LTD STC-Shaped Guitars

This guitar is a lot closer to the actual signature model that Jeff uses. In fact, it's very close to the normal ESP one, and it's a great deal for those looking for a quality guitar without the huge price tag. The guitar features an alder body (we call them "wings" as it's a neck-thru guitar), a maple neck with an ebony fretboard, 24 extra jumbo frets, unique inlays, a Kahler bridge, binding, two EMG humbuckers, one volume, one tone and a three way switch. UTILIZATION The overall build quality of this is pretty good. The frets are in good shape, and they were finished quite nicely. The ends aren't as nice as the normal ESP standard series, but you're getting what you're paying for. It's still good, and there aren't any issues with them cutting up your hand every time you go up and down the neck. The guitar itself was a bit heavy given its neck-thru construction, but it isn't too bad. The biggest issue with this guitar is that it has a Kahler bridge. These bridges feel very odd, and I can't get over how they dull the overall tone of the guitar. SOUNDS The guitar sounded pretty good thanks to the EMGs. The guitar had an EMG 81 in the bridge and an EMG 85 in the neck. The EMG 81 in the bridge delivered a great tone for metal. It's bright with tons of harmonics, and it cuts through even the densest mix out there. Some people dislike how bright it can be, and I understand that, but it works awesome in a recording or live setting. The EMG 85 in the neck is super fat, and you can get some sick lead tones out of it. Clean tones are a bit dull sounding, maybe even a bit hi-fi sounding, but they're not too terrible if you add some effects to it. OVERALL OPINION The guitar is pretty good considering the price. You get a lot for your money. If these came with a different bridge, I would look into possibly buying one. They're pretty cool, and I have been a big time Slayer fan for years. I just can't get over how bad this bridge is...

This is a Made in Vietnam strat that has a great "broken in" feel even though the distressed finish is actually underneath the final finish. Either way, the guitar looks awesome up close and from afar. The ST203M has an aged maple neck with distressed maple fret board--it plays like a well-broken-in guitar that's been around for years, on and off the stage (possibly even dropped from the stage a few times), in and out of the studio, had beer spilled all over it, and just overall a true player instead of a case queen. The stock single coils are punchy and have a mid spike that allows it to bridge the gap between single-coil and humbucker-equipped guitars. It embodies many of the great sonic qualities associated with Stratocasters yet takes it up a notch with a little more punch and cut. UTILIZATION The ESP LTD ST203M is a 22-fret guitar and access to the upper frets is achieved easily enough. The neck is a familiar C-shape with slightly more substance to it than similar guitars which makes it slightly easier and more comfortable to play. Part of the "distressed" finish includes cut-aways and parts of the guitar shaved or worn-down that actually make it easier and/or more comfortable to play. The guitar is well-balanced, not too heavy and not too light. The tuning keys are stable, not flimsy, and hold the tune and stability rather well. SOUNDS Most of what I play are Splawn and Jet City amplifiers, and mostly with a good amount of overdrive and right-hand energy. There are some songs where the clarity and staccato nature of single-coil pickups brought out the extreme punctuation in the songs but made the songs cleaner and brought out more of the characteristics that make the song great. The ST203M is the perfect guitar to get this particular job done. Of course, everything is upgradeable and the ST203M is so well-put-together that any upgrades are unbelievably easy and bring out the best qualities of the guitar. Clean, the guitar sounds sparkling and clear with great mids, and lends itself extremely well to blues and rock tones. The ST203M is a wonderfully versatile guitar and looks like it's got the miles to prove it. OVERALL OPINION As an entry-level guitar this is really the class of the field that I've found. For a relatively small amount of money you can get into a guitar that looks, plays, and sounds great for anything just short of full-force screaming metal, and this can be achieved easily enough with a simple pickup replacement. I've put a Dimarzio Fast Track 2 in the bridge of mine and added a Babicz Full Contact Hardware tremolo system and for a small amount in upgrades this is a top-notch guitar that I would play on any stage.

