ESP LTD Viper-400

You already know from the other reviews.

Overall, it sounds really good, but it's lacking a little in the bass register. To tell the truth, it makes Les Pauls that I've owned slink away and sulk in the corner.

Arrived just about perfect. The neck was slightly warped as you should expect it to be considering it was mail-order. By the way, to the guy that gave this guitar a bad review because the neck was slightly warped, here's a quick idiot's lesson: loosen the screw on the truss rod cover and move the cover out of the way. Next, insert the included Allen wrench in the end of the truss rod, make 1/4 turn in the clockwise direction. Hot damn!! It's fixed.

Don't know yet, I've only had it for 2 wks.

Overall, one of my favorites ever. So what if it was made in Korea. I'm not oblivious about these things, I've been playing for 10 yrs. and give advanced level lessons. The only thing I wish it had is active electronics, active p/u's are nice, but you lose some control over tone w/o active eq.

Viper 400. 2004. Made in Korea I believe. 24 frets 24.75 scale length. Two Active EMG-81 Pickups. Solid Body Mahogany with Rosewood fretboard. Glued in neck. 1 vol. 1 tone 1 3-way selector switch

came from manufacturer wired incorectly and had really bad action , so i cannot comment on the sound plus other problems listed below

the action was terrible all the top frets buzzed the nut was pretty high to start with so i had to raise the bridge to near its full limit to stop the buzzing , so therefore its the worst action on any guitar ive ever had , the wiring hummed when plugged in upon checking the wiring schematics with the EMG website it was also wired incorectly

having used a viper 301 for a couple of years i cant see Reliability/Durability being a problem

baught for me as a gift from a freind in the US from www.samash.com and the logistics of sending it back from the UK isnt possible , tried to contact both samash and ESP but no replys

having has a viper 301 for a couple of years , with perfect action and the only reason i got a 400 was for the active pickups and locking tuners . which it has pickups wired wrong , worst action ive ever had on a guitar , my first cheap strat copy is a vast improvement , lesson learnt NEVER BUY A GUITAR OVER THE INTERNET

GO TO ESP WEB SIGHT FOR FEATURES

SOUNDS GREAT FOR MY HARD ROCK/METAL/THRASH STUFF.(ZAKK, SLAYER, C.O.C., DANZIG, PANTERA, SABBATH, ECT. I USE 2 DIFFRENT AMPS. A LANEY AOR PRO TUBE LEAD 100 WATT AND A MARSHALL JMP 100 WATT LEAD MASTER VOLUME. BOTH HOOKED UP TO 2 4X12 MARSHALL COPY CABS W MESA BOOGIE SPEAKERS. EFFECTS ARE A MODDED E-H SMALL STONE W ADDED FOOT CONTROLL(OLD WAH PEDAL HOUSING), E-H SMALL CLONE CHORUS, DALLAS ARBITER FUZZ FACE, ROGER MAYER RED LION WAH, BOSS 0C-2 OCTAVER, AND A MXR ZAKK WYLDE OVERDRIVE. OCCASIONALLY I ADD A EH BIG MUFF W THE MARSHALL W PRE TURNED UP ON THE AMP FOR A TONY IOMMY SOUND. OF COURSE ALL EFFECTS ARENT USED AT SAME TIME. GUITAR IS SLIGHTLY NOISY ON SOME SETTINGS BUT IT SUITS ME FINE. SOUNDS RICH BUT COULD STAND A LITTLE MORE BOTTOM END. PINCH HARMONICS ARE A BREEZE. GET SOME GOOD JIMI TONES W CERTAIN PEDALS AND AMP SETTINGS

ACTION WAS SET UP OK, BUT I TWEAKED IT A LITTLE TO MY TASTE. I SET THE NECK PICK UP A FEW TURNS AND SLIGHTLY MOVED THE BRIDGE P.U. UP.
NO FLAWS. GOOD ALLIGNMENT GOOD FINISH FOR KOREAN MADE GUITAR. EVERYTHING SNUG AND FIT UP GOOD.

GOOD GUITAR. SEEMS LIKE IT WILL HOLD UP. CANT SAY IF THE FINISH WILL LAST B/C I HAVE PROBLEMS KEEPING FINISH ON MY GUITARS.(I WEAR PAINT OFF FAST).STRAP BUTTONS SEEM STOUT BUT IN TIME THEY ALLWAYS STRIP.
GUITAR IS DEPENDABLE, BUT I USE SEVERAL GUITARS SO I ALWAYS HAVE A BACK-UP.

HAVENT HAD TO USE WARRANTY BUT IF YOU READ AN ESP WARRANTY CARD YOU WILL SEE ESP WARRANTYS SUCK ANYWAY.

