ESP 400 Series

This guitar is just mint!!! Owned by a prior Blues player it has tremendous action!!! I ripped out the Tex Mex singles and went with a little Demon in the bridge, and JB Jr in the neck, and a alnicoII in the middle. Great sounds!! Body is Ash Finish is aged white not a chip or ding in it!! Also has a Floyd Rose and locking nut. Neck is maple.

The sound is awesome!! I use a GNX3 From Digitech in the studio, and a Digitech RP1 live!!

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Thumbs up all the way accross the board!! I am used to playing ESP and there is no other choice out there for me!! Without ESP, there is no me!!

I have been playing for 23 years and have come to love ESP guitar line since I started out with a Kamikaze II in 1986. I got rid of all my other guitars and switched over to ESP. There is no comparison!! With Pickups and processors today, there is no need for PRS, and Gibson, I could make a shitty Raven sound as good if not better then a Gibson or PRS. So atlast the guitars come down to craftsmanship, and you can't beat ESP!!

Hi, ich habe zwei 400er-Strats. Das erste Modell ist ein 50-Style-Modell in blue-metallic und one-peace-maple-neck mit leichtem V-Querschnitt. Die andere ist ein 60-Style-Modell in Three-tone-sunburst und Maple/Rosewood-Neck mit flachem D-Querscnitt. Beide Body bestehen aus Erle und schwingen sehr gut. Ansonsten ist die Ausstattung sehr Vintage-like. 21 Bunde, 3 Single Coils, Vintage-Bunde, Funffachschalter, Vintage-Trem, Kluson Tuner - eben wie gehabt, aber in wirklich sehr guter Qualitat.

Ich spiel von Blues bis Metal alles was Spass macht und das seit nunmehr 24 Jahren. Ich hatte schon sehr viele Strats (Fender: RI, Custom Shop, American Std., Mexico, Japan; Warmoth; Rockinger; Claim; Musik Man; Ibanez; usw.), aber die ESP sind einfach die besten. Sie kosten nicht die Welt und sind von der Verarbeitung bis zum Klang einfach richtig gut - gutes Sustain, gutes Attack, charaktervoller Stratsound, gute Pickups (ich habe allerdings in der einen Kloppmann-PU's drin - der absolute Geheimtip!!!)

Ich hatte mit den beiden noch nie Probleme. Die Verarbeitung ist uber jeden Zweifel erhaben, die Holzauswahl sehr gut (kann Warmoth oder Rockinger auch nicht besser), die Justage ist einwandfrei (ein bisschen Kampfen muss man mit einer Strat eh - sonst klingts einfach nicht, oder?!). Die Ausstattung ist Strattypisch und mindestens auf Fender-USA-Niveau!

Ich benutze beide im Studio wie auch live ohne Probleme. Ledichlich die Strattypischen Einstreuungen nerven in den Einzelstellungen ein wenig, aber da gibt es ja im Zubehor Abhilfe (Noiseless-PU's o.a.), wenn an will.

Bisher habe ich den Support noch nie in Anspruch nehmen mussen.

Alles in allem die besten Strats, die ich fur das Geld jemals in den Fingern hatte. Beide Gitarren gebe ich niemals mehr her. Wer Strats mag wird die ESP 400-Serie lieben!!!

It's a tele, copy of the 60's custom, ash body with binding in 3 tone sunburst, mapleneck with rosewood fretboard, 21 frets.
Any questions?

It's a tele, any questions?
To be honest I tried a lot of fender teles, mexican made, us made, custom shop. I envied my friends for playing the original, while mine is a copy. But I never found a fender coming near my baby's class.
I changed the pickups, though - but only because of the typical single coil noise, tone was excellent and did not change much with the fender noiseless vintage I put in.
I play a mixture of jazz, rock, blues, funk, country and folk using a mesa boogie caliber 50+ and a fender pro junior (very simple, decent sounding little amp) and find it versatile enough for my style. It cries, ir sings, it bops and it plays da funky rhythm. And - very important - it cuts through the mix.

I bought it used, well set up and with a few scratches. It is a well- made tool.

It's a tele!

Originally I bought it as a backup for my fender strat. Now it is the only electric guitar I use. It sounds better than any fender I tried. It's a bargain. If you want a tele, try to find one!

1986 Series 400 "Strat" style guitar, maple neck and fretboard, red body color, white pickguard, traditional strat-like setup w/ 6 screw vibrato, 3 single coils and 5 way switch.

This guitar used to sound like a typical strat and, way back when, I didn't like strats so from day one this has been my pickup guinea pig.
I've had DiMarzio HS series pickups in it, various Duncans and others. It now sports a pair of Duncan Hot Rails in the bridge and neck positions and a Duncan Duckbucker in the middle. A little creative wiring of the 5 way switch gives me 5 very distinct and useable tones.
This guitar is also one of my main slide guitars and it delivers the goods in this area.
The guitar sounded good stock but it now sounds more like "me".

