What Is a 7 String Guitar and Why Play One?

A 7 string guitar adds a low B string below the standard low E, giving players heavier riffs, lower notes, and wider chord voicings without retuning the whole instrument.

That seventh string is the whole story: it hangs below the standard low E and hands you a B note most six-strings can’t reach without detuning everything else. Extended-range guitars have moved from niche to normal, and the reason is simple — players wanted lower registers without sacrificing their high strings. Below, you’ll get the tuning, what the extra string actually unlocks, what you’ll pay, and the setup mistakes that make these guitars fight back.

What Is a 7 String Guitar?

A 7 string guitar is an extended-range instrument that adds a seventh string — usually tuned to low B — below the six strings of a standard guitar. Standard tuning runs B–E–A–D–G–B–E from low to high, so you keep every note you already know on the top six strings and gain a full lower octave extension on the bottom. Extended-range guitars come in acoustic and electric builds, though the electric market dominates because the low B works best with modern amp and pickup design.

That low B is the same note as the B on a five-string bass, just an octave up, which is why the extra string sounds thick rather than muddy when the instrument is set up right. Guitar.com’s seven-string guide describes the format as an extension of the familiar range rather than a different instrument entirely.

Why Play a 7 String Guitar Instead of Downtuning?

The extra string gives you lower notes without dropping your existing tuning, which keeps your top strings familiar while opening the bottom end. Downtuning a six-string to reach B means loosening every string, which softens tension and can hurt clarity on a standard scale. A seven-string solves that in one move: the low string is built for the job, and the upper six stay exactly where your fingers expect them.

• Heavier riffing: metal, djent, and progressive rock players reach for chunky low-register parts that a standard six-string can’t hit.
• Wider chord voicings: the added low string lets you stack bigger, bassier chords instead of thin triads.
• Bassier single-note lines: lead players get lower melodic options without switching instruments mid-set.
• One guitar, two ranges: you cover standard material and low-tuned material without re-stringing between songs.

Drop A is a common variant — one guide describes lowering the seventh string from B to A, putting it in unison with the fifth string an octave down. That shifts the whole low end darker and is a frequent metal setup.

What Does a 7 String Guitar Cost?

Schecter’s current 7-string lineup shows the range clearly, and the table below uses their listed US prices to show what each tier buys. Readers who want a shortlist before deciding should browse our tested 7 string electric guitar picks and reviews.

What Makes a 7 String Guitar Different to Set Up?

A seven-string needs 7-string-specific strings, a wider nut, and correct bridge spacing — treating it like a standard six-string is where playability problems start.

Scale length isn’t uniform either. Guessing that all seven-strings share one scale length is a common mistake.

Strings matter most on the low end. Gauges too light for a low tuning hurt intonation and tuning stability, especially on that seventh string. If you move to Drop A, the tuning guide notes you should retune and then check intonation and tuning stability, since slack in the lowest string shifts your notes sharp or flat up the neck. Furch’s 7-string guitar specifications confirm the wider spacing these instruments use.