Dean Vendetta 1.7 7 String Electric Guitar Reviewed by Guitarbitz

Dean Vendetta 7 String Electric Guitar

If you're after a budget 7 string electric guitar, then look no further than the Dean Vendetta 1.7. Designed for downtuned rock riffs, players such as Steve Vai, John Petrucci and US band Korn have brought 7 string electric guitar to popularity since their invention in the mid '80s.



The Vendetta is a classic double cutaway body shape, with a tune-o-matic bridge, string through body system and a pair of custom designed humbuckers.


The Vendetta has Deans familiar electric guitar headstock, curving in at the sides and top, with a bite having been taken from the top. The front is gloss black, with Deans signature logo and wings around the bite.


The back is satin natural Maple, with 2 rows of matt black die-cast tuners, 4 on the bass side, 3 on the treble, and the guitars serial number.


The extra wide Maple neck also has a satin finish to the back. To accommodate the extra bass string, nut width is 47mm, and the 12th fret is 60mm wide. The neck itself however feels fairly slim, a shallow D profile.


This extra width will take a little getting used to, but once you get used to the tuning, metal rhythm work will have more depth and bass, particularly if you downtune, there are a number of alternative tunings you can use for various different styles, and solo work will also have an extra low dimension.


The neck joins the body at the 18th fret on the bass side, 23rd on the treble side, so no upper fret access problems here. The back of the neck joint has 4 recessed black screws keeping everything together.


The body is finished in a glossy natural light brown varnish, showing the wood grain through nicely. The back of the body has a rib cage chamfer for extra comfort, 7 holes for the strings to pass through, and a black plate for access to the electronics.


The front of the body if fairly flat, a little bevelling around the edges only. The pickup black selector switch, master volume and tone are all located on the lower bout.


The matt black bridge is a custom design, as are the 2 black, open coil humbuckers, to accommodate the extra bass string, and the 7 holes are just below the bridge where the strings come through the body, this allows a little extra resonance to enter the guitars body, and be picked up by the humbuckers.


With the bass string tuned to A, power chords have an extra depth and growl, low end riffing and soloing has somewhere new to go. A 7 string will add a new dimension to your playing.


If you're after a 7 string, there aren't many around, and those that are tend to be pretty pricey, so the Dean Vendetta 1.7 is a very suitable cheaper option.


Specifications:-
Body - Solid Wood

Neck - slim design, Maple
Fingerboard - Rosewood, dot inlays, 24 frets
Hardware - Black
Bridge - Custom 7-String Bridge
Tuners - sealed, die-cast
Pickups - 2 * Dual Custom 7-String Humbuckers
Controls - 1*volume, 1*tone, 3-way selector