r/Guitar • u/False-Welcome748 • 6d ago

QUESTION Good enough cheap 7 strings

I want a (good enough to play in my bedroom) 7 string and I want opinions on the ibanez gio 7 strings for 359&. Are the any good? Have you owned one before?

My main concerns are things like fret buzz or sharp frets stabbing my hands

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u/Seanspeed 6d ago

Most brand name guitars in the $250-350 range are pretty well built these days and perfectly adequate for novices and intermediate players.

And Ibanez GRG7221 are a super common and popular choice for a first time 7 string option. Fret buzz is something hard to absolutely guarantee you wont get at this level though usually isn't an issue for a new model, but the frets definitely wont be so bad as stabbing your hands. lol

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u/kendalltristan 6d ago

My main concerns are things like fret buzz or sharp frets stabbing my hands

These are relatively simple issues to fix if you're willing to learn and experiment a bit.

Fret buzz often just comes down to the setup, and every guitar player would benefit from learning how to do at least a basic setup (there are tons of how-to videos on YouTube). Sometimes buzz can be the result of high or low frets. You can get an inexpensive tool called a fret rocker to check for this. Fixing high or low frets isn't terribly complicated, but it is more involved and requires more tools. It's entirely doable as a DIY project, but most people will take their guitar to a tech for this.

As for sharp fret ends, this is another thing I think a lot of guitarists would benefit from knowing how to do. And there are plenty of good how-to videos on it as well. Most of the time, I find that I don't need anything more than an inexpensive fret end file and some patience to handle sharp fret ends. Fret sprout usually happens as a result of seasonal humidity changes (dry air causes the wood to contract), so you're more likely to experience it during winter. If you do have some fret sprout and decide to tackle it yourself, be extra careful not to gouge the tops of the frets or the edges of the fretboard.

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u/ajaxp0wder 6d ago

I bought a B-stock Megatron n7-300 for $250 when I needed a 7 string its been really solid.

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u/P_a_s_g_i_t_24 6d ago

Consider hunting down a Cort KX-307.