Time and time again, we’ve seen Lari Basilio reach some insane heights on a six-string. Be it her new-for-2021 Ibanez LB1 signature guitar or one of her previous Suhr electric guitars, Basilio is no stranger to setting fireworks alight on her fretboard and dazzling listeners with her instrumental constructions.
As such, it was inevitable that, sooner or later, the Brazilian-born instrumental virtuoso would one day put her skills to the test on the fretboard of a seven-string. Lucky for us, that day has finally come, and the results are every bit as spectacular as you’d have predicted.
New track Seven is only one minute and 46 seconds, but that’s all Basilio needs to explore the length of her HSS-configured Ibanez AZ7. The additional string is where the action starts, playing host to some pounding open-string hits, which are duly partnered with a series of hammer-on and pull-off-fueled riffs.
A temporal breakdown shifts the time signature, and sees Basilio tap into more familiar territory in the form of some lick-decorated chord-melody passages. It’s a brief reprieve, followed by the onset of a scorching, monstrously melodic extended solo.
Basilio then glides through an array of box-breaking licks, runs and passages that effortlessly blend together to form yet another testament to the Brazilian-born virtuoso’s phrasing powers.
It makes for interesting viewing seeing Basilio behind a seven-string Ibanez, having become well-known for wielding her LB1. The model in question certainly seems up to the task, however, thanks to its Seymour Duncan Hyperion 7 bridge humbucker, which conjures up the majority of her tones.
Other specs on the double-cut seven-string include a Gotoh T1872S tremolo bridge – although Basilio leaves the whammy bar untouched – Jumbo stainless steel frets and an S-Tech wood roasted maple neck and fretboard.
It’s a fair bit different to her regular T-type stalwart six-string, which in comparison comes equipped with a Violet-finished ash body, gold hardware and a set of Lari Basilio signature pickups.
Speaking to Guitarist earlier this year, Basilio explained her choice of specs by saying, “My wood choices were all based on tone. I love the sustain and brightness of the ash body, and the roasted birdseye maple neck is just gorgeous, so beautiful.
“I love the S-Tech wood roasting treatment that Ibanez uses,” she added, “which really increases the stability and durability. “I think roasted maple necks just have a little more attack and sustain, and the compound radius fretboard gets flatter going up, which is the easiest for the size of my hands.
In other Basilio news, Lari recently confirmed that work has commenced on her upcoming album – her first since 2019’s Far More – and that the effort is set to star Lee Sklar on the bass guitar.
