Shadow1psc
New member
As some of you know, I've been looking for a 7 string. I originally wanted the Hellraiser FR7, because somehow the gaudiness didn't turn me off, but I waited because they're slightly pricey. Then I saw the Iron Label series from Ibanez, and I thought I had found my muse. After all, I love me some Ibanez. But, somehow, I avoided this little NAMM treasure in all the high end hype...
It's... like my (budget) holy grail. John Petrucci (favorite guitarist)? Check. Trans Green Burst (green favorite color)? Check. 7 String at a more than affordable price ($629 retail)? Double checkity check.
I knew I had to get right on one of these. No questions asked, even if it was a dud, it was something I wanted for the collection, and could handle learning 7 string on, so what was there to loose? Apparently, nothing. I had to call my local independent retailer and have them hold this one for me, so I knew I was going into it blind, which I would normally never do, but having seen and heard impressions from NAMM coupled with reviews of the other Sterling JP guitars, I was sold from the minute I saw it. Let me tell you, this guitar is slick.
I've heard people go on about how the JP neck and body profile are ridiculously comfortable and playable, but you don't really get it until you try one. Mind you, I've got an ESP Horizon and an Ibanez S570, so I know at least a little something about small/contoured/comfortable guitars, but this takes the cake by far, and at 7 strings to boot. I was slightly dreading the transition to 7 string from when I jumped from 4 to 6 string bass, but this thing feels great. I can't over state enough how great the neck feels. Acoustically, the guitar resonates well (I haven't even gotten home yet, but am frothing at the mouth at work). I've heard the stock pickups are decent, but they'll more than likely get replaced regardless.
The locking tuners are super stable - I've seen plenty of people ask about this in anticipation of their arrival, but the bridge feels great, the trem is stable, and it doesn't drop tuning at all. I'm incredibly impressed with this offering from Sterling, I've been thinking about grabbing one of their JPs for a long time, but this 7 string was just the push I needed. I would not hesitate to buy one of the new Sterlings modeled after JP's BFR model (they come stock with Crunchlab/Liquifiers now, which are also amazing pickups I have in my 470).
I see very little love for Musicman, much less Sterling here, so I figured I'd spread some love. I'll update with my thoughts on the stock pickups a little later, maybe on Saturday after I've had enough time to really dial in a tone for this beast, but the last time I was this excited when holding a guitar, I was holding a JEM.
It's... like my (budget) holy grail. John Petrucci (favorite guitarist)? Check. Trans Green Burst (green favorite color)? Check. 7 String at a more than affordable price ($629 retail)? Double checkity check.
I knew I had to get right on one of these. No questions asked, even if it was a dud, it was something I wanted for the collection, and could handle learning 7 string on, so what was there to loose? Apparently, nothing. I had to call my local independent retailer and have them hold this one for me, so I knew I was going into it blind, which I would normally never do, but having seen and heard impressions from NAMM coupled with reviews of the other Sterling JP guitars, I was sold from the minute I saw it. Let me tell you, this guitar is slick.
I've heard people go on about how the JP neck and body profile are ridiculously comfortable and playable, but you don't really get it until you try one. Mind you, I've got an ESP Horizon and an Ibanez S570, so I know at least a little something about small/contoured/comfortable guitars, but this takes the cake by far, and at 7 strings to boot. I was slightly dreading the transition to 7 string from when I jumped from 4 to 6 string bass, but this thing feels great. I can't over state enough how great the neck feels. Acoustically, the guitar resonates well (I haven't even gotten home yet, but am frothing at the mouth at work). I've heard the stock pickups are decent, but they'll more than likely get replaced regardless.
The locking tuners are super stable - I've seen plenty of people ask about this in anticipation of their arrival, but the bridge feels great, the trem is stable, and it doesn't drop tuning at all. I'm incredibly impressed with this offering from Sterling, I've been thinking about grabbing one of their JPs for a long time, but this 7 string was just the push I needed. I would not hesitate to buy one of the new Sterlings modeled after JP's BFR model (they come stock with Crunchlab/Liquifiers now, which are also amazing pickups I have in my 470).
I see very little love for Musicman, much less Sterling here, so I figured I'd spread some love. I'll update with my thoughts on the stock pickups a little later, maybe on Saturday after I've had enough time to really dial in a tone for this beast, but the last time I was this excited when holding a guitar, I was holding a JEM.
