ESP H-100

Mine is made in Korea in the year 2000. An important distinction is that the H-100 is an earlier version of ESP's current LTD H-51 & H-101 series guitars, with the difference being that the older H-100 has a solid basswood body, whereas the H-51 has a solid agathis body and the H-101 is agathis capped with a flame-maple veneer.

Comes with one volume and one tone pot for its dual hot-humbucker pickups, as well as a generic black off-shore tune-o-matic bridge and closed gear tuning machines. Finished in a glossy urethane clear coat over a metallic "black cherry" undercoat. The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard, jumbo frets and 25.5" string scale length. Combined, these features are adequate / good for a "budget" guitar.

When I first bought the guitar back in 2001, it sounded good but I immediately replaced the plastic string nut with a much more solid bone nut, and I swapped the ABR-1 type bridge out for a Gotoh replacement from Allparts. Played unplugged, the guitar resonates incredibly well - I always get comments about how good this 'cheapie' Korean guitar sounds from other players!

Also, the hot stock pickups were switched out for Stewart MacDonald "GoldenAge" humbuckers, and sonically, the guitar has become much more versatile - it now can reasonably cover ground from clean country and warm jazz, to heavy blues and snarky punk rock. In contrast, the stock pickups had only one sound: heavy. They were probably intended for straight up metal guitar - cool, but not my bag.

Having owned this guitar since 2001, its now thoroughly broken in and it seems to have "matured" well with age. Maybe its because the body of the guitar is thinner than most other common electric guitars, (-strats, teles, pauls, etc.) but I find that this guitar sounds markedly different from the usual big three. Despite having humbuckers, its tones sound closer to say, Ry Cooder than Jimmy Page. Without effects, notes ring out with bell-like clarity, and the instrument lends itself to chime-y rhythm. With overdrive and distortion, this baby's sounds get very close to the shred tones of those super strats & other basswood-bodied guitars of the 1980's. Neat!

The action and set-up on this guitar was always good, from the time of purchase right up to this present day. Despite the fact that I changed many of the stock parts, the fit of the original parts was very good, and the bolt-on neck joint (something I'm always finicky about) was excellent for a guitar at this price-point. Hopefully my axe isn't a one-off; I think that ESP is one of the few guitar companies that actually offer decent quality guitars at reasonable prices - I can't complain about anything here.

Even without upgrading the parts, I'm sure that the H-100 could withstand live playing - the original hardware was functional but if you have this guitar OR if you're planning on buying one, do yourself a favor and upgrade the bridge, nut & pickups. After 8 years and counting, the original tuning machines still work well, and the finish, strap buttons & electronics have stood the test of time & work as they should.

I have NO IDEA about customer support. I'm a hands-on kinda player; if anything goes wrong (hasn't yet, and probably won't) I'd fix it myself.

Overall this guitar was a great buy. With the parts upgrades, it sounds excellent and unique for a 'lower-end' guitar. For instance, when multi-tracking guitars in the studio, this axe compliments stock Fender / Gibson tones impeccably. Fenders tend to be really chime-y, (treble oriented) Gibsons are really warm (lower mids) and I'm sure that any H-100 with upgraded decent-quality pickups can fall within that "transparent" sound between the two. Very nice indeed!

If my H-100 were stolen, I probably wouldn't buy another: though I would be really, really pissed off, I couldn't be bothered to seek out an old basswood body H-100 just to have to upgrade all of the parts all over again. In 2001, the guitar was about 335$ Canadian; and the parts upgrades were about 140$ That comes to 470$ which is good for what it is, but if I had to replace the guitar outright I'd probably go for something pricier just to not have to deal with upgrading everything. Still though, its a fab axe.

Made in 2004 has 22 frets with two humbuckers,three way switch volume and tone.Has a flame maple top with a matching head stock {nice} tuners have ESP on the back and seem to be fine.Came with the usual cord and allen wrench.

I play 70,80,90 rock and the humbuckers are not that bad for stock pickups. I run this through my marshall AVT150 half stack and by turning down the volume on the guitar I can get that nice overdrive and then turn it up to get my 80's metal and other hard distortions.Sounds seems a little more dark than my EMG's that I have in my other LTD's but they are usable for live playing.

The set up was off as far as the neck needing set and the pick up hight.But was not too far out.The flame top is good for a $279 guitar.It does change some when you turn it into the light.The head stock also matches the body whitch is good for a cheaper guitar.Finish was flawles!! neck was set in nice and tight with no gapes.Even the strape lockes were tight.

I think she would hold up fine to live playing.I have used cheaper guitars in the past when I was younger and they did fine.Has all black hard wear and they all seem to wear off sooner than any other color.I would and will use this with out a back up.I like to change from time to time and use a different guitar on a different night.You know ...keep it fun.

