ESP vs LTD

GJgo":1nb3lhae said:
OP is this Scott the head shell guy? If so this is Jeremy who you're making #2 for.

Check out some of my LTD vs. ESP thoughts here-
http://www.rig-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=182249

Makes me want an LTD :LOL: :LOL:.

Was cool to read through that again. JH600 sounds like a winner. I also noticed you mentioned the older KH had a thinner neck profile. Do you know which years?

I've been looking for an LTD with a slimmer neck or at least a flatter radius like the ESP's but didn't think they existed.

I'm sure that custom shop is amazing though.
 
I owned 4-EC400s, 2-EC1000s, and 2 ESP Eclipses. The Eclipses were definitely better sounding, better made, and better playing. But only about 10-15% or so. I got both of my ESPs used for slightly more than new EC1000s were selling for at the time, so they were very well worth the money. I will say though that the Ltd LP clones are amazing guitars and I've never hesitated to recommend them over comparatively-priced Epiphones (which I also owned). The Ltds just kill the Epis for playability and tone without question. Especially the Korean ones (most of the ones that I had were Korean).

If buying new... the Ltds are a better value than the ESPs by far. If money isn't an issue, get the ESPs.


I'm into Tom Anderson guitars these days and nothing else really gels with me anymore. But those Ltds and ESPs were great guitars regardless.
 
GJgo":16ugqafk said:
I do have the old catalogs somewhere. Moral of the story is the older bolt-on KH2s that came with a pair of 81s have the thin flat 43mm nut neck. When they switched to the 81/60 combo the neck changed to thin U, and the neck throughs always had the thin U. Solid vote from me for an older bolt on KH2. If I could only keep one guitar that would be it.

http://www.espguitars.com/pages/product-archive

http://www.guitarscollector.com/1993-today---esp-kh-2.html

Interesting for sure....

So it seems 2009 was the first year they listed the KH-602 having EMG 81/60 and also having the Extra Thin U neck profile.

2007-2008 Looks like odd yeara and maybe they did a combo of the two? They used EMG 81/81 but also listed Extra thin U.

It seems that anything 2006 and older is the one to get then. They are all EMG 81/81 but they do not list the neck profile. I have to assume that is the Flat thin U.

Very interesting and thanks for posting. Now if you had to compare and choose between a 2006 or older KH-602 or the JH..Which would you get?
 
GJgo":3ulj89z7 said:
I do have the old catalogs somewhere. Moral of the story is the older bolt-on KH2s that came with a pair of 81s have the thin flat 43mm nut neck. When they switched to the 81/60 combo the neck changed to thin U, and the neck throughs always had the thin U. Solid vote from me for an older bolt on KH2. If I could only keep one guitar that would be it.

http://www.espguitars.com/pages/product-archive

http://www.guitarscollector.com/1993-today---esp-kh-2.html

I have an earlier bolt-on KH-2, was my #1 and only guitar for many years...figure I got it around 99/2000... I will never sell it, paid less for it new than they go for used these days...guitar price inflation is insane. I actually wish I'd picked up the NT at the same time, killer neck! \m/
 
I find the value for almost any ESP/LTD is pretty good for the price point. I've had LTDs as low as the 200 level, and have E-II, Standard Series ESPs and Custom Shop ESPs. Their current price structure for the E-II and CS instruments are a bit high for my liking, but there's great value in used SS ESP guitars.

For me, I feel a difference as I move up from LTD to ESP, but I haven't spent any significant time with a 1000 level LTD in probably 6 or 7 years.

I will say that I thought my old LTD Truckster sounded better than my old ESP Truckster. The LTD weighed a lot less, too.
 
maddnotez":3mmd0wdt said:
Interesting for sure....

So it seems 2009 was the first year they listed the KH-602 having EMG 81/60 and also having the Extra Thin U neck profile.

2007-2008 Looks like odd yeara and maybe they did a combo of the two? They used EMG 81/81 but also listed Extra thin U.

