ESP ESP LTD EC-400VF

Incredible bang-for-the-buck factor. Nicely flamed maple top, real Seymour Duncans, Earvana nut, real Grover tuners.

I play through a Mesa Express 5:50 for live stuff, and a PODxt for recording on the PC. Either way, this axe sounds great. Nice, thick, confident tone. Very good sustain - add some overdrive and it's liquid. Good tonal variation is on tap via the 3-way switch and dual volume knobs. My other guitars are an '88 Ibanez S540HH Saber, a 60s Classic Strat, and a Lite Ash Telecaster. All guitars with their own distinct tones - and this LTD is no exception, as it has its own fat voice.

Cosmetically, this guitar is nearly flawless. You've got to look really close to see what minor flaws there are - and even then, for $629 we can live with a few tiny flaws. The setup out of the box was quite good - the intonation was actually correct! The Earvana nut really helps the guitar to sound sweet all up and down the fretboard. The electronics, however, are another story. The bridge pickup is not properly grounded. The wiring is WRONG - the two volume pots are not wired independently. I've read other reviewers stating the same issue. The pots themselves are funky - they don't have much effect as you turn them down, and then as you approach the "off" position they cut off very abruptly. Despite this, the guitar is so fine otherwise, that I will keep it and spend the extra time and cash to re-do the wiring.

Well, this is a honeymoon review - I've only had the guitar for eight days. But I will say that my first impressions are that it's a solid, heavy, well-constructed instrument with no cheap hardware (except for the electronics, as mentioned above).

Immediately upon opening the box and discovering the bum wiring, I e-mailed ESP customer support. Eight days later, no reply at all. Haven't tried to call them on the phone. The sad truth is that you shouldn't expect ANY help at all from these guitar companies. If you are fortunate enough to get a reply, consider it a real bonus! Deal with your local music shop instead.

For its bang-for-the-buck, looks, playability, and sound, the guitar easily gets a 9.5. But the poor electronics set it back. In the end, I'm willing to go for a 9 out of 10, because I really do think it's a fine instrument. This is a prime example of how well-built a Korean guitar CAN be.

Made 2007 in Korea. 22 XJ Frets, with a solid flame maple top over Mahogony (Yeah it's heavy). 2 humbuckers, A seymour Duncan JB(B) in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan "59 in the neck. Bridge is a stop-bar tail peice and it has Grover tuners. Les Paul type single cut away with a flamed maple top.

The sound on the axe is wonderful. It handles the thick Ugg Chugs of metal yet retains extreme clarity. The combo of the JB and the '59 let you switch from a modern metal sound to blues. I was joking when I told the sales person I wanted a guitar that could handle all styles of music and I wanted to pay less then a grand for it, but apparently he didn't get the joke and found a guitar that almost does that. By far this is the most versitle guitar I have ever owned and I've owned alot of them. The closest I've owned that come close are Schecter's C1-Plus and a EPI Les Paul, but this guitar is on another level from these two.

I bought this guitar from a shop so it had already had a set-up. Not sure how they come right out of the box. Flame Top was matched well. It's a very sleek finish and I don't even usually like tobacco burst guitars. Nice low action with enough room for me to tune down 1/2 step without going out of tune.

This is a solid guitar. Definately getting more for the money with this one. I primarily use it for recording, but wouldn't think twice about bringomg it on the road. Would suggest strap-locks but I suggest those for all guitars.

HAven't had to deal with them.

I've been playing for over 15 years and am currently working with two bands. One is a metal/alternative band, and the other is geared more on the blues and mellow end of things. This guitar does everything but give you a single coil sound (IF it had coil tapping, it really would have had eveything). The rich sound with amazing clarity opens up alot of possiblities. This guitar has me ready to try out an ESP double cutaway with emg pick-ups and coil tapping to complement this terrific axe. So, I'd most definetely rebuy it if lost or stolen. If your really considering this guitar, I'd recommend finding a shop that carries one and just go play it. I imagine sale people love this guitar because they can sell themselves.