LTD

Guitar made in Korea. Mahogany body 3-piece Mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, ESP Locking Tuners (based on Schaller M6) and Earvana compensated nut for better intonation Abalone "flags" inlays 24 frets 2 humbuckers: 1xEMG81 bridge and 1xEMG60 in the neck Gold hardware with TonePros bridge and T3B-T TonePros T1Z tailpiece 3 positions switch , 2 volumes and a common tone BUILT QUALITY The neck is a very playable, pretty flat and rather wide but not too thin. Diapason is 24 3/4, and the guitar has 24 frets. I do not have huge hands, but with the cutaway, it's easy to get to the last frets. The action is very low (if the guitar is properly set up!). Also it's not too heavy, but it is not light either.The body is comfortable in a sitting position and overall the guitar is relatively well balanced. The two volume knobs and the tone knob are easy to reach. Note that the volume knob of the bridge pickup is set before the one of the neck pickup (since we supposedly use it more often!). The tone control is shared by both pickups. These knobs are very progressive and of very good quality, just like the 3 positions pickup selector. When you do not play, the EMGs are dead quiet, which is a nice change from the DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan I have mounted on my other guitars! TONE I tried this guitar on quite a few amps, not to convince myself of its built quality, because if you play it unplugged you'll hear it has a very good sustain, but to test the versatility of the EMG 60/81. So I played it alternatively through a Fender Twin, a Vox AC30, a Marshall JCM900 and finally a Dual Rectifier :-D. Honestly, to my great surprise, it sounded better than I expected ... So to all those who say that EMG is only making pickups for metalheads, then perhaps they should get their head round the use of volume and tone on a guitar! ESP did a great job in that respect in the sense that the knobs truly react to minute adjustements and allow players to make these very subtle variations that make all the difference. Obviously on a Rectifier with the distortion crancked, even a muppet chas no problem unleashing the sonic violence of the uni-finger power-chord of death! :facepalm: If you play clean tones, backing up the volume on the EMG 60 a little will somewhat bring you back into the passive pickup territory, though tone wise it's going to remains way more "articulate" or clinical, in the typical fashion of active pickups. Honestly fiddling with the tone, and two volume controls, and of course the EQ on the amp, one can really get almost any type of tone! you can go from a single coilish type of sound (a mix of the 2 pickups) that is good for funk or soft passages to a jazzy type of sound, and I even managed to get tones quite reminiscent of a folk guitar! When I played on the Vox, again, using the volume and tone, I got very good crunch tones that were quite vintage sounding, while maintaining a clear attack (EMG inside!). To put it in a nutshell, plug into the proper amp (that certainly does help a lot!), and it's really not that difficult to get the tone you're after! For the sake of clarity though, the guitar is mouted with EMGs, so it is obvious that it will never sound as vintage as guitars that were made for that purpose. And yes, EMGs excels on distorted tones. That being said, given the built quality, just mount a pair of Alnico II pro on it and you'll get a very different type of beast at home! OVERALL OPINION When I walked in the shop, it was initially to buy a Gibson Les Paul Custom or Tokai Premium. I had the budget for it, and was looking for intrumentsa in the 3000 to 4000 euros range ... but like any other guitarist out there whenever I see a cool looking guitar, I juts can't help but trying it! I have been playing for almost 20 years now and I have owned many good to excellent guitars (to name but a few: Fender U.S. and Mex, Jackson Soloist, Gibson SG Standard, Godin LGX and Artisan STVI, Lag Roxanne and Hardmaster etc.). All this to say that I expect a certain level of craftsmanship and quality. Through the years I've also learned to see beyond the famous names in the industry. Actually on that day, I played two Fujigen/Japanese FGN that sounded absolutely awesome ... but they were a little too heavy for me unfortunately. I had never ever paid any attention to LTD before playing that EC-1000. Actually I assumed LTD was on par with Squier, Epiphone