ESP LTD EXP-200

Update on my previous review. See other reviews for the features, except I replaced the pick-ups w/ an EMG-60 and 81, reversed the pick-up switch(When I use the rythm pick-up I usually have larger strum patterns and sometimes I inadvertantly switch the pick-ups so this rectified this problem)Gave it a 7 because it has a stop-bar tail piece.

This is a great guitar for metal and with the EMG-60 I have found it also works great for swing jazz and the 81 with a clean channel can be coaxed so sound dirty bluesy. Love the sound, but I admit it is not for everyone and can sound a little sloppy on low rythm work.

This guitar is good except for the frets. They are strait, there is no curve to them anywhere. I reccommend getting the fret recrowned or the neck be refreted. The neck was definetely out of wack when I got it but a loosening the screws and tapping it over fixed that. There is alot of space between the base of the neck and the body where they join so it can get misaligned easily, I check it every month to make sure it is properly on there and it is usually .25cm over to 1 side or another. And when I had the pick-ups replaced the volume pot fell off the guitar but I blame that on the local guitar shop(Melody Music in Sterling VA, don't go there, they are rude and it took them 3 times to get my pick-ups in the way I wanted them, you know like working.)It really is better than what I have explained but I want people to know everything befor buying it.

IT IS A TANK.

Called them when I got it about the neck, very helpful.

I have been playing since Jan. 1996 and this is a vast improvement over my Fender squire strat but a downgrade from my Gibson Les Paul 40th anniversary, but it is definetely worth the money and more for a live guitar, a guitar to really abuse and still sound good. I wish I have saved up for it's bigger brother, but it is almost as good for $1,000 less.If somebody stole it I might buy something better like a custom version with a floyd rose bridge and the pick-ups already in it.

This is an update of my review from about two months ago. This time around, you'll find information mainly about how the guitar feels after being broken in, as well as how killer it sounds with EMG's installed in it. See previous reviews for other features of this weapon. One extra point of interest: the way they've got the volume/tone knobs and the pickup toggle switch set up (far back from the downward picking motion area), none of them get in the of your right hand if you're in a downpicking frenzy; a real nice touch.

Yeeeesss, my pretties... Here comes the sonic onslaught!! The stock Duncan Designed humbuckers have been yanked in favor of two EMG's; an 81 in the bridge and an 89 in the neck (my favorite config, which I also have in another of my axes, a Jackson King V Pro). Like the addage goes (and like just about anybody this side of Saturn knows by now), the 81 is so hot that in order get more distortion you'll need to plug your chainsaw into your Marshall stack. Also, with the solid alder body of the Explorer, sustain time is indefinite; stay there for as long as you want to in front of your amp, and this baby (the 81) will sustain your E chord into beautiful shades of feedback for eons. As for the 89, it gives you the fullest clean sound you'll ever hear (in humbucking mode). In single-coil mode, clarity is the word. So crisp it cuts with surgeon-like precision, without any overdrive or scratchiness whatsoever. As others have stated, it is my belief that ESP designed these guitars for use with EMG pickups. You couldn't ask for a better sound, period.

The guitar was immaculate upon receipt. Two months and several jam sessions later, it still is. The finish on this thing is incredibly thick and shiny, and still does not have any scratches on it. As beatiful as the first day I got it, depite lots of very hard playing. Action, intonation, neck position were and remain perfect to this day. ESP is obviously in the business of building brick shithouses which are designed to last.

See above. There are two reasons you never see rock stars smashing an ESP guitar: 1) they love them too much to destroy them; 2) they probably couldn't destroy one even if they wanted to.

Never had to deal with 'em. Probably won't have to...ever. It's got a lifetime warrany.

Bottom line: (ESP LTD EXP-200) + (EMG 81 and 89) = total Hetfield weapon of mass tonal destruction, for a fraction of the price.

22 frets, 2 ducan designed humbuckers, vol. and tone pots, 3 position toggle, alder body, rosewood fret board, hard case, cool design.

This is an excellent metal guitar, but it also sounds like a jazz and/or blues guitar on the neck pick-up. Pick-ups are very quiet, no hum out of these babies and descent harmonics.

