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Hatsubai « Maple top version »
Published on 08/15/11 at 19:33The ESP M-II has long since been one of ESP's top selling models. The Horizon is also one of the more coveted models that ESP has had in their arsenal. They basically put a figured maple top on this model, made it neck-thru and decided to sell it for a bit more money. It's like a flat top model of the Horizons. The guitar has alder wings with a maple top, a maple neck-thru construction neck with an ebony fretboard, 24 extra jumbo frets, special square inlays with a special 12th fret inlay, original floyd rose, two humbuckers, one volume, one tone and a three way switch.
UTILIZATION
The guitar is off the charts considering what you get. The neck on this is absolutely fantastic. It's a nice C shape, and it fits your hand perfectly without being too thick or too thin. The fretwork is also amazing. The frets themselves are perfectly crowned, so no issues there. It also doesn't slice up your hand when moving up and down the neck. The binding is super slick on this, and I can't even tell where it starts or ends. The neck-thru construction allows for effortless playability on the upper frets, too.
SOUNDS
The guitar came with an EMG 81 in the bridge and an EMG 85 in the neck. The EMG 81 in the bridge in this guitar made it very cutting. You could have the densest mix out there, and this would cut through like no tomorrow. It can sometimes get a bit bright, but a quick turn of the presence knob tends to fix that issue. The EMG 85 in the neck is awesome for super fat lead tones, and it's absolutely perfect for this guitar. I was able to get some super awesome lead tones with this through my different amps. The EMGs aren't the most dynamic pickups, but they deliver when it comes to metal.
OVERALL OPINION
These are a great alternative to the ESP Horizon II FR model. If you prefer the flat top style of guitars instead of the archtop Horizon models, this is what you want. It's pretty much the same as the overseas Horizons, so you won't be disappointed at all.
UTILIZATION
The guitar is off the charts considering what you get. The neck on this is absolutely fantastic. It's a nice C shape, and it fits your hand perfectly without being too thick or too thin. The fretwork is also amazing. The frets themselves are perfectly crowned, so no issues there. It also doesn't slice up your hand when moving up and down the neck. The binding is super slick on this, and I can't even tell where it starts or ends. The neck-thru construction allows for effortless playability on the upper frets, too.
SOUNDS
The guitar came with an EMG 81 in the bridge and an EMG 85 in the neck. The EMG 81 in the bridge in this guitar made it very cutting. You could have the densest mix out there, and this would cut through like no tomorrow. It can sometimes get a bit bright, but a quick turn of the presence knob tends to fix that issue. The EMG 85 in the neck is awesome for super fat lead tones, and it's absolutely perfect for this guitar. I was able to get some super awesome lead tones with this through my different amps. The EMGs aren't the most dynamic pickups, but they deliver when it comes to metal.
OVERALL OPINION
These are a great alternative to the ESP Horizon II FR model. If you prefer the flat top style of guitars instead of the archtop Horizon models, this is what you want. It's pretty much the same as the overseas Horizons, so you won't be disappointed at all.