ESP LTD EC-1000....anyone play them much...

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The_Kid

The_Kid

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there is one of the white ones, EMG 81/60 (the store rep said it was 81/85, but the website says 81/60), on consignment near me for $650, but the store guy said he would give me a better deal that the tag...

Curious as I respect a lot of your opinions on here as you all have much more experience with some of the fine details of things than I do....so whats the opinion on these? I plugged it in on my day off today while out 'searching' for what kind of guitar I'm into. I tried a lower end Tele, Kramer (again lower priced), LP Studio...and granted the LTD was the first one I tried, it was for good reason. I have been looking at them a lot and seem to always gravitate towards them online, so was excited to get one in my hands in person. Took awhile to get used to the xtra Jumbo frets...but I think I would get used to them after a bit of 'real' playing. I couldnt get used to the LP's neck, and lack of access to the higher frets like the LTD has...the kramer just didnt feel right, it was a cheaper model only about $200 on consignment as well.
 
I personally owned two of them...just traded them away the other day for some other gear and cash. (My band still has a spare one that we use in the studio)
I really loved those guitars. They were incredibly dependable and work horses...not to mention they sounded massive.
However, with the lack of upper fret access and the 24 3/4" scale, it just didn't always seem "right" for me, if that makes sense.
Anyway, my advice is if you love the way it sounds, and it felt comfortable in your hands, why even question it? :)
 
They're great guitars, man. Locking tuners, EMGs and excellent fit and finish. For the money, there's hardly and import that touches em.
 
However, with the lack of upper fret access and the 24 3/4" scale, it just didn't always seem "right" for me, if that makes sense.
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This seems different than my experience. I'm coming from a Fender Squire (LP style body) and I thought the access to the 24th frets was pretty decent. I didnt get a chance to plug it in while standing with a strap, but sitting down, had no issues reaching the higher frets. Seemed the neck was tapered well to be able to get there, unlike the LP, which made it very hard to reach the 20/21 frets. The scale is a bit shorter than my DIME guitar, but its similar to my Squire scale length in feel...so i'm ok there. My next step is to bring my rig and play through it to hear it plugged in better than the XXL amp I was playing through. Couldnt dial in a sound I liked...
 
You can see 'em online all the time for around $450. You just have to be patient. They're great guitars for the price. Sound and play great. I have owned 400/401/500/1000/1000T and Standard Series ESP's, and to be honest theres not a whole lot of difference between the lower priced models and the "actual" ESP's. I loved the EC400VB and EC1000T I had. Full thickness models with 22 frets.
 
Awesome guitars and have been extremely reliable, consistent, and stable through long, intense touring in extreme climates
 
Great guitars. Wouldn't pay more $500 for one though
 
I've owned two and sold them both, if that tells you anything. Took the EMG out of one and replaced them with BKP's and it still sounded plasticky. The other had SDs and sounded tiny next to my LP. They can't stand up to a good LP or PRS.
 
TX6Strings":2x2a68tc said:
I've owned two and sold them both, if that tells you anything. Took the EMG out of one and replaced them with BKP's and it still sounded plasticky. The other had SDs and sounded tiny next to my LP. They can't stand up to a good LP or PRS.
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THIS. I own one (haven't played it in years, lol). Good bang for the buck, but nowhere near a real ESP IME. Sounds slightly undefined.
 
well my next step is to take my rig/rack in there and play it through my rig to compare to my current axes for the real tone aspect. From a playability aspect I was pretty ok with it, especially compared to the other ones I tried today.
 
I have an EC1000, and like it a lot! It's one of my main guitars. I did replace the EMGs with WCRs though. Not a big fan of EMGs. 24 frets, extra tall jumbo frets, locking tuners and a fairly slim neck for a LP style guitar. What's not to like?!
 
They're great guitars, especially for the price...

But if you played it and you liked it, why do RTers opinions matter? Your opinion on the guitar is really the only one that should matter.
 
I had one. I loved it but sold it to buy another LP and I regret it. Not that it was a better guitar than the LP bc it's not, but I shouldn't have sold the guitar. Been trying to buy it back forever with no luck.

I stopped playing for a long time and I went into a coma in 2010. I was in the hospital 3 weeks, of which 1.5 of them I was not conscious. The first thing I did when I got home was buy that EC1k and started playing guitar again. Sucks.
 
rbasaria":cmu66m3l said:
They're great guitars, especially for the price...

But if you played it and you liked it, why do RTers opinions matter? Your opinion on the guitar is really the only one that should matter.
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:thumbsup:
 
Well FWIF I just got a used EC-1000 with a generic case for around $588, a price I consider a great deal here. Got the guitar last Friday and have had very little time to check it out.

I did tune it our tuning, a half step down, and lowered the action to my liking (I like super low action) and have played some. Marvelous guitar! Can't beat it for the money IMO. Tried some recording today just to get a handle on the EMG's and liked them a lot as well.

Mind you I'm not looking for the LP sound or whatnot, I was just looking for an LP shaped guitar. The sound I got from the guitar suits me well, and the looks plus the upper fret access is a big plus.
 
But if you played it and you liked it, why do RTers opinions matter? Your opinion on the guitar is really the only one that should matter.
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cause to be honest, I know not much about guitars. It's the one aspect that I've really neglected in my rig, as the guitars I've had have been 'serviceable'. I've never had any issues with tones that I'm happy with, but never 100% satisfied either. When I say I dont know much, I'm referring to the specs of guitars, craftsmanship/build quality, others experiences with them. I can sit and play a guitar and if it feels right, then yes, I dont need others opinions, but I'm looking at upgrading and buying something 'nicer' and of the ones I tried I was more impressed with this one than ones that I've thought I'd like and tried yesterday as well.

I read a lot on here about what you guys like/dislike in regards to your axes, and read about the $xxxxx priced custom guitars that everyone gets, and while I understand the talk, the reality just isnt practical for me to spend that much on a guitar. So in my head there is a line between qualities of guitars, where you have to evaluate the quality/value vs cost/price...I just dont have much experience in that department either. was just looking for some opinions from people who have much more than me in that department. :thumbsup:
 
Well, to me the guitars I have are just tools. I'm not too eager to spend that much on them and right after saying that I want my tools to be as good as they can be. The EC-1000 definitely is one of those tools.

To me one of the best things if not the best with this forum is that there's a multitude of knowledge and first hand experience on a lot of gear I'm not able to test myself here in hundreds of miles behind the middle of nowhere. I've learned a lot from many guys here, and learned to trust their opinion and found what from whom works for me.

That came out strange and semi-philosophical but hey what the hell!
 
In my opinion, you're always better off digging a little deeper & getting the real thing or buying a quality, used guitar. I've never understood the high-end mass-produced guitar market.
 
JimmyBlind":x7qn4o0g said:
In my opinion, you're always better off digging a little deeper & getting the real thing or buying a quality, used guitar. I've never understood the high-end mass-produced guitar market.
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$
 
chrisrocksusa":2ha1tcrc said:
JimmyBlind":2ha1tcrc said:
In my opinion, you're always better off digging a little deeper & getting the real thing or buying a quality, used guitar. I've never understood the high-end mass-produced guitar market.
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$
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But the 1000 series guitars are pretty expensive off the shelf. There are definitely Eclipse guitars out there used for the same price.
 
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