ESP LTD H-200

Korean made, don't know what year. 24 REALLY BIG frets , rosewood board, bolt on maple neck with white binding and dot position markers and three on a side tuners. Solid wood body (agithis)ESP Horison body style. Carved top with clear edge "binding" like a PRS. Two Duncan design humbuckers, three way switch, one volume, one tone control. Tune-o-matic bridge and stop tail piece. If it had coil tap, I would have given it a 9

I play mostley clasic rock, hard rock and alt. But also a little country. This guitar sounds great, wheather you play clean or crunchy. If you don't like the pups on yours, try adjusting them. Mine came with the pole pieces screwed all the way down flat to the bobbin. They should be raised up a little, and follow the arch of the strings. This guitar sounds like a humbucker guitar should.

Every thing was manufactured and put together perfectly, except for the misadjusted pickups.(could have been the previous owner)I can't believe how good the Koreans have become at building guitars, but why not? They can be just as skilled as Americans, and their lower labor cost allows them to take their time and get it right.

seems to be really solid. The finish is super hard. I never gig without a backup. Actually this guitar started as my backup, but it was so good, started leaving my more valuable PRS at home, out of harm's way

don't know

Been playing 10 years and I have owned electric guitars by Gibson,Guild, Gretsch, Fender, Washburn, Paul Reed Smith,and Ibanez.
I like almost everything about this guitar, especially the way the back of the neck pocket is carved to improve access to the end of the neck, and the way the neck pocket is angled so that the neck tilts back a little (like a les paul)I hadn't paid much attention to ESP products until I saw this one, now I'm totaly impressed! I do wish it had a coil tap feature.

simple, gots everything I need, 3 way selecter is a charm,duncan design humbuckers shine just as well as JBs, this guitar basically has Gibson equipment (tunobridge, humbucks, headstock) and plays like a Fender with a strat body....

humbuckers are great, very versitle...sounds very nice
i play thru a gfx212 from crate, and an rp200 from digitech

you can adjust the action on this guitar, which is great....it plays real easy!

this is a great guitar...very strong...heavy...my only complaint is the finish chips easily

never dealt

great guitar for good price, good for wide variety, i do recommend! been playing a few years....

Hmmm the 3 way tone selecter isint that effective.... 1 tone knob and 1 volume knob, 24 frets, good sized frets... It stays in tune quite well, and the action is fairly low( u can set how high or low you want it), strings are easy to put on with the tune "o" matic bridge...
nice

I play some metallica and some nirvana this guitar does an ok job at hard rock, while it is mainly played for anything. I am currently using at gfx212 with a rp200 effect pedal, it isint to noisy, and the duncan humbuckers are ok

i really like the purple color and the hard wood on this guitar, it is beautiful, it is easy to manuever your fingers around the fret board, and the action is low, this guitar is heavy as fuck, and u cant swing it around while playin

its a solid built guitar

never delt

its okay

Korean made, not sure of year... may be 2000 (bought it used); 24 fret, bolt-on maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and block inlays, jumbo frets; ash body with maple top and natural binding on the body, white binding along the neck and headstock; black hardware; 1 vol. and 1 tone knob, with 3-way selector; stop bar tail-piece with tune-o-matic bridge; non-recessed jack on butt of the body; two Seymour Duncan - Duncan Designed humbuckers, see-through wine finish.

Not as versatile as my two Strats, but I wasn't looking for another single-coil guitar when I bought this. I was looking specifically for a dual humbucker with stop-bar tailpiece. So, when I want a warm and fat sound, this guitar gets the job done.

I'm using an old Crate G120CXL with a Marshall 4x10. As for effects, I'm using a Tech21 SansAmp GT2 (which is unbelievable), a Dunlop Original Crybaby Wah, and a DOD equalizer pedal in the effects loop.

I'm extremely pleased with the Duncans that are in it and have no desire to change them. To my ears, they sound JUST like I want humbuckers to sound.

Seeing as how I bought the guitar used, I don't know if the original owner had anything done to it, but I got it from a friend's guitar store and couldn't believe how effortless playing felt! The action is every bit as good as a Les Paul (I compared while I was there).

The see-through wine-colored finish is absolutely gorgeous. The black hardware contrasts the body color perfectly. The binding is perfect; no bleed-throughs, etc. The overall feel is very "tight".

