ESP LTD EC-1000

I dont want to spend time on writing a bunch of specifications. All information can be found on ESP's homepage. But just to mention some, as theres some specifications to choose from. Mine have:

2 Humbuckers; EMG 81/60.
Vintage black finish.

Its hard to rate a guitar based on its features - When you buy a guitar you know what features you want. I am pretty much an "Ibanez-person" in general, and I am very much into their prestige models with tremolo bridges. So thats probably something that I might miss, but of course I knew that when buying this guitar.

I have always been somewhat "anti" EMG's active pickups. They sound good and give a hell of a "brutal" sound. They also work for cleaner sounds, but the variety and the "wideness" in these pickups (compared to others) are quite bad, I think. It does not sound crap, but I definitely get the feeling of that this is a guitar to use for "rough" and "dirty" music rather than the extremely clean.

Another quite annoying thing is that the pickups use a 9V battery... of course... thats the whole thing with active pickups, but anyway; Its another thing to have control of. The first thing that I had to do was to change the battery to get a better signal. And I would feel anxious about using this instrument live without changing to a new battery.

Everything was well adjusted from start. The guitar was used when I bought it though. So there where a couple of smal flaws. But this vintage black finish, as it is dull, seems to stand flaws much better than many of the clear finishes.

This guitar seems to work for a long time. The only bad things are the battery as well as it doesnt seem to hold the tuning as well as many other guitars, even though that it have lockable tuners.

A really good guitar. Its quite expensive when bought as new, but its definitely worth spending these ammounts of money instead of buying a "real" ESP, that costs a lot more but works exactly the same (according to my thoughts).

If you???re reading these reviews you should know what this guitar features. No need for me to tell you again. I went for the Vintage Black with EMGs 81/60. Has everything you need.

I got this guitar because I have an Ibanez with a floyd, so I wanted something I could tune down to Eb. For Guns n Roses and for all those songs tuned down that I couldn???t play. Mostly playing along to live songs when bands tune down. I have it set up with 10???s and the action low.

I???m using it with an ENGL Fireball, clean boosted with a TS9. Sounds amazing when using the clean channel with some chorus and reverb ??? very Metallica like.

It???s noiseless ??? the only noise I get is from the amp, which buzzes anyway.

This is my only reservation about this guitar ??? the sound. I love the rhythm sound, it???s great. Chunky and thick. As I said, cleans are really good. They???re obviously not Fender cleans, but they???re crystal clear and I like them. The only disappointment is when playing lead. It doesn???t scream as much as I had thought it would. I was thinking Zakk Wylde type leads but it can sound a bit weak. Not sure what this is down to???

This is where the guitar really shines. The playability. I was lucky that the guys at the shop set this guitar up really good. It plays like a dream. As I said, the action is a little lower than I???m used to, but this allows it to be played even faster.

The neck is a lot thinner than most Les Paul shaped guitars. Another great point is the weight. It is SO light. You can hardly tell you have it on when standing up.

It really is a beautiful guitar. The only problem I have is that the tuning can sometimes go out a bit, but for now I???m putting that down to new strings.

I don???t play live, but I???m sure it will withstand live playing. As I said, if the tuning problem persists then this could of course affect live performace.

The finish is great, but I have been told that eventually the Vintage Black will start to fade, where the picking arm rests on the guitar. I can deal with that. Not sure reselling it will be easy though.

N/A

I???ve been playing for 6 years now. This is the 4th guitar I???ve owned. I had an Epiphone Les Paul, sold that and this is now its replacement. Being left handed also limits what is on offer to me.

If it was stolen or lost, I???d definitely buy it again.
My favourite thing about this guitar is the playability and how light it is.

I didn???t directly compare this to other guitars. I wanted a Les Paul shaped guitar, but with a thinner neck and lighter body. I got what I wanted.

Overall I am happy with my purchase. It has the weight of a Fender, the playability of an Ibanez and the looks of a Gibson Les Paul. The perfect package.

This guitar is amazing. Active EMG PICKUPS sound amazing. with locking tuners and a tune o matic bridge with stop tailpiece....i think this was made in 2007 but dont quote me on this.The design is similar to a les paul, but thinner and much lighter. Although it is still not a very light guitar. made very well, fast neck feels very smooth and comfortable. The inlays look amazing, sometimes they distract me while playing because i just love looking at them.

This thing is a beast. If you play a lot of clean stuff this is not your animal. I know this will sound odd but, i play it through a fender deluxe tube amp with a digitech death metal pedal and a boss rc-10. this amp is obviously not made for metal but it still shreds like crazy. with the active pickups in this baby it really screams i dont think it would matter what kind of amp was being used.

The action is very low, intonation is perfect. I bought it from a store online however i think they set it up very poorly. but thats the stores fault not esp. i had to adjust a few things when i got it but it is amazing. Nothing was wrong with it electronically or cosmetically

the only regret i have is buying the glossy black. finger prints show up very well on it however that means nothing. the finish is solid and its not goin anywhere, this thing could hold its own at any venue. as far as dependability i think it would be right up there with gibson and fender.

Never dealt with company

I have had this guitar for about a month and im very happy with the purchase. i dont see myself getting rid of this anytime soon unless i decide to upgrade to the version with the floyd rose. but i dont think thats gonna happen either. GREAT BUY

Same as all the other but in see through blue finish (which looks great)
plenty of feautures good bridge set-up two strong active humbuckers, and all the tone and volume controls you could need, Maybe seperate pick-up volumes would be a good upgrade.

Really thick sound! Lots of sustain (like a cross between a PRS Custom 22 with EMG pick-ups)
On distortion -Chords come out full and full of bass with sum realy clear mid and treble cut, and single note play is really clear and full of sustain.

Clean sounds are great too, ecspecially on the neck pick-up really full and shiny

Good strong neck, Pick-ups a good hight as standard smooth rosewood fretboard.
the blue finish is great too,really nice and classy.

I've owned many many ESP LTD's and i've only ever had one that had problems but that was most likley the EMG pick ups.

N/A

A great looking guitar + great sounding- my only issue is the price point maybe should be a hundred or so cheaper then it would really be 10 out of 10.

ESP LTD EC1000 Deluxe - Gloss black with black hardware and EMG60 / 81 active pickups. Sperzel locking machineheads, earvana nut, 24 Frets, mother of pearl inlays / bindings etc. Korean made 2007.

