ESP EC-1000

Made in Korea (I'm pretty sure it was South)Antique Sunburst with Seymour Duncan JB/59 setup, Unbelievable finish, Sperzel locking tuners, Abalone binding on body, neck and headstock. The neck has 24 frets but you can't really play the last 2. I would've bought anyone if it had just 22 frets. The mahogany body is so light you can play for hours.

The two different pickups was one of the main reasons I got this guitar. Plus they're Seymour Duncan's. You can't go wrong. I play through a Vox Valvetronix, Boss ME-30 with a Dunlop Wah and turbo tube screamer. I get nice rich harmonics through the JB and great bluesy sounds with the 59. I mostly play U2 songs and was looking for a Les Paul style guitar to compliment my Gibson Explorer and Fender Strat. Only one tone knob but I control my sound more through my effects than my tone knobs.

Set up was perfect out of the case. I ordered it from Sam Ash Music store in Phoenix after playing the Black EC-1000. When it came in all the salesman came over to look at it. They couldn't believe it was only $735. One of them said "we have to order more of these". There were no flaws what so ever.

I don't play out anymore so this is pretty much a stay at home guitar to jam with friends. I would imagine it would be fine though. There's not a locking strap button but it's bigger than the average so my strap fit's like a glove on it. The finish looks so good I can't imagine it wearing off anytime soon.

Having dealt with ESP but I've been on their website and it seems very professional. Warranty is for one year.

I wish it came with a case but luckily I had one left over after selling my Epiphone Les Paul Custom. This guitar to me is perfect. My friend who just bought a Gibson Les Paul Standard for $1800 came over to check it out. He brought his Gibson and so we switched and jammed a little bit. He was very impressed with it. He said "it's so light, the neck is fast and yet it's got great sustain". It doesn't sound exactly like a Gibson but for under $1000 it's a steal. He ended up taking his Gibson back to Guitar Center and ordering the same guitar. I've always wanted a Les Paul but could never afford it. Now after playing my friends Gibson and seeing his reaction I know I've made the right choice. It's so light but yet cranks out the sound I need. Who says you need a 10lb guitar to get great sustain. Buy this guitar with the Seymours if you not a heavy metal rocker. You won't regret it. I've been playing for 20 years and this has been an excellent addition to my guitar collection.

ESP/LTD EC-1000 Black. Brand new, 2005, about a month old. Has the EMG 81 in the bridge, and an EMG 60 in the neck. Korean made. You know the gear, tone pros, earvana, sperzel locking........

I'm giving this a 10 because it's loaded. EMG's, Sperzels, Tone Pros, come on! The only lack is another tone control. It has 2 volume pots and 1 tone.

This sounds incredible! Metal and Hardcore will love it. You can also get a decent blues tone too from the neck pickup.

I use a Flextone III XL, so I can get whatever tone I'm looking for. The bridge pickup needs some tone coloring via the tone pot for clean sounds, but it sounds nice.

OK, here's where it gets scary. The FIRST guitar I received from Musician's Friend was a disater. There were dings all over the body, scratches on the pickup covers, a paint blob under the neck pickup that was ready to peel off, dings down to the wood in the binding, and the fret position markers on the side of the neck looked like they were done with magic marker, all smeared.

And, there were scratches in the neck binding from the 24th fret to the 9th fret. Needless to say, I was angry. I waited 2 months for this guitar to get in stock, and received a hunk of crap - oh, I forgot, the pickup selector switch did not function either. In the middle position, only the bridge pickup operated.

Yes, I sent this back, and yes, I still got another one. I've seen this type of review for this item also. It was summed up by saying, "Nice guitar if you can get one worth keeping. ESP's Korean quality control must be garbage." I agreed with that.

The second guitar is one worth keeping.........I'd rate the second one an 8, there are still some blems that I believe are unacceptable on a brand new instrument.

Built solid, the gold hardware (saddle, bridge) seems prone to pitting and tarnishing. Keep it clean......