and the likes, meaning instruments of rather poor built quality. Well, what a surprise, I had it all wrong! :oops2: So for those of you who are wondering, no offense intended to all Gibson fanboys , I have spent some time comparing the LTD and a Gibson Standard side by side and my verdict is that quality-wise, they are in all respects comparable. The chief difference is that the LTD is nearly half the price of a Standard! And even if we were to compared it to her bigger sister, the ESP Eclipse, it's still very, very close (some slight "embellishments"). Tone-wise, the EC1000VB sounds a bit less "fat" that a Gibson mounted with EMGs but on the other hand it offers a clearer and more articulated tone, which is good thing if you down-tune your guitar. The Eclipse still refines this feeling a tad further (probably due to quality of the woods used), but in the end it's rather subtle and if we leave the aesthetics aside, tone-wise I don't think it's worth an extra 500 euros for it ... unless you have bat ears maybe ...or if you spend a lot of time recording in studio! So to sum it up, the LTD EC1000VB is a "weapon of choice", and it proved very versatile too. It's a tad lighter than a Les Paul (and it feels so after a few hours playing it). It has 24 frets and a simple but excellent built quality. Mine is flawless. All this for 900 euros (or 600ish if you get it second-hand)! With my initial budget I would certainly have been able to buy a nicer looking guitar (but not necessarily with a better finish) but I like to keep my feet on the ground. For what I had in mind, unless I had decided to go down the luthier route, there was no justifying spending that much more on an industrially made guitar! It seems that these days Korea & Japan offers similar deals to Japan & U.S. a few years ago. To put it simply, with this EC1000VB, ESP/LTD brings you a (nearly) high -end guitar, when competitors only get you one in the mid-range ... Hey! For once we're not being taken for fools! :8O: So unless you buy a guitar thinking about its resale value or to hang it to a wall and watch it illuminate the room ;), in which case you should clearly get your hands on a Gibson Custom or something equivalent, if you're like me and need a flawless instrument that will be played and carried around, this LTD is a super deal! And when your budget is well above its price tag like it was for me, with what you have saved, you can just splurge on a few pedals or even a nice new amp! ... And you have absolutely no excuse to skimp on a flight case! Thank you Mr. ESP!

The ESP LTD TE202 is the company's budget friendly alternative to the Fender Telecaster body shape. Made to look distressed, the guitar has several pre-worn patches. The TE202 features an alder body, maple neck and fingerboard, and ESP's proprietary tuners. An ESP LTS-120 in the bridge and LH- 150 in the neck position are routed through shared volume and tone controls. The finish is very pleasant to look at and the model number as the 12th fret marker makes the guitar more distinctive. UTILIZATION The TE202's neck profile feel comfortable in the hands and is surprisingly fast for such a low cost instrument. Tuning stability is average and the guitar could benefit from upgrading the tuners. As some others have noted, this model seems to have an issue with the tone pot being less than useable. Testing two of the guitars, I found the effectiveness of the tone control to be inconsistent but poor in both instances. SOUNDS I played the TE202 through a Fastback 18 combo and a Marshall JCM800. Marshall 4x12. No pedals. The guitar's onboard electronics severely impact the tone of the guitar. The cleans sounded cluttered and lacked clarity when strumming chords. With gain applied, the guitar fared better but still underperformed. I tested a second TE202 which sounded much more pleasant and articulate. The playability and feel are perfectly adequate with the guitar. I feel that with upgraded electronics the TE202 could make a much better impression. OVERALL OPINION The TE202 suffers from inconsistent production. At the new price of $350 one could justify some upgrades to make it more of a player's guitar. However, with the Gretsch Pro Jet at this price used and the Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster Custom hanging a mere $20 dollar above, you might be better served forgetting about it. In either case, I strongly suggest trying before buying.