Like a Jackson soloist is a superstrat, the ESP Eclipse / EC1000 is a superlespaul.

I bought this off eBay in February 2008 for $829 (around 420GBP). By the time shipping and customs charges were added it came to around 540GBP - the EC1000 deluxe retail in the UK for between ??699 to ??899 so this was a fantastic deal.Truly excellent - why bother with anything more expensive

It's lightweight (solid mahogany / maple), but strap it on crank up the amp, slam that powerchord and wow! - Sustain!!

This guitar kicks buttloads of thick, rich sound from ripping metal distortion to gentle clean bell like sounds. Sounds from this black beauty are amazing whatever your gig. You can play clean and do jazzy jingles etc but crank up the distortion on your amp and this becomes a metal monster. There is also no noise from the pickups so it's all good

This was set up by 'On The Fringe' music in Hopewell NY with 10-46 and it's the best set up guitar I've ever played.

Finish and everything is superb no complaints whatsoever

It's already got a couple of dings in it from me i.e. dropping it after I'd had a couple, but nothing serious. I reckon this baby will stand the test of time no problem - would gig without a back up. It's light but durable. As long as you don't use it as a cricket or baseball bat - it should last

I've been playing guitar seriously for 15 years and for the vast majority of that time (9.5 years) my squeeze has been my trusty Gibson Les Paul Classic - no other guitar that I've played has really come anywhere close to it - it's meaty and it rocks. It can however be quite heavy and even though the neck is a 60s slim taper - it's no match in term of speed for the EC1000. The neck on the ESP is just amazing and top fret access is much easier than on the Les Paul

I own the gloss black finish with hardware. it has schaller locking tuners which are awesome, quick n easy to re-string, keep guitar in tune. comes with TonePros locking bridge n tailpiece, these are excellent, they dont fall off when you take all the strings off n locks in string action settings so they never move. has the earvana compensated nut. also has the EMG 81 (bridge) and 60 (neck) active pickups, both have great tone, nice n phat sounding, perfect for heavy styles. The finish on the guitar is absolute *******, with the abalone binding and inlays, just cant get over how good it looks. the neck is nice to play, nice n fast and comfortable and the frets are great easy to play. i have to say ive improved my playing dramatically since i got this guitar.

this guitar suits perfectly what i play, i play in a band which plays heavy electo rock, i also play alot of metal in my own time as well, and the tone is just ********. i play it through a Marshall JCM 900 100w valve and run it through my boss compression sustain pedal, and its the most amazing sound, ****** ballsy phat sound, great sustain. the tone i get out of it i can match up to soilworks guitars or killswitch engage, clean and dirty channels.

no noise comes from this guitar, absolute clean, turning up the volume and down again on the guitar, perfectly clean.

when i first got the guitar the action and everything was great, brilliantly done, though they weren't to my settings, i took it to a guitar tech for an intial setup, cause i like heavy strings and a play in drop C. i use erinie ball Not Even Slinkys 56-12 i think, yeah it still plays so nice, it can handle the heavier strings. what i do recommend if u purchase the 56-12 gauge strings, purchase a 24 wound round stings extra, because the one that comes with the ernie balls is just way to thick to be a steal string n sounds like balls.

i think this guitar is entirely liable, and the way i play live is quite extreme i think it would hold out just fine. all the hardware is top quality, although it has shown some minor wearing of the black paint of the hardware, but nothing anyone would notice. other than that its built like a brick.

never called them

I bought this guitar from the states, im from Australia, bought it off ebay, for about 850USD, thats about 1000AUD, so basically got 1400 off buying it on ebay, they retail for about 2399 here is Aus. It came from the guitar store from hell, in newport. It is made in Korea, beautifully set up, arrived in factory box and everything, pulled it out looked great, played great, sounds great! i was seriously so stoked.

is were lost or stolen id probably definately by another one, if not the exact model but definetaly another ESP.

This review is of a See thru Blue 2006 model.
All the same as the others.
Bought on eBay for 511.00, in mint condition.

This guitar really shines as a lead player, for Santana tracks it works great!. I use it with a Blues Jr. and Fender Reverb and it is sweetness to my ears.

I have some buzzing on the low E string but I??m sure I can work that out easy.

Mine was not bought from the factory so the previous owner must have set it up pretty well before shipping cause it was nicely set. No adjustment done yet.

This guitar was supposedly used but the person that used it most have taken great care cause the finish is flawless and this is the kind of shinny finish that can scratch pretty easy.

Can??t say anything here cause I have??t had it for long-.

Haven??t called them-

The value you get with this guitar you won??t get on many others.

Made in Korea, set up in USA I think... Locking tuners (which are a necessity), perfect, fast neck, flawless fretwork, stunning finish (Matte Black with aged binding). Ordered through San Diego's only (I think) ESP Dealer, Guitar City. Overall was about $900 since I got a case. Order online and it would be plenty cheaper sans case and no tax, but the experience was great and WELL, WELL WELL worth it.

This is no joke, the best guitar I have ever played... I have owned two Gibson SG Standards, which until purchasing this guitar, was it for me... This, sorry to say, blows Gibson away... Blows everthing away. I still love playing Fenders for Fender Blues/Clean tones, but they're fender's and nothing can sound like a fender... But, if you're like me and prefer the Gibsonesque thickness, check out the LTD's, the 1000's, can't say much about the lower line LTD's but, I can't imagine the ESP $2000 models playing any better than these already do. I will never sell this guitar. About the pickups, never used Active before... They sound awesome (EMG 81's). What can I say, if they're good enough for Zakk Wylde and Kirk Hammett... I play with a Randall RG75 75watt combo with a single 12" celestion ($200 new on ebay) and run through a Digitech RP350 effects module ($100 Craigslist)... this guitar, through this inexpensive little rig I pieced together sounds better than most tube amps I've played through, and all for $300... I think the active pickups really make the difference when running through effects pedals... You can also get these with passive Seymore Duncan 59's which sound awesome as well if you wanna go passive.

Right out of the box, absolutely perfect. Theres a reason these aren't hanging on the walls by the hundreds at Guitar Center... they are done right. I know to each is own, but before you pick up an Ibanez or a Jackson or even a Gibson, and waste your money, try one of these out if you can, even if you take a chance on mail order, you can always send it back if you don't like it, but pretty sure you will love it.

this guitar is built like a gold plated tank, it's tough, but plays like a dream... I'm telling you, I love this guitar and will never get rid of it... If anything, I may pick up another one, passive, just to mix it up...

