So I tried out an E-II FRX today

6224 Views 32 Replies 6 Participants Last post by 63Blazer, Jan 29, 2015

MatiasTolkki

Discussion Starter · Jan 25, 2015

One of these guitarist chicks I know over here uses an E-II FRX so I went over to big boss to find out why she uses it.

Just for those who don't know, E-II is the Japanese name for the ESP USA line.

The thing rocks two EMG89s with an ESP floyd rose licensed bridge. It's just the USA version of the Forest model.

Now the things I liked:

1. Pickups. I was pleasantly surprised by the sound of the EMG89s. They were REALLY clear and each note really sounded great. Using the coil taps was great as well. They had a real insane stratty quack to em.

2. Fingerboard. I liked the ebony fingerboard a lot. It was REALLY smooth and my fingers slid so easily across it.

Now for things I didn't like:

1. painted neck. I don't know, having a painted neck just feels really slow. I kept feeling like my hand was being held back by the paint. It wasn't like I couldn't move my hand or anything, but it just didn't feel right.

2. Price. Again, my mortal enemy when I look into considering an ESP of any kind... At the price point of 200,000 yen, if I save a little longer, I can afford another Carvin JB200, spec'd to my desire. This I'm limited to the mass produced model. Sure, it's J custom territory but if I'm going to spend that much money on a guitar, I want it to at least have a few things I like about a guitar, i.e. natural finish on the neck. That's where something like a J custom would be more in line with what I want.

Overall: 3/5

This guitar isn't terrible by any means at all. I really liked it actually, but the price and the painted neck really turned me off to it.

On a separate topic (although still ESP related):

I was talking to the guy about the price of recoloring or doing some special things to a main ESP line M-II DX. When I got the rough price, it was about 310,000 yen, and that was only with recoloring (using a solid color, no metallics or anything wild). Not bad, but still a little too expensive and the time to receive is WAY too long (4-5 months for a mass produced model with only a color variation). Yeah pass on that. Not as horrible as a price quote that I got before though so not all the news was bad.

See less See more

1 - 20 of 33 Posts

FireEagle

· #2 · Jan 25, 2015

Yeah, a painted neck finish does have a different feel, but I'm a little used to it from playing my SZ. Oddly, I played an ESP yesterday at the local music store too. Actually felt pretty good... heavy as an old Les Paul though. I was surprised by the weight of it.

In contrast, I played a new Charvel DS-2 Pro Stock... with the unfinished mahogany neck. It felt rough... like rougher than a 2x4 at the hardware store, but played great. First compound radius board I ever played. Surprisingly nice guitar for being made in China, but had the same sharp fret ends as the typical Indo Ibanez. The Iron Label I tried to play needed a setup real bad... neck had a backbow and it was pretty much unplayable. I hate to say it, being an Ibanez fan... but if I were shopping for a solid bridge guitar I would have bought the Charvel over the Iron Label and saved a few hundred dollars. Thats not to say the Iron Label wouldn't have been the better guitar with a setup.

The whole reason I stopped in was to look at the Boss ME-80... but after playing guitars and talking to some old biker dude about his Charvel collection my pager went off and I got called in to the hospital before I could try the ME-80... lol.

See less See more

MatiasTolkki

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 26, 2015

What ESP did you play?

I also tried out the Korg SDD-3000 delay pedal yesterday. That pedal is INSANE. 80 programmable effects with 40 already programmed in. I got to mess around with a lot of the different sounds and WOW. It's amazing. It's REALLY expensive though, like 400 USD. Dunno if it's really worth it, when the most you'll ever use a delay pedal is like 4-5 effects. I think the Flashback X4 is better in that sense.

FireEagle

· #4 · Jan 26, 2015

MatiasTolkki said:
What ESP did you play?

I also tried out the Korg SDD-3000 delay pedal yesterday. That pedal is INSANE. 80 programmable effects with 40 already programmed in. I got to mess around with a lot of the different sounds and WOW. It's amazing. It's REALLY expensive though, like 400 USD. Dunno if it's really worth it, when the most you'll ever use a delay pedal is like 4-5 effects. I think the Flashback X4 is better in that sense.

lol... Not to sound stupid, but I played a blue one.

I can't remember what model it was, as I'm not that familiar with ESP's. I was really searching for a guitar that I liked so I could test drive the ME-80... which I never really got to do. About the time I got warmed up on the Charvel and the customers cleared out so I could get some help... I got called in to work. When I asked about the ME-80, the guy tried to sell me a ME-70 at a nice discount, since they are no longer in production... but it has no USB for direct recording and updates/patches like the ME-80. I'll be going back and I'll check the model.

As for delay... I leave my little Flashback on one setting for 90% of what I play, just for some depth. The only time I change it is when I turn it off for recording or to play a song from the 50's that my mom wanted me to learn. Nothing makes you feel as good as a guitar player like playing an old old oldie. Even in my limited knowledge and lack of talent, I could have been a superstar in the 50's with my current setup. 8O

See less See more

MatiasTolkki

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 26, 2015

FireEagle said:
lol... Not to sound stupid, but I played a blue one. I can't remember what model it was, as I'm not that familiar with ESP's. I was really searching for a guitar that I liked so I could test drive the ME-80... which I never really got to do. About the time I got warmed up on the Charvel and the customers cleared out so I could get some help... I got called in to work. When I asked about the ME-80, the guy tried to sell me a ME-70 at a nice discount, since they are no longer in production... but it has no USB for direct recording and updates/patches like the ME-80. I'll be going back and I'll check the model.