Action was set very low when I got it but the problem was the 6th string wasn't all on the finger board. I called up ESP and with-in a minute they told me how to fix it. The finish seems extremely thick and glossy. I can see me-self in it. Other than the little problem, it was set up beutifully except they put on 9 gague GHS strings.

This thing is a feaking tank. I changed the strap buttons to strap locks so this baby isn't falling off my shoulder. Harware is nice and I don't see the black crome comming off. Paint is thick at the least. I would use it with-out a back-up because although I have 2 other guitars, one I would not be caught dead playing live(Squier Piece of shit) and the other I am afraid it might get damaged(Gibson Les Paul Studio Limited edition w/classic P-90 pick-ups)

The people were nice and to the point. As I said in less that 2minutes I had the neck fixed.

I have been playing for 3 years now and I needed a performing guitar. I use this through my fender roc/pro 1000 for the crunch it is has and my Line 6 Flextone for really everything else. If this were stolen I would definetely buy it again. For $575 you can't help to wonder how ESP stays in business selling this type of guitar for under $1,000. This is an excellent guitar, not just an excellent guitar for the money, it is amazing.

This weapon is the economical version of its much more expensive bigger brother, the ESP Explorer. It features 22 extra-jumbo frets (dot inlays), black laminate top over alder body, black laminate over neck and headstock, rosewood fretboard. Controls are volume and tone pots, along with a 3-way pickup selector. Pickups are Duncan Designed, in a H-H configuration (both passive). Bridge is a Tune-O-Matic jobby with a fixed tailpiece. Hardware is all-black. Gold (with white shadow effect) "LTD" letters on headstock, with a black truss rod cover displaying a "by ESP" in white letters. Package comes complete with black hard-shell case (with 6-inch high "LTD" logo on lower left-hand side in gold letters), and a truss rod wrench as the single accessory... that's all you need; customize with strap of your choice. This guitar is evil incarnate, and looks like it could kill somebody for the mere pleasure of taking life. A damned fine piece of work; the people at ESP know what the hell they're doing.

I play mainly heavy metal, but this axe is also well suited for clean playing too. It is presently being used though an all-Boss pedal loop (compressor, Metal Zone, chorus, flanger, digital delay, and graphic EQ at the end of the line) and a Snarling Dogs Whine-O Wah, all fed into a Crate G-130-CXL twin (solid-state). The sound quality from the Duncan Designed humbuckers is pretty good, but not as responsive as I'd like them to be (although they are the quietest things I've ever heard). They'll probably be yanked sometime in the near future for a couple of EMG 81's. As for fullness and sustain (more associated to the guitar than the pickups), the Explorer rules. Since the pickups are not the best, I'll be giving an 8 rating, but that's *entirely* pickup-related, NOT guitar-related. If there were EMG's in there, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate it about, say, 35 or so!

The action was slightly high, but that was remedied in about 10 seconds by adjusting the finger screws on the Tune-O-Matic (real easy with this type of bridge!). Intonation was right on cue. No flaws in the finish, hardware, frets, or anywhere else. Action on this thing is f-a-s-t!! The action is now set lower than any of my other guitars (real close to the fretboard; the thing practically plays itself), and incredibly, there's ZERO string buzz on the frets, unless I smack the strings really hard (which I shouldn't be doing in the first place anyway).

This guitar is kind of heavy due to its size, but the thing is built like a brick shithouse; this thing could probably serve as a backup...for a wrecking ball. The hardware looks like it could put up with all the abuse I could ever dish out, since it appears to be really solid (and simple too). If I didn't need to use a different tuning, I'd play this thing without a backup on a gig with no backup or worries. Due to its heftiness, however, it's wise to use a strap that you know will be comfy if you're gonna be jamming for a few hours. As with my other guitars, I've got this one equipped with a Planet Waves strap (wide and cushiony shoulder pad), and it's really comfortable.

Never had to deal with the folks at ESP. The Explorer has got a limited lifetime warranty on it; since it's built so solidly, I can see why they can offer this type of warranty.

In short, the EXP-200 rules. Yank the stock humbuckers in favor of a couple of EMG's and you've got yourself a total James Hetfield axe for a fraction of the price. If anyone has any further queries about it, drop me an e-line; I'll be glad to answer any questions about it.