Supposably good, only dealt with the dealer who told me that they were easy to get a hold of... I'm sure it goes without saying that you would have better luck dealing with a company that sets their guitars up this finely as opposed to say, Jackson or Gibson.

I've been playing 10 years, if this were stolen I would cry like a *****... then I would scour Craigslist and eBay until it popped up, because whoever would steal a guitar like this would not be an artist worthy or even capable of playing such a riff-beast... I would find out who it was and go get my guitar back... and then, set their car on fire.

Gets a 10 because of the sheer quality of the hardware - the pick ups alone bought seperately would be a significant investment. Mine is the vintage honey blond model with Seymour Duncans and matt finish.

The locking tuners, lock down bridge, nut, pick ups etc etc are all the business!

I have always been a Fender guy (still am with 2 strats and 2 teles!) but wanted a Les Paul type guitar for that thicker richer sound. I guess I could have stretched to a Les Paul if I had really wanted to but for some reason I can't quite bring myself to go there - not quite sure why that is though.

In any event, this guitar does exactly what I want it to - it does "Classic Rock" in every sense. The Seymour Duncans are perfect to my ear!

I bought this guitar on a serious deal from an ebay dealer in Canada - no big deal except I live in the UK! On arrival the guitar played great out of the box although I did end up with a wiring problem (loose wire to the bridge pick up which needed re-soldering).

Not sure if it took a wack in transit or if it was a production fault.

Cosmetically the finish to the neck binding is not great in once place but that is just being picky - I am pretty happy with it over all.

I have gigged with this a few times now - still trying to work out the best way to blend the sounds with my Fenders (and the other guitar player in my band who always plays Gibson!)

No that the wiring problem is fixed I can't see anything else packing up - this is a quality guitar and I have no worries about using it live at all!

No contact so far so can't judge.

I have a slight problem here! These guitars sell for almost ??700 in the UK (that's $1350 at today's rate of currency exchange!) That is a high price for this guitar. However, I paid around ??425 ($800) including shipping to the UK and for that I got a great guitar for the money.

My rating is based against the price I paid!

I just picked up the ec-1000 with a shiney black finish, with a bunch of mother of pearl. It was a toss up between the vintage black and this one, but the more I look at it, the more I dig it. Of course it has all the goodies, the sperzels, emgs, tone pros bridge, and that compensation nut.

I play progressive rock type stuff, and this fits that style pretty well. I play out of a dual recto, and sometimes I gotta deal with some feed back. It's an easy fix though, just turn to volume down a bit. But with those emg's, it sounds pretty mean. I'm a big fan of semour duncan, but these sound good. Good artifical harmonics.

As far as set up from the factory, well, I play a half step down, so it obviously need adjusted. I think for those who play in the standard tuning, it should be set up well. ( I could always go for a lower action, that's kind of a personal preference thing. ) All and all fit and finish seem quite good.

All seems well except for that compensation nut. I've only had it for about 4 months at most, and I'm already experiencing the high E, B, and G buzzing, if ever so slightly. ( and it's coming from up at the nut. ) So, I'm gonna have that changed, and I'm sure all will be well.

I dig it. It looks good, plays good, it's light but yet has a big sound. Don't like having to replace the nut already but, whatcha gonna do? I also have a Ibanez SZ520, and a Jackson Performer, this guitar is a nice addition. Although, I do like the bridge in the Ibanez more. It is so nice for palm muting, it's perfectly smooth. One of the best that I've experienced. Once again though, I'm a big fan of this guitar, and I'd probably pick up another if need be.

Locking tuners, EMG Pups, mahogany body, les paul body shape, Jumbo frets, etc. This guitar seriously has some good features on it.

I tend to play metal/hardrock/blues. I was a little regretful on not getting the JB/59 pups...but to tell you the truth, the emg's suite my needs practically perfectly! I'm serious, the 60's give me a nice crisp clean tone and the 81 just drives the distortion on!

I'm using a roland cube 30 with the dime crybaby (a nice crybaby I must add!)

It's not noisy at all, no buzz, thank goodness for humbuckers!

I love this guitar very much, my first REAL guitar just to add. It has great features/plays so well, and it just sounds AWESOME!

It was set up pretty well, the only thing that was wrong was the action, some fret buzz here but it's all good.

Everything seems to last, I can depend on it and I don't think you will be needing a backup for this guitar. Seriously, it's actually really good! The body is going to take a beating (what guitar doesn't) But it's not something you should be worrying about too much.

I got a year warrenty with it and so far, the company that I have bought it from has been very kind and supportive.

I've been playing for about 2-3 years and this guitar is just awesome. It's fast slim neck totally makes playing much easier. I've played on a Gibson and I don't find it to be as comfortable (although, i love Gibson, don't get me wrong :D)

I basically love everything about this guitar, if you're into a beautiful looking guitar with a heavy distorted, yet clean sound. Then I suggest you atleast you look into this guitar...it's just awesome.

I got the Honeyburst with the JB/59 combo. 1 3-way toggle, 2 volume knobs and a shared tone knob. Giving it a 9 on features because of the shared tone knob.

My band plays punk verging on sounding metalish with classic rock leanings. This guitar suits the style perfectly. Also, in my basement, I mess around with blues, reggae and some other type of stuff. The guitar suits that type of music well also.

I love the JB in the bridge. Its pretty bright sounding. Typically, I don't like bright tones. But this thing is bright in a good way - and proud of it. Its not a grating type of sound, but more of a sweet type of sound. Sounds great for rhythm or leads. Turn the volume down a little and the tone will darken up quickly.

The 59 in the neck is very nice as well. Its got that smokey quality that I love in a neck pickup. At low gain settings, you'll sound like Jimmy Page playing Kashmiir. Turn up the gain and you have a great rhytme sound. Turn the tone knob down to zero and the tone will thicken up and project like that beam shooting out of the top of the Luxor hotel in Vegas. Very cool for playing leads and a great contrast to the bridge pickup.

