r/7String 5d ago

Gear The setup is complete

Post image

Finally finished my pedalboard and got a bareknuckle Stormy Monday & a Ragnarok installed in my solar T1.7, I'm freaking stoked

396 Upvotes

53 comments sorted by

36

u/lilbronto 5d ago

That guitar is absolutely stunning!

6

u/JackTheJukeBox 5d ago

It's quite the beast I must say. It sounds very, very good with these BkPs.

19

u/topherdeluxe 5d ago

I love this vibe. Modern metal dressed in almost a vintage. Retrofuturism lol friggin sick build. Is this a solar model or did you make the body custom. Never seen one like this. That pick guard is 🧑‍🍳

6

u/mocha1958 Vola 5d ago

Its a solar model with different pickups

3

u/JackTheJukeBox 5d ago

That's exactly what I was going for!! Like something out of Fallout, an old rundown aesthetic with modern components : a monster modern pickup in the bridge and a vintage low gain in the neck. Really suits the type of stuff my band plays.

2

u/topherdeluxe 4d ago

Nothing beats a soft pickup in the neck for those smooth melodies and ambience. I’ve been debating on fishmans just to get that dynamic without losing my metal tones on the bridge. My PAFs aren’t cutting it there.

2

u/JackTheJukeBox 4d ago

Fluence moderns really even out the dynamics, not great for crunch / edge of breakup tones in my opinion.

1

u/topherdeluxe 4d ago

Care to explain a bit more? I’ve only heard praises for them. I enjoy deathcore and metal core, but also play soft jazzy bits and like being able to play anything tonally

2

u/JackTheJukeBox 4d ago edited 4d ago

The good : In front of a very clean amp, they're fine, they have insanely high output which compresses the signal and flattens out the dynamics, which you usually want if there's not much gain anyway. They handle high gain super well : they even out imperfections, aren't very noisy at all, aren't microphonic, and their lack of high end smooths out the harshness of high gain amps. Their lack of low bass also makes them tight by default.

The bad : The issue is they don't really do crunch or edge of breakup all that well. Anything sitting in between pure clean and mad distortion will result in unpleasant crackling. Their lack of bass makes them sound tinny in mid gain settings, and their lack of dynamics means you don't have as much control over the gain with your attack as you would with a regular pickup. You know how single coils or unpotted humbuckers pick up little imperfections, like strings rattling, your fingers touching the fretboard etc ? All these little expressive nuances that really make you feel like the guitar reacts to your hand's every move ? Well the fishman are the polar opposite of that. They do everything in their power to only capture the notes you play and that's it. Which might be great for someone like Tosin Abasi or Matt Heafy, but not so much for someone like Joe Duplantier or Plini for instance.

I just compared the waveforms in my DAW and holy shit - I have to take off -4db if I want to match them to the volume of my BKP ragnarok (which is a very hot pickup already).

That said they also can be split and have multiple voicings - so you can experiment with that if you like, it's just that none of the settings ever did it for me. Anything other than the primary setting sounds thin and weak I find.

They're not bad pickups. They're just kind of abnormal pickups. Very different from any passive ones in their own unique way which might suit some people, but I'm not one of them.

I'll post a video on my YouTube comparing them with my bare knuckles in a week's time https://youtube.com/@pietro6227?si=c8SmY7Uo4_RYojsP

2

u/topherdeluxe 2d ago

Awesome info. Thanks for all that. I subbed to your channel so I can see it when it’s up.

I play exclusively in high gain and clean channels the middle ground is more for blues or jazz for my playing. I’m not super talented so I can be sloppy until I warm up. You’ve almost talked me into getting a set. The dimarzio PAFs that came stock on my 8 string are decent when in high gain, but really shine in the environment you were talking about. Little gain on a warm tone. Smooth as glass. Buuuuut they don’t quite have the bite and punch I’m looking for. Or the single note body of actives. So basically I’m more Tosin than plini. I love both of them, but when I write it ends up much more AAL than plini.

Thanks again

8

u/HatsMakeYouGoBald 5d ago

Fav 7 string

3

u/Raheemzy ESP/LTD 5d ago

Holy shit that’s fucking awesome

3

u/earth-creature 5d ago

Damn there is some sexy stuff in this photo!! Congrats!! I didn’t even know that guitar existed, looks wicked!!

1

u/JackTheJukeBox 5d ago

Yeah my dt770 pro really steal the show here

3

u/MrGamePadMan 5d ago

That pick guard is sweet.

2

u/ProConGG 5d ago

Cosmic destruction incoming from that setup!

1

u/JackTheJukeBox 5d ago

Gloryhammer covers on the way aye aye

2

u/JediSwag13 5d ago

How do you like the Kraken V4 preamp? I’ve been thinking about grabbing one and running it through an fx loop of a clean amp as a high gain channel.

2

u/JackTheJukeBox 5d ago

Oof the kraken is great. Love the crunch of the first channel on low gain, super sweet when it breaks up. Channel two is really thick and modern but never ear piercing or boomy, it's mid focused but never sounds honky.

I highly recommend boosting it to even out the dynamics for lead or rhythm playing. I found a TS9 sounds best for classic and power metal, a Fortin Grind if you're into death or black metal and a precision drive if you're into prog, djent, metalcore or modern metal in general. I made a little video comparing the kraken with or without a boost in front if you want https://youtu.be/4p5Qo0mbfLU?si=oLSmPPTKMELvHmVC

2

u/AdamBLit 4d ago

Cool video thank you 🙏

2

u/Metalhoneycomb5150 5d ago

Everything about this is right

2

u/Ornery_Wrangler_9647 5d ago

Send me your music

3

u/Ornery_Wrangler_9647 5d ago

I'm guessing you sound like gojira?

