ESP Guitars - What's the problem?

jeffery · #1 09-22-2001, 10:10 PM

Been hearing things here and there about the quality decline of ESP guitars. Is this a band wagon that everyone is jumping on or is this legitimate? I have owned several Lynch ESPs over the past few months and the only thing I can say is the quality is second to none and far better than some of the "higher end" signature models from other manufacturers. It is one of the best guitars I have ever owned. The only problem I have seen is the neck pocket paint cracking that plagues most Jems. Must be the atmospere of our region is different than Japan's to cause paint to crack like that or they're just puttting too much hardner in the paint and makiing it brittle. Anyway, so what problems are people having with their ESPs? Anybody know?...............peace from unclebuck............

Goddamn Electric · #2 09-23-2001, 12:39 PM

yo man,

i was a HUGE ESP fan on the internet. i love metallica's guitars' so i went to the site, and have been drooling all over there guitars for 2 years. finally i was buying a guitar, and i picked up my dream guitar. the new m201. it just looks perfect, but the playability is nothing amazing. i bought the s370. this doesn't mean that all their guitars are bad, but i played a few others and the neck's and the playability just wasn't...worth it. maybe a good setup and they would be!

chromeboy · #3 09-23-2001, 01:54 PM

I recently had an ESP KH2 and I must say that I was really impressed with the quality. The finish was flawless and the set up was perfect right out of the box. It had a nice thin, fast neck and one thing I especially liked was that it had an original Floyd Rose, not a licensed one. Alas, it had to go to make room (in my wallet) for a DNA

.

Just my $.02, and I can't comment over all b/c I've only owned one.

ChrisReedSmith · #4 09-23-2001, 11:45 PM

I always say if Ibanez didn't exist...I'd play ESP.

DLHelfand · #5 09-25-2001, 01:21 PM

Goddam Electric,

Didn't you buy the LTD series? *I have not been keeping up with ESP as of late, but have always owned at least one of their high end models. *I presently have an original Kamikaze that I had modded a bit. *The high end ESP are top quality. There custom shop is as good as any maker on the market and their high end production are almost as good. *The LTD series which are pretty good for their class simply do not compare to the real deal.

ScottM · #6 09-26-2001, 12:59 AM

I have seen spotty quality on the LTD models. *However I did play a sunburst tiger the other day that blew away a Kirk Hammet model they had used. *Now, this was the LTD sunburst tiger. *I was really impressed. *Not so much with the Hammet model though.

VforVendetta00 · #7 09-26-2001, 11:15 AM

*I agree the hammet ltd model is not impressive at all, but the lynch models are outstanding in playability and feel, they also have duncan pickups which i prefer over emg's. *I just bought the h-307 and for the price ( 319 ) i think its one of the best playing and best sounding 7 strings out there, the neck joint isn't a aanj but its very close and the neck profile is close to an rg7620 but it has no floyd

it has also a see-through black cherry color which is just awesome.

one less than none · #8 10-03-2001, 09:28 AM

i have a LTD H-207 and i think the quality is fine for the money you pay, replace the pups and away you go!

i have no experiance with other ESP (or indeed 'proper' ESP's) but the believe the LTD series are fine guitars

30yroldpig · #9 10-09-2001, 03:08 PM

Two of my best friends bought the LTD Stephen Carpenter model and that guitar ROCKS!

The set-up on it was pure crap when they bought it, but for the $$$, I have yet to find a neck-through that compares.

The tuners should be better quality, The neck is awesome and the tone (even with the stock pick-ups) is pretty good! Put in some EMG's and your laughin!

It is a guitar that I considered for awhile...but then I got my UV!!! Not to mention that I am not a huge fan of a center humbucker....

winterlong · #10 10-09-2001, 05:41 PM

If there is a so called decline It may just be because all high end esp guitars are on back order till the next namm. One of esp's head luthers left the company and they are taking some time to get back up to speed. *I don't know if this has effected quality or not, I guess I'll have to wait till Namm to see.