtones and the size of the "plane" you're addressing. I have been playing 7-string mostly for 45 years, and now play almost exclusively on nylon-strung 7s, from the Godin Multiac to custom-made flamenco 7s. Amplification is really a must for the full bass sound of the 7th, since guitar bodies are too small to project tones that low. But the RMC pickup system really works well, and through a Bose Compact with its built-in sub-woofer, the nylon 7-string sounds amazing. The RMC system also has a synth send, and accompanying singers or other instrumentalists with the Roland GR-55 along with the guitar sounds on the 7-string is big fun!

I agree that 7 string is more suitable for fingerstyle playing. That was my point, above, when I talked about the difficulty of playing chords with a pick when you don’t have enough fingers on your left hand to hold down all the strings. When I play my 7 string on gigs, I use a pick for soloing but I usually switch to fingerstyle when I’m backing up a soloist. I have been trying to get used to playing rhythm on the 7 string with a pick (like Bucky and John Pizzarelli) but that’s where I often run into trouble.
Keith

[Dr_turkey]

I do mostly finger style myself truth be told though I'm trying to get better at hybrid picking (more for country than for jazz to be honest).

In my experience with other acoustics, how well a note rings out is a matter of scale length and string size and how well it projects is a matter of body size. I was in the process of ordering the 18" DeVoe from Joe at archtops.com since I figured 25.5" scale with an 18" body would give best results, and I was really interested in how resonant that guitar must be at just over 5 pounds... but mid conversation I got an email telling me that Moll I had been looking at dropped to just under $5000, I really couldn't pass up the opportunity to try that. I felt bad cancelling on Joe though, he was really helpful

The Moll still has a 25.5" scale but it's body is only 16". Hopefully I'll have a lot of time to get to know that instrument in the 3 day period after it shows up

[Woody Sound]

... but mid conversation I got an email telling me that Moll I had been looking at dropped to just under $5000, I really couldn't pass up the opportunity to try that. I felt bad cancelling on Joe though, he was really helpful

The Moll still has a 25.5" scale but it's body is only 16". Hopefully I'll have a lot of time to get to know that instrument in the 3 day period after it shows up

Sometimes timing is everything.

[Dr_turkey]

So this is unexpected. I got the guitar and there's more finish checking than I expected (not a big deal) and I noticed some pretty big marks on the saddle near the notches (potentially a big deal). I took it to a local luthier I trust who confirmed it was all cosmetic (back to not a big deal) but he pointed out the neck may not be able to handle heavier strings. Despite the guitar shipping with Daddario chrome 11s and a round .079 he found the truss rod to be as tight as he'd recommend turning it. Says the la bella tapes should be ok but bronze 14s are probably out of the question, pretty surprising with the 5 ply neck. Still the guitar sounds phenomenal and sounds surprisingly big. Pretty unique carve too.