I would use this guitar live, definitely. As a matter of fact, I'll probably wind up using it for more songs that I do my Strats. Nothing on this guitar gives me cause for concern where public performing is concerned. I would worry about the strings wearing out before the guitar.

Not applicable - bought it used.

First of all, let me say this: Solid, well-built guitars DO NOT have to cost an arm and a leg (are you listening Gibson, Ed Roman, Fender?). This guitar is proof of that. No, this guitar is not hand-made in some luthier's shop. It's factory made in Korea, but hey... this is one company that got it right!

I spent 3 and a half hours in the store, comparing to other guitars with similar hardware, body styles, and necks. If you like the quality of Gibson necks and the nice look of binding... this guitar has it. If you prefer the feel of a double cutaway, with body contours... this guitar has it. If you prefer a slim, and lightweight body, like Ibanez... this guitar has it. With the stop-bar tailpiece and tune-o-matic bridge... this thing sustains for days!

200 WAS THE YEAR MINE WAS MADE IN IT HAS 24 FRETS GREATLEY SIZED FRETS I MIGHT ADD MINE HAS A VOLUME AND A TONE CONTROL WHICH WORK VERY EFFECTIVELEY IT HAS 2 HUMBUCKERS DUNCAN DESIGIN THERE DAMM GOOD FOR A FACTOROY PICKUP THE NECK IS MAPLE WITH A ROSEWOOD FINGER BOARD ITS GREAT TO , IT SPORTS AN ASH BODY WHICH SOUNDS GREAT.....KILLER ASS FUCKEN GUITAR PEOPLE.......

THIS GUITAR SUITS EVERY STYLE YOU COULD EVERY TRY TO PLAY IF YOU ARE A REALL PLAYER I MEAN SOME STUPID ASS RETARDS LIKE KORN MIGHT NOT HAVE GOOD LOOK WITH IT BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY SENSE AT ALL YOU WILL LOVE IT,.....

ITS FACTORY SETINGS WERE GREAT HAVE NOT CHANGED THEM YET HAD IT FOR A WHILE NOW TO. THIS GUITARS ACTION IS SO DAMM LOW YOU COULD NOT PUT A SHEET OF PAPER UNDER THE STRINGS.

THIS GUITAR IS BUILT ROCK SOLID AS IT GETS JUST AS GOOD AS ANY GIBSON LES PAUL ALMOST NOT FAR FROM IT AT ALL.........

ESP IS A GREAT FACTORY REAL NICE PEOPLE I DID NOT GET A CASE WITH MINE SO I CALLED ESP TO SEE HOW MUCH A CASE WOULD COAST MY ASS AND THEY SAID HAY AT ESP WE MAKE OUR PEOPLE HAPPY WE WILL SEND YOU A FREE ONE BEAT THAT.............

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR THREE YEARS I HAVE OWNED SEVERAL GUITARS FENDERS JACKSONS GIBSONS IBANEZ THIS GUITARS CAN HANG WITH ANY GUITAR OUT THERE ITS NO PRS BUT ITS ONLY $300 DAMM PEOPLE,.......

24 fret bolt-on neck with rosewood fingerboard, block inlays, jumbo frets and average thickness, ash body with carved top, 3way pickup selector, volume and tone knobs, 2 stock Duncan Designed passive humbuckers, see-thru black cherry finish, very comfortable body shape, Tune-O-Matic bridge.

It can make a lot of different sounds, I love it to death. The frets are the perfect size to balance comfort and make slides effortless. The sound is full and bright if needed, but can be made pretty bassy by playing the strings over the neck. The variety is pretty good, but different pickups in the neck and bridge would help.

The action was pretty high, but I just lowered it by adjusting the bridge. The pickups were adjusted well, the volume is balanced. No flaws at all.

The guitar feels solid as a rock. I doubt it will ever take any physical damage. I would have no problems depending on just this one guitar.

Never dealt with them.

Been playing almost 4 years now, and this guitar is amazing for the price. I would rather have this one than most guitars that cost twice as much. I might eventually put some really kickass pickups in it, but it's good as it is. I didn't really compare it much - it was an impulse purchase because I fell in love with it.

This is a follow-up to my previous post. I've used the guitar for over a week and have new insight. No change in this category.

