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tjon901 « Good mid level ESP EC model »
Published on 08/10/11 at 06:59The EC LTD line has been a mainstay of ESP guitars for many years. It provides solid quality hardware and electronics for a decent price. These are LTD guitars so they are like ESP's Epiphone. They are made outside of Japan but are made to the exact same specs. So this guitar is like 1000 dollars cheaper than the ESP version. You get a lot of value for money with this guitar. On this model you get a mahogany body and a mahogany set neck. The fretboard is made of rosewood but other finishes get an Ebony fretboard for some reason. If they can put it on one why cant they put it on the others? The fretboard has 24 jumbo frets. Up top there are locking tuners and an Earvana compensated nut. Down at the bottom there is a tonepros locking bridge. The electronics are great with an EMG 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck. Other finishes get Seymour Duncan pickups. The controls are simple with a set of volume controls and a master tone. Up top there is a 3 way toggle to switch between the pickups.
UTILIZATION
The playability on these models is great. The EC models look like LP's but play like super strats. The body is thinner than what you would get on most Les Pauls so the weight is a bit less. The jumbo frets and flat radius fretboard let you get a nice easy action. The Earvana compensated nut helps correct intonation up and down the neck so your notes sound more in tune with each other. The locking tuners and locking bridge should be standard on every guitar. The locking bridge prevents the saddles from falling off when you are changing strings. This can mess up your intonation. Locking tuners prevent your guitar from going out of tune accidentally like if your headstock was to hit something.
SOUNDS
The EMG 81 and 60 is a commonly used set in ESP guitars. It gives you good distortion and good clean sounds. The 81 in the bridge is a serial killer. It has a crazy high end gain but isnt harsh. It very clear and you really hear what you are playing. It does not clean up well but that is what the 60 in the neck is for. The 60 does not have as much output but this makes it better for bluesy leads or clean playing. It has a great clean tone which is something most active pickups do not have. If you are looking for an even more organic tone from the 60 and the 81 you can do the 18v mod to the EMG's. The 18v mod lets the pickups run from two 9v batteries instead of one and this gives you more headroom and a more organic tone overall.
OVERALL OPINION
I think this model is going to stick around for a long time. It is perfectly priced and has all the features most metal players expect and demand. The locking tuners and locking bridge are something you wont get on a Gibson no matter how much you pay and the EMG pickups are the standard when it comes to metal music. ESP didnt throw in some cheap throwaway pickups for you to swap out on the first day. They give you a ready to rock guitar that can go straight from the box to the Gig.
UTILIZATION
The playability on these models is great. The EC models look like LP's but play like super strats. The body is thinner than what you would get on most Les Pauls so the weight is a bit less. The jumbo frets and flat radius fretboard let you get a nice easy action. The Earvana compensated nut helps correct intonation up and down the neck so your notes sound more in tune with each other. The locking tuners and locking bridge should be standard on every guitar. The locking bridge prevents the saddles from falling off when you are changing strings. This can mess up your intonation. Locking tuners prevent your guitar from going out of tune accidentally like if your headstock was to hit something.
SOUNDS
The EMG 81 and 60 is a commonly used set in ESP guitars. It gives you good distortion and good clean sounds. The 81 in the bridge is a serial killer. It has a crazy high end gain but isnt harsh. It very clear and you really hear what you are playing. It does not clean up well but that is what the 60 in the neck is for. The 60 does not have as much output but this makes it better for bluesy leads or clean playing. It has a great clean tone which is something most active pickups do not have. If you are looking for an even more organic tone from the 60 and the 81 you can do the 18v mod to the EMG's. The 18v mod lets the pickups run from two 9v batteries instead of one and this gives you more headroom and a more organic tone overall.
OVERALL OPINION
I think this model is going to stick around for a long time. It is perfectly priced and has all the features most metal players expect and demand. The locking tuners and locking bridge are something you wont get on a Gibson no matter how much you pay and the EMG pickups are the standard when it comes to metal music. ESP didnt throw in some cheap throwaway pickups for you to swap out on the first day. They give you a ready to rock guitar that can go straight from the box to the Gig.