ESP EX-260

Construction: Set Neck
Scale: 24.75 in.
Body: Agathis
Neck/Fretboard: 3-piece maple/rosewood
Inlays: Dots with name at 12th Fret
Pickups: EMG-ESP LH-300 humbuckers
Electronics: Volume, tone, 3-way toggle
Hardware: Black
Bridge: Tune-o-matic with stop tailpiece
Binding: None
Frets: 22 XJ

I have no idea when it was made, i bought it from a friend. But it seemed flawless, so it is properly not that old.

Mostly i play metal and hard rock, and it does the job very well. But when i use it for clean parts the sound is not too good.
I am using a Marshall avt100xt amp with the guitar, and they sound compatible together.
The p.u. are very bright and again very quite, i'm considering changing them and replace them with Emg 81 and 85.

everything, when i got the guitar seemed highly welladjusted. But one thing really bothers me, and thats the balance of the guitar. It is not a problem when sitting down, the problem occurs when standing up. The neck is heavier than the body that makes it dive. It is very anoying and slows you down.
But besides that, the guitar was in a really good condition when i got it.

I really think that the guitar will survive almost everything. I have dropped it a few times and nothing happens. Besides the bad choice in tree for the body, the parts are impeccable.

I think it is a very good guitar, and it plays pretty good, not a dream but acceptable.
I should have tried it standing before buying it, I only tried it sitting.
If it was lost, i would not buy it again, i would properly not to buy an explorer again, i do not like the feel of the guitar.
I got a fender strat beside it, and it is so much easier to play and it feels much better. I wish it had a shorty neck, it is hard to reach when playing fast.

Explorer shape, set neck guitar featuring 2 esp-emg humbucking pickups with coil tap feature. Made of Agathis wood, esp tuners which work excellent.

The pickups on this guitar are quite powerful, and surprisingly sound good in tapped mode. The pickups have 3 distinct different tones in both humbucking and single coil mode. The bridge position has a nasally tone with a cool bite. While most people who rate this guitar play metal, the guitar is good for all types of music. The middle position is really excellent in sound, great for any style, clean or dirty. I really like the variety of sound on this guitar. Even though the guitar is made of Agathis wood, the guitar just rings. Acoustically you can hear and feel the resonance of this guitar. This is the 2nd guitar that I own that uses Agathis, the other being a Squier Tele, and I am impressed with the sounds that come from this guitar.

The fit and finish on this guitar are incredible. This feels like a custom guitar. Even though it has the standard nut, there are no tuning problems with this guitar, and the tuners work excellent too. The finish is black, and when polished just shines. Esp has a knack of making every guitar they build look like a custom guitar, ESP and LTD alike.

Everything on the guitar is solid, so I can't complain. I would use it on a gig without backup without thinking twice about it. The guitar is built to last.

For the price that this guitar is sold for, it is unbeatable. This guitar is like owning a custom instrument. I love the attention to detail that ESP gives to its products, especially the LTD models. If Fender and Gibson gave as much to the Squier and Epiphone lines respectively, people would be happier. One thing I should add, I got the guitar and case for a great price because there was a chip in it due to someone dropping it so I got a scratch and dent special but, aside from the one chip, the guitar is flawless.

Before I bought this guitar, I saw conflicting reports about the humbucker configuration. Some said that they were EMG-HZs and others said that they were EMG ESP LH-300. I don't know if they changed they parts that they used in production or what, but mine has the EMG ESP LH-300.

I like the 3 way toggle for humbucker selection. Nice and solid. Great looking guitar. I have it in black.

I play mostly metal and with the bridge humbucker selected, it sounds phenomenal for a stock pickup. I'm sure that EMG 81's would blow it away but this sounds great.

When played clean and the middle position selected, the guitar rings out. It has a great clean tone. Much better than expected based on some reviews that I have read.

The action, fit, and finish are all to my liking. I haven't changed a thing. (Now, that being said - I bought this used and I have no idea what they had to change.)

I believe that the guitar itself is solid. However, and this is really no fault of the guitar, I am not used to the "Explorer" shape. I have banged it a few times in my small office studio. I have dinged it, but I can't blame the guitar.

n/a

Quite frankly, I bought this price because it was a steal, and I fell in love with it afterwards. If you play rock or metal, you will love having this axe. Looks and feels great. The sound is exactly what I like. I'm very pleased.

Titanium solver finish
Explorer body style
Tune-o-matic Stop tailpiece
non-locking tuners
adjusting allen key provided
Made in Indonesia in 2005
22 frets
Laminated top
3-way pickup selector, 1 volume knob 1 tone knob
two EMG-HZ passive humbuckers
Agathis (shit) body, 3-piece maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard

This guitar has a really nice heavy sound. If you like straight edged metal sounds, then this should make you very happy. The pickups are great, although the power delivery could be considered a little harsh compared to their active counterparts or other passive pickups for that matter. If you like "earthy" "warm-ish/vintage" tones, dont go with these pickups. At recording volume, this guitar is awsome, cuts through mixes really well, has a well defined tone with enough brightness. Played at louder rehersal/gig volumes however, some integral flaws show up. The Agathis wood used for the body on this guitar is cheap and light, making the guitar neck heavy and over responsive. The wood is infact so light, upon heavy palm muted rhythm playing, I could hear the bridge ringing into the pickups...which is not a good thing especially if you play articulate rhythm passages where clean playing is crucial. the hardware on the body vibrates into the pickups badly. This however can only be heard at higher volumes through modern high gain settings. If you try it through a Marshall, try the Mode Four, other Marshalls dont have the sort of sound to bring out the flaws. I use Hughes and Kettners and Bogners, and the noise issue really does show. Of you can, i would suggest changing the pickups to something quieter, or insulate the bridge and tailpiece. The EMG HZs tend to be rather harsh...great with better woods (mahogany etc) but these pickups dont deserve cheap woods like Agathis. The tones are awsome whatever the issue!!..just the noise is really annoying.