Ok, these guys are good. I called with my guitar problem, and they took care of me. They even sent me some "freebies" for the first crappy guitar and the inconvenience.

I actually spoke with a guy in charge and not some operator with an accent from Istanbul that you can't understand........Top notch!!

I've been playing for over 20 years. I love this guitar. I would buy another one for sure. The only thing I don't care for is the close pickup spacing. There is not a lot of room between the pickups, but I'll get used to that. The 24.75 scale combined with the 24 jumbo frets is new to me. I do love this guitar though - if you're thinking about one, play one, you'll buy it.

I'm assuming that this guitar is a 2004 model made in Korea. I own the black model with EMG's loaded. You know the rest of the equipement already.The locking tuners are incredable. The guitarjust amazes me as to how it stays in tune after beating on it. I just have to say this guitar is worth every cent it cost me.

I play mostly Alternative Hardrock, and this guitar suits me very well. The EMG 81's are on the Hot side but very clean....

This is where this guitar excels over the over priced Gibson/PRS LP's. This guitar came to me absolutley perfect. This model has a lot of detailed work on it and like I said every detail is perfect. I own a Gibson SG Standard that I love very much but it came from Gibson with alot of flaws and defects in finish and detail. I paid more for my SG than I did for this guitar. Way to go ESP....

Seems to be very reliable but I'm not sure about how long the 9v battery will last me that powers the pickups... This will be the only reliability issue for me, but just bring a spare 9v and a phillips screw driver to longer gigs and your set.

????

I can give this guitar a 10... I have played many PRS/Gibson guitars over the past 20 yrs and I have to say this guitar beats them in value, and craftsmanship...

2005 Esp EC-1000 Seethru black Cherry With earvana Nut and sperzel locking tuners. This guitar has 3 knobs, one for bridge, one for Neck and a master tone. The tone on this guitar is well rounded and smooth. I only wish it had an additional tone control so It gets a 9.
Oh yeah, and it doesn't come with a case :(

The sound is amazing!!!!!!!
I play hard rock and Hardcore and this guitar is perfect. I use a Ts9 tube screamer->Ns2 Noise supressor->Marshall 100w 6100LM head. In the effects loop I use a MXR Phase 90->line6 DL4 delay->Holy Grail verb-> amp.
This guitar's smooth tone maintains a strong, touchy signal into the amp and through the effetcs loop when compared to my Les Paul studio with duncans or my Goth SG with stock pickups. It sounds stronger and each not has a bit more clarity. I have found that The natural distortion from the emgs eliminates the need for my TS9 on the clean channel selections.

I ought this from American Musical new, and too my suprise The actio adn intonation were perfect. Maybe I was lucky but I am really happy that it was ready to play.

The only flaw here was that the volume pots are a little noisy. I play to upgrade them anyway with switchcraft or dimarzio.

The finish is flawless. The only backup I would bring for this is a 9V battery for the active pickups.

I have played for 11 years and I am more happy with this than when I bought my Gothic Sg new. For the money, I doubt you will get a better playing and better looking guitar. I would replace it if it were stolen and intend to get the black one so I have a pair. My fav feature is it's full tone to light weight ratio.

Made in 2003, Amber Sunburst, Seymour Duncan 59/JB (passive) combination, Sperzel locking tuners, Earvana nut, TonePros bridge, and the rest of the stuff previously listed. The Amber Sunburst is the only model that has the passive pickups, and I prefered the control over the clean tones to the active.

I play classic rock, country, pop, you name it. I am not into post-modern punk, nu-metal, or death metal, so this guitar suits me perfectly. The highs are keen, and I can shatter glass with the right clean tones. The pickups have the right punch and a healthy amount of scream. I play in standard tuning, and I like getting the Les Paul round tunes without the anchor around the neck feeling.

I can't find a flaw in the finish. It came well set up, but in typical guitar store fashion, someone had tuned it down an step-and-a-half. After tuning it to standard, the guitar was in near perfect intonation. The guitar shop owner did a quick adjustment, and the intonation was back on track.

