Sterling by Music Man John Petrucci MAJ100 Majesty RW Ice Crimson Red

Got this beauty as my entry into the 7-string world. I used to be a metal-head in my teenage years, but am now looking for ways to expand my palette of pitches in other genres (post/math rock, indie, hard rock, etc.).

I really liked the design of this guitar. It's still a "metal" guitar, but not as brutal as many other 7-string offerings.

It feel great and plays well, mostly. However, on my copy the bridge pickup and the tremelo system were installed askew. Which means that a) the strings aren't perfectly aligned with the pickup slugs, b) you need to take off the back plate to change strings every single time. A shame, at this price point I expect better workmanship.

The tuners were dirty with oil as well. Not a huge deal, but it indicates sloppy workmanship.

Pros:
+ beautiful design (imo)
+ neck feels great: satin finish and fret ends were neatly filed
+ easy upper fret access
+ tuning pegs turn smoothly
+ light
+ nice gig bag - well-padded

Cons:
- bridge humbucker screws not properly aligned with the strings
- similarly: holes of the trem cover not aligned with the holes for the strings! i.e.: have to take off the cover every time you need to change strings, or manually cut out more of the plastic
- my copy had an oily residue on the tuners, sloppy!
- (push-push) volume knob feels 'wobbly'
- pickups are very hot, overdriving my amp when at full volume. For me, this is a negative but it might be a positive for some
- for some reason, when playing the upper string and muting the lower strings with my right hand, I always push the lower strings against the pickups. This causes a popping noise. I don't experience this issue with other guitars.
- flip flop finish appears quite dark in a dark(er) room

The Sterling MAJ100 has a lot to offer if you want to step up your game a little bit.
Very light and plays like a charm, it's the ideal guitar for someone who wants to invest in a better model than the 500 euros model he already has.

However, it might feel a little bit overpriced sometimes given what other 1000+ guitars can do . I suppose we can blame European taxes on this one since it's more about 700 USD overseas. It's also as far as it can be from it's big sister the Majesty, which is, given the price, a little bit of a bummer.

However, it's still a great instrument. A little bit overpriced but very enjoyable (as long as you bother to change the pick up)