ESP Alexi 200

I was looking for a more "metal" looking guitar (Carvin DC-127 is my main guitar, and have a Raven Soloist clone as a backup), and it has pretty much everything you'd need on a budget-price guitar; double-lock tremolo, 24 frets, wicked pickup (and no wasted wiring on a pointless tone pot [who uses tone knobs outside of metal?!]), and great frets.

This is one of the best guitars I've played for pure metal (and I've played Jacksons, Kramers, and Schecters). The ESP EMG-style pickup sounds great through both my live amp (Peavey Supreme w/Peavey 4x12 cab) and my practice amp (Behringer Vintager GM110). Very full sound you'd expect from an EMG-style pickup. Sounds great for both crunchy riffing and for screamin' leads.

I got this from Sam Ash, so it came with a factory setup. I needed to tweak the tremolo tension a bit (I like mine a bit firmer) and I don't care for "regular" gage strings (I use Ernie Ball Hybrids [9-46]), but the action is amazing. The neck is a bit too "meaty" (width is perfect, but I prefer the wafer-thin neck on my Carvin) but it's still very good (and much better than a Fender or Gibson for feel). The volume pot is right where it should be, and the output jack keeps the cable away from your arm.
The balance is spot on and the cutaway on the lower bout makes all frets easily accessible (a major flaw on most 24 fret guitars). The contour on the back is also a great addition.
Cosmetically, it's striking for such a low-priced guitar. The black nickel hardware looks amazing, and the inlays look badass.

The trem stays in tune incredibly well, even for a double-lock setup. All the hardware feels rugged and stable (opposite end of the spectrum from my Ibanez RG, which had terrible setscrews in the pots, and two of neck screws fell out during a gig...).
If you don't break strings, this could easily suit one's need as their only guitar (of course, like any guitar with a floating tremolo, I'd HIGHLY recommend a second guitar).

<Have not dealt with ESP customer support>

I've been playing for 12 years, and own Carvin, Kramer, Dean, and Raven guitars; no pedals other than a Jeckyl & Hyde Ultimate Overdrive.
This is a great entry level or low-cost workhorse guitar for anyone wanting to do something heavy...from heavier classic rock like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, to the thrashiest metal, this is a great fit. It sounds great, feels great, and plays great. This is going to easily find its way into the #2 position on my guitar depth chart (unless I find myself in a blues band...).

basswood body in black, rosewood fretboard and maple neck. Emg hz pickup and single volume knob. Lic floyde rose trem system and a v offset body.
24 3/4 neck a bit thick and semi flat.

The pickup is pretty nice, it picks up divebombs and squeals prett nice. Very high output, but a bit airy and could use improvement. Wih one pickup you can't get too much veriety of tone, but depending on amp you an go rom blues to metal and clean pretty well.

Great for metal

for me the action/setup was horrible. Fret buzz on 4 different strings and had it set up twice. It stays in tune fine no matter how much i abuse the trem, but i honestly thought the neck would be thinner and faster. Instead i feels like playing a v cut les paul. Also when ou dive up the strings hit the pickup and buzz out. It was poorly set up. Also, the trem arm hardly stays in place even when put close to strings it stays wobbly.

the inlays were done pretty bad, you an see/feel the adhesive around the inlays.

This is actualy the best part of this guitar sadly. I have used this as a stage guitar for about a year, it has been dropped, thrown and mistreated unintentionally and it still stays in tune forever and is in one piece.

Though i use the trem allot and clean my guitar regularly, the finish on the trem saddles has been worn away.

Had no experience

Been playing 2 years, i own a used ibanez s series and a crate v50, fender 212R and multiple pedals. This is my main stage guitar because of the looks.

What i like:can stay in tune and take a beating
What i hate:pretty much everything technical about this.

If was stolen i wouldn't buy back.

if you wanted a good V guitar just try to save for an RR3, currently selling this to get one.