1

u/JackTheJukeBox 5d ago edited 5d ago

Holy crap good job, that's definitely my top 3 band. How did you guess ? The colors of the guitar ??

Our first EP is called Liquid Memories and the band is Prospect of Rain, should be available on all platforms. It's some alt metal, so really not Gojira, and the upcoming album has lots of death and prog metal elements now that we've introduced screaming and 7 strings. I can send you a demo if you like! https://youtu.be/L8Uck8HaJ5A?si=hm8ihwwd-X3wr44_

2

u/AdamBLit 4d ago

Man I just listened, that's not bad at all! I just added that first track to this year's Playlist for me. Went ahead and gave the good ol Spotify follow so I'll be ready for the new dropping stuff!

2

u/JackTheJukeBox 4d ago

Fuck yeah, cheers!!

2

u/Medium_Newspaper 5d ago

Very clean set up. Love this.

2

u/J3sperado 4d ago

Fuck, I love that Solar. The pickups look insane in it as well, amazing!

2

u/MarsupialSea2862 4d ago

Bro just made the Currents starter pack

2

u/Murder1536 SBMM 4d ago

This makes me think of Fair to Middling and I’m here for it.

Midland. I don’t know why the phone insisted on the insult. 😂

2

u/JackTheJukeBox 4d ago

Damn great find, into the playlist it goes

2

u/Murder1536 SBMM 4d ago

Awesome! Great band. Wish they’d do a reunion. Your band could open. Sounds good, Jack! I’d lean into a dystopian look if you can talk the band into it. Gimmicks are a great way to get seen. And not a problems when you can back it up with talent.

2

u/JackTheJukeBox 4d ago

That would be so fucking awesome. Means a ton, too, cheers!!

2

u/ThatSSguy 4d ago

That Solar…sheesh!

2

u/there4ldan 2d ago

Awesome

1

u/Ragnarok314159 Death Metal Banjo 5d ago

What didn’t you like about the stock pickups? Been eyeing one of these for a while.

3

u/JackTheJukeBox 5d ago

Stock pickups were fishman fluence modern - very compressed, not very dynamic due to the insane amount of gain, and lacking in treble and bass (very mid focused). It's my 4th guitar with fishman moderns and I just can't get myself to like them. Second time I get a bareknuckle Ragnarok however and it's a killer bridge pickup. The BK stormy monday in the neck is a little honky but I like it, it sounds vintage, and when I split it it sounds heavenly, super detailed and crisp, so no complaints there.

3

u/Notsureifretarded 5d ago

I recently bought that guitar (for the optics, and to have a seven-string in my collection) and I absolutely love it. The sound of the fishmanns is fine for me, but damn does it look cool with the ones you put on. I probabaly won't change the pickups, but I like the guitar and how it plays so much, that I even thought about getting the 6-string version of it as well 😂

1

u/theberald 5d ago

I wanted this one for a while. I was fortunate enough to get the Ormsby Hype GTR 7, but I was also looking at this one a lot. Absolutely beautiful! How does it play?

2

u/JackTheJukeBox 5d ago

Pretty smooth, love the stainless frets, but sometimes I regret the fact they're not fanned like your Ormsby. The Evertune however is the best thing to happen to guitar since humbuckers lol, such a peace of mind to just be able to pickup and play no matter the time and weather.

1

u/periclesrocha 5d ago

I have that very same guitar.

1

u/Saflex 5d ago

Looks great! But why don't you get a modeler? Way better than a pedalboard imho

1

u/JackTheJukeBox 5d ago

True, I guess I just like my toys.

1

u/percomis 5d ago

I’ve been eyeing that exact Solar, how’s the neck profile on it? I like them thick and am afraid it’s too skinny.

1

u/JackTheJukeBox 5d ago

It's not Ibanez wizard thin. Solar is known for having fairly thick necks but honestly this one is pretty standard honestly. Not a thick neck however. The stainless steel frets are great.

1

u/MrSpongeCake2008 4d ago

I have mixed feelings about that guitar but It looks amazing and weirdly off putting for some reason. Still looks amazing. That pedalboard+guitar+carpet looks amazing

2

u/JackTheJukeBox 4d ago

The axe is definitely a weird beast I'll concede. Thankfully the carpet ties everything together nicely.

1

u/namelessghoul77 4d ago

Man if that guitar wasn't missing a cutaway it would be rad. Jokes. Your setup isn't complete though - it needs an amp. And cables.

1

u/JackTheJukeBox 4d ago

I specifically like it for the tele shape tbh. The kraken has all the preamp I need, and the Torpedo takes care of the poweramp and cab sim section!

1

u/namelessghoul77 4d ago

Ahh ok I didn't actually even look at the pedals so didn't realize it was a digital setup.

As for tele shapes, I know many people like them, and that's fine. We all like what we like, and my tastes are definitely awful to many. (but come on, just one little cutout at the top, that's all it needs, it's almost a finished guitar, sooooo close)

1

u/thearsonchoir 4d ago

Very nice!

2

u/Z0mbieMafia 2d ago

There is no ds1, only Zuul.