SeriesLTD Standard

Most ESP guitars are setup for metal playing. This guitar is set up for more of a classic rock sound. This guitar is an LTD that means it is part of ESP guitars cheaper line of guitars. LTD is like ESP's Epiphone. These guitars are made outside of Japan but to exactly the same specs. This guitar is the EC-400AT. EC means its ESP's single cut shape. 400 means its the middle of the line in the series. AT means it has an arched top. This is as close to a classic Les Paul as you can get with LTD. This guitar comes with a cool goldtop finish just like an old Les Paul. The body and neck are mahogany. The fretboard is rosewood and has nice cream binding. There are 22 jumbo frets on the fretboard with ESP's flag inlays. Up top it has the Earvana Compensated nut that ESP likes to use along with a tune-o-matic bridge. It has dual Seymour Duncan 59 pickups for more classic tone. There are two volume controls and a master tone on control with a 3 way switch. UTILIZATION LTD guitars from the 400 level up all play decently well. With a good setup they can play great like a real ESP. Even with the traditional looks this guitar has a pretty modern feel to it. It has big frets and a decently flat fretboard so you can smoke up and down the frets. The neck is pretty thin too. The body is thinner than a normal Les Paul so it is very light and doesnt hurt your back. The single cutaway is slightly opened up more so upper fret access is slightly better but not by much. The Earvana compensated nut is a nice piece also. It slightly moves where some of the strings meet the nut. This really helps intonation all across the frets. So your notes and chords up and down the neck sound more in tune. When chords up and down the neck ring together better you also get more sustain. SOUNDS 59's in the neck and bridge is not a very common combination nowadays but it really gives you an old school tone. The 59 in the neck is a pickup that matches well with anything. you get a bit smooth neck pickup tone. In the bridge it is very very old school. It is nice and loose. If you are looking to play heavier music you may want to swap out the bridge 59 for a JB or Custom. These match well with the 59 in the neck if you cant handle the 59 in the bridge. OVERALL OPINION With ESP making so many guitars for metal and heavy music it is a nice change to have something that does not come with EMG's. This guitar is very old school and traditional. The 400 series of guitar from LTD is the perfect match of price and performance. This is the cheapest level that you can get aftermarket pickups stock in your guitar. This level gives you all the great basics of the guitar. If you are an ESP fan and want a guitar that is not for metal but is great for blues or classic rock this is a good model.

made in china, vol,vol, tone boost active, 9 volt battery, 24 frets, esp pickups precision, jazz pickup configuration, esp neck and bridge. UTILIZATION easy access on last frets,sound adjust a little tricky , shape and weight good. SOUNDS acoustic b200h 200watt, 4x10 and1x15 cabinets, effects, compressor, distortion, bass chorus, digital delay, bass synth, sounds all good,clean or distorted. style of music all even metal. OVERALL OPINION like it no least,value used or new good, sound quality is good. no other models tried, choice again yes.

I believe this guitar was made outside of the USA, but I'm not sure where...24 3/4 scale, set neck mahogany, EMG-81 active set, 2 volume, tone, 3-way toggle, Black Hardware+ Earvana compensated nut & Grover tuners, Tune-o-matic w/stop tailpiece bridge, and 24 XJ frets. UTILIZATION This guitar resides in the family of Les Paul clones, so while access is not as free flowing as some other sleeker type shredders, the access to the top frets is better than a Gibson due to the increase a slick cutout. Super easy to get a nice sound; the stock EMGs are the high quality 81 active set, as opposed to the lower quality versions offered on other axes at this price point. SOUNDS I used this guitar with Marshall, Mesa Boogie, Orange, and Peavey amps. My favorite tones were hi gain sounds tuned to drop C#, but I used standard E tunings on cleaner settings with excellent results. the intonation is infinitely better than a Gibson LP, meaning this guitar was my go to axe for many live shows, especially on tunes where I played big 6 string chords. The LP I had was so out of intonation it was virtually unplayable for clean sounds; this ESP flourished. I could shred 25-50% better on this axe too; the guitar really had many of the great characteristics of a Gibson LP but had a few improvements in areas that LPs are notorious for (intonation, tuning, shredability). This guitar could easily cover a wide range of genres, but I personally played a lot of modern hard rock and the guitar delivered in spades. OVERALL OPINION There are many things to love about this guitar: clarity, consistency, stability, ease of shred, diverse tones...in comparison to my Gibson Gothic LP, the Gibson sound was a bit thicker and meatier, but the difference was not huge. The positives of the ESP were discussed and are overwhelmingly impressive. This comparison is direct, couple in the fact that this guitar was 1/3 of the price and the choice is a no brainer. I should also note that I tried about 10 Gibson Gothics before I found one that I liked; every ESP ec400 I played would have been a good choice, meaning that the quality of control was much better for ESP. Sadly, I flipped this axe when I was in a money crunch, but I would buy another one in a heartbeat of I had the chance.