I've been using the H-200 with my band for almost two weeks, and it's fitting in great. I especially love its tone in dropped tunings; chunkier than a traditional strat-style body, but not as muddy as a Les Paul. The Godsmack covers we play ROCK with this guitar -- and this is WITH stock Duncan Designed pickups. The one thing I don't like about these pickups is that they seem to be of equal output, and are probably the same model in both the neck and bridge position. I'd prefer a fatter neck tone and a hotter bridge, but for stock pickups these measure up just fine. I'm still experimenting with different pickup heights.

Since I bought the guitar, I replaced tthe strings with Ernie Ball Super Slinkies (.09-.42). I lowered the action on the high strings, but just recently raised the bridge back to its original position to avoid some buzzine on the G string around the 12th fret. Action above frets 1-12 is great (about 1.5 mm), but still too high above frets 12-24. I'm not too much of a tech, so I hope a professional truss rod adjustment will add some consistency. My Ibanez Wizard II neck gets consistent string height from and to end, and the LTD so far hasn't been able to compete. Excellent intonation though.

I took this guitar back as defective because of the jerry-rigged bottom strap button (Mars' repair) four days after I bought it. They refunded my money in full. However, after playing a dozen or so new and used instruments (mostly Epiphone Les Pauls) in this price range, nothing else had as good a tone and comfortable feel as the H-200. (But I have a history of playing only strat-shaped electrics. You may like a heavy LP better.) I bought it back at a greater discount (priced as used), and so far Mars' repair is holding steady. In the back of my mind, I worry that the guitar may fall of in the middle of a gig. The Mars manager said a set of $15 Schaller strap locks would fix the problem altogether. I won't worry about those until the repair starts to give and the screw won't tighten. As far using this guitar without a backup, that's ridiculous -- always use a backup guitar because nothing's perfect in this world and stuff always goes wrong in the most inopportune time. Plan for the worst, and life will be much better. I don't worry because this IS my backup.

After returning the guitar to Mars as defective and buying it three days later, I ended up paying only half its list price, which is a steal for an instrument of this caliber. Mars did the right thing by lowering the price even more after I had returned it. Plus, their policy still deemed the guitar as "new," so I got the full ESP Limited Lifetime Warranty and body and neck, one year on everything else. I haven't dealt w/ESP for anything other than warranty card questions, and I doubt I'll have to. At some point, I'll want spare bridge parts, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Cool guitar. I love its features, gorgeous finish, and solid, sturdy feel. Comfortable to play, with a beefier tone and more sustain that a traditional strat-style guitar. It was love at first sight, and I'm with this guitar for the long haul.

Bought mine as a new 1998 in 1999, which is probably why I paid so little. Unlike the current models, which have black hardware and block neck inlays, mine has chrome hardware and regular dot inlays. Made in Korea. Maple neck, 24 extra jumbo frets, rosewood fingerboard, white neck binding. Strat-shaped body of solid ash has a sculpted, semi-arched top almost like a Les Paul; body has "natural" binding (i.e., that area around the outside of the body wasn't painted red like the rest). Master volume and tone knobs, and 3-way pickup toggle switch. Gotoh non-locking tuners. Finish is transparent red (NOT transparent black cherry, which looks more purple). It's good looks got my attention right away. Side-mounted output jack. Tune-O-Matic style bridge w/stopbar. Same Duncan Designed humbucking pickups as everyone else described, but I think they're pretty good stock pickups. No case or accessories came with the guitar, just a warranty registration card to mail to ESP within 10 days after purchase.

I play hard rock and alternative music. I play guitar-->Crybaby wah--> Boss ME-6 pedal processor-->80W Roland GC-408X stack. Next to looks, the sound is this guitar's other strength when you consider the price point. The neck P/U gives you the standard rounder, fatter tone, while the bridge P/U produces slightly more output with more bite in the upper midrange notes. The neck P/U could be a little fatter sounding; the stock Infinity pickup in my Ibanez RG produces better clean jazz tones. Luckily, I don't play jazz. I really like the fact that the tone control actually produces a noticeable effect. I've found most tone controls useless as long as I've been playing electric guitar (15 years). I still leave it all the way on high, but it's nice to know I can thicken things up with it. Not noisy guitar, unless you're playing with tons o' gain at stage volume and you're right next to the amp -- what else would you expect? For rock music, this is a fine instrument for the money.

