Jackson Artist Signature Corey Beaulieu X Series KV7 Black Satin

General

Back in the day, heavy metal was often played in standard tuning. Times change, though, and so does music. Corey Beaulieu, lead guitarist of the band Trivium, plays a 7-string guitar. That extra low B string, in combination with the powerful active Seymour Duncan Blackouts, offer everything you need for reeking some pure metal havoc. The KV7 is visually attractive with its extra pointy King V body in matte black, and a reverse pointed headstock, making this Jackson a mighty weapon in the battle for artistic freedom of expression!

Corey Beaulieu X Series KV7: high playing comfort

It may take some time to get used to a 7-string guitar if you've never played one before. Still, the Jackson KV7 is surprisingly easy to play. This guitar's neck has a satin finish, which remains smooth to the touch and allows for fast playing even with sweaty palms. A remarkable feature is that the KV7 has a standard scale length of 25.5 inches, making it easier to handle than a baritone 27-inch scale length, for example. This also means, however, that the low B string is not as tight, but that can be compensated with a thicker string.

Compound-radius fretboard

The KV7's dark rosewood fretboard has what's known as a compound radius, just like the more expensive Jackson USA models. Near the headstock, the fretboard is quite concave (12-inch radius), but when you near the body, it flattens out a bit (16-inch radius). The result is that both barre chords and open chords are comfortable to play. That's not all, however; even at extra low action, you can still easily push strings up on the higher positions without unwanted sounds or tones getting cutting off. A flatter fretboard is also ideal for techniques like tapping.