I trust this guitar so much that I've owned three of them. Toured with a pair for some time and bought another one after selling both off. Two were made in Korea (one in 06, one in 08) and one (MH401QMNT) in Indonesia (09). All had 24 fret, set through maple necks with ESP's thin neck contour, mahogany bodies and active EMG 81 (bridge)/85 (neck) pickups with a master volume, master tone and three way selector switch. All had a tune-o-matic bridge and were string through body. The 06 had natural binding and I think it looked a lot better than the white binding on the later models, but the quality between the 06 and 08 was really close. The Indonesian model suffered from some minor finish flaws, but sonically didn't stray very far. UTILIZATION The set through neck gives way to the contoured heel that ESP and LTD have made their reputation with. The reason is simple, excellent access down to the 24th fret without feeling awkward or bulky. I'm a big fan of flat thin necks, but the thin U neck contour is comfortable and really easy to get around. This guitar has enough heft to it and a mahogany body to add depth to your tone without losing the shred lineage that ESP built it's foundation upon. You can shred and riff easily and you won't compromise on either end of the spectrum. The tuners on the three models that I had were all Grovers. Starting in 2010, they started using ESP branded tuners on the 400 series LTDs and those are unquestionably lesser quality. The Grovers get the job done, but I opted for Sperzel locking tuners on all three. Earavana nut on all three of these, no problems there. I had to switch one to graphite years later and that was a definite improvement. Also combined with Graphtech string saddles, gave my strings considerably more life. The tune-o-matic bridge was good, but definitely one area that I wasn't too excited about. The cosmo black is prone to oxidization very quickly and it begins to look old beyond it's year/s very quickly. I went for the Tonepros locking bridge instead and it adds a touch of sustain, but the real bonus comes in quicker and easier string changing and polishing. The high gloss finish will show every fingerprint or sweat streak, so I would start wiping after every show and end up polishing between every string change, but that's OCD talking, it's not necessary. My one real qualm with the design has more to do with the archtop, the volume and tone knobs dropped into the top a bit and there's a dip surrounding them. It looks fine, but if you're getting sweaty while playing and killing the volume between songs, it's really easy to get the area under the knob sweaty enough to corrode those pots far quicker than you would want to imagine. I thought about swapping the volume pot with a killswitch, but never got around to it. Seems a tad unnecessary. SOUNDS The standard EMG 81/85 set sounds excellent in this guitar. Great resonance from the mahogany body and the maple top gives it some added punch. I play death metal, and any kind of metal or core is going to sound really great from this guitar, but it doesn't lose out on the clean side of things. The active pickups are definitely geared towards heavier music, but if you wanted to have a bit more versatility and less heaviness, you could easily swap out for passives and get a bit more range. OVERALL OPINION Overall, this is a great guitar. If I had to start over, I would stick with one of these. The later models don't have the same features, so I would stick with a used one. I have played newer models off the shelf and they sound good, but it seems like there was a mid-00's peak in the production that's hard to surpass. Just to add to that value, they're fairly easy to find with a hardshell case between $400-500. If you get this as a first or early guitar, you'll have a really hard time parting ways with it. For me, these were solid workhorse guitars that played and sounded great. They made a perfect place holder until I got enough money up to upgrade to the ESP Horizon NT II which these were largely modeled after.