I modified the tone knob to only affect the neck pickup. I hardly ever mess with the tone knob on the bridge anyway. I did this so you don't have to mess with the tone knob while switching pickups (which would be a pain in the rear). So for instance, while playing the intro to American Woman, I can play the chords on the bridge pickup, then flic over to the neck to play the thick single note line. If I want the tone of my bridge pickup to be less bright, I can put the toggle in the middle and use the neck pickups volume control to blend the 2. Works great!

All in all, this thing sounds amazing clean and with varying levels of gain.

Mine came setup exactly the way I would have it setup. No problems with the finish anywhere. I spent a lot of time with this in the store before I committed. I couldn't find any flaws in the finish.

This thing is SOLID! Its got a set neck, a locking bridge and locking tuners. The input jack and strap buttons feel like they've been set in cement. The knobs move freely, but aren't loose - same with the toggle. If you shake the guitar, nothing rattles. I love that!

I've strung it with .10's. My other guitars have .09's, but this guitar is such a tank that .10's felt right. After playing them for about an hour I was right at home on the .10's.

The neck is a joy to play - with a bit of a C shape. Very fun. I'm a fan of the modified Les Paul body and the headstock is cool. The maple cap is gorgeous to look at.

I have no complaints in this category, so I'll give it a 10.

I'm confident that this thing is durable. As I said its very solid and built like a tank! Nothing rattles. At this point, I have no reason to give anything but a 10 (I've had the guitar for almost a year).

I have no idea. If something were to go amiss, I'd have my local tech buddy fix it. Nothing against ESP / LTD, but it would just be easier.

For a > $1000 guitar, this thing is amazing! I own 7 other guitars, ranging from decent to very nice. But this guitar is the one I think of playing when I'm at work. I love the sound and how it plays.

I bought this guitar very recently, it has 24 XJ frets with the model name at the 12th, iy's a solid top with 2 volume and 1 tone control. It comes equipped with EMG's, a 60 and an 81. The ec 1000 has a mahogany body with a 3 piece mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard. Mine is in a intage black finish, the shape is kinda Les Paul ish but its a lot more comfortable. It comes with a tonepros locking bridge, Spersel locking tuners, Earvana compensated nut.

I play most styles of music from blues to metal. The EMG's have a beautiful range of tones good for anything. They are bright and rich yet can pump out really dark tones too. I use it through a Line 6 spider 2, and it sounds great for me. My guitar teacher did say it would sound good through a Messa Boogie.

I bought this guitar and it was brilliant i havnt had any problems and its action etc. were perfect.

I havnt used the guitar live as yet, but my mate used a ltd viper 1000 live and it withstanded his crazy playing.

i have never dealt with them.

10 out of 10!!! This is a great guitar all round. I would recomend it to anyone.

I had a hard time choosing between the new vintage black model with EMG 81/60 or the new vintage honey burst with Duncan JB/59 combo
So I bought them both .
First the features both are Les Paul shaped , The vintage Black sport EMG 81/60s .The Vintage Honey burst sport zebra Duncan JB/59 pups.Both Mahoghany bodies, sperzel tuners. Rosewood fingerboard 24 XJ frets.

Oh baby for guitars that are under a thousand dollars , The LTD 1000 series are incredible. I have a MH-1000 and a Hetfield Truckser LTD version and those like these two EC-1000s are incredible sounding guitars .The Vintage black with EMGs are heavy heavy,great for Metal and hard rock , the vintage honey burst with the duncans while definitely suitable for heavy music are also great for blues and old school rock.Both are great sounding .Im totally impressed.

Both guitars look great , Set up was great ,Both of these guitars the Vintage black and vintage honey burst do not have glossy finishes , the finishes are what they are supposed to be ,look like an aged guitar. I really like that look.You can beat the crap out of them ,which of course I dont do to my instruments and it will still hold up well.

I would play both of them out , Thats the beauty of these guitars , I have alot of expensive Gibson Les Pauls ,which I would be very hesitant to gig with ,for fear of it being damaged or stolen .But with these guitars and the other LTD 1000 series they are great playing and could withstand the rigors of playing out.

I also own numerous Gibsons , Les Pauls , Vs , Explorer , several ESPs JH-3 KH-2 Eclipse , Several Deans ,and several LTDs.
The LTD 1000 series are awsome very close to the much more expensive ESPs.Matter of fact I bought these two EC-1000s for what it would have cost me for 1 ESP eclipse .
I play through a Marshall DSL 100 with a TC electronics G major processor and numerous other efx.
I give the EC and the LTD 1000 series ,a seal of approval.Im picky as hell about my guitars and gear ,so you can bet on it if I give something a good mark.
I play mostly hard rock ,metal , heavy blues type .
I want the Wilton model too , that will be my next purchase .

Black Cherry model, you know all the specs from the reviews below.

This I can't complain about. The guitar sounds great. As with others, I agree that they should have used an EMG 85 in the neck, but oh well.

As with some of the other reviews, I have had some problem with the abalone on the neck flaking off. Very annoying as it only took a month or two to start. Yet, the guitar plays great and sits ever so nice on my body. All of the electronics work well and the action was fine when I bought it. The intonation screws are all rusted out though after a little less than a year...

This is where all the problems really start. The low e string will not stay in the saddle groove. It keeps slipping out, and there is now a second groove in the saddle from this. This guitar is nearly impossible to keep in tune. If you put it to a tuner and hit a note it stays at pitch for 2 seconds, drops a few cents then drops a few cents more. I use 10 gauge strings in standard tuning, and never had any problems with the same setup on a real Les Paul which has the same scale neck. One bend on the g string and it's right out of tune; dive-bombing my non-locked strat holds tune better. The intonation is sketchy at best. It goes out before i go through the rest of the strings, and the high e cannot be intonated. A friend bought the same guitar and his holds tune FAR worse than mine. This leads me to question the Earvana nut, and the Sperzel tuners... I've read rave reviews about the nut, but I think it's garbage because my other guitars give me no problems like this (just my opinion from my experience). The whole guitar has a nasty habit of going sharp after a song or two, maybe temperature related??

I've owned the guitar for about a year. It was great for the first month or two, but that's when it went downhill. I pretty much have been leaving it on the stand at shows. Such a pretty guitar that is just so frustrating to play. If you are interested in getting one, give it a thourough examination. Some people don't complain about it so maybe I got a bad one. (It happens) I don't think I would buy another though. It has it's good moments where it plays fine, nad then bam! no stability. If anyone has any solutions, I'm game...