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Been playing for over 30 years.I have a LTD F300 with zakk wild emg's a LTD EC1000 with emg LTD H1000 aslo with emg's Ibanez LNG Jem.I got into the LTD guitars about a year ago and have been very pleased with them.They do have some very cheap guitars for beginners but so does everybody else.I wanted a flame top vintage looking guitar with the cream and black pickup colors and this guitar is great. I wanted the H400 that had better pickups in it and a set neck but they were around $550. This is a cool guitar and comes in different colors. Easy to play and looks great for the money.Just a note here...I ordered this from world music supply and they were great. Fast shipping and it aslo came with a soft case. Note bad for $279 (:

Prolly made in 2002 I got mine in black read the websites info if you need more

I play hard rock like Thrice and Thursday (rock on!) Its ok I play through a Fender deluxe 90 DSP which reall struggles with distortion The pickups are decent but not compared to Seymour Duncans This was my first guitar and I love it for that It still sounds really nice

It came pretty well set up I had tolift the pick ups a little bit and the bridge just a titbit The black finish was amazing I loved it when I first took it out of the box No flaws at all until I chipped a little finish off the top

This thing never goes out of tune! amazing I love it I would never play live without a back up but it can handle jam sessions that last a couple of hours I think if you want a guitar to play live I wouldnt get this one its priced low but there are better sounding guitars for a couple hundred more dollars

Haven't dealt with ESP

This LTD H-100 is a 2003 model, made in Korea. It has 22 frets. One volume knob and one tone knob and LTD 100 humbucker set. Not sure what the body is made of, probably either basswood or agathis-very light weight compared to my Les Paul. It is black cherry in color and the finish on the top is great! The top is carved and beautiful. The back of the neck needed more coats of finish, it is a bit rough. Not any more rough than the necks on the Fender Highway 1 Strats or the faded finished Gibsons. It has a strat style body with a tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tail piece. The tuners are very impressive-they say "ESP" on the back of each one. They keep the guitar in tune very well.

The pickups are not the best. They are not just real clear on the distortion end. I will be replacing at least the bridge pickup. But these stock one's will put out the distortion. I use a Boss MT-2 Metal Zone, a DOD chorus pedal, and the reverb on my Marshall.

The guitar came set-up pretty good. I have not adjusted a thing yet. It came with GHS strings, the kind I use. No flaws that I have seen yet.

This guitar will stand up to live playing. I will use it on stage as a backup or second guitar. The hardware seems like good quality. Finish is great. The strap buttons are solid, although I have replaced them with Schaller strap locks.

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I have been playing guitar for 17 years. I have a Gibson Les Paul Studio, an Ibanez SA160, an Alverez RD20S, and a Marshall VS230R amp. If this guitar was stolen I would probably replace it. The price was awesome-I got it on closeout! The one thing I can complain about is the pickups-but what do you expect for $139 plus shipping?!!?? Overall a nice guitar for an excellent price!!!

Early 2001, made in Korea, maple neck, basswood body, rosewood fretboard, 22 XJ frets, 2 passive LTD open-coil humbuckers at bridge and neck, three position switch, 'black-cherry' lightly sparkled finish, tune-o-matic bridge w/ stopbar tailpiece, 25.5" scale, LTD black hardware, generic closed tuners, shallow 'U' shaped bolt-on neck (1-5/8" at nut), contoured (somewhat strat-esque) double cutaway body Came with a cheap cable and truss-rod wrench (what a surprise)

I play blues, jazz, funk, punk, rock, ska and pop. This guitar can handle about half of all that without breaking a sweat. I need to coax and tweak to get more out of it. I play through a Fender HotRod Deluxe and a Digitech GNX1. The pickups are fine for this price range, both have solid tone and I use them both often, but never together! They are extremely muddy when in series. A little mellow, however, but plenty of output. A solid state amp will reveal their weaknesses, but the tubes seem to like them. Nice saturation and good, creamy overdrive. Punk rock heaven!

I was very pleased with the action; but then I bought it at an excellent store where they actually - get this - SET UP THE GUITARS BEFORE DISPLAYING THEM! What a concept! The action is just where I want it, no buzzing. The frets are trim, if not perfect, and the finish is deep and flawless. All the hardware is holding up, though the tuners might be swapped soon. Everything fits tight and the strap-buttons are still where they're supposed to be.

I gave this guitar a three-hour chunk of torture at a CD release party a week after I bought it. It's been dozens of gigs since then, and until recently it's been my main gigging instrument. It's held up splendidly. I sweat like pig and the finish is fine. Just a few battle scars. The pole-pieces have a bit of rust on them from me being too lazy to wipe them after a gig. I jump around and act like a drunken monkey at gigs, and everything is still sounding like the day I bought it; better... it's broken in.

no service has been necessary as yet. I believe there is a limited lifetime warranty for manufacturing problems. What a cop-out.

I have been playing for six years, almost all of it in a band type setting. I have some low-end acoustics but I'm mainly an electric player. I have four (including my H-100) inexpensive foreign axes as I play for a living with no record deal and I am poor. (makes you cry doesn't it?) I would definitely replace it as it is indispensable to my performance. If it had coil tapping... I could sell two other guitars. (yay! food!) This guitar is so nice for blues and punk, WAY better than a strat-copy or midrange-less Ibanez, it looks sharp, and a two-week paycheck from Taco Bell will nab you one. Great buy.