I played bass for over 20 years now. I bought this bass cuz it felt good when i tried it and sounded good through the amp. I only like the way it looks. I dont like the fact that the ESP pick ups are very weak. I use a traben bass and when i switch guitars i have to turn my volume down about 4 or 5 notches. i think the construction is very poor. my knobs werent tightened when built at the factory i guess. and the tuning keys were loose and needed tightened as well. the neck is weak. i used a heavier guage string due to all the drop tuning songs we do and it bowed my neck in so far i had to readjust everything. For a beginner there are cheaper basses out there but if your willing to put alot of time in setting this bass up and putting money into new pick ups then go for it. now i got mine all fixed up im gonna keep it cuz i do like it now. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I was a dummer in a punk band for 5 years before my taste in music evolved to an appreciation for metal. Now a diehard fan, likely to never look back, I've taken up guitar. 2 years in and 4 axes later I've come across this gem of a guitar. This axe is a metal shredding demon. I actually bought this guitar off Ebay for $600 after taxes, customs and shipping. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $899. I bought it because I was looking for a solid intermediate guitar. As my skills evolve, so has my collection of guitars evolved to reflect that and to encourage continual skill development. What's not to like? A low profile body, set neck, black hardware, an EMG81 in the bridge with an EMG60 in the neck. An Earvana compensated nut helps this baby stay intonated and finely tuned. The string-thru back and set neck help gives this guitar incredible sustain. The matte black finish is gorgeous to look at. The guitar hangs great and sits well. The neck feels so light, but it's definitely straight and durable. The guitar basically plays YOU as your fingers dance across the 24 fret, ebony fretboard. The matte black body is very susceptible to scratching, it doesn't take much to put a fairly visible blemish. Even a light brush with some coarse fabric can leave its mark. I'm also not a huge fan of fretboard with no inlays. Granted, it does have dot inlays along the top of the neck binding, but having those extra markers on the fretboard is nice if your fingering is still coming along. The construction is typical of ESP. Very very good. Crafted in Korea (Which would automatically deterr a lot of people) with a 1 piece mahogany body and a 3 piece neck, the guitar is very solid looking. Slightly heavier than some Les Pauls, slightly lighter than others, but way more balls than any stock Les Paul you can find that's even remotely close to the same price. This is the first year of the ESP LTD EC-500 production. The first model was created in 2005 as an 30th anniversary edition, and production was supposed to end that same year. Due to popular demand the fine people at ESP incorporated the guitar into their regular LTD catalogue. This guitar is a prime piece of machinery at a very very reasonable price for the hardware included therein. If you're at the point where you're not quite ready to dump $2500 on an American Jackson or ESP guitar, this is an amazing stepping stone with similar features to those. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I have only really been playing about a half a year, spread out over the course of a year (I pick it up, put it down, pick it up, ect) I have a good friend that is a great musician that just got a record deal that i talk with about guitars from time to time, as well as many other friends that are musicians I got my guitar at Tempo Music in Hendersonville NC, the guy that sold it to me was very helpful in helping me pick out the guitar, i cant remember how much i paid, a little over $200 i think, guitar, gig bag, tuner, and beginner book. I love MY guitar...i have since i got it, i would never get rid of it, maybe replace it b/c it is getting many dings and scratches (all my fault :() Everybody that has picked it up says it has a really good tone for what it is, it feels great in my hands and, as a beginner, i think its a breaze to play. Oh and it looks sexy too. the pickguard is scratched up a little bit,every once in a while there is a buzz when i hit either the open 2nd or 3rd string, i think its coming from a loose tuner, i tightend them all down a little and and I havent heard it since then, but it was on and off before hand anyways...BIG ding on the back that i caused, but thats all my fault...dangit Oh, and no brand recognision :-( It has gone through heck and back being with me, yet only has the "big" (in my opinion, she is my baby ya know) ding on the back and the scratched up pick guard (from before i had gotten it), it hasnt suffered at all, as far as i can tell, in tone from my abuse. I love it, the buzz is annoying, but possibly fixed, at first i thought i might have been cheeted a little bit, but thats b/c i didnt know how to play, now i know some, and its awsome. One prob is that it has no brand recognision...oh well... This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Got it from www.musicstore.com and I paid 245€ for it. I like both sound and looks. Also, it's easy to setup, something i definitely wanted since my previous axe had a floyd rose, which was great but I didn't like the fact i had to set it up each time i changed gauge/tuning. The stock pickups are ok, no complaints, but there are definitely people who'll want to put in some dimarzio or emg or something else. But that's all matter of preference of course. Only thing that's a bit of a pain is the fact that the volume control doesn't give you as much control as you'll want. I'm the kind of person that likes to use the controls on my guitar instead of a lot of other stuff, so that was a bit of a pity. The volume control does work, but you really have to give it a serious turn if you want it to get real quiet. That's about it. I only just got it last month, but up till now i'm pleased a lot. It's good quality, no flaws and good setup. It's like i could throw it around and it'll still work. No loose controls or input or tuning pegs or anything like that. For the low end model from the f-serie, it's built like a rock and you wouldn't even notice if you didn't know it was the f-50. Been playing for two years. This is my second guitar, I sold my other one which was a charvelle. I liked the floyd rose, but i never ever used the trem, so i just reckoned i should go for a easy-to-setup bridge with the same security of not losing my tuning every five seconds. So I'm glad I chose for this one with the tune-o-matic. I was a bit afraid concerning the stock pickups, but I really like them, and they'll probably last quite a while before I want to replace them. If it was lost or something like that, I'd definitely buy it again. I love the looks, the sound you can get from it, it's also very easy to play, easy to setup, everything I need. I compared it too other guitars, like Ibanez and Jackson. I really feel as if I made the right choice. I think this is one of the better guitars in it's price range. