Steve Vai’s Signature Instruments.
The first production 7 string
instruments (The UV7 and UV77) appeared for public purchase in
1990.
Steve Vai had toured and played prototypes before that time so
having such a high profile player associated with high quality instruments
heralded the influx of the instrument across many genres.
The genres were ushered in by musicians as varied as John Petrucci,
who exemplified the virtuosic appeal of such an extended range.
Monkey and Head from Korn who chose to tune the B string down to
an A and prove that such an instrument was more than capable of riffs and far
more visceral styling in Korn’s 1994 album release of the same name.
Unwittingly Korns
avant-garde nu metal stylings were to tarnish the perception of the 7 string
for some time as a niche instrument rather than the fully rounded and versatile
mainstay that it so clearly was meant to be.
Thankfully this limited vision was not shared by other companies
and following in Ibanez’ footsteps we soon saw releases from other well
respected factories such as ESP and Schecter.
These companies cemented the 7 string as a valid instrument rather
than a simple tool relegated to the task of heavy riffing.
In the hands of other artists this trend continued into the late
1990s with notable users including Trey Azagthoth of Morbid Angel, Fredrik
Thorendal from Meshuggah and Dino Cazares from Fear Factory.
Clearly the instrument continued to prosper in the hands of
open-minded musicians although public opinion was such that even the Universe
was briefly discontinued in 1995, before being quickly re-introduced.
It could reasonably be asserted that without the 7-string guitar a
number of contemporary genres and musicians would not have found their fullest
expressions as the influence of those early players who stamped an
idiosyncratic mark on the instrument continues to resonate to this day.
The first production 7 string
instruments (The UV7 and UV77) appeared for public purchase in
1990.
Steve Vai had toured and played prototypes before that time so
having such a high profile player associated with high quality instruments
heralded the influx of the instrument across many genres.
The genres were ushered in by musicians as varied as John Petrucci,
who exemplified the virtuosic appeal of such an extended range.
Monkey and Head from Korn who chose to tune the B string down to
an A and prove that such an instrument was more than capable of riffs and far
more visceral styling in Korn’s 1994 album release of the same name.
Unwittingly Korns
avant-garde nu metal stylings were to tarnish the perception of the 7 string
for some time as a niche instrument rather than the fully rounded and versatile
mainstay that it so clearly was meant to be.
Thankfully this limited vision was not shared by other companies
and following in Ibanez’ footsteps we soon saw releases from other well
respected factories such as ESP and Schecter.
These companies cemented the 7 string as a valid instrument rather
than a simple tool relegated to the task of heavy riffing.
In the hands of other artists this trend continued into the late
1990s with notable users including Trey Azagthoth of Morbid Angel, Fredrik
Thorendal from Meshuggah and Dino Cazares from Fear Factory.
Clearly the instrument continued to prosper in the hands of
open-minded musicians although public opinion was such that even the Universe
was briefly discontinued in 1995, before being quickly re-introduced.
It could reasonably be asserted that without the 7-string guitar a
number of contemporary genres and musicians would not have found their fullest
expressions as the influence of those early players who stamped an
idiosyncratic mark on the instrument continues to resonate to this day.
