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Audiofanzine FR
Published on 03/13/09 at 20:42
(Originally written by Flo95/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
Features:
Agathis body.
22-fret maple neck.
Rosewood fingerboard with jumbo frets.
Pearly dot inlays and model name at the 12th fret.
Two ESP-LH 150 pickups.
Sealed lubricated machine heads.
Black metal parts.
Sealed lubricated machine heads.
Black metal parts.
Tune-o-matic bridge.
3-way toggle switch.
One volume control.
One tone control
Good overall finish except for the jack that comes unscrewed after about one month!
But it's not a problem because it can be easily tightened again!
Great Explorer shape.
UTILIZATION
The neck might seem thick at first but you'll rapidly get used to it.
The frets are too high for my taste and the hand doesn't slide easily on the fingerboard but you'll also get used to that.
Good access to the upper frets even if the last fret is a bit difficult to reach.
This guitar is rather light and comfortable when you play sitting down but the headstock is too heavy when you're standing up. It's a bit annoying in the beginning but it's ok once you find the right position.
Ever since the LH-150 are the standard pickups of this model it sounds much better.
SOUNDS
As a reminder: you get two LH-150 humbuckers (neck and bridge) with a powerful response in the lows!
I told myself I'd get a decent sound with an instrument in this price range. I wanted an Explorer shape and I planned to upgrade the pickups later because I didn't have enough money to buy a real Explorer!
But it surprised me when I plugged it in!
I mainly play modern and classic hard rock and heavy metal, and also some thrash metal. This guitar is perfect for that music style.
I play with a 30 watt Roland Cube and a metal Muff Top Boost.
The clean sound is ok with the neck pickup and you can also get a good blues sound even if the low frequency response is a bit too generous, which leads to some lack of precision.
The combination of both pickups provides an average jazz sound but I never use that configuration.
The bridge pickup provides a powerful but average sound, which can overdrive some clean channels.
But the guitar sounds better with distortion!
The neck pickup provides good lows, perfect for heavy rhythm parts and palm mutes, but the sound turns muddy with a heavy distortion.
This pickup is also very good for playing solos. The sound is quite precise with a nice color but the response is not accurate enough for solos that demand extreme precision.
I never use the mid position.
The bridge pickup sounds good too. The sound is sharper and it sounds amazing with very high distortion settings, just like the neck pickup.
You can get a good heavy metal sound without EQing. That's an important point for me.
The bridge pickup is quite good for playing solos. It's a bit more precise than the neck pickup but it's a bit too sharp!
But if you consider the price of the guitar the sound is great!
OVERALL OPINION
I've been using it for two months and I'm very satisfied.
The finish is rather good for an instrument in this price range (especially the black heel with chrome plate).
I previously tested lots of guitars, including more famous models, but to me the EX-50 sounds much better than all other ones.
Excellent value for money!
Features:
Agathis body.
22-fret maple neck.
Rosewood fingerboard with jumbo frets.
Pearly dot inlays and model name at the 12th fret.
Two ESP-LH 150 pickups.
Sealed lubricated machine heads.
Black metal parts.
Sealed lubricated machine heads.
Black metal parts.
Tune-o-matic bridge.
3-way toggle switch.
One volume control.
One tone control
Good overall finish except for the jack that comes unscrewed after about one month!
But it's not a problem because it can be easily tightened again!
Great Explorer shape.
UTILIZATION
The neck might seem thick at first but you'll rapidly get used to it.
The frets are too high for my taste and the hand doesn't slide easily on the fingerboard but you'll also get used to that.
Good access to the upper frets even if the last fret is a bit difficult to reach.
This guitar is rather light and comfortable when you play sitting down but the headstock is too heavy when you're standing up. It's a bit annoying in the beginning but it's ok once you find the right position.
Ever since the LH-150 are the standard pickups of this model it sounds much better.
SOUNDS
As a reminder: you get two LH-150 humbuckers (neck and bridge) with a powerful response in the lows!
I told myself I'd get a decent sound with an instrument in this price range. I wanted an Explorer shape and I planned to upgrade the pickups later because I didn't have enough money to buy a real Explorer!
But it surprised me when I plugged it in!
I mainly play modern and classic hard rock and heavy metal, and also some thrash metal. This guitar is perfect for that music style.
I play with a 30 watt Roland Cube and a metal Muff Top Boost.
The clean sound is ok with the neck pickup and you can also get a good blues sound even if the low frequency response is a bit too generous, which leads to some lack of precision.
The combination of both pickups provides an average jazz sound but I never use that configuration.
The bridge pickup provides a powerful but average sound, which can overdrive some clean channels.
But the guitar sounds better with distortion!
The neck pickup provides good lows, perfect for heavy rhythm parts and palm mutes, but the sound turns muddy with a heavy distortion.
This pickup is also very good for playing solos. The sound is quite precise with a nice color but the response is not accurate enough for solos that demand extreme precision.
I never use the mid position.
The bridge pickup sounds good too. The sound is sharper and it sounds amazing with very high distortion settings, just like the neck pickup.
You can get a good heavy metal sound without EQing. That's an important point for me.
The bridge pickup is quite good for playing solos. It's a bit more precise than the neck pickup but it's a bit too sharp!
But if you consider the price of the guitar the sound is great!
OVERALL OPINION
I've been using it for two months and I'm very satisfied.
The finish is rather good for an instrument in this price range (especially the black heel with chrome plate).
I previously tested lots of guitars, including more famous models, but to me the EX-50 sounds much better than all other ones.
Excellent value for money!