![LTD EC-400 [2004-2006]](https://img.audiofanzine.com/img/product/normal/2/1/21850.jpg?fm=pjpg&w=300&h=218&fit=max&s=272ed57cd542d64d3f367f93e1541579)
View other reviews for this product:
tjon901 « Middle range EC series LTD »
Published on 06/14/11 at 12:25The EC400 is more my style guitar than the EC1000 is but the quality is not as consistent on this lower end model. LTD is ESP guitars budget line. ESP branded guitars are made in Japan while LTD branded guitars are made in factories around the world. They have many of the same features and shapes just the quality is not as good overall compared to the made in Japan ESP guitars. The EC400 is a simpler design overall. The abalone binding is all gone. The neck has just simple creme binding and the body is not bound. It has a mahogany body and neck with EMG pickups. It has EMG pickups just like the higher priced models. The 81 in the bridge and 60 in the neck is the same as what the EC1000 has. It has a tune-o-matic bridge and grover tuners. It has the compensated nut that helps with intonation. Each pickup has a volume knob and there is a master tone knob with a 3 way toggle pickup selector.
UTILIZATION
This guitar has less features that I dont like than the EC1000 has. There is not ugly abalone binding. The guitar feels pretty much the same for the most part but the frets are not finished as well. This guitar is in more need of a set up than the 1000 is. It has jumbo frets like the EC1000 but the finishing on them is not as good. It does not have the tonepros locking bridge so your bridge may fall off when you are changing strings. It has the compensated nut so the intonation is better all the way up the neck than most guitars. Most people wont notice this but if you play many chords all the way up the neck you will notice that they sound better. With a setup this guitar can play better than the 1000.
SOUNDS
With the more lax quality on these guitars it is important that you play one first. The way guitar factories work is that the better pieces of woods get picked first for the higher end guitars and the rest go towards the lower end guitar. So with this middle of the range guitar you are more likely to get a bad piece of wood than a good one. The EMG pickups can help with this as they are known to make any guitar sound good. The EMG provide a great sound for metal and great bite. The 81 in the bridge provides great high end sound for metal and this provides great clarity. The pickup gives you a clear sound with even the most gain or the lowest tunings. The 60 in the neck is pretty much built for clean tones. The lead neck tone isnt that great. If you are going to play high gain leads on the neck pickup I would recommend the 85.
OVERALL OPINION
The EC400 is a more stripped down version of the EC1000. The guitar has less frills but has the same basic features as the EC1000. It has the EMG pickups and the special nut. Both of these are very important to the sound. There are not many 400 dollar guitars that come with real active EMG pickups. This set up pickups costs about 150 dollars. To get these features the rest of the guitar has to be simplified and cut back. A good EC400 will sound just as good as a EC1000 but you are more likely to get a bad EC400 than you are with an EC1000.
UTILIZATION
This guitar has less features that I dont like than the EC1000 has. There is not ugly abalone binding. The guitar feels pretty much the same for the most part but the frets are not finished as well. This guitar is in more need of a set up than the 1000 is. It has jumbo frets like the EC1000 but the finishing on them is not as good. It does not have the tonepros locking bridge so your bridge may fall off when you are changing strings. It has the compensated nut so the intonation is better all the way up the neck than most guitars. Most people wont notice this but if you play many chords all the way up the neck you will notice that they sound better. With a setup this guitar can play better than the 1000.
SOUNDS
With the more lax quality on these guitars it is important that you play one first. The way guitar factories work is that the better pieces of woods get picked first for the higher end guitars and the rest go towards the lower end guitar. So with this middle of the range guitar you are more likely to get a bad piece of wood than a good one. The EMG pickups can help with this as they are known to make any guitar sound good. The EMG provide a great sound for metal and great bite. The 81 in the bridge provides great high end sound for metal and this provides great clarity. The pickup gives you a clear sound with even the most gain or the lowest tunings. The 60 in the neck is pretty much built for clean tones. The lead neck tone isnt that great. If you are going to play high gain leads on the neck pickup I would recommend the 85.
OVERALL OPINION
The EC400 is a more stripped down version of the EC1000. The guitar has less frills but has the same basic features as the EC1000. It has the EMG pickups and the special nut. Both of these are very important to the sound. There are not many 400 dollar guitars that come with real active EMG pickups. This set up pickups costs about 150 dollars. To get these features the rest of the guitar has to be simplified and cut back. A good EC400 will sound just as good as a EC1000 but you are more likely to get a bad EC400 than you are with an EC1000.