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Hatsubai « New finish but mostly the same »
Published on 09/21/11 at 15:52With the new year usually comes something new from ESP, and this is one of the things that Kirk has started using. In reality, this guitar is no different from the newer KH-20s, aside from the paint job. The guitar features an alder body with a maple neck-thru neck, a rosewood fretboard with 24 extra jumbo frets, the signature skull and crossbones inlays (now in aged green), an original floyd rose tremolo, two EMG humbuckers, two volumes, one tone and a three way switch.
UTILIZATION
The main feature that this guitar has is the new paint job, and it looks great. The fading was done nicely, and there were no drips or runs in the paint. ESP is generally really good about paint, even if they do apply it a bit thick at certain points. The rest of this guitar is the same as any other newer KH-2 out there. The fretwork was top notch, just like you'd expect from ESP. The guitar also had a good weight to it. The necks on these are nice and thin, but they're not super thin like Ibanez necks. It also had a nice C/U shape to it unlike the D shape from the Ibanez style necks.
SOUNDS
The guitar is equipped with the current pickup configuration that Kirk seems to be using, and that's the EMG 81 in the bridge and the EMG 60 in the neck. The EMG 81 in the bridge is awesome for metal. It's very bright and cutting. This works great for those super dense metal mixes which tend to be geared more towards the low end spectrum. This allows you to be heard as a guitarist, but you have to be careful as it can get a bit shrill on its own. The EMG 60 in the neck is great in mahogany bodied guitars, but I find it to be a bit too bright for this wood configuration. It's great for cleans, but it's kinda lacking something for leads.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're a big fan of the paint job and green inlays on this guitar, you'll want to look hard at buying this model. Aside from that, you're probably better off buying an ESP M-II NTB. I'm not trying to push the standard line but just give you options on something that could help reduce the costs and prevent potential "fanboyism" comments from other people out there.
UTILIZATION
The main feature that this guitar has is the new paint job, and it looks great. The fading was done nicely, and there were no drips or runs in the paint. ESP is generally really good about paint, even if they do apply it a bit thick at certain points. The rest of this guitar is the same as any other newer KH-2 out there. The fretwork was top notch, just like you'd expect from ESP. The guitar also had a good weight to it. The necks on these are nice and thin, but they're not super thin like Ibanez necks. It also had a nice C/U shape to it unlike the D shape from the Ibanez style necks.
SOUNDS
The guitar is equipped with the current pickup configuration that Kirk seems to be using, and that's the EMG 81 in the bridge and the EMG 60 in the neck. The EMG 81 in the bridge is awesome for metal. It's very bright and cutting. This works great for those super dense metal mixes which tend to be geared more towards the low end spectrum. This allows you to be heard as a guitarist, but you have to be careful as it can get a bit shrill on its own. The EMG 60 in the neck is great in mahogany bodied guitars, but I find it to be a bit too bright for this wood configuration. It's great for cleans, but it's kinda lacking something for leads.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're a big fan of the paint job and green inlays on this guitar, you'll want to look hard at buying this model. Aside from that, you're probably better off buying an ESP M-II NTB. I'm not trying to push the standard line but just give you options on something that could help reduce the costs and prevent potential "fanboyism" comments from other people out there.