2005 Korean Made guitar, 24 frets, 2 volume/1 tone, 3-way selector, 2 EMG active humbuckers (60 neck, 81 bridge), Earvana OEM nut, tune-o-matic TonePro bridge, Sperzel tuners, Black Cherry see through body with white/abablone binding, abalone inlays. More things I missed are on ESP's website

I play a variety of styles, so something versatile was needed. Despite most reviews indicating the EMG actives were for rock/metal only, I've been plesantly surprised. The pickups are dead quiet until a string is hit. The pickups are EXTREMELY bright though-lots of treble and high-mids that I wasn't used to. Anyone getting one of these should immediately change the 9-volt powering the pickups and be prepared to fiddle with their EQ settings. Distortion sings on either pickup-I only need a gain of 3 on the ESP to get what guitars driven by passive pickups (including a Gibson 500T ceramic) needed a 9, and each string can still be clearly heard. I can play six-string barre chords at Spinal Tap amp settings and still have distinguishable suspended or augmented chords ring true all over the neck. Pinch harmonics are ridiculously easy to get. Clean...well, if you're expecting vintage tone, you're not going to get it. The clean is very bright and pristine, but lacks warmth. Cleans do sound better on the EMG-60 neck pickup than the 81 in the bridge position. The tone knob only has an impact rolling down from 10 to 7-after that, there's not much difference in tone. The volume knobs on the guitar make a world of difference in the sound in either clean or distorted amp settings

The action on this was PERFECT straight out of the box. Flaw-wise, there is some slight overlap of the cherry finish over the neck bindig in the 17th-24th fret range, a 3/4" scratch on the low-E side of the neck along the white binding and the abalone dust for the neck binding drifts a little outside the black lines. Also, ESP's website indicated that they string with GHS strings (10-46), but mine had D'Addarios in the same gauges. I also had to replace the battery and wish ESP shipped the battery not installed (but included with the guitar). The frets were extremely tarnished, but nothing that 5 minutes with a rag and some jewelry polish didn't clean up.

This guitar seems like a tank. The strap buttons aren't going anywhere; in fact, I had to unscrew them just to mount a strap ON the guitar! It stays in tune extremely well, and with the Sperzels on it, I'd definitely risk this being the only guitar at a gig.

N/A-I've never dealt with ESP's support directly. The website seems helpful, but I'd like to see more about the instruments themselves rather than the recipients of all those endorsement deals...

I'm really happy with this guitar's overall sound. I'm still getting used to the Les Paul body shape. If stolen, I'd be torn between buying a new one and using the insurance money to track down the thief instead. This is the third ESP I've owned, and is easily my favorite. I sold a Gibson V and this was my replacement axe-what I lost in collectible value, I made up for in playability and satisfaction

2002 Made in Korea.
24 XJ frets.
Black Finish with Gold Hardware
2-volume, 1-tone, 3-way toggle switch.
Dual EMG 81's from factory but I changed neck to EMG 85.
Sperzel tuners. Tone Pros bridge and tailpiece.
Mahogany body.
3 pc. mahogany set neck, rosewood fretboard with abalone flag inlays
Les Paul Style bodystyle (thinner body, sharper cutaway,)
TonePros Bridge and Stoptail
Sperzel locking tuners
Thin neck, slight C-curve, 24.75" scale

This guitar is amazing with the EMG's in it. I changed out the neck pickup to an EMG 85 so I could have a cleaner / brighter distortion sound. Harmonics really come out on this guitar especially if oyu have a tube amp. I use a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier with a Mesa 4 x 12 ovrsized cab.
Overall the guitar is quiet ( no craking when you turn pots or anything like that). Definately a metal guitar. You can play blues, light rock, and jazz but if you play ultra clean styles the EMG's are not for you.

The factoryset up wasn't that great. But on't fret ( hahaha unintentional joke), You can have it beautifuly set up for less that 50 bucks. If you buy the guitar at a store they will prolly set it up for free. After it was set up it played perfect. The factory set up the strings were very high and the intonation was off, but the factory did get the pickup heights right. There is nothing special about the black finish. While it looks cool, all black finishes look cool, there is nothing special about it.

This guitar is a beast. It can take just about anything you do to it. Mine fell of a 5 foot tall stage and it only suffered a minor paint chip. They are also pretty light compared to the brick of a guitar known as a Gibson Les Paul.

Kinda retarded. they can't help you with serial numbers and factory specs ( things like pickup height, string height and other stupid things like that). but I've never really needed there help so its ok. But it kinda worries me cause if I ever need there help I don't think they will be very much use.

I've been playing 7 years. I own the black ec-1000, Fender American Strat, and an ltd DV-8. I wish the guitar would have come stock with an EMG 85 in the neck or even an 89, or 60. The 81's sound too much alike in the bridge and neck position. If it were stolen or lost I would definately buy it again.The best feature about it is the locking tuners. If a string breaks onstage you can change it and tune up in around one minute. I compared this guitar to my friends H-1000, they both were LTD and had EMG's so I compared the sound and feel to his, but I've always loved les paul body styles so I choose the ec-1000.

2004 Made in Korea.
24 XJ frets.
Flamed maple top--BEAUTIFUL amber sunburst finish.
2-volume, 1-tone, 3-way toggle switch.
Dual Seymour Duncan passive humbuckers (59 in neck, JB in bridge).
Sperzel tuners. Tone Pros bridge and tailpiece. Earvana nut.
Mahogany body, flamed maple top.
3 pc. mahogany set neck, rosewood fretboard with abalone flag inlays
Les Paul Style bodystyle (thinner body, sharper cutaway)
TonePros Bridge and Stoptail
Sperzel locking tuners
Earvana Nut
Thin neck, slight C-curve, 24.75" scale
Included hardcase, strap, and custom setup with purchase.

Gets a 10 in this category. Would've liked to have 2 volume and 2 tone controls, but I'd be REALLY nitpicking. For the money you are getting a TON of features.

This is the category that truly matters, so I'll make sure to elaborate here.

I play mostly classic rock, hard rock, and metal , blues, some surf rock (AC/DC, Metallica, Tool, Sabbath, Zep, Alice, Shadows Fall, COC, Monster Magnet you get the picture--basically any music with great riffs.)

