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Hatsubai « KH2 without the fluff »
Published on 05/31/11 at 19:45The ESP M-II neck-thru model is one of the newer ESPs that they brought over to the domestic market. For awhile, people have been asking for a guitar similar to the KH-2 but without the price, and this is the model they came up with. The guitar has an alder body with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard, abalone dot inlays with a name inlay at the 12th fret, 24 extra jumbo frets, an original floyd rose, two humbuckers, one volume and one three way switch.
UTILIZATION
ESP Standard series guitars are some of the best guitars out there for the money, and this is no exception. While it costs more than the standard M-II bolt-on series, it's still a fairly good value, especially used. The fretwork is awesome on this guitar. The edges are rounded properly, and the frets are fairly level. Even with the 12'' radius it has, the guitar can still get some low action without an issue. Given that there's not much to mess up with a neck-thru without any binding, the guitar is pretty much perfect in every other sense. The finish is polished nicely without any runs, and the neck feels great.
SOUNDS
The guitar is a bit on the bright side due to it having an EMG 81 in the bridge and being a neck-thru guitar. One thing about neck-thru guitars is that they have a unique sound, especially in the higher frequency range. This has to do with the maple, obviously. The rosewood helps warm it up a touch, but some people may not like the added bite of the EMG 81 that's in the bridge. That said, it can definitely work, especially for metal. The neck pickup is an EMG 85, and it sounds awesome for powerful lead lines.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a guitar that's similar to the KH-2 but without the ridiculous price and inlays, this is the guitar you should be checking out. The craftsmanship is top notch, the guitars great and it's not priced too terrible for what you get.
UTILIZATION
ESP Standard series guitars are some of the best guitars out there for the money, and this is no exception. While it costs more than the standard M-II bolt-on series, it's still a fairly good value, especially used. The fretwork is awesome on this guitar. The edges are rounded properly, and the frets are fairly level. Even with the 12'' radius it has, the guitar can still get some low action without an issue. Given that there's not much to mess up with a neck-thru without any binding, the guitar is pretty much perfect in every other sense. The finish is polished nicely without any runs, and the neck feels great.
SOUNDS
The guitar is a bit on the bright side due to it having an EMG 81 in the bridge and being a neck-thru guitar. One thing about neck-thru guitars is that they have a unique sound, especially in the higher frequency range. This has to do with the maple, obviously. The rosewood helps warm it up a touch, but some people may not like the added bite of the EMG 81 that's in the bridge. That said, it can definitely work, especially for metal. The neck pickup is an EMG 85, and it sounds awesome for powerful lead lines.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a guitar that's similar to the KH-2 but without the ridiculous price and inlays, this is the guitar you should be checking out. The craftsmanship is top notch, the guitars great and it's not priced too terrible for what you get.