This is my first review, so i hope it helped :)

I got this guitar in september 2007, I have the japan model. the guitar has 24 frets which I believe every guitar needs. the only control is the volume button and it uses just a single passive humbucker. it has a basswood body a maple neck and a rosewood fretboard. I bought the black one and the finish is really nice( no flaws)the features on this guitar suit me perfect. it might not be a guitar for everyone but I just love the randy rhoads/ flying v models

the sound a first was refreshing and new( never had an emg) but after a while I changed the emg esp for a emg-hz-h4 which sound alot better. I use this guitar in all my amps my johnson stage 50r, my vox da15 and my marshall mg15dfx, the guitar sounds great through the marshall and the johnson butt if you use the wrong settings on the vox it sounds to digital( i'm getting rid of my vox) the sound overall is real heavy metal like, but it sounds great on a clean channel aswell. with this guitar you can vary from clean/amped acoustic to blues to extreme black metal: it's very versatile.

i bought the guitar brought it home and just started playing for about 5 hours and I didn't have to ajust anything. the first time i tuned it was about 4 weeks later. the floyd rose really keeps it well tuned. the factory pickup was placed great nothing loose about it, but when i got the emg-hz-h4 is was a bit loose and to high in my opinion( bad guitarshop maintenance)i lowered it and all the problems "disappeared". the guitar was great overall.

I've used this guitar for several live performances and the only damage it has taken was from my belt on the backplate. I though the tips at the end of the v shaped would come of when you woul put it down to hard but there's is no damage at all and it still feels like new after a year of playing. the hardware is fine the only thing that doesn't work very wel is the tremolo arm( you have to turn the spinny thing all the time it doesn't seem to lock) I never use a backup because I know this guitar has my back. I think I'll still be using this guitar in 20 years.

never had to deal with esp.
my guitarshop gave it a 4 year warranty and 5 free setup maintenances

I've been palying for 4 years. my other guitar is a jackson rr stars which is like and equal to this guitar. there were no suprises after i bought it (like malfunctions or anything). if this guitar was stolen i would do everything to get it back and if that would work i'd keep buying them. what i really love about the guitar is the alexi signature sawtooth inlay an the floyd rose tremolo and also the shape, it look just beautiful and raw at the same time, it's a real eyecatcher. I compared it to the alexi 600 but that one was in the first place way to expencive for the few extra features. It would be really awesme if the made this model with a scalloped neck( frets 12 to 24) and with the pinstripes.

This is a bog standard Alexi Laiho signiture I bought cheap off ebay, basswood body in black, 24 frets, Floyd Rose, single ESP pickup/pot, sawtooth inlays, bolt on neck (not painted).

The neck on this model is quite flat and thin but not as thin as some models I've tried but its comfortable none the less. The Floyd Rose isn't as bad as I was expecting and holds tune after dive bombing.

I use this guitar for death metal tuned to Drop A. At the moment the pickup is stock and sounds quite good, I use a Behringer V-Amp and I can get a really nice tone from this guitar. Though with that said the tone I had worked out before was very very muddy and had to work out a new tone that was very stripped back from my old tone, but with that said I really like the tone I can get from it.

And its not half bad clean either :P

Acoustically this guitar has a slightly odd tone when you hit the high notes but only with first play.

I setup every guitar I get so I don't know what the factory setup was like. Though with that said it is easy to tell why this guitar is cheap in comparison to the higher end models, I've found it hard to get a nice action across the neck without fret buzz, theres also an issue with the trussrod where the left side has more of a bow than the right side and finding a balance between the two is difficult.

The electronics are fine but I'll be replacing them when I have more money.

The tuning is spot on and easy to maintain, whammy bar abuse does little to the tuning stability which is always nice. I can depend on this guitar during a gig but I'd probably gig with a backup because you can never predict whats going to happen.

It seems like it could last a long time if I take care of it and the strap buttons r nice and large but I'll still use improvised strap locks (the red rubber bits off the tops of those special topped Grolsch bottles)

I've never had to deal with ESP so I can't really comment.

With all that I've said about this guitar I still really like it and enjoy playing it.

I've been playing for about 5 years and at the moment getting a whole new amp setup (Peavey Valveking and Celestion fitted cab).

If it were stolen I'd have difficulty getting it for the price I did and I think ??500 rrp is extortionate for this guitar. I don't mind at all that it only has one pickup as I only ever use it for metal, I have other guitars I can use for clean but then again its hard to play clean in Drop A :P