ESP EC-1000 or JACKSON DK2M?

[toejam]

When I got my ESP MIII and slapped some EMGs in it I just wanted to sound like a certain well known heavy metal band but when I got older I realized active ceramic magnet pick-ups didn't appeal to my own personal taste. I realized I'm a passive Alnico V kinda guy.

Should have tried an EMG 85 or 89 instead of the 81 then. They are Alnico V.

[MountainDog]

thats funny Mountain Dog.. my buddy (his name on here is JRTME) has a Eclipse II and he has the EXACT same thing.. Cannot keep it from Buzzing.. he is a wiz at setups... and he has also had it professionally done.. no luck..

Thanks for the confirmation it's not just me! I also have the just released LTD WA-600 (Will Adler Camo LP with flag inlay) and out of the box it played much better and no buzzing...you'd think the ESP ECII would be better but mine isn't.

[cookiemonster2]

Should have tried an EMG 85 or 89 instead of the 81 then. They are Alnico V.

I have tried the 85. Active pick-ups sound too compressed to me.

[goodwood]

A LTD is not an ESP!! Wake up and smell the carcass

I didn't say it was did I? I said "every ESP...including the LTD". ESP is Japan and LTD line is Korea. Same company.

Every LTD (not ESP) I've played looks and feels cheap when compared to any MIJ Jackson.

Not I...I have to say almost the exact opposite actually...almost because it wasn't EVERY LTD...but 400 series and up...yes, every one made the MIJ Jacksons blush. See? Different people. Different tastes. I have a couple of those LTDs and they by no means look cheap or feel cheap...I even put them next to my USA Jackson sometimes.

ESP is getting recognition just due to all the endorsers. But the general public does not realise that the "artists" are not playing LTD's.

Every company that hires endorsersfollows that pattern. Does anyone think that Tiger Woods actually drives a Buick? He has one on a tv commercial.
ESP is following the pattern of a company that they learned a lot from and had close yies with back in the 1980s...Kramer. Get all of the names and the sales will follow. I think they learned all of the things NOT to do from Kramer as well...I won't fill in those blanks though.

[emperor_black]

The tiger wood anology would be acceptable if they were to show on tv that he's driving a buick which was in fact made in Japan and buick were to market to the common people one made from china.
When i went to the Dimmu bogir concert last week, all bands, opening and dimmu themselves were playing only ESP guitars. i bet there's a kid in the crowd whose falls for their corresponding LTD models without realising the fact that the LTD cannot touch the original in terms of quality, construction and playability.
All I am saying is, do not put LTD's up there, where ESP's should belong. I myself will take a Jackson over an ESP anyday. But again like you said "Different people. Different tastes"

[chrisolson]

I've had both. I still have the EC-1000 if that's any help. It fit for what I was doing better, and there were NO quality issues to speak of. Mine has the JB/'59 pickups in it, Tone Pros bridge, and Sperzels. Fit and finish is EXCELLENT, although the satin finish is not my favorite as it will (and does) get shiny spots where you rest your hand.

I'll still probably get another DK-2 at some point though.

[dinky kustom]

hmmmmmm....go the jackson.

[kelly user]

i hate it when these damn noobs ask questions, and never come back and say thank you.

[MountainDog]

i hate it when these damn noobs ask questions, and never come back and say thank you.

I agree....maybe we should have told him to skip the EC-1000 and DK2M and just get a "Hello Kitty" Squier instead.

[shreddermon]

Geez, he just posted it yesterday. Maybe he's waiting for more responses. Lighten up, guys.

I've played all 3 - ESP & LTD, and DK2M. The ESP was best, by far. A very high quality axe. The LTD was not too far behind. I was not impressed with the DK2M I played at all. It felt low-rent to me. Then again, it was at GC and had little in the way of set-up.

...I agree with other comments about these being very different guitars, though. Apples and oranges. Settle on what style guitar you want first - Floyd'd super-strat or TOM Les Paul-ish - and then decide.

[goodwood]

i bet there's a kid in the crowd whose falls for their corresponding LTD models without realising the fact that the LTD cannot touch the original in terms of quality, construction and playability.

You are likely correct on that bet...but really, any kid can easily go to the website for ESP and realize that there is no way he can have the multiple thousand dollar guitar...and the corresponding LTD model though not an equal to the ESP guitar is absolutely light years ahead of the 'beginner' guitars of 20 years ago. The Kramer Striker plywood special, the Series A, etc. all made from the same door. They were more like the Chinese scam guitars today than the beginner guitars today.
I know that a 200 series LTD is way over the quality of guitar that I or anyone I knew had to start with.

[chrisolson]

A LTD is not an ESP!! Wake up and smell the carcass
Every LTD (not ESP) I've played looks and feels cheap when compared to any MIJ Jackson. ESP is getting recognition just due to all the endorsers. But the general public does not realise that the "artists" are not playing LTD's.

Uh, yes they are. I see just as many LTD's as ESP's in the vids. And live. That said, they are probably a good road guitar - you can leave your nice axes at home!

i bet there's a kid in the crowd whose falls for their corresponding LTD models without realising the fact that the LTD cannot touch the original in terms of quality, construction and playability.

Of course, but you aren't comparing apples to apples...

You can't say that the current line of import Jacksons are exactly on par with the USA models either - maybe 10 or 15 years ago you could, but not now.

Have you played any of the higher end LTD's lately? I am NOT an ESP/LTD guy by any stretch, but I have an EC-1000 that's top notch in terms of quality, and I've played a number of LTD guitars lately (the Viper 400 comes to mind) that have great hardware, and impeccable fit & finish when compared to other guitars in the price range. They really opened my eyes. They aren't ESP's, but they are *nearly* as good when you get into their more "deluxe" models. I have found no quality issues in any of them.

[kelly user]

Geez, he just posted it yesterday. Maybe he's waiting for more responses. Lighten up, guys.

[emperor_black]

I did a similar thing on the gt-8 forums. I joined a couple of weeks back, opened a new thread, and forgot all about it. I did not subscribe to the thread nor setup instant email notification when a reply is posted. when I logged in yesterday out of curiosity, there were 3 replies. He'll be back...someday

[kelly user]

still waiting............