BEEN PLAYING FOR 13 YRS. OWN VARIOUS 1970'S FENDER STRATS, GIBSON COPIES, AND SOME FRANKENSTIEN GUITARS. IF IT WERE LOST OR STOLEN, I WOULD TRY TO GET ANOTHER LIKE IT. LOVE THE SOUND AND FEEL OF IT NO COMPLAINTS AT ALL. IF YOU CAN GET ONE OF THESE YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. GOOD GUITAR FOR THE MONEY. NOT TYPICAL HALF ASSED KOREAN JUNK.

mine is the satin off-white, pearloid binding, abalone flag inlays, special made earvana drop-D nut, 24 frets, 2 piece rosewood neck, EMG pickups specifically made for Pantera. Has a mahogany body and tone pros hardware. Two controls for volume boost and tone cut. reinforced aluminum set neck joint.

Sounds like a Fender if u like or Pantera if you have the right picks and overdrive pedal

Mine came setup with the action perfect for playing Downstairs to Hell. I didn't care for the lame straplocks on it.

Dropped it twice because the neck is too heavy to balance. Only cracked the finish tho. Should last for at least 5 years.

Super for twang players if you split the buckers.

2004, made in Kore, 24 frets, set neck construction, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fretboard, EMG-81 active pickups, volume, tone, 3-way toggle, black hardware, earvana compensated nut, grover tuners, tune-o-matic bridge. Has much more extras than any other guitar in this price range.

I basically play Metal and punkrock, this guitar suits both styles well. I play it through a v-amp2 and a marshall MG100DFX. Its sound is really bright, I think the pickups are not bassy enough for the kind of palm muteing I need and what I really like is it's sustain due to the mahogany body and supose the active pickups too. Played with a clean set-up through the neck pickup is the greatest I've ever heard and also the open chords sound well, thank's to the earvana compensated nut, I supose.

The string height and the pickups were well adjusted from the factory, or the shop I don't know. Although It is not a high-end guitar It is well crafted. It did not contain any finish flaws and everything was hard tight.

I have an Ibanez RG270 with a diMarzio PafPro and the Viper is my main guitar nawadays. I would use it on a gig and think it will last cause it is built strong.

Never dealt with them

I've been playing for about 4 years, owned a toy-like electric guitar and then bought the RG 3 years ago.
If It was stolen I think I would definately buy it again I love it's sound in spite of houw the palm muteing sounds.
I choosed it because it was the one with more "extras" (mainly the active pickups) in it's range of price and because it was a not pure Metalish guitar so I knew it would fit my other styles well.

2004 korea, 24 frets, 3 way selector emg 81 pickup set, body/ neck:mahogany, finish: gloss black, tune o matic bridge with tailpiece, black and earvana compensated nut, grover tuners, xj frets.

At first i thought the sound of the emg 81s sucked but after looking in the battery slot i found that there was a rusted battery in there and after a quick change the emgs were screaming doing over the top pinch harmonics,a word of caution though if you try it with standard tuning and any type of string thicker than 10s than the sound gets very very muddy but if you use 10s or lower the sound is unbelieveable.

now this is where the guitar got me realy pissed off,I got it with a slightly warped neck,it was still perfectly playable but because it was warped there was some bad cracks in the binding where the frets were and the action was ballsed, also the pickup heights were terrible.Bad work esp bad work.

the guitar would withstand live playing if it werent so god dam top heavy making it a real chore to keep the neck up,the hardware is great and i can tell it will last a lifetime same with the finish and the strap buttons,Its a ver dependable guitar but i would have to be stupid to gig with it without a backup.

never dealt with them but the warrenty was fucked it had to be sent back within nine days of sale with a reciept which it says in small and i mean small print what assholes now i cant claim for the warped neck.

ive been playing for just under two years now but dont let that fool you i know my stuff when it comes to guitars,if it were stolen or lost i might get something like a jackson ke3 and replace the pickup as i know that thats not from korea,i love the way it gave me so much bang for the buck but i hate the way the korean wood warped on me,if there would be one thing i wish it had it would be a flamed maple top but all round its a great solid guitar worth it deffinatly for the money it could be compared to guitars worth twice its price easily.

2004, made in korea. 24 frets, you know all the features. grover tuners, set neck, beautiful finish. (vintage sunburst). I love this guitar. 1 volume, 1 tone, 3way selector.
emg 81's active pickups (wow)
mahogany body and mahogany/rosewood neck, so this thing sounds like a beast. :)

man, when i played this guitar in the store, it took about 2 seconds to know i was leaving with it. unbelievable sound. especially for the great price.

i changed the strings (thicker gauge), barely had to intonate it, it was set up fu#%ing great from the factory. had to adjust the pickups a bit, didn't have to touch the neck at all, or the action. no flaws. again, wow, esp is on top of their shit. the volume and tone pots are amazing for control, roll off the volume a bit, and you get a real nice slightly distorted tone. finish on this thing is amazing.

this guitar hasn't been played live yet, but it's my main axe as of now. the hardware is solid, the tuners again, are amazing, this guitar never goes out of tune, and i play rough.

i've been playing for 8 years, i've owned everything from strats, to paul reed smith, schecter, esp, and this rates right up there with the best of them. i wouldn't be surprized if the price of this guitar went up by $500 in the next few years.

