The State of the 7-String Guitar in 2006
by Stephen Rekas

Welcome to the Fifth Special 7-String Edition of Guitar Sessions®!

While the 7-string guitar appears well established in the archtop jazz and solidbody rock worlds, one hears significantly less about the 7-string being used by flatpicking, fingerstyle or classical guitarists. In the case of the classic guitar this is particularly odd because a 200-year precedent exists in Russia, not to mention the fact that the 7-string guitar is considered the norm in Brazil. Consider too that the same opportunities for arranging and chord voicing exist for classic guitar players who are sufficiently adventurous and willing to look beyond the standard repertoire.

During my 1972-82 residence in Spain, I encountered masterful 8 and 10-string classical guitarists in José Tomás and Narciso Yepes respectively. Currently, Paul Galbraith and József Eötvös bear the 8-string standard and Janet Marlow carries the 10-string Yepes tradition into the 21^st century.

But where are the luthiers and players who are going to take the 7-string classic guitar into the 21^st century? I'm fortunate to have encountered a partial answer to that question in luthier Greg Byers and guitarist Matthew Grasso, who are featured in this issue of Guitar Sessions. Greg and Matthew, who are both residents of Nothern California, collaborated on certain design features of Matthew's unique guitar which includes an extended 7^th string and a sliding banjo 5^th string capo; I admire Greg and Matthew for venturing into unknown territory.

Also for nylon-string players, John Buscarino offers his striking 7-string Cabaret model with an oval soundhole and arched back. Gary Zimnicki makes a lovely high-end 7-string classic guitar, and Augustino and daughter Donna LoPrinzi www.loprinziguitars.com produce outstanding 6 and 7-string classic and acoustic guitars at very reasonable prices. I made good on my promise to acquire a 7-string classic guitar of my own, a Giannini "Sevilha" model from Brazil, purchased online through Music123. (See "Gear Review") This was the first new musical instrument I had purchased in several years and, at the time, only the second guitar in my personal arsenal of instruments.

Prior to being diagnosed with prostate cancer last July, I said to my wife, "Life is passing me by. I should get a 7-string now while it's useful to me in my work at Mel Bay Publications." This line of reasoning seemed to work with my wife, who is a strings teacher, a professional violist and no stranger to the concept of investing in instruments when warranted. Too bad the same line didn't work with the resonator guitar I purchased last January, the third guitar in our household. I wonder how many of our readers have heard the phrase, "I hate the Dobro®!"

Almost nothing seems to be happening with the 7-string in the flatpicking and fingerstyle genres although both mid-range manufactured and custom-built 7-string acoustic guitars are available. As the editor of Guitar Sessions, I'm not going to push this issue into places it wouldn't naturally go; I decided not to include 7-string flatpicking, fingerstyle, or resonator guitar articles in this year's 7-string issue. Steve Herberman has written this month's "Jazz Guitar" article and Chris Buono has cornered David Fiuczynski long enough to garner a fine "Rock/Blues Guitar" 7-string interview.

In the jazz world, the 7-string archtop guitar is clearly here to stay. The trajectory has gone nowhere but up since George Van Eps' early experiments in the 40s with his own 7-string adaptation of a production 6-string guitar.

Among custom builders demand for 7-string archtop guitars is still quite strong. A few of the leading 7-string luthiers who come to mind are:
Robert Benedetto www.benedettoguitars.com/
Tom Bills http://www.tbguitars.com/
John Buscarino www.buscarino.com/
Bill Comins www.cominsguitars.com/
Jimmy Foster www.fosterguitars.com/
Bill Moll www.mollinst.com/
Ed Schaefer www.schaeferguitars.com/
Dale Unger, founder of American Archtop Guitars www.americanarchtop.com/

These builders are all known for their expertly crafted, hand-carved, high-end instruments; for some of them, 7-string guitars comprise 50-80% of their orders.

Manufacturers of solidbody 7-string electrics include Ibanez, Epiphone, ESP, Jackson, BC Rich, and Schecter. The Washburn WG587 is still available for $199.99 from Music123, including free shipping.

The Ibanez AJ307ECENT 7 String Acoustic Electric is the lowest price acoustic 7-string I could find ($789.99) - also from Music 123. Jimmie Foster www.fosterguitars.com/ makes an excellent 7-string flattop with a slightly arched back. Tom Bills has come up with an exciting asymmetrical flattop called the "Genesis" with the soundhole in the side of the upper bout.

Mel Bay Publications continues to issue products for the 7-string. There are now three 7-string guitarists under the Mel Bay roof here at the plant including our company president, Bill Bay. Bill's son Collin, currently a student at New York University, is also a promising 7-string jazz guitarist. Our 7-string publications include:

1. 98220 - The First Chord Book for the 7-String Guitar by Jerry Sims
2. 99930BCD - Bucky Pizzarelli Master Jazz Guitar Solo Collection by Bucky Pizzarelli This collection offers a look at Bucky's approach to chordal guitar solos and chord- melody playing. The book's 31 tunes include "Darn That Dream," "Sweet Lorraine," "One Morning In May," and other great standards. Some of the tunes in this book are arranged for 6-string guitar, but most are written for the 7-string.
3. 99936 - 7-String Jazz Guitar Chord Chart by William Bay - A handy yet complete guide to 7-string jazz guitar chords. See "Accessories" in this issue of Guitar Sessions®
4. 99749 - Full-Page 7-String Tab Pad Summary: Designed exclusively for 7-string guitarists, this full-size manuscript pad features nine 7-line tablature staves per page
5. 99750 - Guitar Chord Solo Manuscript Book 7-String Edition Summary: Each page features six standard 5-line staves with eight blank 7-string chord grids above each line
6. 98307DVD - Steve Kaufman/Flatpicking Guitar - To the Next Level Video performed by Steve Kaufman - Three-time Winfield National Flatpicking Guitar Champion- all played on a 7-string flattop guitar.
7. 98371BCD - Master Anthology of Jazz Guitar Solos contains a few solos for 7-string guitar.
8. 97113D - How to Play Seven-String Guitar by Alan de Mause would be helpful to a novice 7-string player. This book is out of print but is available as a download for a moderate fee at www.melbay.com.
9. 99988BCD - Complete 7-String Guitar Method by Chris Buzzelli
10. 99220AX - La Bella Electric Black Nylon Tape Wound 800-7, 7-String Set 1^st .014, 2^nd .018, 3^rd .036, 4^th .046, 5^th .056, 6^th .067 and 7^th .079. Comes with bonus extra first and second strings.

Just one new 7-string product has been released in the past year:

21225DVD Bucky Pizzarelli Favorite Solos: Featuring Frank Vignola
and Howard Alden: Live at the Smithsonian Jazz Café is coming soon.

So there you have it! I hope you enjoy the 2006 Special 7-String Edition of Guitar Sessions.

Stephen Rekas
Guitar Sessions® Editor