I am using this with a Mesa RectoVerb Series 2 combo with two cabinets: Mesa 2x12 cab with Celestion vintage 30s for the hard rock/metal stuff, and Avatar open-back 2x12 with 1 Celestion vintage 30 and 1 G12H30 for the classic crunch and cleans. I use Monster Cable Jazz instrument cable and speaker cable, and occasionally a Crybaby Classic Wah.

This guitar suits my styles beautifully. In comparison to similarly shaped guitars, I've owned an Epiphone Les Paul Custom and a Gibson Les Paul Studio, and I truly prefer this ESP to both of them, mainly because the body shape is much more comfortable to play. The neck feels less sticky, and the back body cutaway places the guitar against your body for comfortable, fast picking techniques. The tone I'll describe in more detail below, but it is slightly less full than a real les paul, probably because of the lighter body. One thing that shouldn't neglect being mentioned is that this guitar has EXQUISITE balance with a strap. When you remove your hands from the guitar it STAYS PUT. This may seem trivial to some, but in a gigging situation this reduces back fatigue, playing hand fatigue, and just makes you play better period.

I actually purchased the Black Cherry model with the EMG's at the same time to compare the tone. I ended up returning that one because the tone sounded too close to my ESP custom explorer with the same pickups. Don't get me wrong, the Cherry model is a great guitar, just not as versatile as this one (and slightly more expensive too). I chose the Sunburst model because I wanted a tone that provided a distict contrast to my Explorer to use for studio work.

SOUND QUALITY: This is my first experience with the Earvana nut and it is truly a wonderful feature. I couldn't believe my ears when I first started playing high-volume clean leads up in the high frets. The intonation is so spot on, with none of the shrillness you sometimes get in the high positions. You may want to keep in mind that the Earvana system only works when the strings are in standard tuning relative to each other. Dropping the low E sting as many metal players do will counteract the benefits of the nut.

The JB/59 pickups are a great all around pickup combo for my styles of playing. While EMG's are the perfect pickup for hard rock and metal, they simply don't give you the warm overdrive tube crunch that passive humbuckers do for cleans and overdrive tube clipping. I can get a wide variety of sounds with this guitar from warm, round cleans from the neck to full shred hi gain with rich harmonic feedback. Thrown in some smothering reverb on the neck clean and back off the tone control, and all of a sudden I'm Dick friggin' Dale. Crank the gain on the clean bridge, boost the mids a tad and Angus Young's "wooden" crunch appears. Scoop the mids and switch over to modern hi-gain for any hard rock, thrash metal, nu metal tone you want. Its all in there, just waiting for you to experiment.
As far as dislikes, i think the neck pickup is slightly darker than I'd prefer, especially for cleans. I find myself constantly tinkering with the mids/presence amp controls to get the right amount of shimmer for the clean style I want when I switch from the bridge to the neck. So I may swap the 59 for a Jazz model, which is more my flavor. Again, this is being really nitpicky----this guitar will reward nearly all players with an impressive arsenal of tone.

The guys at the Guitar Garage set up the guitar to my liking with a full pro setup, so I didn't sample the out-of-the-box setup. However, this is my 5th ESP, and they have always been setup near perfect out of the box. The pickup height was perfect, and the quality of the finish is first rate. No flaws in the finish, and I inspect guitars really closely. The switches and pots seemed solid, no scratching. I have mine with all strings tuned down a half step, and the action begs you to get wild with your string bends, and dares you to find any sign of fret buzz. Awesome.

The build quality on this (and my other ESPs and LTDs) are top notch. Thick paint finishes, quality hardware and construction. Will withstand rigourous gigs. Strap buttons are solid, but I always use strap locks, but I suppose a little wood epoxy on the screws of the standard strap buttons would work too. Absolutely dependable, and unlikely to give you trouble, but for your audiences sake, please don't gig without a backup cause you just never know.

I've only ever contacted ESP thru email, and they are a little slow to respond. However, when they did respond, they were super helpful and thorough with my questions. I don't know how they handle warranty issues so I choose to not rate this category.

Been playing for 15 years and am still mystified by the possibilities that the guitar offers. Ive owned many guitars in my time, and currently have an ESP custom explorer, Gibson SG Standard with Bigsby Vibrato, Gibson Les Paul Studio, ESP LTD F-400fm, epiphone Alleykat, Fender Standard Telecaster with SD Quarter Pound neck/ Little '59 bridge, and a Washburn acoustic.
If this guitar were stolen or lost, I'd definitely get another, and maybe even sell my Les Paul Studio (sounds fantastic, but the tuners don't cut it, and less comfortable to play).
The best aspect of this guitar is its versatility. Its also damn good looking. No gripes, other than my preference for the neck pickup. I compared this guitar to the Black Cherry model with EMGs and the Fernades Raven Elite with Sustainer.

2004 model in Sunburst finish.
24 frets. Sperzel tuners. Tone Pros bridge and tailpiece. Earvana nut.
Seymour Duncan JB & 59' zebra pickup set.
2-volume, 1-tone, 3-way toggle switch.
3-piece mahogany set neck with rosewood fretboard.
Abalone flags for inlays, model name at 12th fret.
Mahogany body with flamed maple top.
Tummy cut and deeper lower cutaway for higher playing.

I have to come right out and say this is the best guitar deal I have ever had in my 16 years of playing. For $700, this can't be beat. This may be considered a poor man's Les Paul, but I would take this over many of the Gibson's I've owned in the past.

This is just one of those guitars that plays perfect. This one weighs 6.5 pounds! How can you beat that! The Duncan's prove themselves as great pickups. I can easily get a really nice rock sound or get into the metal territory (if I needed to). Granted, they are not as strong as EMG's, but they are still pretty hot. I currently play a Peavey JSX through a Genz Benz G-Flex cab.

I'm giving this category an 8 only because the guitar is a little bright. No doubt in part to the light wieght on this one. I can back down on the tone a bit and get all kinds of great sounds out it. It won't get that nice thick neck pickup sounds like Les Paul's do, but I'm thinking of trying the Rio Grande BBQ Bucker/Texas Humbucker set in this guitar to compensate for that.

Factory set-up was great for shipping to me (Illinois) from Nevada. I always have my guitars set-up at a local music store when I buy one anyway. Everything looked great out of the box, no problems.

