ESP Kamikaze IV

The Finish is a camo inspired design and on my guitar it is all paint, no decals with a high gloss clear coat over top... matching headstock.
Body style is strat-like and is based upon the ESP M ( super srtat ). It is worth mentioning that the body on this Kami IV is reduced in sized compared to a Kami I.
Bridge is a origional Floyd Rose double locking system.
Schaller tuners.
Neck scale is 25.5 with a wide thin neck profile ( very comfortable to play ), 22 frets, bolt on neck joint is the ESP Star type profile, jumbo frets, maple fretboard on maple neck, with small mother of pearl dot markers that are to one side with volute at headstock transition.
Body is one piece maple.
Included with this guitar was a ESP case and all tools for truss rod and Floyd Rose adjustment.
This guitar was made in the ESP custom shop in Japan in ( I believe ) 2003.
Pick up configuration is neck = ESP ss-120 single coil, bridge = Seymour Duncan Screamin Demon. Control is a push pull volumn pot to switch between the two... the cons here are you cannot have both pickups on at the same time, there is no tone control, no seperate volumn controls. The pros here are no tone means unrestriced cct path to pickups... you hear the pickups only with no other devices in the control cct, Volumn roll off does attenuate the top end. All pickups are passive.
I give it an 8 on features only because of the single volumn control and switch type. I like no tone control in the cct and I like the push pull pot for control, it's simple and looks less clutered on the guitar's top with less routing and holes in the guitar. However when compared to other two pickup designs this control set up has less flexibility.

I play mostly hard rock, classic rock, pop rock, metal, blues, fusion.
This guitar has amazing tone for these styles and more.
Amps I'm using are the Randall Lynch Box, Soldano Hot Rod 50, Koch Multitone 100. Effects are Soldano Supercharger GTO, Dunlop Crybaby Wah from Hell, Visual Sound H2O ( anolog echo and chorus ).
This guitar is not noisy.
Tone from this guitar is surprisingly not as brite as other all maple guitars I own, it is very bell like, or piano like with and very round even voice with great clarity and the most sustain I've heard from a bolt on neck joint, more than my set neck and neck thru guitars ( I have 10 guitars ).
Even with the basic electronics set up this guitar has several tones on tap... Bridge position humbucker is a medium output in the PAF family with EQ tweeks for accented upper mids and top with focused clear lows... no mud at all... which sounds vintage and modern, cleans up nicly when you roll back the volumn. The SS-120 single coil in the neck is round and clean with beautiful balance between lows mids and highs... highs are not harsh and lows have no mud... great clarity. Once you get a handle on the way the volumn when it is rolled backattenuates the highs you can coax more tones from this guitar.
No dislikes in the tone department therefore I give it a resounding 10!

This guitar has one of the best fit and finishes I've seen barre none. I own and have owned several guitars form all the major builders and this is better than most and as good as the best.
All aspects of the action fit and finish are flawless therefore I give it a 10.

As I mentioned above the action fit and finish are exceptional and this is reflected throughout the entire guitar.
Very high standard of build quality. Easily compares to PRS and Music Man, Charvel, jackson, or any other custom shop.

This guitar will stand up to live playing.

The hardware is top end it will last and last.

The finish is spectacular with a thick top clear coat. Definetly good enough to last.

Everything is solid on this guitar... if I cannot depend on something this well made then I cannot depend on anything.

Guitars this well made seldom break down unless they are seriously misused... still though I would never gig without a backup.

Reliability/durability is a 10.

I have dealt with ESP on a limited basis and for this reason I have no opinion.

I've been playing well over 20 years and own PRS, Gibson, Music Man, Fender, Washburn, Larivee, Garrison, Michael kelly, and other ESP/LTD guitars.
If this guitar were stolen I would buy another no question about that!
I hate nothing about this guitar.
I love the ESP Star neck joint and origional Floyd Rose. The Floyd Rose on this guitar in particular is the smoothest most well set up and operating Floyd Rose I own... and I love the tone of this guitar.

Nothing to wish for here this guitar is awsome as is.

I've compared this guitar to about a dozen other guitar by as many builders. It is easily as good as anything I've compared it to the ESP Japan Custom Shop is on top of their game.
This guitar suits my personal needs perfectcly and I give it a 10.
If you like high end guitars, 80's metal, george lynch and don't mind getting what you pay for then this guitar may suit your needs perfectly too.