If someone asked me to design a metal guitar that is super playable and can handle every sort of heavy music I would probably come up with something similar to this guitar. This is the ESP H-1001. The design is not very radical by todays standards. It is a superstrat with a tune-o-matic bridge and active pickups. This guitar is a really quality piece. The guitar has a mahogany body with a set maple neck. The body has a flamed maple top for looks. The neck has a rosewood fretboard with 24 jumbo frets and offset inlays. Up top you get a 3x3 headstock with locking tuners. The nut is an Earvana compensated nut. The bridge is a locking Tonepros tune-o-matic setup with a string through tailpiece. The electronics is a set of classic EMG pickups. The bridge pickup is an EMG 81 while the neck pickup is an EMG 85. This is pretty much the standard when it comes to metal active pickups. You get a volume knob and a tone knob along with a 3 way blade switch to change pickups. UTILIZATION Hardtail shred guitars are hard to find so a solid one like this is a real gem. You do not have to fuss with allen wrenches and stuff whenever you want to change tunings or strings and it will stay in tune no matter what. I also liked the arch top body. With the 3x3 headstock instead of a 6 inline headstock I find it more comfortable to tune and change strings because with 6 inline headstocks I always hit my fingers on the tuners when I am tuning. With the compensated nut chords up and down the neck sound better and more in tune. A major dislike about this guitar is all the abalone on it. It looks pretty gaudy like some schecters from a few years ago. Another minor dislike is the battery compartment. You have to unscrew it to get to the battery so it does not save any time over just putting it in the main compartment. Most active guitars have a flip open battery compartment that is quick and easy. SOUNDS The tone on this guitar just as expect. With the EMG pickups in it there are no surprises with the tone. EMG pickups are super consistant and give you a good heavy sound in just about every wood or construction type of guitar. Everyone knows what the 81 in the bridge sounds like. It gives you the thick active sound with lots of clarity. Harmonics come out very easily and it can push just about every amp into overdrive. The 85 in the neck is great for leads and better for cleans. When playing fast you get a smooth sound with just enough bite so you can still tell the notes apart. OVERALL OPINION This guitar has everything you need to rock out. It is super simple and rock solid. It comes with locking tuners and a locking bridge from the factory so its like it is already upgraded. The pickups are some of the best metal pickups you can get and they are factory stock as well. This is the definition of a solid metal guitar. This guitar can handle just about every type of heavy music you can throw at it and can do it with ease. The playability is great and so is the price. If you are looking for a nice solid metal guitar with active pickups this should be on your shortlist.

Construction: Bolt-on Scale: 25.5 in. Body: Agathis with flamed Maple top Neck: Maple with reverse pointed headstock Fretboard: Rosewood, 24 extra jumbo frets Inlays: Dots with model name at 12th fret Pickups: ESP LH-100 set Electronics: Volume, 3-way slotted, tone Hardware: Black Bridge: Floyd Rose licensed Frets: 24 XJ Dimensions and Weight in PackagingSee Thru BlackShipping Weight: 28 lbs Shipping Dimensions: 51 x 18 x 6 in See Thru Black CherryShipping Weight: 11 lbs Shipping Dimensions: 43 x 16 x 4 in UTILIZATION This is a stunner from LTD, visually. This is a guitar that looks very nice, with the flamed maple top and the lines from the more expensive Japanese ESP Custom models. However, the guitar is fairly cheap, not just in price, but in materials. The body is made of agathis, which guitar manufacturers use on only the most bottom-end lines they make. It is not a very resonant wood, and doesn't bring about any particularly memorable tonal characteristics. The neck itself is ok, with the fretwork being passable, yet not great. And the worst part about this guitar is the tremolo system - it is a licensed Floyd Rose, yet not an Original Floyd Rose, so it is made of a cheaper pot metal rather than the good cast metal. SOUNDS The pickups are anemic and weak. They don't provide a lot of clarity or definition - they simply pick up the string vibrations and turn them into an electric signal in order to make sound. So they work, in the same way that a phonebook could be used to hammer in a nail, but it wouldn't do a very good job at it. These pickups don't do a good job of making a quality tone happen. OVERALL OPINION This guitar would be fine to hang on the wall and never play. It frankly is just not that good. In the same price range, one could acquire a higher quality Ibanez or even Schecter guitar and be a lot more satistfied.