This guitar, made in Japan with US parts, must be a 2001. Purchased from Mars Music for way too much ($400). It has 27 frets and I believe it to be a laminated top. There are 2 tone controls and a volume control with a 3-way selector. 2 humbuckers. Stock ESP pickups. I think this axe is Plywood, despite the write-ups. The finish is awesome looking-a deep blue/purple satin finish. A very thin neck I found easy to play. It's body reminds me most of a rock axe cutaway. One of the biggest appeals about this guitar is its sleek and cutting looks. It's a beaut; no doubt about it.

I found this guitar to be a loud, evenly mixed guitar. Definitely suited to rock playing. I play it through a Marshall AVT 275 with only the effects the amp has included (Overdrive1 and Overdrive2 are more than most pedals can give you). With the levels scooped on Overdrive 2, and the selector knob in the middle or neck position, this well-priced guitar is a heavyweight, and absolutely screams--with style, too. I was so surprised when I tried this in the store. I'm used to waiting YEARS to buy a guitar and/or amp. At MarsMusic, I played this through the Marshall AVT 275 and thought it was God's own handiwork. I've had other low-budget guitars (Yamaha Pacifica, AXL strat, Mexi-Strat, and a Jay Turser) and only the Jay Turser can give it a run for its money. While the Yamaha may be better made, the tone from the stock yamaha pickups doesn't have that grab-ya-by-the-balls feeling this guitar does. This guitar is not very noisy. On a totally clean channel, with the gain up a bit, there's no doubt about it-this guitar sings! So easy to play, such a rich thick tone. For you high-whiny note lovers, this ain't the axe. Every note is rich as hell.

The action is really low on this guitar, and I didn't detect any fretbuzzing at all, very easy to play and this is on the music store floor. The pickups adjusted fine. The guitar did not have any really big flaws at all, except the selector switch needed some more lubrication. Was a bit hard to switch.

This guitar would definitely make it in a live setting, and I played out with it 2x only. The hardware will last. The bridge is really cool silver, but definitely made to last. It's hard to tell how long the finish will last, only had it a few months then sold it (I'm an idiot for letting it go. Great guitar.) I never, no matter how good the guitar, use one at a gig without a backup.

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I've been playing about 10 years, and own a Marshall AVT 275 w/1960A Vintage cab, and a 1995 Peavey 40 watt all tube blues classic, with other guitars. (Fender SRV Sig Strat; Yamaha Pacifica; Yamaha Classical; Jay Turser JT-50 Custom; Epiphone Casino; Axl Strat). SKB Pedal Board for Danelectro Fab-Tone; Daddy-O; Ibanez Tube Screamer; Ibanez Digital Delay; CryBaby Wah; Boss Distortion. I wish I had asked where this guitar was made and what is was made of-if they rosewood or maple and I found out plywood there would have been some complaining. At Mars Music they assume you're an idiot. If stolen, I would cry. My stupid ass sold it to a music shop so I could eat. No I'm not hungry and miss that damn guitar awful; it's usually discontinued or out of stock. If anyone reading this wants to sell theirs, e-mail me. I love it's sound, it's sleek features, and it's ease of playing. I don't like how it does only one thing: Rock. Awesome Axe for the everyday guitar player.

Bought new in July 2001. Made in Korea. 24 frets. Basswood body with bolt-on maple neck. Rosewood fingerboard. One each, volume and tone controls. 2 humbuckers. 3 way pickup selector switch. Stock humbuckers (soon to be replaced). Tune-o-matic bridge and tailpiece. Neck is thin with what seems to be medium jumbo frets.

I bought this guitar after playing many other inexpensive guitar from several manufacturers. This instrument is hands down one of the best bargain instruments available. After a proper setup it plays great. Of course you'll never mistake it for a higher end instrument, but for the money it's very impressive. I use the guitar with a Peavey Classic 50-410 fitted with NOS tubes. The guitar sounds great with this amp. I plan on changing the pickups as the stock one don't have much character. I'm going with a Dimarzio Tone Zone at the bridge and a PAF at the neck. This should greatly improve the tone. Basswood is a very resonant wood and with better pickups I'm sure this axe will sing. I'll give it a 7 for now but I'm sure after I change the pickups it will be an 8 or 9.

Guitar wasn't too badly setup, but the strings were cheap and too light for my taste. I put in a set of DR .10-.46 and intonated the axe and I've had no problems. I plan on having the frets dressed, but really they aren't bad at all. I found one buzz spot, but fixed that when I lowered the bridge pickup slightly. Fit and finish is excellent. Pickups have got to go.

The guitar seems solid. I'm pretty hard on guitars and I don't think I'll have any problems. The hardware seems solid. I really don't care about the finish holding up, as I like that worn look. I'll be replacing the strap buttons with strap lock type. I would never gig without a back up, but I think it's a dependable guitar.

Haven't need it.

I've been playing for 27 years. This is the only guitar I own at this time and I love it. As a matter of fact I love it so much that I plan on getting a EC-300 and I'll be ordering a Custom Explorer from ESP. If it were stolen, I'd hunt the guy down, take my axe back and make him pay for my custom shop explorer. I love it. Just gonna get rid of those pickups and it should be killer Just goes to show that you can get great tone for little money these days. ESP is killer!!!!