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I had an opportunity to buy one of these a few weeks back and I waffled… someone else bought it. The price was extremely reasonable. At the time, I forgot that there was an embargo on Russian goods. I hadn’t heard of them before. I really wish I had bought it. Hopefully, another one comes up soon.
I just bought a Doff 011-7 guitar. It is a bit more expansive than the RGC model reviewed here, but it is incredibly better. It sounds great with plenty of volume. It is easy to adjust and to play. I just love it. Tuners are not great but are good enough. I will change the strings soon, and it will sound even more... It cost only $400 US on eBay...
I concur with your review and would add ; my only complaint was that the box was not up to scratch re. international shipping(i could see the guitar neck before I tried to open the box).But $225 door to door? It's a steal and more than good enough to learn on. Perhaps they should try a 'delux' line so that you don't have to consider upgrading.
@@RobMacKillop1 Not a bad way to be-provided you aren't in a band).I found the series a big help with my reading and was well on the way to having a few basic pieces completed-great for understanding the system-but I broke my wrist in mid December last. oh- and it sounded good, too.
Rob - I always wanted to ask you a question that puzzles me. How do you manage to build so quickly a mental image of the new instrument's note locations in a different tuning? I see you read everything from the lute tabs to anything exotic and you seem having an ability to switch on the fly from one tuning to another. Well, that might just be a talent and you can simply admit it.
Intervals. I mostly think in intervals, roots, 3rds, 5ths, etc. With a good knowledge of music theory, it becomes easier to anticipate where notes are if you have located how the intervals are mapped out across the fretboard in any given tuning. No magic "talent" (I wish!), just hard work...
Update for anyone buying this guitar (seeing as this is one of the only English reviews) tuners are very cheap. Action is very high even with the neck system in place. I will be taking it to a luthier to have high quality tuning machines put in and bone nut and saddle replacement/adjustment to lower the action and increase playability. La Bella 7 string sets work great and make a huge difference. Craftsmanship of this guitar is impressive for the price so after I get all these things done it should be flawless! Very unique sound!
I just ordered one of these so I should be getting it in month or two. When you use the La Bella 7 string set do you tune to standard guitar tuning, or open G tuning? If you used standard tuning how low can you tune the 7th string? I used to play a 7 string and used a string that could go as low as A and still sound pretty good, but I also don't want to push the tension too far with this guitar.
Hey Rob, how does this guitars frequency response compare to a traditional classical? With it’s smaller body do find it offers less low end or sustain?
It's not a traditional classical guitar, and keep in mind it is very inexpensive. Like for like, they are probably quite similar. This isn't a pro guitar. It's just a student model to help you get into the repertoire. After a couple of years you would want a higher-quality model, I would imagine.
I have the same model Rob demonstrated here. It has a different tone ;if only because it has ladder bracing under the top,rather than Spanish fan bracing.It also has a smaller body than a typical Spanish guitar. After a couple of years trying to learn Ru7 string,I would suggest this design was intended for entertaining in the parlour, rather than a large concert hall. I find very little to disagree with in this review.I know D'off guitars are not well liked by top of the line Russian players(who tend to go for hand built/antique instruments) but if you are in the west, or (in Russia) simply take a couple of friends to help weed out any lemons,you can't fail to be happy with a D'off guitar.I have two and I'm delighted. I took both my guitars to a good luthier to sort out any factory glitches-I would do this with a lot of guitars from a factory-but,for an affordable instrument that is both serviceable and easy on the ear, you could do a lot worse.
I’ve spoken with Doff They’re prepared to send me a 7 string guitar tuned in all 4ths. They said they’d put carbon strings on it to get that heavier bridge vibrating. How do you think it will handle that low B string? The reason I want this tuning is because it can cover all of Bach’s string repertoire from cello to violin. I’m training my self to sight read and as you know Bach is one of the easiest entry points.
I've done exactly that and once I solve the the buzzing problem, I'll try to put a video up that demonstrates the strings in EADGBe tuning and you can see, it works perfectly fine
I was wondering when you would get to trying this one. Ebay price now up to $250-300 shipped, but still looks a good deal for getting into Russian or Brazilian guitar, or even lute music with a low pedal note. Tempting.
@@RobMacKillop1 I speak Russian, and so started looking at the HUGE repertoire and teaching texts (mostly in pre Revolution orthography, which I learned while singing in orthodox choir) on the 7 strings Russian site. Tempting indeed. Going to have to retire from physics to have enough time...
Жаль, что фирма новая. Высохнуть гитарки не успели. Их бы на машине времени лет на сорок в прошлое увезти и только-только сейчас достать. Вот это был бы звук. Как у моей "луначарки" 1978 года...