The ESP LTD MH-1000NT is one of their arch top shred style guitars. Unlike a lot of their models this guitar comes with passive pickups instead of active EMG's. Some people may prefer the more traditional and more versatile passive tones to the ones you would get with active pickups. This guitar has all the high end playability of a high end ESP guitar but with a more traditional tone that the passive pickups provide. This guitar has mahogany body with a neck through maple neck. The mahogany body has a nice quilted top on it. The neck has a rosewood fretboard with 24 jumbo frets. Up top you get a 6 inline headstock with ESP locking tuners and the bridge is a locking Tonepros unit. The pickups in this guitar are a great example of passive pickups. They are one of the most popular sets out on the market. It is a set of Seymour Duncans. The JB/59 setup with a JB in the bridge and a 59 in the neck. The controls are no nonsense with a master volume and master tone with a 3 way switch. UTILIZATION This guitar has great playability due to its high end construction. With the neck through design that means there is no neck joint heel to get in your way when you are playing up in the high frets. The fretboard has a nice flat radius and this combined with Jumbo frets means that you can get a nice low action on the strings for easy playability and string bending. The hardtail design keeps away the tremolo headaches and lets you change strings and tunings easily. The tuning is rock solid as well with the hardtail and the locking tuner setup. This model comes with an Earvana compensated nut that improves intonation up the neck a bit. SOUNDS The JB/59 set is a familiar set if you have been in the guitar industry for a while. it is one of the most popular setups for Seymour Duncan pickups. The JB in the bridge was designed for Jeff Beck. He pretty much told them to make the perfect pickup and they got pretty close. This pickup is great for just about every type of music. Even heavier music. The low end is pretty tight but it can also do great classic rock tones. The 59 in the neck is an old school PAF clone. It is great for lead playing and has a good vowelly quality to it. Both of these pickups respond well to the wood of the guitar. In this guitar with the mahogany body with the maple neck through neck you get a thick sound but with the clarity that the neck through neck provides and these tones are picked up well from the pickups. OVERALL OPINION Not all ESP guitars are for metal but the majority of them are. A guitar like this is more on the metal side but it can also do other things thanks to its great passive pickups. This guitar looks metal from the outside but it is the full package. The passive pickups in this guitar let you have a whole range of tones but the playability is all there like what you expect on a modern metal guitar. If you are use to the epic playability of a modern guitar but want versatile tones this guitar is a good option and gives you pretty much the best of both worlds.

I trust this guitar so much that I've owned three of them. Toured with a pair for some time and bought another one after selling both off. Two were made in Korea (one in 06, one in 08) and one (MH401QMNT) in Indonesia (09). All had 24 fret, set through maple necks with ESP's thin neck contour, mahogany bodies and active EMG 81 (bridge)/85 (neck) pickups with a master volume, master tone and three way selector switch. All had a tune-o-matic bridge and were string through body. The 06 had natural binding and I think it looked a lot better than the white binding on the later models, but the quality between the 06 and 08 was really close. The Indonesian model suffered from some minor finish flaws, but sonically didn't stray very far. UTILIZATION The set through neck gives way to the contoured heel that ESP and LTD have made their reputation with. The reason is simple, excellent access down to the 24th fret without feeling awkward or bulky. I'm a big fan of flat thin necks, but the thin U neck contour is comfortable and really easy to get around. This guitar has enough heft to it and a mahogany body to add depth to your tone without losing the shred lineage that ESP built it's foundation upon. You can shred and riff easily and you won't compromise on either end of the spectrum. The tuners on the three models that I had were all Grovers. Starting in 2010, they started using ESP branded tuners on the 400 series LTDs and those are unquestionably lesser quality. The Grovers get the job done, but I opted for Sperzel locking tuners on all three. Earavana nut on all three of these, no problems there. I had to switch one to graphite years later and that was a definite improvement. Also combined with Graphtech string saddles, gave my strings considerably more life. The tune-o-matic bridge was good, but definitely one area that I wasn't too excited about. The cosmo black is prone to oxidization very quickly and it begins to look old beyond it's year/s very quickly. I went for the Tonepros locking bridge