I blame Mars the Musicians Planet for part of this low rating. I bought this guitar as a floor model from them. It was the only 1998 model they had; the new 1999 was $100 more. It had only been in the store for less than a week, but by the time I tried it out, the bottom strap button was very loose. The screw may have been overtightened, or someone may have dropped the guitar on the button; regardless, when I came to pick up the guitar later that day so they could "clean it up," the button came loose again when I put my strap on it. I don't know if this was a factory flaw or from customer abuse, but Mars shouldn't have sold it in this condition. Check the stuff you buy from them VERY CAREFULLY. I know I'll be more cautious if I ever consider buying a guitar from them again. The top strap button feels secure enough, but it looks like it was drilled in at the wrong angle on the upper horn. These buttons will likely be the first parts that I upgrade. I think this guitar may have been mishandled at Mars because none of the other H-200 owners I contacted had strap button problems.
The nut is about 1 mm off center; it's too far to the right, so my high E sits much closer the the edge of the neck than my low E. You can feel the nut sticking out a little from the right-hand side of the neck when you run your finger along it. That is something I can live with; maybe some day I'll get it properly seated.
The action was quite high for my taste, but I adjusted that on my own. Upon lowering one side of the bridge w/screwdriver, the screwdriver slot chipped easily, which shows the low quality of that hardware. The chipped bridge post is still usable, but I don't think it will take too many adjustments. I hope I never need to adjust the bridge height again.
Both pickups were mounted too high in their rings. Fingering the 24th fret on the high E nearly caused the string to "bottom out" against the bridge pickup. After my adjustments, I've elminated the low E string's buzzing, but I still can't get the action on frets 13-24 low enough without having the strigs rest on the frets 1-5. So right now, the action on the upper frets is fine but too high on the upper frets. I can't get a consistent string fret-to-string height like on my Ibanez RG. Hopefully a truss rod adjustment will take care of the rest.
I regretfully admit that my crappy $199 Washburn Lyon had a better factory setup. Because this is my backup guitar and it will not be played often, I can live with these problems for a while. I may trade this guitar at an upcoming guitar show.

With a professional setup, I bet this can be a very reliable gutar. The neck is one of the best I've ever played, and the neck joint is very sturdy. All the major components and electronics are sturdy. After seeing no damage to the finish when my screwdriver blade slipped off the screw and bounced off the guitar, I'm confident the finish will survive a long time. D'oh! I look forward to gigging with it when my band starts playing out next month. I tune it down a half-step, except for a few songs where I drop the E to D. The Gotoh tuners hold it in tune impressively well. Except for the strap buttons, I predict that I'll have many good years with this instrument (if I don't trade it at the guitar show), and may at some point make it my main axe because it's gorgeous.

I'd give ESP Guitars a 10 if they had an e-mail address on their Web site and if they would make Mars exchange this new 1998 H-200 for the 1999 one that was in better shape. Like I said, buyer beware at Mars.
I give them an 8 because both times I called their 800 customer service number, they took my call immediately. A guy named Todd was very helpful when I asked about differences between 1998 and 1999 models, and when I called to check the serial number on my warranty registration card. Mars the Musicians Planet strikes again! They gave me the wrong warranty card; the color and serial number are wrong. ESP called me back today and told me how to remedy this problem, and they assured me that my "Limited Lifetime Warranty" would still be valid. I'd rather deal with them than Mars any day! I have a feeling turnaround time would be pretty quick with them if I had to ship them the guitar for repairs.

I bought this guitar to use in my band for songs in flat and dropped tunings, which is why a fixed bridge was so important (plus I like the increased sustain). You can't quickly drop low E to D on a Floyd Rose bridge. I've been playing 15 years, and I see a lot of potential in this guitar. I think I got a good deal, but the trade-offs were unexpected. Aside from a few flaws most likely incurred by the dealer, this really is a great guitar. I just have a bad taste in my mouth from the Mars buying experience and their lack of attention to detail. For my backup instrument, I'm pleased. For a main stage guitar, I would not even have shopped for a new instrument in this price range. You can't get that great of a new guitar for less than $500. With a professional setup, better pickups, and a hard case, this guitar would be worth $500. If it were lost or stolen, I'd definitely buy another one just like it, except I would order it from a mail-order retailer; they usually give you a good price when you buy a guitar and case. American Musical Supply has one of these with a case for only $399, and I will order it if Mars will take mine back and refund my money.