An Honest Question

[pinto79]

I had a Jake E. Lee Signature that I wish I hadn't sold. By far the best "Strat" I've ever played.

I've had a few Jacksons and Charvels too, none of them have stuck around...

[Joe Stump]

Jackson and Charvel guitars are the best that I have ever played, Superfast necks well balanced etc.... I do own two older ESP's though. Both of them are Lynch's and I like them as well, I played a friends KH-2 and I thought that it was a great playing guitar, but it's not a US made instrument, but that is the only drawback to them, which IMO isn't much of an issue! They play well, but if I had a choice I'd buy a Charvie first

Not so sure I agree with you, my RR is definitely not well balanced, hence its on it way to a new owner

[JACKSONFREAK]

I just don;t see the value for the buck with ESP that i do with Jackson/Charvel. Hmmm pay 700 for a korean made ESP/LTD made by somebody else. (world music corperation, also make schecters, washburn, PRS SE. etc..) Or pay 600 for a Japanese made Jackson made in a JAckson plant by Jackson employees. With a better fit and finish and the neck i like better. So what have we learned here? JAckson is cheaper (imports), feels better, has a better fit and finish, and is made by thier oewn people in thier own facotry in Japan. Thus being Jackson is better and ESP sucks.
Gil

[AfterForever]

I like ESPs. I don't care they copied some models, it's almost impossible not to. The ESPs I've tried were very good. The LTD series 400 and higher are very good too.

[nateb]

I have owned quite a few of both. ESP's can be good. But, personally, when I pick up a guitar that I am thinking of buying, it has to feel like I am coming home. There is just something familiar about how it feels, the speed of the neck, the slickness of the strings. I have run into a few turd jacksons. The turd jacksons were 10x times better then LTD's. I have never found a True ESP that matched up to the quality of a Jackson Soloist.

I had a guy that called me up to tell me that he just got a ESP M-II in. I always liked the look of it. He said it just got a fresh setup on it. I picked it up and 30 seconds later, I was absolutely not interested in one bit.

I do like the old Stagemast....
eerrr uh... Jackson archto...
Oh yeah... the old archtop M-series pointy and would like to check those out again.

-Nate

[MEX3]

Jackson fans hate ESP because everyone jumps ship from Jackson to ESP.
Does that mean that ESP makes a better guitar, or just that ESP values their players more than Jackson does? Or maybe even both... I do know that the new ESPs I've seen had better fretwork and finish than the new Jacksons I've seen. I'd have no problem laying down some $$$ on a ESP. Brand loyalty goes out the window when quality drops and prices go sky high.

[RR05xx]

Well, I can say this. I do not hate ESP. I have owned some and most recently had a Jeff Hanamen model, which is essentially a soloist copy. Great guitar to have with a soloist as a backup/second guitar playing live. However, when I stopped playing neck thrus, something had to go between thr two. Soloist played better so I sold the ESP. I regret it now and then and would probably buy another if I started playing neck thrus again, I would probably buy one again. However, if it is going to be only one, its a Jackson.

[toejam]

Jackson fans hate ESP because everyone jumps ship from Jackson to ESP.

Not all. Scott Ian went from ESP to Jackson... then he went from Jackson to Washburn.

[Szostak]

Paying nearly 2000.00 for a japanese made ESP is not my idea of fun.Most of the esps I have played have been Ok at best with the exception of the anniversery lych bomber I just played its not that I hate them I just dont really think that the value for the price is there at times.But once again I go back to the last few lines of your post.so and so from this band plays them so they must be good and that s ok.I am all for buying something because a guitar hero of mine played it but not if its a hunk of shit that doesnt suit my needs.alot of people dont understand that some of the esps that these big bands play are built for them by the custom shop and are not standard models off the rack. nearly everything hetfield and hammett play is made in the usa custom shop or same as COB and so on.I have yet to see esp really break out with something original they mostly make copies with refinments to me.I much more respect ibanez for the advancments they have made in tremelos and designs.

the reason i mentioned kris norris isn't because i'm a fanboy, i just think he's a respectable guitarist and knows how to choose gear. i'm not saying i'm going to base choices off of what he chooses, i'm just curious as to what makes him choose them.

toejam, did you have to mention that last part? lol

[j2379]

the old ESPs i had back in the late 80's were great. they were also $450 brand new & NECK THRU. alot easier to buy than $1000+ jacksons when your 15 & mowing laws for $. the last real ESPs i played was a GL kami & one of the LP copies eclipse?. no complaints tho for the $ ill buy something else, tho i do like the idea of a floyd'd LP copy.

[Drazden]

I loved my LTD EC-1000 that I had. Sounded good, felt good, looked good. When push came to shove, though, and I had a bill that needed paying NOW, I let it go. I could never do that to my Soloist.

That being said, if I ever need a guitar with EMG's to gig with, that'll be where I go to first. Easily one of the best-built, finished guitars I've ever found.

[sakeido]

The Japanese built ESP Standard Series models are just as good to play as USA made Jacksons are and cost thousands less. The ESP Custom Shop sig models aren't that much better than a USA Jackson though and are generally more so I don't see the point of that line unless you really, really want that particular sig model.
And then as far as imports go, the LTD 400 or 500 series are available at really low prices and absolutely destroy Jackson's low end models. I dunno about you guys but DK2s, DX10s, whatever the cheap models are Jackson makes - those things are absolutely horrible.
I still prefer the Jackson brand as a whole but when it comes down to it, and you actually compare a Jackson and an ESP on their individual merits as instruments... ESP holds up a lot better than Jackson does across the range.

And then when it comes to the Custom Shop. I put in the same quote to ESP and Jackson - 6 string, neck through, all mahogany with carved maple tops in a silverburst finish, the ESP was $3100 and the Jackson was $4800 (after Jackson's price increase). Then for a 7 string, after ESP's latest price increase, the price difference was down to about $500. Both shops do great work but are overpriced.

[VitaminG]

ESP Standards are thousands less than US Jacksons? But when you put in your quote to both shops, the difference on a custom guitar is only $1700 (following Jackson's price increase, but before ESP's). So you're saying the divide between standard production models is much greater than the difference between Custom Shop prices....

I always thought new US Jacksons were out there for around $2-3k. So for a production ESP (not LTD) to be thousands cheaper, ESP must be just about giving them away.

also, I don't think comparing the 400-and-up LTDs to the DX10 is a fair comparison. And the DK2 is NOT a cheap horrible guitar. I don't think so many JCFers would own them if they were crap, blind fanboyism will only get a company so far.

[sakeido]

Sorry, ESP Standards are a thousand less, with far more variety as far as bridges, woods, and shapes go. No stupid airbrush finishes, either, which reflects better on that brand as a whole. And the DK2 IS a cheap horrible guitar. Everyone I know who got one ditched it - and since there is no real mid-priced Jackson, they got ESPs instead.

[Axewielder]

No stupid airbrush finishes, either, which reflects better on that brand as a whole.

Crap. I didn't know my WR1 and RR1 were stupid.