The ESP Viper has always been the brother to the EC and Eclipse guitars throughout ESP's history. They both had similar ESP and LTD models. Now the Viper is getting its own cool stuff. This guitar is the Viper 1000 in Olympic White. ESP likes to give different color combinations different electronics so even though another guitar might be an Viper 1000 it may come with completely different electronics like EMG's. This model has a classy white paintjob and that means it comes with passive pickups. This guitar looks a lot like the classic white SG Customs from the early 60s. This guitar has a mahogany body with a mahogany set neck. THe fretboard is made from ebony with 24 jumbo frets and the ESP flag inlays. It has ESP locking tuners and a compensated nut and the bridge is a locking Tonepros unit one of the best Tune-o-matics you can get. The electronics are a set of Seymour Duncans with a Custom in the bridge and a 59 in the neck. The controls are super simple with a master volume and master tone with a 3 way switch. UTILIZATION These guitars have a very modern feel to them. It may look kinda like an SG but it has a very modern design that plays much better than a Gibson SG. The body is offset so you can reach all the 24 frets. The jumbo frets and ebony fretboat mean you get a very smooth feel on the strings when playing. Up top the ESP locking tuners do their job and hold tuning quite well. The Tonepros locking bridge makes maintences and string changes that much easier. The bridge on a tune-o-matic is normally held in by string tension the Tonepros tune-o-matic is locking so it doesnt fall off if you do not have any string tension held in. The Earvana compensated nut means that the intonation of the guitar is improved all the way up the neck. SOUNDS This being a passive version of the guitar it comes with Seymour Duncan pickups. The bridge pickup is a Seymour Duncan Custom and the neck pickup is a 59. The Custom in the bridge is a bit more modern and heavier version of a JB. It has a bit tighter and thicker sound overall as the JB can be a bit loose if you are looking to play heavy music with it. The 59 is a classic neck pickup. It has a very smooth PAF inspired sound. It is one of the most popular neck pickups. It has a very old school tone. Since it is so smooth and old school tone that can get kind of muddy. If the sound is too muddy for you the Jazz may be a better pickup since it has more high end bite to it and that lets it retain its clarity longer. OVERALL OPINION This is a good alternative if you are not in to the active sound. Most ESP guitars are based around metal playing so one with a bit more versatile sound is a welcome addition. With the Seymour Duncan pickups and the white and gold finish you get a guitar with a very traditional and classy look to it and a versatile tone that can do more than just metal, and since it is an ESP it will be well and be reasonably priced.

Made in ASIA (more precisely in China I believe). Well manufactured, beautiful, well built, no bad surprise, it's such a beautiful item that I struggle to convince myself to put it back in its case. :) Mahogany body Flamed maple top 3-piece mahogany set neck "EC 401" inlaid at 12th fret Rosewood fingerboard 24 Extre Jumbo frets 1 x Seymour Duncan JB and 1 x Seymour Duncan 59 pickups 2 volume knobs 1 tone knob 3-way switch Chromed hardware Grover tuners Tune-o-matic bridge with Stop-tailpiece USE The neck is pleasant, with a very Les Paul-y feeling, it's not an Ibanez Satriani or Steve Vai-like ultra-thin neck but not too thick either, it doesn't disturb. Regarding ergonomics, playing seated is always a bit difficult with a guitar of that kind, the lower part of the body is quite heavy, forcing you to fins a comfortable positions with no possibility to move too much. As for playing standing, the guitar's not too heacy, no particular tiredness to mention. 3 pickup configurations: JB (bridge) 59 (neck) or both It's easy to choose the position that suits you better depending on the sound you're after. SOUND I'm looking for a Fat Rock sound able to go till metal (but without an active pickup), and my expectations are more than met, it sounds really good, no introduction needed as to the SD 59 and JB pickups, really great sound. First, it sounds good even before you plug it in - which always is a really good sign :) While it's heavy, it also has the corresponding upside as it has a great, beautifully sounding natural sustain and a hot, full sound. I play on a small Orange Micro Terror (with a PPC108 cab) or through modeled amps with OverLoud TH2, so I can't yet take full advantage of the guitar's potential. Surely an Orange, Mesa Boogie or Marshall stack (tube + 4x12) would get it to get to the next level soundwise, but even here with a small Blackstar HT5 amp one can already have a great time! There's no sound I don't like on this guitar, all 3 pickup positions sound interesting and I use all of them. OVERALL I've had it for one month. I tried a PRS SE 245, whish also is a good, lighter guitar. If I'd opted for the PRS I would have changed the pickups for BareKnuckle or SDs so it implied a higher budget. I also was advised ESP/LTD for their finish quality - which indeed is great. I still have to take it to my favorite repair shop to have it set up properly and probably to have the nut changed, buth that's the way it goes with all factory-made guitars, even at a much higher price. Always go to the repair shop ;-)