The initial setup was and is great. I havent had to change anything. I personally prefer thin necks (I usually use Ibanez), so the thicker meatier neck felt a little awkward at first, but i got used to it. the action was nice and low..(i wud prefer lower though..hehe) The pickups were the right height, i did raise the neck pickup just a bit and now everythigns great. I have yet to find any visible construction flaws. Looks nice and shiny and has a great strong finish. So far the only flaws are some intonation issues higher up the neck, The differnece is very minute, but upon close listening (preferrably through headphones) they are somewhat noticable, that can be fixed though. The wood is shit..i m sorry ESP, but Agathis bodies should be avoided. I understand it makes production cheaper and makes great budget guitars...but with Pickups like HZs, Agathis is not a good option. the lower density of the wood makes it too light and sounds from the bridge and tailpiece travel through. Another problem is the weight displacement. Having suc a light body, the neck is heavier and tends to dive, making playing highly uncomfortable. Simple chords in one general position isnt a problem, but articulate parts, or even soloing up and down the neck can be troublesome as the neck will slowly slide and start pointing towards your bandmate's shoes. Using leather straps dont really solve the problem cuz they snag your shirt...unless you play shirtless..in which case abrasion might be an issue over repeated use. If you have really long arms a la James Hetfield or are used to playing the guitar very low..you should be good.

This guitar is built rather well and yes i believe it can handle vigorous live playing. the nice shiny finish should stay shiny no matter what falls on it (blood, sweat, tears, spit, other bodily fluids). The hardware looks and feels solid and should last the longhaul. The strap buttons were solid and great, but i use cliplock straps, so i dont need the strap buttons. I m going to do some insulation on the thing very soon, and take care of the intonation problem. Till then, it feels dependable enough, although i would recommend having a backup always !! no matter what guitar you use.

I havent had to get it repaired. minor questions i did have were answered within due time by ESP. They are pretty helpfull. i cant say if they are friendly or not as i ve always contacted them via email.

i have been playing for about 11 years now, 6 professionally. I have a custom built Les Paul shaped guitar (not Gibson). An Ibanez RG1550 prestige, with after market neck, Dimarzio pickups, after market trem. Currently i ve added the ESP EX-260, I ve owned other guitars previously but have had to sell them due to various reasons.
Two things i wish i had asked before buying this guitar was whether Agathis was the right wood for such a guitar and whether it neck dived. If it were stolen, I would probably buy another one, but this time i would wait, save up more money and then get the higher end ones, atleast one with Mahogany body and active pickups. I love the way it looks and i love its recording tone. Very metal !! I hate the wood and the noise and the neck dive. Upon comparison with my other guitars, it sounds refreshingly differnet. All my guitars have unique tonal characteristics, so i m happy. I dont know why i chose this one...maybe cuz i was SUI (shopping under the influence).

Bought brand new December 2004.This is a 22 fret solid bodied explorer copy with set neck one tone and one volume control and three way pick up switch.The pick ups are humbucker EMG Hz's and there are two.It has an agathis body finished in titanium metallic colour,with maple rosewood neck/fretboard,tune omatic stop/tailpiece

This is a guitar ideally for metal but also sounds great for rock and even blues.Through a solid state Marshall 80 watt combo this guitar sounds fab but through a valve amp it would be WOW.the pick ups are very powerful with great tone and no buzz and leave epiphone hummers for dead.They also look cool with EMG stamped on them.The sounds can be growley or faorl;y light but remember this guitar was built for metal.Personally I love the sound which I compare in quality to my Gibson les paul!

The guitar was bought from the display in the shop and was set up perfectly from the suppliers with great action.I play with 9's normally but this came with 10's so I expect even better playability when changed.Finish is unblemished with nicely set up pups and no rough edgesI am very critical of guitar and own 25 but I honestly cannot find a fault with this axe apart from a crackly volume knob which turned out to be a loose knob top.Once tightened with the tool kit supplied it was fine.

As I have only had it a month I cannot comment on reliability but it all appears solidand is quite a weight.Frets are nicely smoothed off and set level,bridge and fittings are all well set.

Too soon to tell, but I originally bought an ESP Les Paul and it had a fault on the main earthing to the bridge ,the dealer was happy for me to return it and take the Explorer instead (I paid a bit extra to upgrade).It has 12 month warranty but the company seem helpful.

Been playing for 40 years ouch!Own a couple of USA strats,Gibson les paul,Sqiure strat (japanese),westone thunder 1A,epiphone les paul ltd edition,Austin hatchet,Fenix strat,fender f15 accoustic,sunn mustang,
Only problem is getting a guitar stand or case to fit.
Love the sound and action hate nothing.
Favorite feature has to be those pick ups as i intended to upgrade them to 81 and 85's but now dont need to.Looked at loads of guitars in the shop but none had the WOW factor or sound.Wish it had a case thrown in!
If you are looking for an explorer with set neck and hot pick ups for under #400 I would reccomend checking this out.