I have gigged, practiced, and just played around with this guitar, and it's been great. It stays in tune after long tribs, and I enjoy it a lot. I've had it for over a year now, and it still sounds as great as the day that I bought it. I replaced the strap buttons the day I bought it for straplocks, so I can't say anything about the originals.

I have played guitar for nearly 30 years, and this is a fine addition to my collection. It's the best guitar that I own for less than $1000, and I enjoy playing it. If it were lost or stolen, I would likely replace it quickly; as I've grown accustomed to its solid performance, bluesy tones, and relatively light weight.

Made in Korea. This guitar has 24 frets although playing past the 22nd is a joke and is not possible. It also has 2 EMG 81 pickups and mine has the see thru red cherry finish..

This guitar is tailor made for hard rock and heavy metal. The EMG 81 in the bridge position screams and is perfect for loud harmonics and palm muting. It gets a ton of treble clarity even with a scooped EQ that makes each note seperable with ungodly amounts of distortion. Clean settings in the brige sound great too and very clear. However the EMG 81 in the neck position is a mistake in my mind. It doesn't sound good clear and is only decent for soloing when distorted.

The action and finish are great. The only flaw is it is impossible to play past the 22nd fret. It basically has 24 frets for show because the neck is too hard to get through past the 22nd.

So far so good.

NA

I have played for 15 years and always wanted a Les Paul style guitar. This guitar is perfect for me because I love metal and I play directly into my Boss GT-6 plugged into my pc. I get some very heavy tones that are near professional quality. I also have a Kramer modified with a Seymour Duncan Invader in the Bridge position. That guitar sounds good too, but the EMG 81s are better. The invade is too basy and too loud and I used to love it until I played my EC-1000.

I am assuming this is a 2004 model from Korea, but I could be wrong. I bought it used from a friend (gave me the case, and a guitar stand all for $650!!!) and I don't even think he had touched the thing hardly. This guitar features an all mahogany body and neck, with a neck through design. The fretboard is made of rosewood and has 24 frets. This guitar was modified and has a EMG 81 for treble and an EMG 60 for rythym. There is a 3-way pickup selector, a volume control knob for each pickup, and only ONE tone control knob (what a rip). It comes with sperzel locking tuners, earvana self adjusting nut, and a locking bridge and tailpiece. The binding IS PHENOMENAL. Its REAL abalone! Having only one tone control knob really kind of kills some of the versatility. However if you look at all the killer hardware this thing comes with, you won't care. This guitar features many things that you would typically only find on a custom piece!

I play alot of hard rock and metal, but I do dwell in blues/jazz improvisation. I am using this with the Behringer LX1200 Vampire 120 Watt digital modeling amp going through a JCM-800 4x12 Cab. At first I thought the guitar sounded like total ass (lots of muddy sloppy distortion) but I changed the battery and then I had to adjust a setting on the amp (the signal was clipping because of the high output EMGs). After this slight change of settings, the true sound of the guitar REALLY came out and I was pleasantly suprised. The sustain and tone of this guitar is truly incredible. I have played on $3000.00 gibsons and I am here to tell you that this guitar sounds and plays better (and even looks better for that matter, who the hell pays $2000-$3000 for a guitar with plastic tuners?!). The EMGs give this guitar a really nasty "old school metallica" like tone and if you play heavy music you will be in for a treat. Compared to the sound of a les paul however, I think these things sound much more "trebly", and do not have the same crunch or bass that a les paul does. Maybe this has to do more with my pickups I am not sure, but compared to my 1973 Guild S-100, this guitar sounded very trebly and I had some difficulties getting a lower, warmer, les paul-like tone. This guitar has MUCH less wood than a Les Paul (and your back will thank you for it too!) so this is probably why it has a brighter sound to it. Setting the pickup selector to the bridge (rythym) pickup and turning the tone knob all the way down resulted in a nice warm sound, but still much brighter than any Les Paul in my opinion. I'm not here to say that this is a bad thing however. This guitar's tone and sound is AWESOME, and is more versatile than a Les Paul. Think of the sound as being somewhere between a Fender and Gibson. However, if your looking for guitar with LOTS of bass, this might not be what your looking for. I find that it suites my taste perfectly! It would probably sound a whole lot better through a real tube amp, but I'll soon see about that...

