THE SEVEN-STRING GUITAR

The seven-string guitar adds one additional string, commonly used to extend the bass range
(usually a low B) but it can also be used to extend the treble range of the 6 string guitar.

The additional string is added in one of two different ways: by increasing the width of the
fingerboard such that the additional string may be fretted by the left hand; or, by leaving the
fingerboard unchanged and adding a "floating" bass string. In the latter case, the extra bass string
lies next to the existing bass strings, but free of the fingerboard in similar fashion as the archlute
and theorbo. Such unfrettable bass strings were historically known as diapasons or bourdons