So I had tried these guitars a couple months ago when I heard that Sam Ash was blowing them out to make room for the 07' models ($999 for Duncan equiped, $1399 for EMG equiped). I spent about an hour in store trying them out and liked what I felt, but wasn't ready to buy. Besides that, my local Sam Ash still had the Duncan equiped marked at $1399 and the EMG at $1499. Anyways, I got a 20% everything in the store card in the mail so I figured it was time to make my move. When I told the store manager I was going to pay $800 for the guitar he looked at me like I had a screw loose. Lo and behold, after checking the price in the computer, I now have a real ESP for the same price as a 1000 series made in Korea LTD. I certainly can't complain...
This is my first LP style guitar and I'm quite happy. It has pretty much all of the features I would want (Mahog w/ maple top, short scale, fixed bridge, locking tuners, and a dark rosewood board). What sold me on the guitar was probably the satin finish, especially on the neck. Its feels very smooth, almost like a raw wood finish. In terms of build quality I would give ESP pretty high marks. Setup for low action was quick and easy. There is some slight raised spots on the paint and the inlays are quite blah. The top isn't book-matched but still looks pretty good with the honeyburst finish. The finish around the body binding isn't perfect, but that's really getting into minor details. There are also some small pin hole sized dings from sitting so long at the store (along with a filthy fret-board and some dust). At least it was high on the wall so no one could just grab it off the wall.
Overall, I'd have to say that ESP did a good job. Its a slightly modern take on the Les Paul, more oriented for metal playing. The neck is medium to slightly on the thinner side and feels perfect in my (smaller sized) hands. It isn't quite as thick as a real LP, but the tone is still great when I plug straight into my amp. I know ESP gets bashed around a lot here, but this guitar fits into a territory that I can't get to with Jackson at the moment (I've been dreaming about a custom, but now that is at least 20% farther away...)
This is my first LP style guitar and I'm quite happy. It has pretty much all of the features I would want (Mahog w/ maple top, short scale, fixed bridge, locking tuners, and a dark rosewood board). What sold me on the guitar was probably the satin finish, especially on the neck. Its feels very smooth, almost like a raw wood finish. In terms of build quality I would give ESP pretty high marks. Setup for low action was quick and easy. There is some slight raised spots on the paint and the inlays are quite blah. The top isn't book-matched but still looks pretty good with the honeyburst finish. The finish around the body binding isn't perfect, but that's really getting into minor details. There are also some small pin hole sized dings from sitting so long at the store (along with a filthy fret-board and some dust). At least it was high on the wall so no one could just grab it off the wall.
Overall, I'd have to say that ESP did a good job. Its a slightly modern take on the Les Paul, more oriented for metal playing. The neck is medium to slightly on the thinner side and feels perfect in my (smaller sized) hands. It isn't quite as thick as a real LP, but the tone is still great when I plug straight into my amp. I know ESP gets bashed around a lot here, but this guitar fits into a territory that I can't get to with Jackson at the moment (I've been dreaming about a custom, but now that is at least 20% farther away...)
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