I really can't say how the guitar was setup from the factory since I bought it from a friend, and who the hell knows what he did with it. The finish was flawless. The maple top is absolutely gorgeous, and the abalone binding is stunning. I find frequently find myself just staring at this guitar. Cosmetically it compares to PRSs worth 3-4 times more! The action on this guitar is actually what caught my attention. Even with light strings (low tension) I can lower the strings extremely low and still have NO fret buzz whatsoever at any fret. With higher gauge strings I could probably lower the action even more. I could not find ANYTHING wrong with this guitar AT ALL. The neck is straight as an arrow, and the intonation is perfect.

I cannot answer this since I am basing this review off the first week of playing it. I really, really, REALLY try not to beat this guitar up. Its so damn beautiful I find myself babying it, so I really wouldn't be able to say if it can stand up to a beating or not. I don't have the heart to put it through any type of punishment yet...

I've personally never contacted ESP for anything...but I have heard that they are great.

I've been playing for about 9 years. I have own and played on quite a few expensive guitars. For the money, I would have to say this is probably one of the best guitars in existance today (for those who play metal or hard rock). Examining this guitar closely will reveal the great craftsmanship that went into its construction. There is nothing that I dislike about this guitar except maybe it could have another tone knob...it would also probably have more versatility with Seymour Duncan humbuckers than EMGs, although the sound of the EMGs is perfect for harder music. I never give out perfect 10s. But I cannot find ANYTHING substantial to complain about. This guitar is a very, very, serious instrument.

Mine is a 2003 Model, this is the first year they put the Earvana compensation nut on them. 24 frets, quilted black cherry finish(GORGEOUS), Tone-pro locking bridge, Dual EMG 81's, 3 control knobs (two vol. 1 tone) Abalone enlayed around the ENTIRE guitar, matching quilted headstock, Earvana nut, sperzel locking tuners, 3 way pickup selector, set neck, Mahogany body,

I love the sound of this guitar, ive gigged it for jazz and rock. The sustain is sweet, the lows are chunky. It isnt noisy, neither is there fret noise. To enhance an already amazing guitar, i installed an EMG-89 w\ a coil tap switch, An EMG-afterburner to boost my output for solos (also a very noticible boost in the cleans as well. Both of these are easily installed, and replace your normal volume pots with a push/pull knob, when you pull the knob up it activates the afterburner, or the single coil tap, and when you push is back down, you can still adjust your volume and tone. Now my guitar sounds amazing. The tone is great for any style that you want to play. I picked this guitar over all the gibsons and fenders that i tried out.

The action from factory is great, low action, the neck is very comfortable and gives you a feel of control, pretty decent pickup height (i adjusted them a little bit for my own personal taste). The finish was flawless and the most beautiful thing ive ever seen. The battery compartment is easy to use, the only thing i would change is that the compartment pops up instead of having to unscrew it, but thats a very minor setback. Great quality wood and hardware, the sperzel tuners are great. This guitar feels very sturdy, but is not bulky and heavy like a Les Paul. I chose this over the les paul because it is much more comfortable, has better pickups, and is a just as well made guitar. FOR HALF THE PRICE OF A LES PAUL. If there is anyone out there thinking about this guitar, I urge you to buy one, or atleast pick one up and test drive it. Feels great, sounds great, looks great, is great. The one thing i'd change about this guitar is the fretboard, id want it to be ebony or winge (mostly because im so used to playing the wenge fingerboard of my Ibanez sr3000 Bass) Hence the 9, instead of 10.