It's got everything listed below in the other reviews. EMG 81's, Earvana, Grovers, etc. Good bang for the buck.

I had a Viper 301 before this. The 400 is definately a step up. If you're thinking about buying active pickups for your 301, just buy the 400. You'll save money. I can't say the Earvana or Grovers make a big difference in the sound. I'm using a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier running into a Mesa 2x12 Recto Cab with a 15 band EQ and a THD Hotplate.

I had the action setup by the shop I bought it from so I dunno how well it was originally setup. The finish is better than the 301. The 301 finish seemed to smear fingerprints a lot. I had a problem with ESP not having the correct hardware on the guitar (Earvana and Grovers weren't on) but the shop replaced everything for me.

Never had a problem with any ESP guitar I've owned.

I would definately buy another if it got stolen or lost. I actually sold my 301 to get the 400. Most of ESP's new 400 series is a great value. Just pick the shape you like.

2004 Korea, inspected in USA. 24 frets. 1 Volume 1 tone 1 3 toggle switch. Two screaming EMG 81's active pickups. Mahogany body. 3 Piece mahogany / rosewood neck / fretboard. Black + Earvana compensated nut & Grover tuners. Flag inlays. And so on.........

This fucker has such a nice sound. I play mostly metal but i often switch my playing style. This thing can handle everything. I am using a Randall RG75 combo amp with a Digitech GNX 1 and it just blows everything away. There's no work for the rich sound.

Great quality. Setup really nicely.

This would definatly withstand live playing. Everything from the headstock to the bottom strap thing is just perfect. I've dropped this guitar several times and i dont even notice a single scratch or dent. Definately dependable.

No comment

Too lazy to comment.

Brand New Release of the ESP Ltd Viper 400. 2004. Made in Korea I believe. 24 frets 24.75 scale length. Two Active EMG-81 Pickups. Solid Body Mahogany with Rosewood fretboard. Glued in neck. 1 vol. 1 tone 1 3-way selector switch. Black hardware + Earvana compensated nut & Grover tuners. Sweet. See thru Black-Cherry Red. (comes in 4 colors I believe)

This is the new 2004 ESP Viper ltd 400 guitar. It's a step up from the much loved and admired 301 which was discontnued and became hard to find in late December 2003. This guitar is by far the best LTD Viper to date and over the next year we will see this guitar take off to become ESP's most widely purchased instrument. I take my hat off to ESP for taking this bold step and actually listening to their customers. With Active EMG 81 pickups and grover tuners this guitar looks great and plays even better.

It also comes standard with an Earvana compensated nut which until now has only ever been found on custom built guitars. There is some confusion about what this is exactly. From what I understand, not only does it allow the guitar to be brought to tune with a tad less tension making playing eaier, but it also allows the open played strings to sound as though they have been fretted. Thats a big improvement since I've never liked the sound the open string make even when using a metal or graphite nut. Most nuts are made from plastic which makes a drastic tonal change from fretted notes. This improvement alone will make other guitars you've owned seem like a toy. Just when you thought guitars couldn't evolve!

The particular guitar was exceptionally well set up. The finish was simply beautiful. The playability of the guitar was a dream. I'd easly compare this guitar to anything in the $1500 range. Better quality and feel over any off the shelf guitar you'll ever find anywhere.

I'm sure this guitar will withstand live playing no problem. Hardware seems like it's had an overhall from the previous 301 version and seems a little higher quality. The 301 had a tendancy of wearing out the black coating on the bridge with lots of playing. I can't say for sure if the new version is immune to this or not. Strap buttons are solid, seems very dependable and well built. I'd use this without a backup after my tech checked out all the interal electronics to make sure there are no cold joints. In the past ESP guitars have always had super nice soldering work so I have no worries. The finish looks a tad bit nicer than the old 301. This guitar is destined to be a classic. I'm sure these will fly off the shelfs. I know of no other guitar with active EMG-81 pickups and an Earvana compensated nut in this price range anywhere on the planet. You simply won't find a better guitar anywhere for the money!

Haven't tried them except a few years ago when I had a cheaper ESP Ltd mv-200 guitar. They sent me a good e-mail response and even told me that the mv-200 had been known to have faulty pickups which could result in poor sound and I was impressed with their honesty. I'd recommend them, but you may want to check other reviewers for similar guitars to see what people have to say. Otherwise I get a good vibe from ESP.

I've been playing for 20 years. I've played as a stand in musician for Radiohead and many other bands in the u.k. and the u.s.a. I currently work as a professional session musician for various rock and punk bands and work as a creative consultant for various musical projects from Seattle to Portland to L.A and San Francisco. If it were stolen I would probably replace it. It's an excellent professional instrument for very low cost. I give ESP two thumbs up for being the most interesting and innovative guitar company in the world! They seem to have a heart too!