ESP LTD Alex Wade AW7B - Open Grain Black Review

Best 7 string yet

Iv'e owned several 7 string guitars and hands down this is the best one yet. It came flawless and Looks stunning, It stays in tune and is just s Stout axe! I have Custom Les Pauls that I love and high end Strats but this is my daily driver, and records well, cant say enough about it. The Pickups are just right for me and cant get over the build quality, just wow... Its a Keeper.

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I'm ruined...

So this is my second 7-string guitar, I also own the SC-607B, another signature ESP baritone 7-string guitar. This one has the clear edge for me for reasons I'll explain here and in my eventual review of that guitar. So let's dive in… What I expected: an all out "aural assault" weapon. What I received: a tonally balanced instrument with exceptional note clarity. Spoiler alert:… read more I LOVE this guitar. I might even have an unhealthy obsession with it. The photos here on Sweetwater make it look lovely—don't get me wrong—but they simply don't do it justice when you get this thing in your hands. It is BEAUTIFUL. From the neck to the body, the color and finish are definitely premium. I have heard people say things like "this guitar plays itself" or "the music just comes pouring out of it." I never knew what that meant until I picked up this guitar. The neck feels amazing, the weight of the guitar is perfect and the simplicity of the design doesn't include any flashy, showy elements. Everything just gets out of the way to let you play. This guitar is made to RIP. The genius of the design is that it lets instinct take over and not overthink your playing. I don't really believe in magic, but I worked out the major parts of a song I was writing almost instantly when I picked this guitar up. Well, I'll be "Dumble-damned." Now let's talk about these pickups. The DiMarzio D-Activators are just a touch "bassy" for me. I had to work a little harder to get that "cabinet chug," "djent djent" I was looking for, but the trade off is exceptional single note clarity. These pickups make single notes sound so crisp and clear, they almost make up for sloppy playing. They're warmer than a Fishman Fluence and thrive when you push the gain without getting too noisy. D-Activators be like: "nom nom nom MORE GAIN PLEASE." How 'bout that tone? The swamp ash body and the 5-piece neck (Maple, Walnut and Paduak) give this guitar a tone that I have never really noticed so prominently in an electric guitar. Seriously, just strum the strings and see how long that vibration sustains throughout the instrument. Sounds amazing without even plugging this thing in. I used to be a person who thought "tonewoods" on a solid-body electric guitar were only a minor concern and that you could play a stale buttermilk biscuit with great pickups and still produce a great tone. This guitar made me a true believer in just how much the wood makes a difference in solid-body electric guitar tone. As the title of this review implies, I'm now ruined and can't go back to the bad old days of my "tonal ignorance." In closing, this is without question the BEST guitar I have ever played. I'm almost afraid to post this review because then you'll all know how great this guitar is and want to covet "My Precious." But I gotta let y'all know. DON'T SLEEP ON THIS GUITAR. It can go toe to toe with any higher end Gibson or PRS. It's well worth the price.

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What a beast!!

Absolutely love this guitar. This is my first 7-string and I absolutely love it. The playability of this guitar is amazing! Can't wait to see where I am at a year from now with this guitar!

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