ESP Vintage Plus (Vintage)

ESP Vintage Start Guitar +: Start alder body type with rosewood fingerboard, 21 jumbo frets.
2 for electronics simple and a double ESP, (replaced by 2 single Seymour Duncan SSL-1 and a Dimarzio Super Distortion double), one volume, one tone, 5 position switch and to top it off a Floyd Rose original chrome.
So we are dealing with a "Super Start" which broadens the possibilities of a strat sandard
Note the key points in abalone inlaid, and the ESP logo inlaid at the 12th case: the class!

UTILIZATION

The neck piece is agréble, as the varnish that slips out under the palm of his left hand. The handle is rather round in the mind strata, and promotes the game with the thumb on top, touching on the rosewood fingerboard is very soft, it's a real treat.
For the rest of the guitar is heavy (3.8 pounds) more than a classic Start, and comfort very good.
Only negative, if the back of the neck heel is designed to reach the last box, ben 21 boxes it's frustrating when we played before with 24

SOUNDS

I made the comparison test (August 2004) with a Elcery Xavier Petit, equipped with three simple: we notice immediately that the ESP and alder body make and sustain a vacuum resonance as important as Elcery and treble pops and present. Given the weight of the guitar, the sound is really rich and full. Once connected, the guitar keeps all its promises and has an excellent sound:

Its clear
Position 1 (bridge): the round but not very convincing, the Disto Super is not too at ease
Position 2: (split Super Disto and SSL-1 parallel) its metallic, typically strat.
Position 3: the sound is refined, it has a nice sound for arpeggios, modern in spirit, with nice mids and highs are still present, but it's the position I use the least
Position 4: the sound is very hollow and thin, delicate highs are present but not garish, too low, the mids well back: my position préfrée for arpeggios
Position 5: Start the sound par excellence, flute, metal and banging, we must listen to understand.

Drive sound: crunch in the guitar sounds good but hey the ADA MP-1 is not top for crunch. In saturated all goes well, the Super Disto is sending the puree, it's still very accurate, the palm mute sound distinctly, it does not bleed. The neck pickup (yet simple) that is not a powerhouse in providing not too bad but the saturated Disto Super fared much better.

Added 27/10:
Even on my Vox AD30 it spits of hell, both in saturated that clear!

OVERALL OPINION

You can do anything with this great strat except blues and hot jazz where it still lacks the roundness and why a Les Paul is unbeatable.
Compared to a Elcery, the sound is certainly less end (the Elcery is much lighter too) but the Floyd and double DiMarzio provide a range of sounds unavailable with a traditional strat.

This is a very good investment, a super versatile strat.
The sound is certainly more than a round in its strat US clear, but it saturated bury the past as it should.
In short, a skyscraper which, given the build quality, comfort handle and is close to the microphone config Music Man silhouette says it all!!

Frankly given the price OCCAZ I recommend anyone to try it, if not to jump on it