I see this guitar lasting a long time. Great craftmanship and top quality parts on it. I've seen USA guitars that don't have this kind of quality and/or the components. If I had to, I would feel comfortable gigging with this and no backup.

Never had to deal with ESP.

As I metioned earlier, I have been playing 16 years and this is undoubtedly the beast deal on a guitar that I've ever had. If it were stolen or lost, I would buy another one ASAP, and hope that it only wieghed 6.5 pounds like this one! I had never played one of these before, but I have owned a couple of the LTD Viper models, so I knew what to expect in the craftmanship department. I chose this model after reading several reviews on it.

If you are looking for a great 2-humbucking blues/rock/metal guitar with tons of quality parts-----you need this guitar!

Finish : amber sunburst
Wood : mahogany (body/neck) rosewood (fingerboard)
hardware : tonepros II bridge, sperzel locking tuners, earvana nut
Pickups : seymour duncan - JB bridge - 59' neck
Neck : 24 XJ frets, 24.75" scale length, thin U shape
Controls : 3 way switch w/ 2 vol. and 1 tone knob

For what I play (hardcore/trash metal), it's got everything I need. The Best thing about this guitar is that you get so much stuff for your buck! You don't see guitars with tonepro/sperzel/earvana very often!

I play hardcore (note that I don't mean that gay shit music a la atreyu, stuff like Cro-mags, Warzone, Agnostic Front, Madball should come to mind!) and a little bit of trash metal (metallica, megadeth, anthrax...). First, I've been an EMG devotee for the last 3 years so playing with Duncan is way diferent! But I love them, the JB delivers some great balanced crunch and it really catches the real tone of the guitar, as EMG's aren't really affected by the wood of a guitar. For solo I love the middle position with the 59' volume halfway, it's great; not to fat, not to bright. I Play this guitar through a 5150/marshall 1960 stack whit no effect (BOSS TU-2 AND GE-7 are there), that's all I need!

The only thing turning me off is all that abalone, it would looks way better with standard white banding, but anyway, I can live with that. Great factory set-up, the action is a little high, but that fixable in a split second.

I don't have the guitar long enough to tell, but it looks solid. Strap locks are needed. One sure thing it that the hardware are built for war. I will defenitly gig with it!

Havent dealt with them yet.

I don't think you can get more bang for your bucks that the Deluxe LTD line! At first I was looking for a gibson les paul studio, but when I tried an EC-1000 I just said , fuck that overpriced Gibson! The EC-1000 sounds way better than the studio and it's got great hardware. I don't know any guitar with duncan pups./tonepro bridge/sperzel tuners/earvana nut that cost 700$!!! If your looking for a les paul shaped axe, you owe to yourself to try the the different eclipse from ESP/LTD, they got EC for every budget!

All the features for this are on the ESP website and have ben gone into great detail here. I have the ASB model with the Duncans and it is fantastic. In terms of hardware and materials its a prefect 10.

Awesome. I play death metal, emo, rock ect and this guitar sounds perfect in all regards for whatever im doing. Great lows and mids, highs aernt too harsh or brittle. I also demo-ed the black model with EMG's, that was also phenominal in the tone dept, abliet different.

This guitar can be setup very well, no complaints. The body is thinner than a Gibson LP, i like it but some players may not.

Ok, this is where we go downhill quick. The alalone that ESP uses it real brittle and is cracking and falling off in spots. I've only had this S.O.B. for 3 weeks and i can already tell that i wont be gigging it.

To the Guys at ESP, kill the abalone on the neck, it looks kinda gaudy anyway.

I havent spoken to them yet, i may just get some abalone from stew-mac, fix it and trade it in on an ESP standard Viper.

Im gonna give this sucker a low rating becasue of the abalone, but it is a really nice axe in all other respects. ESP is a great compant and i plan on buying from them again, and this time gettin what i really want.

2004 Made, See-Through Black Cherry (Which means Dual EMG 81's). The binding is nice, as I have no problems with mine. The flamed maple top is AMAZING. Like others have said, the picture does not describe how great this thing looks! My only gripe is the black hardware. I would have prefered chrome, but thats just me. The rosewood fretboard is a bit grainy, but it still plays great. The neck is also great. Nice and thin. I own a Gibson with a 60's style thin taper neck, and this neck is much faster in my opinion. The abalone inlays were annoying at first, but I've grown to like them. Extremely comfortable to play. Not heavy like a Les Paul, but still sturdy.

I play a wide variety of rock music including things like Metallica, Sabbath, Zeppelin, STP, Hendrix, Van Halen, and some newer mainstream stuff (I know, I know). Some country and blues as well. Great for thrashy metal, which is what I use it for. If I wanted to play country, I'll use my Strat. Its that simple. This IS a metal guitar. No questions asked. I'm running it through a JCM2000 TSL100 /w a Mesa oversized 4x12 and it sounds great! I had to ease back on my treble and put a bit more mid into my EQ at first, but other than that is sounds great. Like I said before, its built for rock, but you can always roll back on the tone, and get some decent jazzy tones out of it. If you don't want a metal sound, don't buy the one with EMG's. It's as simple as that... Still undecided on the 81 in the neck. I've got an extra 85 laying around that I just found that will be in there as soon as I change the strings. The bridge and neck just sound too similar, especially when playing rhythm stuff.

It was set up great from the factory. Action was perfect for my liking. Only thing I had to adjust was the bridge pickup height, which I brought up a bit. Garbage strings, which is completely normal. I changed them immediately. The maple top was match quite well. Better than my Gibson anyways. Nothing else I have noticed yet.

Definately reliable. Harware looks solid. Finish looks nice and thick. It is my main live axe now, but of course I bring a backup. I use all 4 of my current guitars live now, because of the range of sound that I like to have, but this one gets the most use.

Never had to deal with them. Hopefully never will.

I've been playing for 6 years. I own a Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960 reissue, an American Series Strat, an cheap Ibanez /w EMG 81 & 60 (For lower tunings). If it were lost, I would definately buy it agian. To me, it is more comfortable to play than my Gibson, and suits my style a bit better. Gibson-like quality, with the sound I need, for a price of less than half of what I paid for my Les Paul. In a perfect world, it would have came from the factory with an Ebony fretboard, no inlays, chrome hardware, 2 tone knobs, and a EMG 85 or 60 in the neck. Unfortunately, I don't have $6000 for an ESP from the Custom Shop, nor would I spend that much if I could. All in all, an amazing bang for your buck, from a very reputable company, with quality that is comparable to, if not exceeding guitars in the $2000+ price range. This ones a definate keeper.