instead and it adds a touch of sustain, but the real bonus comes in quicker and easier string changing and polishing. The high gloss finish will show every fingerprint or sweat streak, so I would start wiping after every show and end up polishing between every string change, but that's OCD talking, it's not necessary. My one real qualm with the design has more to do with the archtop, the volume and tone knobs dropped into the top a bit and there's a dip surrounding them. It looks fine, but if you're getting sweaty while playing and killing the volume between songs, it's really easy to get the area under the knob sweaty enough to corrode those pots far quicker than you would want to imagine. I thought about swapping the volume pot with a killswitch, but never got around to it. Seems a tad unnecessary. SOUNDS The standard EMG 81/85 set sounds excellent in this guitar. Great resonance from the mahogany body and the maple top gives it some added punch. I play death metal, and any kind of metal or core is going to sound really great from this guitar, but it doesn't lose out on the clean side of things. The active pickups are definitely geared towards heavier music, but if you wanted to have a bit more versatility and less heaviness, you could easily swap out for passives and get a bit more range. OVERALL OPINION Overall, this is a great guitar. If I had to start over, I would stick with one of these. The later models don't have the same features, so I would stick with a used one. I have played newer models off the shelf and they sound good, but it seems like there was a mid-00's peak in the production that's hard to surpass. Just to add to that value, they're fairly easy to find with a hardshell case between $400-500. If you get this as a first or early guitar, you'll have a really hard time parting ways with it. For me, these were solid workhorse guitars that played and sounded great. They made a perfect place holder until I got enough money up to upgrade to the ESP Horizon NT II which these were largely modeled after.

LTD is made by the parent company ESP. You could say LTD is ESP's budget line, but don't let that fool you, they put out some cool guitars. I checked out my local music shop and saw this came in. My instant draw to the LTD was the Floyd Rose and the humbucker in the bridge. $399 was a great price, but I didn't buy it. I played it through a Fender Hot Rod Deville for about an hour. The satin neck gives it that worn in feel. As I climbed up the neck I felt like I had been there many times before. The Floyd Rose had a solid tension with great tuning. I was able to go nuts on the bar and the guitar didn't go flat. The pickups are a single, single and humbucker configuration. The bridge was a screamer, no need to upgrade it. The neck was warm and bell-like similar to a nice Strat. The distressed look is give or take. From 10' back this guitar actually looks naturally worn, but upon close inspection you can tell it is just factory roadworn. There is an LTD logo printed in the 12th fret. Another minor cosmetic setback that isn't a deal breaker, just isn't a plus. The body is alder and the neck is maple. Pickups are one LH-150 Humbucker in the bridge and two LH-120 single coil pickups in the middle and neck position. The Floyd Rose and tuners are not top shelf, but they aren't bargain bin gear either, you can rock out all evening on this and never stray far from some fine tuning. Finally an affordable relic'd guitar with plenty of personality both visually and tonally. I will warn you, once you pick it up it will be tough to put down, fits just like your favorite worn sweatshirt! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I have seen some places reviewing this product and calling it a "Start Pack" and I am a little confused by this. I am by far not a newbie but I am not a professional either. I play in my spare time and its a hobby for me. The more I play, the more I learn but I kind of consider this an in between type. It is one of those "badass" guitars that you see but its not overly done. The skull & bones are a good mix on the inlays and give it that feel of the "real deal". The body is bassword and feels a little light to me compared to some others I have played on but overall its got a good mix to it. I like the 3-way slotted toggle and the overall size to this, just the same it plays rather nice when you compare "budget guitars" to the really expensive ones not all of us can afford. