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tjon901 « ESP's base superstrat »
Published on 06/29/11 at 09:28The M-II is a guitar ESP has made for a while but was not available in America for a long time. This is a real ESP model it is not an LTD. This means that this guitar is made in Japan to ESP's highest specs. Kirk Hammett from Metallica played them for years and years and the only way to get one was to import one or buy Kirks signature model guitar. Now you can get one in America and they are really nice. The neck through models feature dual EMG pickups. It features EMG 81's in the neck and bridge positions. It has an alder body with a neck through maple neck with reverse headstock. The back of the neck is raw which is something you dont find on many neck through guitars. This gives the feel of a bolt on guitar. The fretboard is rosewood and it has 24 extra jumbo frets. It features an Original Floyd Rose locking tremolo system. The controls are a volume knob and a 3 way switch, all you need.
UTILIZATION
Superstrats are built to play fast and this one is no exception. The neck through construction means there is no heel to be found and get in your way when playing on the high 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.
SOUNDS
EMG pickups really rip for metal but I am not a fan of the 81 in the neck. The bridge tones on this guitar are super clear. The 81 is a pretty bright pickup from stock so in a neck through guitar with an alder body this guitar is cutting through anything. The 81 in the neck is not a good choice in my opinion. With a guitar this bright you would want to darken up the neck position tones. 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.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a great alternative to a Jackson or something. Since this is a real ESP you are pretty much getting custom shop level quality on this guitar. It is built for speed and metal. The sound the guitar puts out will cut through any mix even with the heaviest gain and the lowest tunings. If you are looking for a great solid metal guitar this is one of the best.
UTILIZATION
Superstrats are built to play fast and this one is no exception. The neck through construction means there is no heel to be found and get in your way when playing on the high 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.
SOUNDS
EMG pickups really rip for metal but I am not a fan of the 81 in the neck. The bridge tones on this guitar are super clear. The 81 is a pretty bright pickup from stock so in a neck through guitar with an alder body this guitar is cutting through anything. The 81 in the neck is not a good choice in my opinion. With a guitar this bright you would want to darken up the neck position tones. 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.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a great alternative to a Jackson or something. Since this is a real ESP you are pretty much getting custom shop level quality on this guitar. It is built for speed and metal. The sound the guitar puts out will cut through any mix even with the heaviest gain and the lowest tunings. If you are looking for a great solid metal guitar this is one of the best.