7 Stringers
7 Stringers
Group for discussion of seven string guitars
Hey Max,
I read material from several sources that some old school 7 string Jazz players would use a high A string (E-A-D-g-b-e-a) to extend the higher registers. Once 7 strings became more popular with non-Jazz players and solid body 7strings with 25.5" or greater scale lengths were being made, the addition of the low B string became the norm because at the longer scale lengths, the high A strings were now prone to breaking. This was something I was not aware of until I started doing research prior to buying my 7 string. There is a lot ouf interesting history of extended-ranger guitars.
Max, the person best known for using a EADGbea tuning is the late Jazz guitarist Lenny Breau. He played a custom made 7 string with a shorter scale (22.75") to keep the high A string from breaking. There are several videos of him playing on Youtube. Steve Vai also experimented with a high A string for awhile, but had problems with it breaking and went with a low B instead.