As all other ESP's, this guitar is made in Japan. Don't let that scare you off! I've been a production manager for 5+yrs and Japanese manufacturing is the benchmark in most arenas(ie...Toyota,Lexus,etc..). My Kamikaze is slightly customized,so instead of a reverse buzz saw headstock I have a non reverse Hockey stick w/maple fretboard(the only one in existence from what i know). It has a Screamin Demon hum in the bridge and a ESP single coil in the neck. It has a maple body/neck and a push/pull pickup selector switch. It also has an original Floyd Rose Trem.

Some guitars just sound perfect! This guitar has a feel like no other...better than my other two Kamikazes. It simply sounds awesome...again...better than my other two Kamikazes. The distortion is very balanced and just drips with tone. I play mostly metal and can dial in Lynch,Eddie,jake E lee,Randy,Vivian,and just about any other metal god tone. It's not trebly,or mid rangy...just right! Harmonics are well balanced and the distortion is just right,not muddy and not high pitched. I use it through a 5150 combo amp, and a 5150 halfstack. It's a perfect balance with these amps. I've owned it for about 10months and I still can't believe the sound and playability of this guitar. The only thing that I would rate it down for is the single coil...I prefer hums in the neck position so I'm going to give it a 9. Otherwise I'd give it an 11.

This guitar is set up perfect! It literally melts in your hands. I thought it was just me, but a friend I have who owns about 25 high end Jacksons told me the other day that this is the best feeling guitar he has ever held. Like I said before, I have two other Kamikazes that I like, but they don't have the same feel as this one.

It seems reliable enough, but I don't gig or take it on the road so.... I'm very paranoid of the finish since it is so cool looking (green,yellow,orange,reddish pink). One of my other Kamikazes fell off a guitar stand and shattered the massive hockey stick headstock. I had it repaired (glued and doweled). ESP wanted $400 to replace it!!!

ESP were basically uninterested in helping me when I shattered my headstock on my Kamikaze 1. They wanted a bunch of $$$. It's not like I'm a radical kid...I'm 34 years old and it was a fluke!!! I believe most guitar manufacturers would have replaced the guitar. Oh well, I guess I'll just give them a 1!

Ive been playing guitar since the 80's. I have many nice guitars (3 Kamikazes,ESP Kerry King V,Jackson Vinnie Vincent,Jackson Polka Dot Randy Rhoads,Jackson Warrior,Kramer Proaxe,Peavey Vandenberg,Peavey Wolfgang,Gibson Les Paul,Fender American Standard Strat,etc..). This one probably plays the best out of them all for sound and feel. I own 5150's exclusively(combo and halfstack...I have played them all and if you know what you're doing adjusting and playing they are great!). I wish the neck pickup was a little thicker in tone,but it is OK. It looks cool and sounds great. It's versatility is suprisingly good, but it's looks would definitely get you kicked out of a country bar!!

This is the M-2 version with a maple body, neck and fretboard. The pickups are duncan screamin' demon (bridge) and ESP (neck). Push pull
volume pot for switching p/u. Has the standard ESP tuners on a custom
sawtooth headstock. Floyd Rose II tremolo (screw in arm as on all ESP
Lynch models). The body is top routed for ascending bar action. Jumbo frets. 1 3/4 neck nut width. Paint is dayglo green kamikazi camo version. This guitar is different from the other
3 Kamikazis due to the fact that it has a Maple neck and the M2 body. The body is the same as the Kirk Hammett KH2.

I have four of the Lynch ESPs and this one has the best tone of all. I bought this as a collector piece and have played it less than 10 hours. The screamin' demon pickup makes harmonics squeal pretty well and the single coil is a great for alternate tones. Primarily have played it through JCM 800 and 5150 combo. Sounds pretty hot

Guitar was setup pretty well from the factory. No flaws in finish, etc..

I think this guitar could be a dependable main guitar - I would imagine the sawtooth headstock is fairly fragile. The guitar is Les Paul heavy.

No opinion

I have been playing since 1981 and have owned Les Pauls, Fender Strats, Wolfgang and Ernie Ball EVH and Jackson King V. The ESP is of poorer quality than all of those mentioned. I own them because I'm sure that with George Lynch's waning popularity ESP will create his signature line in very limited ($$$$) quantity and mine will be highly collectible. We'll see.