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tjon901 « ESP superstrat with EMG's »
Published on 07/27/11 at 08:03ESP is one of the most popular guitar makers from Japan. Most ESP guitars people see are really LTD's their budget line. It is easy to confuse the two brands because they are built to exactly the same specs just in different places. ESP branded ESP guitars are built to custom shop quality in Japan. This guitar is the ESP MII with EMG's and a maple fretboard. This model has bolt on neck construction and features a maple neck with a maple fretboard. The fretboard has 24 jumbo frets. The body is alder and is in your standard super strat MII shape. It has a Floyd Rose locking tremolo at the back with a set of EMG 81 pickups in the middle. The controls are super simple with just a volume knob and a 3 way switch.
UTILIZATION
This guitar was designed to play fast. The bolt on construction lets you have a fast raw neck that is free of finish. The heel is angled to give you good access to the upper frets. The neck is super thin and smooth so you can really speed up and down. The fretboard is nice and flat and the jumbo frets let you get a low action and really dig in. I would have preferred an ebony fretboard on a guitar this expensive but rosewood is ok with jumbo frets. The Original Floyd Rose is the original and still the best. Once setup this thing is locked down and will never go out of tune. The simple controls mean you will never hit the wrong switch or knob because there is only one of each. Since the pickups are active you will need a battery to operate them but ESP provides a easy access battery compartment.
SOUNDS
EMG pickups are a perfect fit for this guitar. They provide super output and clarity thanks to their active design. The 81 in the bridge is a classic setup. It has a high end crunch and distortion that gives it clarity no matter how much gain you are using or how low you tune. The 81 in the neck is not as common. I am not a fan of the 81 in the neck especially in this guitar. With the alder body and maple neck and fretboard this guitar is pretty bright and the 81 in the neck is too bright. When I switch to a neck pickup I want it to sound like a neck pickup. An 85 in the neck would have been a better choice. I would have preferred an 85 in the neck. The 85 would have been good in the bridge also to thicken up the naturally bright tones of the guitar. Good thing EMG's come with a quick connect setup so it is very easy to swap out pickups among EMG's you can easily see what combination you like best.
OVERALL OPINION
There arent many high end shred guitars that come with maple fretboards nowadays. They are coming back in popularity. This guitar is a good solid design and is a stable in the ESP line up. This guitar is the definition of shred guitar. It has no frills its just black and ready to play. If you are looking for a no frills shred guitar with a maple neck this guitar is a beast.
UTILIZATION
This guitar was designed to play fast. The bolt on construction lets you have a fast raw neck that is free of finish. The heel is angled to give you good access to the upper frets. The neck is super thin and smooth so you can really speed up and down. The fretboard is nice and flat and the jumbo frets let you get a low action and really dig in. I would have preferred an ebony fretboard on a guitar this expensive but rosewood is ok with jumbo frets. The Original Floyd Rose is the original and still the best. Once setup this thing is locked down and will never go out of tune. The simple controls mean you will never hit the wrong switch or knob because there is only one of each. Since the pickups are active you will need a battery to operate them but ESP provides a easy access battery compartment.
SOUNDS
EMG pickups are a perfect fit for this guitar. They provide super output and clarity thanks to their active design. The 81 in the bridge is a classic setup. It has a high end crunch and distortion that gives it clarity no matter how much gain you are using or how low you tune. The 81 in the neck is not as common. I am not a fan of the 81 in the neck especially in this guitar. With the alder body and maple neck and fretboard this guitar is pretty bright and the 81 in the neck is too bright. When I switch to a neck pickup I want it to sound like a neck pickup. An 85 in the neck would have been a better choice. I would have preferred an 85 in the neck. The 85 would have been good in the bridge also to thicken up the naturally bright tones of the guitar. Good thing EMG's come with a quick connect setup so it is very easy to swap out pickups among EMG's you can easily see what combination you like best.
OVERALL OPINION
There arent many high end shred guitars that come with maple fretboards nowadays. They are coming back in popularity. This guitar is a good solid design and is a stable in the ESP line up. This guitar is the definition of shred guitar. It has no frills its just black and ready to play. If you are looking for a no frills shred guitar with a maple neck this guitar is a beast.