2004 EC-1000, you know the specs i'm sure. I have the black one, took a chance and ordered it without ever playing one.

It is a little heavier then I expected, I was expecting a cheap light weight feel. So being a little heavy and having EMG 81'S, it has a bright sound. I really needed to mess with my amp to get a decent sound. I have a real Zakk Wylde Les Paul and they really are bright. You will definatley want to add some bass/mids. The 81 in the neck sucks, what the hell were they thinking?!

The guitar came set up well, the action is low and the neck is fast

This is already one of my main guitars. It seems to be built to last, somebody on here said the pictures don't do it justice...they're right! Just awesome to look at.

hopefully wont find out

I have been playing for 15 years and have tried a little of everything. The only thing I know now is that I hate a tremelo systems. I have also bought a Shecter C-1 classic, which is great, but this guitar is better. This EC-1000 is real close quality-wise to my Les Paul, thats staggering and it makes me ill. Its not $2000 nicer, that I promise you. If you decide to get one, you wont be dissapointed.

I just purchased the LTD EC 1000 with the amber sunburst finish and the two Seymour Duncan pickups. When I opened the case my jaw hit the floor. The guitar looks great on the website but when you see this guitar in person it will capture your attention. The paint job is beautiful and the craftmenship makes this guitar look expensive.

I played it for the first time last night in a venue that required lots of sound. I always use my Fender Double Fat at shows. I warmed up in sound check with the LTD just in case I needed to use it. When it came time to play I stayed with the Fender because of comfortability. Sure enough I broke a string after the first song. The LTD came off the bench and Kicked Ass! This guitar sounded amazing. Needless to say it won't be sitting on the bench any longer. I loved it.

The action is perfect for my likiing. The sound from the Seymour Duncan's were fat and warm and yet they cut through the mix. This is a fantastic guitar. I now understand why there is such a wait for these things. If you have to wait to purchase this guitar it is worth it.

Between this and my Fender and my 335 I now have a complete arsenal of tone.

I play rock with a cold play vibe and this guitar handles that type of sound very well. I'm sure I could get a lot more out of it. Haven't had the privilege of moving into other venues of sound yet.

I highly recommend this guitar. It's really not necessary to go out and spend $2000 on a guitar when you can get one like this for under a $1000 and get the same results. Don't pay for the big names. The LTD can hold its own. Even with the big boys.

The set up was perfect when I got the guitar. Great action. The neck is perfect. And the finish is amazing. I haven't seen the cherry finish or the black in person but if they are anything like the sunburst than you are in for a treat.

Feels very solid.

Haven't had to go there yet

I've been playing for 25 years and have owned a lot of guitars. This is definetly in my top 5 of all time.

My only complaint about the guitar has to do with all the abalony. There is a lot of it on the guitar. I wish they would make one without so much abalony. Other than that it is a perfect guitar. This is just a minor thing.

I've had my EC-1000 for about 2 months. Since I'm not a strictly metal player, I got the much less metally-looking sunburst finish; with the Duncan pickups. It's made in Korea, and has nice binding all around its 24 fret neck and body. Apparently, it has a TonePros bridge, no idea what that is. For the pickups, it has a JB in the bridge and a '59 in the neck. It's all mahogany, with a maple top. The Sperzel tuners are really nice, they make changing strings incredibly simple. Unfortunately, it didn't come with a case, but that's ok because you're already getting quite a lot of things for $700. Since it has the Les Paul body shape, it doesn't have the best high fret access, but if you stretch your fingers you'll reach just fine.

I play pretty much everything, from classic rock from the 60s and 70s to country to metal. Unfortunately, the amp I use is a crappy 15 watt combo that can magically make any guitar sound like utter shit. Ocassionaly, i get a chance to play on tube amps, and it sounds great. Sometimes I run my amp from the FX loop to my computer, and then use the Guitar FX Box program for effects. Even with my terrible amp, the guitar sounds nice. It has a fat, full sound that approximates a Les Paul tone. Sustains forever. The JB is too noisy for my tastes and doesn't give enough output for high gain solos, so I'm planning on replacing it soon. For non-metal purposes, it works just fine. The 59 in the neck is good for clean, jazzy playing; with a fat, mellow sound. This guitar can cover a wide spectrum of tones, with some EQ / tone tweaking. Plugging it into a tube Marshall plexi, i got a really awesome sound that's reminiscent of 70's rock tones; with my 15 watter i can get any sort of crazy metal sounds out of it. The 24 fret neck lets you go really high, and it's good for fast, shreddy solos.

The factory setup was good: it was perfectly intonated, though I lowered the action to my taste. Anyway, I'm not going to bitch about the factory setup because I changed it all within a week anyway. The guitar is beautiful, its maple top is better than most Gibsons i tried, although nowhere near a PRS level (not that I'm expecting it to be). When I looked at this guitar in the ESP catalog, I thought the guitar had way too much binding, but it looks a LOT better in person than on photos. The binding and inlays are nice, and i found only 1 minor flaw in the binding. The 16th fret buzzes a bit, but you probably shouldn't set your action that low anyway. I haven't discovered any other flaws yet.

I have not used it live yet, but it seems like it would withstand live playing just fine. It feels solid. I haven't had problems with the finish yet, and it still looks nice and shiny. Strap buttons are OK, i might replace them with locking ones to be safe. Since I've only had this guitar for 2 months, I wont comment on the durability.

No idea. I usually fix guitars myself.

Overall, this guitar is awesome. It is definately one of the best deals i've found in the price range. I like it more than all the $500-$800 instruments i've found so far, and it sounds way better than the faded Gibsons; don't pay for the big name. It can compare to more expensive guitars: it sounds a lot like a Les Paul Classic, at half the cost. It's no LP Custom, but its great. I've been playing for about 3-4 years maybe, and I also own 2 cheap acoustics and a cheap Musicyo.com Kramer guitar which was my first. It feels kind of weird playing the EC, since I'm more used to Strat-style guitars, but I'll probably get used to it. If it was stolen, I would certainly like to replace it, but I'm poor and I doubt I could scrounge up another $700. For those who can't afford a Gibson, this is certainly a good way to go.