It seems that anything 2006 and older is the one to get then. They are all EMG 81/81 but they do not list the neck profile. I have to assume that is the Flat thin U.

Very interesting and thanks for posting. Now if you had to compare and choose between a 2006 or older KH-602 or the JH..Which would you get?

If you're talking a KH-602 I'd take the JH-600 without hesitation. I had a KH-602 Ouija and while it looked killer, the tone was dead. It was Korean but not a W serial number. For a super strat, If I had $600 to spend I'd get a used JH-600, if I had $1000 to spend I'd get an older KH-2. (Mine is a '96.) No question. That said all the older MIJ ESPs are really nice guitars, and you can find them at good prices! At this point I'd rather have guitars at this price point (good but not custom shop price) and spend the bucks on killer amps. :)
 
I've had a bunch of LTDs over the years, and a couple of LTD Elites/E-IIs.

The LTD Elites replaced the ESP Standard series for a year before they were renamed (and re-priced) as E-IIs. These are CNC guitars made with higher quality woods and components than LTDs, and produced in Japan. The Korean LTDs, in my experience, have been the best LTDs there are, and are pretty consistent in terms of quality. The Chinese and Indonesian ones are hit or miss.

The LTD Elites and E-IIs are definitely a big step up from the LTD stuff. And then the custom shop stuff is on another level entirely.
 
SavageRiffer":2f8b0ot5 said:
If you can find Edwards stuff, then the upper end Edwards are less than the ESP stuff, but equally good quality. They're made in the same Japanese factory.

Have you played current production and older production Edwards? How do they compare?

I am noticing the Edwards Original Series Horizon style has the 305mm Radius just like the E-II's or Standard Series.

I am guessing the Edwards would be the bridge between the LTD's and the E-II's?
 
I've owned an older Korean horizon 400, an ec-1000, ec-256(which was awesome), and now my horizon standard which is an amazing guitar. The standard is definitely the nicest as far as wood and how solid it feels. And from what I understand a real maple cap and not a veneer.? Just a beautiful guitar. I wouldn't sell it if it were an eclipse. The 24 frets and strat scale are making me prefer my les Paul's.
IMG_0327_zps4u2dre7z.jpg
 
mchn13":pgw8breu said:
I've owned an older Korean horizon 400, an ec-1000, ec-256(which was awesome), and now my horizon standard which is an amazing guitar. The standard is definitely the nicest as far as wood and how solid it feels. And from what I understand a real maple cap and not a veneer.? Just a beautiful guitar. I wouldn't sell it if it were an eclipse. The 24 frets and strat scale are making me prefer my les Paul's.
IMG_0327_zps4u2dre7z.jpg


Wish I could buy it.

You would take an EC-256 over a 400 or 1,000?
 
maddnotez":2zx0dm2j said:
mchn13":2zx0dm2j said:
I've owned an older Korean horizon 400, an ec-1000, ec-256(which was awesome), and now my horizon standard which is an amazing guitar. The standard is definitely the nicest as far as wood and how solid it feels. And from what I understand a real maple cap and not a veneer.? Just a beautiful guitar. I wouldn't sell it if it were an eclipse. The 24 frets and strat scale are making me prefer my les Paul's.
IMG_0327_zps4u2dre7z.jpg


Wish I could buy it.

You would take an EC-256 over a 400 or 1,000?
The one I had was better than the 400 I had and close enough to the 1000. The ec400 was a full thickness, and just sounded dead to me. Heavy as hell. The 1000 was sweet, but the 256, flaws and all had a natural lively tone to it, and was light and comfortable. Also the faded finish was cool and didn't feel sticky at all. I just sold it as I have two les Paul studio lites which are my favorite guitars, and I just bought a small house and can't reason having a bunch of extra gear to just sit around.
The 256:
image_zpspe74mjbf.jpeg
 
Fwiw, imo, all that shit; they got it right with that model256. The couple I've tried have been solid, just need some pups and a good setup.
 
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