This guitar is a lot closer to the actual signature model that Jeff uses. In fact, it's very close to the normal ESP one, and it's a great deal for those looking for a quality guitar without the huge price tag. The guitar features an alder body (we call them "wings" as it's a neck-thru guitar), a maple neck with an ebony fretboard, 24 extra jumbo frets, unique inlays, a Kahler bridge, binding, two EMG humbuckers, one volume, one tone and a three way switch. UTILIZATION The overall build quality of this is pretty good. The frets are in good shape, and they were finished quite nicely. The ends aren't as nice as the normal ESP standard series, but you're getting what you're paying for. It's still good, and there aren't any issues with them cutting up your hand every time you go up and down the neck. The guitar itself was a bit heavy given its neck-thru construction, but it isn't too bad. The biggest issue with this guitar is that it has a Kahler bridge. These bridges feel very odd, and I can't get over how they dull the overall tone of the guitar. SOUNDS The guitar sounded pretty good thanks to the EMGs. The guitar had an EMG 81 in the bridge and an EMG 85 in the neck. The EMG 81 in the bridge delivered a great tone for metal. It's bright with tons of harmonics, and it cuts through even the densest mix out there. Some people dislike how bright it can be, and I understand that, but it works awesome in a recording or live setting. The EMG 85 in the neck is super fat, and you can get some sick lead tones out of it. Clean tones are a bit dull sounding, maybe even a bit hi-fi sounding, but they're not too terrible if you add some effects to it. OVERALL OPINION The guitar is pretty good considering the price. You get a lot for your money. If these came with a different bridge, I would look into possibly buying one. They're pretty cool, and I have been a big time Slayer fan for years. I just can't get over how bad this bridge is...

This is a Made in Vietnam strat that has a great "broken in" feel even though the distressed finish is actually underneath the final finish. Either way, the guitar looks awesome up close and from afar. The ST203M has an aged maple neck with distressed maple fret board--it plays like a well-broken-in guitar that's been around for years, on and off the stage (possibly even dropped from the stage a few times), in and out of the studio, had beer spilled all over it, and just overall a true player instead of a case queen. The stock single coils are punchy and have a mid spike that allows it to bridge the gap between single-coil and humbucker-equipped guitars. It embodies many of the great sonic qualities associated with Stratocasters yet takes it up a notch with a little more punch and cut. UTILIZATION The ESP LTD ST203M is a 22-fret guitar and access to the upper frets is achieved easily enough. The neck is a familiar C-shape with slightly more substance to it than similar guitars which makes it slightly easier and more comfortable to play. Part of the "distressed" finish includes cut-aways and parts of the guitar shaved or worn-down that actually make it easier and/or more comfortable to play. The guitar is well-balanced, not too heavy and not too light. The tuning keys are stable, not flimsy, and hold the tune and stability rather well. SOUNDS Most of what I play are Splawn and Jet City amplifiers, and mostly with a good amount of overdrive and right-hand energy. There are some songs where the clarity and staccato nature of single-coil pickups brought out the extreme punctuation in the songs but made the songs cleaner and brought out more of the characteristics that make the song great. The ST203M is the perfect guitar to get this particular job done. Of course, everything is upgradeable and the ST203M is so well-put-together that any upgrades are unbelievably easy and bring out the best qualities of the guitar. Clean, the guitar sounds sparkling and clear with great mids, and lends itself extremely well to blues and rock tones. The ST203M is a wonderfully versatile guitar and looks like it's got the miles to prove it. OVERALL OPINION As an entry-level guitar this is really the class of the field that I've found. For a relatively small amount of money you can get into a guitar that looks, plays, and sounds great for anything just short of full-force screaming metal, and this can be achieved easily enough with a simple pickup replacement. I've put a Dimarzio Fast Track 2 in the bridge of mine and added a Babicz Full Contact Hardware tremolo system and for a small amount in upgrades this is a top-notch guitar that I would play on any stage.