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I have only really been playing about a half a year, spread out over the course of a year (I pick it up, put it down, pick it up, ect) I have a good friend that is a great musician that just got a record deal that i talk with about guitars from time to time, as well as many other friends that are musicians I got my guitar at Tempo Music in Hendersonville NC, the guy that sold it to me was very helpful in helping me pick out the guitar, i cant remember how much i paid, a little over $200 i think, guitar, gig bag, tuner, and beginner book. I love MY guitar...i have since i got it, i would never get rid of it, maybe replace it b/c it is getting many dings and scratches (all my fault :() Everybody that has picked it up says it has a really good tone for what it is, it feels great in my hands and, as a beginner, i think its a breaze to play. Oh and it looks sexy too. the pickguard is scratched up a little bit,every once in a while there is a buzz when i hit either the open 2nd or 3rd string, i think its coming from a loose tuner, i tightend them all down a little and and I havent heard it since then, but it was on and off before hand anyways...BIG ding on the back that i caused, but thats all my fault...dangit Oh, and no brand recognision :-( It has gone through heck and back being with me, yet only has the "big" (in my opinion, she is my baby ya know) ding on the back and the scratched up pick guard (from before i had gotten it), it hasnt suffered at all, as far as i can tell, in tone from my abuse. I love it, the buzz is annoying, but possibly fixed, at first i thought i might have been cheeted a little bit, but thats b/c i didnt know how to play, now i know some, and its awsome. One prob is that it has no brand recognision...oh well... This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased this guitar through Music 123. It is very similer to the Kirk Hamett model KH-602 with the hardware from the KH202. I bought the guitar on clearence for less than $350, which is less than half the price of the KH602. This guitar looks amazing! The finish is as good or better than my $2000 Les Paul. The binding, inlays and fretwork are MUCH better than my Les Paul. This guitar is light weight. The sound is very good, although I would like to switch to a set of EMG-ZW pickups. The neck through body joints are flawless.The wood grain looks exceptional through the finish. I would prefer an original Floyd Rose over the "licensed" that came on the guitar. I think the rest of the hardware is cheap looking. The black plating began rubbing off the humbucker trim ring screws in less than a week. The volume knob also has become worn. The 5-way pickup selector switch cap broke off within a month of use. The construction is excellent as good as guitars costing 2-3X as much. I think the hardware is low quality. I dont think you can buy a better guitar for the price. Even if you have to replace some screws, knobs and switch caps. I have played several ESP LTD models. In side by side compareson tests, the ESP's play, sound and look, in my opinion better than Gibsons or Jacksons at any price. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I paid like $370 dollars for this guitar b/c my old generic one sux. But basically i had a bunch of money to burn so wut the heck. I walked into the store and said hey thats a cool looking guitar. I took it off the hook and realized i could afford it. So i bought it. This guitar is incredibly beautiful. it has a transparent blue finish with gold hardware. the clean tones are amazingly brilliant, even though it lacks in the heavy distortions. It has jumbo frets so you dont need much pressure on the fingerboard. It stays in tune perfectly. The guitar itself is awesome for the price i would reccommend it to any guitar player for a second guitar. Learn on sumthin cheap then get this as a step towards your gibson. It is really heavy. Due to this the tones are very deep sounding which isnt necessarily a bad thing, but the weight is. I wouldn't reccommend this guitar if you are planning gigs that last hours on end, but if ur just goofin like me and my band it's perfect. The gold wares of the pickups too. Great quality. No complaints at all except the gold wearing off. The body is a tad on the heavy side but i lift weights so its no big deal. Get this guitar if u dont already have one better than it b/c it is really cheap for what u get. I'd rather play this than my bandmate's gibson sg. Get this guitar! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this guitar from GuitarZar's in Salt Lake City, Utah. I paid about 800.00 for it. I was looking for a guitar with EMG 81's and picked it up. This guitar has a great sound when plugged into any amp. I've tried it on a tube amp and solid state. The glossy black paint job looks incredible and the emg 81's give it the sound that you'd want to go on stage with. the emg actives are 2 to 3 times as loud and powerful as any passive pickup, and they don't mud out in high distortion and fast playing. The neck and fingerboard are extremely smooth, almost as if you were playing a silk guitar. The only thing I don't like is I've always played les pauls and copys, so I'm used to 2 tone and 2 volume. This guitar has 1 tone and 1 volume. Besides that, I can't think of anything. it's very light, in my opinion a light guitar means that it won't last if you throw it across stage, but then again, who in their right mind is going to throw their guitar across stage without a backup? Overall a fabulous guitar. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com