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Published on 05/27/11 at 17:31The EC50 is part of the LTD line that ESP offers. These are geared towards those who are looking for an entry level guitar and cannot afford the MIJ ESP models, or even the higher model LTDs. The guitar featres a bolt-on neck, 24.75'' scale, basswood body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, 24 extra jumbo frets, two humbuckers, TOM style hardtail bridge, dot inlays and has a center inlay at the 12th fret.
UTILIZATION
The fit and finish on this is pretty bad. For one, there's a big gap in the neck pocket. To me, this is pretty unacceptable, even if it is meant to be a budget model. The body itself isn't bad since it's made with a CNC machine, but the finish is pretty bad. You can see runs in it, and it's not nearly up to the standards of the higher LTD series. The fretwork on this is pretty bad, too. They don't seem to make an effort to truly bevel the ends and crown the frets so they're perfectly even. I found certain frets that were lower than others, and this makes it fret out when bending with lower action.
SOUNDS
The pickups in this thing are pretty awful. They sound dull and lifeless regardless as to what you EQ the amp with. However, given how cheap the guitar is, that's somewhat to be expected. The guitar itself doesn't resonate that much, and it's made out of basswood. While I do like basswood, I don't feel a guitar made in the EC style body shape should be made out of basswood. It may be a looks thing, but it simply doesn't seem to fit the image of what the guitar should sound like. The bolt-on neck doesn't do it any favors, either. Even with a pickup swap, you're still pissing in the wind when it comes to trying to make these sound great.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking at one of these, I recommend avoiding them. They're not great guitars, and the flaws outweigh the price point. I recommend trying to either buy a higher number LTD such as the EC1000 or simply buy used. That should get you the best deal out of all, and it'll save you the hassle of trying to make a dead piece of wood sound good.
UTILIZATION
The fit and finish on this is pretty bad. For one, there's a big gap in the neck pocket. To me, this is pretty unacceptable, even if it is meant to be a budget model. The body itself isn't bad since it's made with a CNC machine, but the finish is pretty bad. You can see runs in it, and it's not nearly up to the standards of the higher LTD series. The fretwork on this is pretty bad, too. They don't seem to make an effort to truly bevel the ends and crown the frets so they're perfectly even. I found certain frets that were lower than others, and this makes it fret out when bending with lower action.
SOUNDS
The pickups in this thing are pretty awful. They sound dull and lifeless regardless as to what you EQ the amp with. However, given how cheap the guitar is, that's somewhat to be expected. The guitar itself doesn't resonate that much, and it's made out of basswood. While I do like basswood, I don't feel a guitar made in the EC style body shape should be made out of basswood. It may be a looks thing, but it simply doesn't seem to fit the image of what the guitar should sound like. The bolt-on neck doesn't do it any favors, either. Even with a pickup swap, you're still pissing in the wind when it comes to trying to make these sound great.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking at one of these, I recommend avoiding them. They're not great guitars, and the flaws outweigh the price point. I recommend trying to either buy a higher number LTD such as the EC1000 or simply buy used. That should get you the best deal out of all, and it'll save you the hassle of trying to make a dead piece of wood sound good.