i bought this from mars music on the way to miami for $599 2001 model on sale. This guitar is great. i love the neck thru construction.the floyd rose is great with the lockin nuts.stays in tune perfect and the emg h-4s are great for any type of music,you can play anythin from metal to jazz.the guy in the shop told me the emg h-4s have some kind of magnets in,it to cope with bends and vibratos.the paint job is excellent to.the spider inlays on the twelth fret and just the finishing touches to masterpiece,good job esp!. its a bit heavy thats all but it doesnt bother me when im jammin with my band. its made of alder wood,its neck thru,much better than bolt on in my opinion,the neck is made of maple wood. brilliant guitar,no regrets at all.buy it. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This B-206 from LTD is a 6 string bass with a solid ash body, spalted maple top, bolt on maple and walnut neck with a rosewood fretboard. It has 24 XJ frets. It is 35 inch scale, and features some high quality black hardware. It has an active 3 band EQ and 2 pickups from ESP. Volume and balance (besides the 3 way EQ controls). UTILIZATION ESP has done a lot to get their LTD line of affordable guitars and basses well established in the market. This particular bass is a fantastic move, as there aren't a lot of six string basses out there for the budget crowd. This thing looks amazing, is well made, sounds great, and plays very easily. The ergonomics are friendly for sitting or standing. SOUNDS Wow! This has a huge variety of tones, from low and muddy Motown, to funky spanky slap and pop, to clear chordal, to chugging grind. The low B string was tight, and the tonal balance between all the strings was evenly matched. I really felt like playing some old Dream Theater and Primus tunes on this, and they sounded great - go figure. The pickups have excellent clarity, aided by my favorite wood combination of a maple top and ash body. The 3 band EQ lets the tone be colored just as one desires. OVERALL OPINION This is quite the looker, and will do a whole lot for under $450. It is a very inspiring axe to jam on, and its appearance will allow it to be played in any setting. Any technique one desires to use, any genre - it will come out clear and easy on this bass. I do recommend this for the more adventurous bassists out there who want to expand their range.

Gus G has been doing it beg recently. Now that he has joined Ozzy it seems every week there is a new piece of Gus G hardware. This is the other Gus G signature ESP. The main one that everyone knows is his ESP Gus G. NT with the old school star body shape. This is his other signature based on an ESP EC. I havent seen him play this one but I think it has something to do with him replacing Zakk in Ozzy. It has the LP shape with a graphic that reminds me of one of Zakks guitars from the 80s. The construction isnt too different either. This guitar has a mahogany body with a set maple neck. The neck has a rosewood fretboard with 22 frets and flame inlays. The neck sale is 25.5 which is kind of different for a singlecut. Up top there are locking tuners and the bridge is a locking tune-o-matic from Tonepros. The pickups are a set of Seymour Duncan Blackouts. Gus G has a set of his own Blackouts now but this guitar was made before that. The controls are super simple with a volume knob and a kill switch to help you save the battery life. UTILIZATION This is a very shreddy singlecut. The 25.5 inch scale means you got all the room on the fretboard that you would ever want. You have lots of space up on the high frets just like as if you were playing your super strat. ESP gets it right when it comes with guitars with upgrades from the factory. These guitars are really gig ready. You get locking tuners up on the headstock and a locking bridge down at the bottom. The locking bridge is great and makes maintenence a breeze. The neck join is nicely beveled out so there isnt an abrupt square when you get to the body. It is nice and