The hardware, the finish, everything, seems like it will hold up, this guitar is built solid as a tank, but it deosnt feel like your playing a huge log (like Gibson and Epiphone lp's) Ive accidentally knocked this guitar into things before without any scratches or dings. Its made very well. The strap buttons are solid, The only reason i'd have to gig this with a backup is incase a string breaks. otherwise, i have no worries about this baby letting me down.

Customer support is pretty good, it took a little while to get this guitar in when i ordered it, but that was due to the time of year, and the NAMM. They email you back very quickly and are helpful and friendly.

Ive been playing for about 5 years, i currently own 3 guitars, (Godin flat 5, This one, And classical acoustic guitar) and one bass (ibanez sr3000E) It it were stolen or lost, i would hunt down whoever stole it and burn theyre eyes out with a magnifying glass. Then deficate upon them... IF it were lost i'd buy a new one, without a second thought. I compared this to several other guitars, ibanez, gibson, epiphone, fender, jackson, and chose this for its great looks, tone, feel, and quality. I love this guitar. You cant find a better deal out there. Especially for the price. Dont pass this one over becasue its not one of those heavy names like gibson.

I can't really add much to what's been said... except to say "WOW!". I bought my sunburst EC-1000 with the Duncan zebra's a few weeks ago. I am amazed at this much guitar for the price. I have owned many guitars, including many Fender Strats and Teles, Les Pauls, and two PRS Custom 24's (with "10" tops and bird inlays). This guitar is easily the most beautiful because of the striking flame top, and especially the abalone inlays. The greens and purples glow under the light in an almost irredescent manner. It's HARD to believe that this guitar was made in Korea. Obviously, Korea is becomming the "new Japan". The hardware is top notch. I once spent a bunch of money putting this same hardware on a sunburst Les Paul that I had and it still wasn't near as nice of a package.

This guitar, being an LP-clone is obviously more suited to rock than country. However, I play both. And I like this guitar so much that I won't wanna put it down to pick up a Tele or Strat for the country, so I downloaded the "Spin-A-Split" wiring diagram from the Seymor Duncan website and proceeded to mod the EC-1000. I converted it to a single volume control (cause I've always hated separate volume controls), with the other two pots controlling whether each pickup is in humbucking or single coil mode. Honestly, I don't know why ALL LP and humbucker style instruments don't come this way (or at least with a coil split switch). The Stratty sound that I get when the pickup selector switch in in center position, with both split knobs dialed off to single coil mode, is simply BEAUTIFUL. The PRS Customs did an okay job of this with that goofy rotary selector, but this is BETTER! I recommend that anyone who wants glassy cleans on this guitar, do this mod. I plan on buying another EC-1000 in black, and I will tear-out the EMG's, replacing them with the zebra's and doing this mod on it as well. Anyways... the sound is great. Admittedly, it's a hair less "fat" and full than a real Les Paul when the neck pickup is selected. But I can live with that as I only rarely use that sound. How many times are you going to use the same sound from the intro lick to "Sweet Child 'O Mine"?

As I have already stated, this guitar is top notch all-around. I see VERY FEW flaws in it. Just a few visible seams on the plastic body binding. That's one thing that Gibson and the LP clone makers could learn from PRS. Just make the top a full maple cap and use the wood's natural look for the "binding". None of this plastic crap. But of course, that would mean that they'd have to actually use a decent peice of maple... do you hear me Gibson? Another plus for this guitar is that I really love the sharp cutaway on the horn, over Gibson's rounded one. This guitar looks like much better of a Les Paul than a real Les Paul. No one should be buying Les Pauls once they've played this guitar. I loved me PRS's, but for what I paid for each of them, I could have had THREE of these and a couple hundred $$$ left over. The neck on this guitar is just right for my hands. It's not as fat as many LP's and Strat's that I've owned. But it's not the smallest either. I'd say that it's about the same profile as the wide-thin necks on the PRS Custom 24's.