The guitar was set up from the day it was purchased. The action has always been on par with any similar Fender Strat that I've played and owned.
I LOVE the shape of the neck especially when compared to Fenders of a similar vintage.
The fit and finish were and always have been perfect.

I've owned this guitar since it was new and it's seen hundreds and hundreds of gigs. It looks almost as good today as the day I saw it on the wall at Mid Atlantic Music.
The durability of the paint is incredible.
The detail is wonderful.
Everything has always worked on this axe EVEN after all my abuse.

N/A but the people at the old ESP outlet on Sunset were always very nice.

My wife bought this guitar for me back when she was my girlfriend...which would explain one reason why she's still my wife :-)
She knew that I was not a Fender person at the time and was amazed that I showed so much interest in a strat-like guitar so she bought it and surprised me with it.
Even if the guitar was not a gift I WOULD NOT get rid of it. I've had a few Fender Stratocasters come and go but this ESP will remain with me until I leave this earth.
Not only would I buy another if it were stolen, I'm currently looking for another NOW...I'd like a blue one.
The Series 400 is a top-notch guitar.

400 Series Telecaster bought from original owner (1000,-- German Mark ~ 500 US$). I suppose it is a mid-eigthies model, made in Japan. Typical 3-way Tele PU selector, original Pickups (one lipstick single coil in front position, one staggered single coil in bridge position). Don't know exactly what they used for body wood (probably ash - very lightweight guitar, very comfortable to play, fantastic sustaiiiiiiinnnnnnnn!!!). Bolt-on maple neck (v-shape, which is good for me, cause I have big hands).
Hardware is vintage-style gold (nice Cluson-like tuners, 60's Tele-style bridge). Finish is black, white pickguard, which has nicely aged and took on that light greenish tint.

This baby just kicks ass!!! Has not much to offer in the versatility stakes, but hey, it's a Tele. Sounds good over different amplifiers (Marshall Artist 3203/Mesa Boogie Mark II) in almost every position. I wouldn't recommend this instrument to anyone who is into Heavy Metal though, because the single coils have a tendency to go "Jimi" if you choose too much distortion. As mentioned before - rich sustain, typical TWANG in bridge position. I don't use the neck PU that much, because it sounds a bit muffled. But I think that's a matter of taste...
Reliable guitar for the stuff i'm into (R'n'R/early Punk).

I didn't have to make any adjustments, because it was well set-up by the previous owner. Some minor flaws (control knobs falling off, loose nut on the output jack) but nothing that couldn't be fixed. The hardware shows some signs of oxydation, but it gives a nice vintage look & feel...

My number one choice when it comes to live performing (stays in tune, and you don't feel like the hunchback of Notre Dame, cause it's very light). I put straplocks on it, so there are no problems. I don't care about the finish as long as the body and neck stay in shape. 1989 American Fender Standard Strat is always used as my backup, because i hate to attach new strings during a gig/session...

This is a nice guy when it comes to guitar troubles.
http://www.siggi-schwarz.de

I've been playing guitar for 16 years and probably will for the rest of my live (i don't have any other creative outlets like drawing or writing ;-)). If this guitar would be stolen, i'd probably get me another one of the same model, but they seem to be somewhat rare in Germany - never saw another one, it's all Mexican Fender Teles over here.

This is an early 80's strat - I bought it new in Tucson, AZ in '83. Three single coils, alder body - finish is a light blue - "Lake Placid" blue is what they called it. 5-way switch. Fairly basic 'Strat' features.

Initially, the guitar played great, but just sounded ok, so I made a few mods. I installed a set of EMG S's and larger frets, and it made a world of difference. The EMG's are very quiet and are suited well for the 80's era of music that I play most of the time.

After installing the jumbo frets, the action was great - a very easy instrument to play. It is difficult for me to put it down, can play for ours without getting tired. The neck join to the body is very tight, workmanship is very good.

I have used it for live and recording since '83, and the only problems I've had have been the stock pickups crapping out on me during a gig. Since replacing with the EMG's, no problems

No comment here, I have never had to deal with them.

I've been playing for 28 years and have tried many instruments - this is a very nicely built instrument that has served me well - it is currently my primary electric instrument. Also, I would consider it a very good value - I've heard you can find them around in the 300-500 range.

I bought this new in about '86. I needed a cheap guitar for playing in high-risk circumstances and I preferred this one over a Jap Fender which at the time cost just a little more. I also preferred the V-shaped neck over the rounder Fender.

As opposed to some other reviewers here, I think the stock pickups are crap - thin, weak & tinny. I put on a set of what I was told were a set of custom Duncans built for a certain Washburn model. I called Duncan's customer service dept. and after describing the appearance, stickers & numbers on the back they agreed they were probably really Duncans, similar to their Custom Stags but wound with different impedences for each position. I'm going to change those out soon....the point is this guitar is worth fussing with to get it right. The wood & hardware compares favorably to Fender.

Played great out of the box. The sky-blue finish has darkened into an incredible deep, metallic shade. Gets better with age.

The end of the fingerboard is slightly longer than Fender's so any pickguard replacement requires some trimming.