rounded away. One thing I dont like is that you need a screw driver to access the battery compartment. It seems some ESP's come with flip out battery compartments and some have screw in ones. I wish they all had flip out ones. With the screw in ones you are not saving any time over just having the battery in the control cavity. With a flip out one you can change the battery in seconds without and tools. SOUNDS The Blackouts in this guitar are nice. Its nice to have an ESP that doesnt have the same old 81/85 setup in it. The Blackouts are Seymour Duncans active pickups. They are similar to EMG's but different enough. To my ears they are good at some of the things EMG's are bad at and also bad at some of the same things. The low end on these pickups is massive. A lot more low end than you normally get with EMG's. Some people may like this some may not. Normally it is hard to make EMG's sound muddy but with all the low end on these Blackouts they can sound muddy at times. They do not have as much of the high end fizz that EMG's have so they are a bit more natural sounding but they still sound like active. They have good clarity for the most part even with all the crazy low end they have packed into them. OVERALL OPINION Normally I hate signature guitars with crazy graphics on them but the graphic on this isnt really specific to anyone. It is just a broken glass motif so its not as guady as if it had Gus G's face on it or something. The Gus G signature is on the headstock but it is pretty small and combined with the rest of the guitar does not stand out at all. It is pretty funny that Gus G got a signature guitar that makes him look like 1980s Zakk Wylde. It is a cool guitar overall and a lot different than his other signature model. At least the guy likes variety. If you were in an 80s style band you wouldnt look out of place playing a guitar that looks like this and its a great guitar overall and priced well.

ESP guitar manufacturing company has a sub product line that is called LTD. Many of the LTD guitars feature a little less build quality standards within the predecessor ESP. But basically all of their instruments sound just as good and feel almost as good as any other ESP instrument. These guitars have a great sound if you're going for that Gibson Les Paul tone. One thing I really like about these guitars is the beautiful inlay within the frets that really has a mystic quality to them. Flamed maple top is another great addition to this instrument. It almost looks too beautiful to play but it is certainly a rockers guitar. UTILIZATION Amber Sunburst Finish Flamed Maple Top Mahogany Body Mahogany Neck Rosewood Fretboard 24.75" Scale Length Thin U Neck Contour 24 XJ Frets Seymour Duncan JB Bridge Humbucker Seymour Duncan '59 Neck Humbucker Tonepros Locking Tune-o-Matic Bridge and Tailpiece 42mm Standard Nut 2 Volume and Master Tone Controls 3-Way Toggle Switch ESP Locking Tuners Nickel Hardware SOUNDS If you've ever played any type of Gibson Les Paul guitar do you know exactly what type of tone you're going to get out of this instrument. They are quite exquisitely beautiful to look at this is a rockers guitar. So if you play with a good high gain amplifier such as a Marshall or a mesa boogie than your going to get a great sounding tone. Even if you play this guitar in a clean setting your going to get a very usable and manageable tone that will sound fantastic. Certainly this guitar won't sound as good as a single coil guitar but it will have a nice voicings for pretty much any style of music. OVERALL OPINION These guitars you can find for right around $700 or so. That's a pretty good price for help beautiful this guitar is and how well it built. I would recommend guitar to anyone is looking for a good alternative to Gibson Les Paul instrument. This guitar sounds great in a recording session as well but I'm even more tempted to just hang it on the wall and look at it because of how beautiful the build and quality of this guitar is to look at.

