Matt Heafy reveals new 7-string Epiphone MKH Origins Les Paul Custom signature model will feature a 25.5" scale length

Following the reveal of his newest signature model – the Epiphone MKH Origins Les Paul Custom – earlier this year, Matt Heafy has confirmed its seven-string version will feature an extended-range-friendly scale length.

Taking to social media over the weekend, the Trivium frontman shared a photo with two MKH Origins Les Paul Custom models, with the caption: “Which model of the MKH Origins are you gonna get?” The caption then reveals the seven-string model's scale length to be 25.5".

Seven-string Les Pauls are nothing new – Gibson announced an extended-range Les Paul Classic back in 2014, and Heafy himself has had seven-string signature models in the past  – but these have all featured standard 24.75" scale lengths, a spec many seven-string guitar players have critiqued due to string tension and tuning instability problems.

But guitarists looking to play Trivium's down-tuned riffs on the MKH Origins Les Paul Custom should run into fewer issues. 

The guitars in the photo are also seen to sport black and gold Fishman Custom MKH Fluence Modern 3 Voice pickups, which Heafy promised would replace the silver humbuckers seen in his reveal video for the signature model back in January.

To refresh your memory, the MKH Origins Les Paul Custom's specs include an ebony fingerboard with block inlays, Epiphone's updated headstock with Matt Heafy's signature on the back, and a shallower neck heel for easier upper-fret access.

Fans will likely see the Trivium main man wielding either a six or seven-string version of the guitar on the band's upcoming European tour, which was postponed until 2023 last month.

“Unfortunately with the uncertainty of cross-border travel and restrictions it’s become impossible for these dates to proceed as planned,” the band said. “We can assure you we were doing everything up until the last minute to figure out a way to do the shows and it wasn’t a decision we made lightly.

“We appreciate this is a way off, but we promise to make it worth the wait and we have two new albums’ worth of material we haven’t toured yet to bring to you.”

The two albums the band mention are 2020's What the Dead Men Say and In the Court of the Dragon, which dropped in October.