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this as a gradutation gift from Musicians Friend as my first guitar. I paid about $600. It has good tone and very evil looks, designed for the hard rocker. A few months after playing it, the jack input screw came loose. Trem Springs got weak very quickly with very little use. The humbuckers deliver nice sound, but their passive, and don't cut through. Neck Thru design, two EMG-HZ Passive dual humbuckers, Floyd-Rose trem, 24-frets, volume/tone control, mono output, 6-string. It's a very good guitar for he begining rocker, or the rocker with enough money to customize it after getting it. Only reason price is so high is cause of the neck-thru design and the brand name. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I am going to tell about my LTD Viper-400. I acquired this guitar from a catalog company called Musicians Friend. 560 dollars was paid for this particular guitar. The main reason that I decided to buy this guitar is the fact that it has EMG 81 Active pickups. The sound from these pickups is awesome. I love how this guitar sounds as I have stated earlier. This guitar has a low action and is farely easy to play. It has the new "Earvana Compensation Nut" which provides perfect tuning all the way down the neck which is hard to get in other guitars. It also has Grover tuning keys which all the guitar to stay in even while in a gig bag or hardshell. If u are an active musician u just might need this feature. The only real thing I don't really like about this guitar is it is neck heavy like Les Pauls,but hey a leather strap will stop the sliding so there is a quck solution. Now I am realativly "picky" guitar player so the only other complaint that I have about my Viper-400 is when it is unplugged it had fret buzz. As soon as you plug it up however it disappers The LTD Viper-400 comes with active EMG humbuckers to give u a nice crunch sound they sound awesome while on clean tone as well. A set neck is available on this model far better than a bolt on neck. It has a mahogany body and neck. While the fretboard is rosewood. This guitar also has simple controls a volume knob, a tone knob, and a three way pickup selector. My final thought about this guitar is it is awesome. Not too expensive and it plays great.If u are looking for a moderatly priced guitar that plays excellent then the Viper-400 is the guitar for u. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased this guitar through Music 123. It is very similer to the Kirk Hamett model KH-602 with the hardware from the KH202. I bought the guitar on clearence for less than $350, which is less than half the price of the KH602. This guitar looks amazing! The finish is as good or better than my $2000 Les Paul. The binding, inlays and fretwork are MUCH better than my Les Paul. This guitar is light weight. The sound is very good, although I would like to switch to a set of EMG-ZW pickups. The neck through body joints are flawless.The wood grain looks exceptional through the finish. I would prefer an original Floyd Rose over the "licensed" that came on the guitar. I think the rest of the hardware is cheap looking. The black plating began rubbing off the humbucker trim ring screws in less than a week. The volume knob also has become worn. The 5-way pickup selector switch cap broke off within a month of use. The construction is excellent as good as guitars costing 2-3X as much. I think the hardware is low quality. I dont think you can buy a better guitar for the price. Even if you have to replace some screws, knobs and switch caps. I have played several ESP LTD models. In side by side compareson tests, the ESP's play, sound and look, in my opinion better than Gibsons or Jacksons at any price. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased the F-204 (rather stupidly) online without trying it out, at the handy price of approx. $500, rrp $699. As well as this, with the extra money taken off for the USD to GBP conversion, the end price was about GBP£400. I purchased from http://www.worldmusicsupply.com, and the only problem with the bass was a relatively low action (soon fixed). This bass is starting to get a little rare now. The F-204 has been replaced by the Neck-thru, Alder(?) body F-254. IMO, this bolt-on is much superior in tone and playability. The neck is very very smooth, and an even gliss is easy to pull off. The frets are even and well-polished, and the rosewood fretboard is of an excellent quality. The finish is easily smudged; however, this adds to the image of the bass as a dirty rock-stars bass. Not one person can look at this bass and say that its crap. The pickups are well matched with the mahogany body, and the B64 Eq. is very versatile. Almost any tone can be coaxed out of the bass, and I've managed to get a deep double-bass like sound out of it. Not much in this area really. The factory set-up was a off-put slightly during transit, and the GHS Boomer strings that were stock on the bass got dirty very very quickly and lost their sound. Granted, I did use them for 8 months, but the dirt accumulated over about a month. I changed the strings to Rotosound Solo Bass .45-.105 and the tone has improved to an almost fretless, thick growl. There also seems to be a lack of sustain at the 7th-8th fret, but this may be due to my current set up (I use a relatively high action) The neck join is a dream; although its bolt-on, you'd be forgiven for thinking its the newer F-254 which is neck-thru. My only slight gripe at the construction is the quality of the cavity; it's not shielded properly, and the screws strip the threads with ease. Sorry for any jargon I've added in here. I would recommend this bass to intermediate level bassists; there are better basses, but this is excellent as an upgrade or live situation bass. Its reasonably cheap, and adds class to a bassists collection. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com