If someone asked me to design a metal guitar that is super playable and can handle every sort of heavy music I would probably come up with something similar to this guitar. This is the ESP H-1001. The design is not very radical by todays standards. It is a superstrat with a tune-o-matic bridge and active pickups. This guitar is a really quality piece. The guitar has a mahogany body with a set maple neck. The body has a flamed maple top for looks. The neck has a rosewood fretboard with 24 jumbo frets and offset inlays. Up top you get a 3x3 headstock with locking tuners. The nut is an Earvana compensated nut. The bridge is a locking Tonepros tune-o-matic setup with a string through tailpiece. The electronics is a set of classic EMG pickups. The bridge pickup is an EMG 81 while the neck pickup is an EMG 85. This is pretty much the standard when it comes to metal active pickups. You get a volume knob and a tone knob along with a 3 way blade switch to change pickups. UTILIZATION Hardtail shred guitars are hard to find so a solid one like this is a real gem. You do not have to fuss with allen wrenches and stuff whenever you want to change tunings or strings and it will stay in tune no matter what. I also liked the arch top body. With the 3x3 headstock instead of a 6 inline headstock I find it more comfortable to tune and change strings because with 6 inline headstocks I always hit my fingers on the tuners when I am tuning. With the compensated nut chords up and down the neck sound better and more in tune. A major dislike about this guitar is all the abalone on it. It looks pretty gaudy like some schecters from a few years ago. Another minor dislike is the battery compartment. You have to unscrew it to get to the battery so it does not save any time over just putting it in the main compartment. Most active guitars have a flip open battery compartment that is quick and easy. SOUNDS The tone on this guitar just as expect. With the EMG pickups in it there are no surprises with the tone. EMG pickups are super consistant and give you a good heavy sound in just about every wood or construction type of guitar. Everyone knows what the 81 in the bridge sounds like. It gives you the thick active sound with lots of clarity. Harmonics come out very easily and it can push just about every amp into overdrive. The 85 in the neck is great for leads and better for cleans. When playing fast you get a smooth sound with just enough bite so you can still tell the notes apart. OVERALL OPINION This guitar has everything you need to rock out. It is super simple and rock solid. It comes with locking tuners and a locking bridge from the factory so its like it is already upgraded. The pickups are some of the best metal pickups you can get and they are factory stock as well. This is the definition of a solid metal guitar. This guitar can handle just about every type of heavy music you can throw at it and can do it with ease. The playability is great and so is the price. If you are looking for a nice solid metal guitar with active pickups this should be on your shortlist.

Construction: Bolt-on Scale: 25.5 in. Body: Agathis with flamed Maple top Neck: Maple with reverse pointed headstock Fretboard: Rosewood, 24 extra jumbo frets Inlays: Dots with model name at 12th fret Pickups: ESP LH-100 set Electronics: Volume, 3-way slotted, tone Hardware: Black Bridge: Floyd Rose licensed Frets: 24 XJ Dimensions and Weight in PackagingSee Thru BlackShipping Weight: 28 lbs Shipping Dimensions: 51 x 18 x 6 in See Thru Black CherryShipping Weight: 11 lbs Shipping Dimensions: 43 x 16 x 4 in UTILIZATION This is a stunner from LTD, visually. This is a guitar that looks very nice, with the flamed maple top and the lines from the more expensive Japanese ESP Custom models. However, the guitar is fairly cheap, not just in price, but in materials. The body is made of agathis, which guitar manufacturers use on only the most bottom-end lines they make. It is not a very resonant wood, and doesn't bring about any particularly memorable tonal characteristics. The neck itself is ok, with the fretwork being passable, yet not great. And the worst part about this guitar is the tremolo system - it is a licensed Floyd Rose, yet not an Original Floyd Rose, so it is made of a cheaper pot metal rather than the good cast metal. SOUNDS The pickups are anemic and weak. They don't provide a lot of clarity or definition - they simply pick up the string vibrations and turn them into an electric signal in order to make sound. So they work, in the same way that a phonebook could be used to hammer in a nail, but it wouldn't do a very good job at it. These pickups don't do a good job of making a quality tone happen. OVERALL OPINION This guitar would be fine to hang on the wall and never play. It frankly is just not that good. In the same price range, one could acquire a higher quality Ibanez or even Schecter guitar and be a lot more satistfied.