Dunno yet. Just got it a couple of weeks ago. Will be gigging it this weekend. I don't anticipate any problems with it.

Haven't had to deal with the company. Hopefully I never will.

I have been playing for 20 years. Most of it proffesionally. Have played metal, rock, country, blues, jazz, classical, and country. Have owned just about every peice of gear there is (except a really nice, expensive boutique tube amp -- my next purchase, hopefully a Bogner Shiva or Extasy). I would buy another EC-1000 in a heartbeat if it were stolen. I love everything about it. I don't give 10's very easily in the individual categories, but overall, this thing is a definite TEN. I have never owned a better value than this guitar. Highly recommended.

This is the sunburst model with the Duncan '59 and JB. Sperzel tuners, mahogany body and neck (I'm assuming the body is laminated), rosewood fretboard with flag inlays, ( and the goofy looking model number 12th fret inlay. ) two volumes, one tone and a 3 way toggle switch. I've had mine for about a year and a half, it has a standard nut, but I think the new ones have the Earvana compensated nut. This axe is decked out and absolutely beautiful, ( it took me a while to get over the "L.T.D." on the headstock, but I'm kind of a superficial poseur!). I give it a 9 out of 10 only because they should equip this thing with strap locks.

I've been playing for 20+ years and either own or have owned guitars from tons of manufacturers including Gibson, Fender and Ibanez ( I been had!), and this is THE BEST GUITAR I've ever owned!!! I picked this guitar up to use as a backup to my Les Paul for a big gig my band had, and after 1 practice and about a week and a half of practice I decided that the Les Paul was going to be the back up to this axe, and itcost less than half of what the Gibson did!!
I mainly play hard rock and metal ( Priest, Rainbow, Saxon, Crue, blah, blah , blah...) but also play country, blues, folk, almost anything and while this guitar can do it all it is at it's best when playing heavy, hard drivig rock n roll. ( like a Les paul!)
There is no other pickup combination like the Seymour Duncan '59 in the neck and the JB in the bridge. The black and black cherry models are loaded with EMGs, but this is the one to go with for the pure tone! This guitar screams when you want it to, purrs when you want it to, and harmonics ring from it like no other.
I play this through a variety of amps, my main rig being an ENGL Ritchie Blackmore head through two Mesa 2x12s , but I also own amps by Soldano, Marshall, and Mesa Boogie and its sounds great and interacts perfectly with all of them!
Being a gearhead I currently own over 20 guitars, and this is hands down the best. I can't believe a mid priced guitar made in Korea can be this good. WHY DID I SPEND SO MUCH MONEY ON "HIGH END" GUITARS?!?!

I'm not much into looks, and I know how to set up a guitar to my liking, so this section will be short. The EC-1000 is stunningly beautiful, perfect finish, awesomne top, kick ass binding, blah, blah, blah...
It was zset up perfectly when I got it, and I haven't had to adjust it. Great action, and perfectly intonated. With my Les Paul I would have to tweak the truss rod every time the freakin' weather changed, but the L.T.D. hasn't asked me for nuthin' in aslmost 2 years!

Built like a brick shithouse, I'll take this bad boy on the road as my main guitar any time, BUT.....
the input jack kinda sucks. It works itself loose very easily and needs to be tightened every time I pick this thing up. I opened up the back to fix it proper, but they left so little slack in the wire that I decided it was more of a pain in the ass than it was worth, so I just make sure I check the jack every time I plug in. It's a minor problem, and if I wasn't so lazy I'd fix it, but they still lose a point.

N/A

I don't know how the dickheads at Gibson can sleep at night knowing they charge three times as much for guitars with lesser features ( anybody got a Les Paul with Sperzels?), lesser electronics ( Duncans destroy the 498t crap!), and lesser finish qualities ( my Les paul has globs of finish running over the binding!) It doesn't matter if you're a seasoned pro or a novice, I highly reccomend this guitar. For the quality and value this mutha is hands down a 10 !!