I just received a doff 011-7, quite happy with it, the neck attachment really is something. I think they shipped it fully 'slack' and so i had to adjust it but it was very easy to do. It does have an interesting sound. The 011-7 and 021-7 both use bridge pins which ive never seen on a classical. I have no idea why they do this but somehow between that, the neck attachment system that leaves the whole top free to vibrate, and the bracing, they have made something much louder than my other classicals.. or maybe im just playing it more excitedly. I first discovered these when just looking for a 7 string classical which are hard to find in the US if you just want a low or mid range production model. The RGC looked reasonable to me and i thought maybe i would just get that and put strings suited for standard tuning on it. But ive been a fan of sergei orekhov for a few years now and looking into russian guitar more i decided to spend a little extra on some nicer wood and give it a try. If only i knew russian things would be considerably easier. From order to delivery here in california was 12 days. Given the pandemic and current wildfire (i havent seen the sky in 4 days, its just smoke with a dim incandescent bulb for a sun) im happy with that shipping time. It came wrapped in bubble wrap inside a padded gig bag which was itself wrapped in bubble wrap inside a box. The nut was sharp and i had to sand it slightly, and there was no included hex key for the neck but its a standard size. As the general consensus ive heard with these guitars this one seems to not have a lot of finishing done but the construction and materials seem good. Some of the wooden parts might need sanding but the frets are all nice and comfortably flush. As another review said the main weak point is probably the tuners, which keep the guitar in tune just fine but which don't feel very nice to turn. Writing this here because this is one of the places i found when initially searching for information.
@@joshuamurphy75 where the neck attaches to the body (the heel) should be a hex nut where some guitars have a place to attach a strap. You can turn that, this will change the neck angle as opposed to a truss rod that adjusts the amount of bow in a neck. The first time you change the strings dont be surprised that the neck is 'loose'. The neck is held in place by the string tension and the nut you turn seems to set the limit to how far forward the strings can pull it, so with out string tension the neck can go forwards and backwards. I have had no problems thus far adjusting the angle with the strings on and at full tension.
@@sidraket Thanks, that works. I wasn't sure if that was just holding it in place or for adjusting too. I did it with loose strings, but I'll try it at tension next time if needed.
Hello Rob, I am curious since this guitar does not have bridge pins but instead the strings are tied like on a typical classical guitar, does the construction of this instrument seem more in alignment with typical classical guitars? What I mean is, does the thickness of the sound board seems like it is designed for nylon strings or does it seem like it was designed for steel strings like the Doff RGV that you reviewed before?
@@RobMacKillop1 That is just what I needed to hear, thank you so much! I can't wait to play a 7-string classical guitar, I really appreciate your review of these instruments!
Hello again Rob! I recently received this guitar in the mail and I'm currently just learning some very basic pieces for EADGBe tuning while I wait for a nice set of strings in the Russian tuning (one of the strings that came with the guitar snapped while I was at school, so I wanted to play with a whole set). I have just run into a problem with the wound strings (the three lowest) buzzing no matter how I press down on the fret or how the action is adjusted. I'm going to take it to a luthier but I was wondering if you experienced this problem on the guitar they sent you. Cheers, Justin Sievers
Mr.MacKilop, did you play Doff 021-07 model? How was it in compare with Doff RGC? I want to buy one of these guitars and I can't decide what to choose.
Rob MacKillop, I meant sound. You see, in 21-07 top is made of red cedar, and in RGC top is made of spruce. As far as I know, spruce is more resonance wood. I asked Doff firm and they told that this combination of wood in 21-07 (red cedar and rosewood), they found it experimentally. So, maybe its really better then RGC. But price is about 2 times bigger.
@@RobMacKillop1 Thanks for the quick reply. I arrange pieces on a classical guitar, and want the extra bass note for my arrangements. However I don't want to spend a lot of money. On the other hand I don't want the Russian tuning rather The Regular tuning. I just don't know how these guitars would sound in the regular tuning. Or if the tension would not be good for a regular tuning. Thanks!
I waited 6 months for a model with custom features before receiving a refund without explanation. There are few other options for a budget instrument so might try again with a base model.
Hi Rob, these Guitars look/ sound stunning. I see they are available to buy on Doff's Ebay store. The beauty I'm interested in is 6 String 011C, All solid woods which I find incredible at a ridiculous price of £203!! Have you used this store on Ebay? My only worry is getting stung with customs tax import and duties to the UK, any ideas? I looked online but is tough to get any info. Many Thanks
This type of guitar (in the style of the Viennese Lute Master Johann Gottfried Scherzer) is also created by the Russian Lute Maker Anton Khorin from Pietergof (plays the 7-string guitar player as well as Music Teacher Oleg Lukianchikov): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G7st8JsIZNs.html
@@RobMacKillop1 Wonderful to read,Rob ! If you have enough time,I simply can't see a downside ,whichever level of proficiency/public display you take it to . The repertoire has such a lot to offer ,with new pieces becoming available online all the time.Did you know they just finished a Summer school for 7 string just outside Moscow-young players from all over Russia ,all sounding very promising ? I've persevered to the point I'm slowly building a small repertoire ,polishing it up most days.The reading can be quite hard(I really have to be focussed and in the mood) but it's better than biting off more than I can chew.Most of my problems have been to do with interpretation and what I can/can not get away with. See what you think ; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-laJ-im7Oo0Y.html
