I've been doing some research online about good makers of custom seven-strings and beyond, and I'm feeling overwhelmed by my options here, so can anyone recommend me a particularly exemplary luthier? So far, I've heard great things about Roter, Hufschmid, and Conklin guitars, and I've heard mention of Amfisound being decent as well.

FYI, I value the sound, flexibility, and playability of a guitar much more than I do its aesthetics, so body shape/head shape/color means little to me, provided it isn't detrimental.

Dingwall.

Look for anything with fanned frets. They are a must for extended range.

So, are Novax guitars primarily for jazzbos, or are they applicable to a wide range of genres?

fanned frets aren't really a must for extended range. Just a slightly longer scale length. For a 7 string I'd say a 26" scale is adequate.

until you get into the 9 strings and so on, fanned frets are just a wierd gimmick. not to mention they're not very ergonomic unless you're sat in classical position.

Illuminatus - He's very busy, but blackmachine are great for extended range.

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A couple others:

Michael Sherman
The Illustrated Luthier

Based in Australia - does all kinds of weird guitars - check out the multi-scale custom!

http://www.ormsbyguitars.com/