Like a rock, it is......

n/a

Not as good as some Fenders, better than others. With good pups this is a great gigger.

1980s Telecaster style. Rosewood fretboard. Standard Tele setup.

Great Tele sound, stays in tune. Excellent Sustain due probably to very heavy body. Suitable for live or recording work.

Excellent Fit and Finish

Very reliable, excellent choice for playing live. Have used these guitars (this is my 2nd) for pretty much all my live work since the mid 90s.

I actually had a nice talk with the folks at ESP when I was purchasing this guitar from a private person.

I've been playing 35 years and the ESP 400 series Tele's are my favorite guitars to play live with. They stay in tune and sound great. They are also an increadible bargain on the used market. If you can find one, grab it. Typically they are going for around $300 - $400 on the used market. They are increadibly undervalued. I don't think that you can touch anything else that's comparable for under a grand. In addition to the ESP Tele, I've got a Strat, a '62 gibson, an archtop, a couple of bass guitars and a few classical guitars.

I just bought this, and it's a strange one; It's a Tele copy with two HUMBUCKERS. I bought it from a shop where it was in commision. The seller estimated it was about ten years old, but judging from your reviews, it's probably closer to 20. It's all black (including the hardware and the Tele-style head) with a white pickguard. It has the standard Tele 3-way switch, volume and tone. It doesn't have a ton of features, but that's not really why you buy a Tele, is it?

It bought this ESP because my band play a lot of old rock'n roll and 60's pop - even some country - and you really need a Tele for this. I'm a Gibson man, and the ESP was bought as a second guitar, but it is now used just as much as my RD-Artist (it's a lot lighter on the back, too). I'm using it with my old Boss ME-5 pedalboard into my Marshall Bluesbreaker amp and I can get sounds that are pretty close to my Gibson using the neck pickup. The bridge PU does have a brighter sound, but not as bright as a "real" single-coil Tele. I might replace the bridge PU with something a bit more Tele-like, but without the noise, preferably - the PU's are virtually noiseless. Can't blame the ESP for not sounding like a Tele, and the sound it makes is very good. Replacing the pick-up would make it a bit more versatile - basically turning it into a Ron Wood model, wouldn't it?

For a 20 year old guitar, it was in very good condition - no scrapes on the body, only a few on the headstock. How do people keep their guitars in such good condition - by not playing them? The pick-up selector knob kept falling off but a bit of super-glue took care of that. Now the jack input has loosened a bit, but if it stays with these minor hiccups, I can live with it.

It's a very well-built Tele and I think it will withstand years of playing. Off course, the design is so simple, that very few things can go wrong, and it is certainly the best-built Tele, I could find for under 400$.

Mid -80s, Tele with old, 50s-style u-shaped neck. Looking at the other reviews and ESP's website, I guess this thing is as rare as hen's teeth. This has been replaced in recent years with the Ron Wood model but I figure Ron probably played one of these and decided he liked it. Solid wood, well built. 3-way switching between 2 single coils, a lipstick cover in the front and an uncovered single in the tail. This one has a transparent, almost white-washed looking finish. Grover tuners. Had a 3 piece bridge which I replaced with a Fender 6 piece. No case when I bought it but once I started using it out live, I bought one pronto.

Sounds like early Pretenders which is exactly why I bought it. Noisy, brash, rude, especially in the rear P/U position. When I started playing guitar out live and started playing covers, I tried to tone down the harshness by employing the front pickup a bit but it sounded weak. Replaced it with a Seymore Duncan (I think) and it is much "prettier" sounding with both pickups now. Very articulate, each note is distinctly heard. I have to say it's really not a very versitile guitar (which is why I also bought a standard Strat) but for some sounds, it is indispensible.

Plays great, especially after I had it adjusted. I'm don't like the pickup selector as it is too hard to move. Needs more room in the slot in the metal plate as the selector shaft is rubbing the plate. I have replaced the front pickup, the knobs, and the bridge. The knobs were cheesy looking and I replaced them with stock Fender as with the bridge as the 3 piece didn't offer enough intonation response. Front pickup was too "jazzy" sounding for my tastes. But the originals worked just fine. The finish held up well until very heavy pint glass full of iced tea fell and left a big gouge in the cutaway area. Ouch!

I've been beating on this thing live every weekend for about 4 years now as well as around the house for 10 or so years before that. Hasn't let me down yet. I need to tighten the nut on the output jack occasionally. Finish is holding up well (with afore mentioned exception). I'd wouldn't use anything without a backup as I have a propensity for breaking strings. My backup is a Fender Standard Strat but I much prefer this for most songs.

Don't know.

I've been playing guitar for over 20 years, the last 5 or 6 semi-pro. I've played bass pro and semi-pro for that long as well. This guitar is just what the Dr ordered if you are looking to capture the roots rock/ semi-punk sounds of the 80s and early 90s. Very bright, very distinct. Covers the same ground as the Fender Tele but at the time was considerably cheaper. I would only replace it with another 400 Tele, possibly a Ron Wood ESP or possibly a American Standard Tele.