As for delay... I leave my little Flashback on one setting for 90% of what I play, just for some depth. The only time I change it is when I turn it off for recording or to play a song from the 50's that my mom wanted me to learn. Nothing makes you feel as good as a guitar player like playing an old old oldie. Even in my limited knowledge and lack of talent, I could have been a superstar in the 50's with my current setup. 8O

I have 2 presets for my Flashback X4 set, one is the 2290 and the other is space. The little one doesn't have the space effect on it, but it has got to be one of my favorite delay effects ever. I always use it when I practice guitar concerto now, it gives such an amazing atmosphere to the song.

ESP, being the monster it is over here in Japan, you learn everything about them even if you don't want to... I think it's from osmosis :lol:

corey j grieve

· #6 · Jan 26, 2015

EII is the new name for the cheaper standard series ESP models(not USA models),they wanted to keep the ESP name for the high end only. Standard series is basically Edwards,not sure why they didn't just use Edwards as branding(i would of preferred that),....but EII it is.

psychoshredder

· #7 · Jan 26, 2015

just want to add :

EII = ESP Standard series.
They will discontinue the ESP SS and later all the export version of the standard series will be branding as E-II.

This info coming from the ppl from the ESp forum.

MatiasTolkki

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 26, 2015

corey j grieve said:
EII is the new name for the cheaper standard series ESP models(not USA models),they wanted to keep the ESP name for the high end only. Standard series is basically Edwards,not sure why they didn't just use Edwards as branding(i would of preferred that),....but EII it is.

But isn't edwards Korean-made?

MatiasTolkki

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 26, 2015

psychoshredder said:
just want to add :

EII = ESP Standard series.
They will discontinue the ESP SS and later all the export version of the standard series will be branding as E-II.

This info coming from the ppl from the ESp forum.

I guess the guy at Big Boss (the official ESP shop in Japan) is brainless as to what the line is.

corey j grieve

· #10 · Jan 26, 2015

MatiasTolkki said:
But isn't edwards Korean-made?

No,japan....Korean is LTD.

psychoshredder

· #11 · Jan 26, 2015

MatiasTolkki said:
But isn't edwards Korean-made?

I'm not sure about recent edwards, but older one is still MIJ.

corey j grieve

· #12 · Jan 26, 2015 (Edited)

2

While we are on the topic of ESP here is my awesome Kiso custom shop Page Hamilton.
Beautiful guitar,and you cannot get more metal than the brushed aluminum lol.

See less See more

psychoshredder

· #13 · Jan 26, 2015

nice!!
really want to try those custom shop, I'm so curious about what makes them charge 3x the standard series price..

MatiasTolkki

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jan 26, 2015

psychoshredder said:
nice!!
really want to try those custom shop, I'm so curious about what makes them charge 3x the standard series price..

Hand made at the custom shop, that's why.

Over here, the E-IIs cost about 210,000 for an M-II, the main ESP line is like 300,000.

psychoshredder

· #15 · Jan 26, 2015

MatiasTolkki said:
Hand made at the custom shop, that's why.

Over here, the E-IIs cost about 210,000 for an M-II, the main ESP line is like 300,000.

210K for E-II is a robbery. adding another 90k, I'll get the real ESP?
I paid 1500-1600 ( Depends on the exchange rate at the time) for my Standard Series M-II CTM.

but..... I could understand why.
If they followed the rule, E-II is for export, did not meant to sell domestically.
Perhaps the store re-export it back to Japan, that's why the price hikes up that much?

MatiasTolkki

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jan 26, 2015

psychoshredder said:
210K for E-II is a robbery. adding another 90k, I'll get the real ESP?
I paid 1500-1600 ( Depends on the exchange rate at the time) for my Standard Series M-II CTM.

but..... I could understand why.
If they followed the rule, E-II is for export, did not meant to sell domestically.
Perhaps the store re-export it back to Japan, that's why the price hikes up that much?

When I was complaining on youtube about ESPs prices, someone said that his friend managed to haggle the price down to a more reasonable price. I dunno about that, but even if it was true, Big Boss would NEVER do that here in Nagoya. They don't look like the bargaining type.

The E-II line is not being re-exported back to Japan. They officially released it as a line here sometime last year. That's why the price being so stupidly expensive doesn't make sense. I may sound like a broken record saying it so often but, ESP is a total ripoff over here. I REALLY try to like ESP, I go and try out their guitars a lot and stuff, but the price is just too steep. Then combine that with loving Ibanez and the build quality out of the Fujigen factory is just as good as any mass produced ESP, for A LOT less money in the prestige line, I just can't justify buying an ESP, unless it's used.

psychoshredder

· #17 · Jan 26, 2015

You should come here, 'll show you the store that sells those ESP and E-II with 'more' reasonable price like I said, around 1500-1600.
And for 1500-1600, I'd guess you'll love that M-II.

MatiasTolkki

Discussion Starter · #18 · Jan 26, 2015

psychoshredder said:
You should come here, 'll show you the store that sells those ESP and E-II with 'more' reasonable price like I said, around 1500-1600.
And for 1500-1600, I'd guess you'll love that M-II.

How much is a regular ESP M-II CTM there?

psychoshredder

· #19 · Jan 26, 2015

MatiasTolkki said:
How much is a regular ESP M-II CTM there?

When I bought mine in 2013, It was like 1500.
Now the ESP brand for M-II ctm is sold out, only E-II M-II CTM available, and the price is like 1400-1500.

They even sell E-II slightly cheaper than 'ESP'.

MatiasTolkki

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jan 26, 2015

psychoshredder said:
When I bought mine in 2013, It was like 1500.
Now the ESP brand for M-II ctm is sold out, only E-II M-II CTM available, and the price is like 1400-1500.

They even sell E-II slightly cheaper than 'ESP'.

Jesus H Christ, CTM's cost DOUBLE that here...

1 - 20 of 33 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.