ESP M-I

very good :)

I'm just got it about 8 weeks from America with my friend :)

I play style Metallica I think this guitar can support that great sound it born to be metal

EMG 81 so great

I saw this guitar from ESP website and I like it

This review is on the new for 2007 ESP standard series M-1 NTB. This model features the standard ESP M series body, which is a flat top "super Strat" style double cut-away. The body is alder and the neck is three piece maple with a neck-through construction. The neck is 25.5" scale with an ebony fretboard and 24 XJ frets. There are no fretboard inlays except for the 12th fret ESP block inlay done in MOP.

Electronics consist of a single EMG 81 in the bridge position and a single volume knob. The hardware is all Gotoh, finished in black nickle. A TOM bridge with string through body, and Gotoh Magnum locking tuners.

The body is finished in satin black and the neck is left with an unfinished "look". Note, the entire guitar is finished in a clear satin sanding sealer including the neck. It is not natural or tungs oiled. There is no body, neck or headstock binding. This is a very stripped down guitar.

I bought this guitar because I can appreciate the bare bones approach that ESP took when designing this model. This is not a pretty guitar. It wasn`t made to impress your girlfriend or get you laid. It was built for real musicians who want a totally profesional guitar to make music with. If you prefer a simple set up and can control your tone with your fingers, then this guitar is for you.

I was more than pleasantly suprised with the tone of the EMG 81 in this guitar. I am a fan of the 81 and EMG`s and have them in almost all of my guitars. I will say this is the best I`ve ever heard an 81 sound in the bridge position. The bass is present, but tight and thick. Not artificial or bloated at all. The mids are even and musical throughout their range. The harsh upper mids often associated with the 81 are instead musical and transition smoothly into the high end. The high end is crisp without being strident. Apparently the combination of maple and alder work very well with the 81.

I was worried that this guitar would either excel at heavy rhythm or cutting leads, but not at both. I have found this to be false. The musical mids and smooth top end of the 81 in this guitar make it a formidable weopon for either rhythm or lead guitar.

The over-all tone of the guitar is big and wide. Heavy, modern metal rhythm tones are thick and tight. Palm muted passages are percussive with great attack and definition. Lead tones are everything you could ever want in an active pickup equipped guitar. Leads cut with authority, but are never harsh. I find myself using more legato techniques and tapping runs with this guitar compared to any of my other guitars. Even the most intricate lead techniques come through.

As you might guess, I play mostly metal. I`ve played guitar for almost 20 years and have a modest but profesional rig. I`m playing this guitar through an unmodified Peavey 5150 II and a Boogie Recto 4x12. Using effects from MXR, Digitech and Boss. Through my rig this guitar is as quiet as any other EMG equipped guitar. There are no problems with microphonics or uncontrollable feedback.

This is a new for `07 model from ESP so of course I had to wait a couple of months for it to come in from Japan. ESP is notorious for long waiting periods with their new models. My dealer got the guitar in, inspected it, took pictures for his website and shipped it straight out to me. The guitar still had the factory set up when I received it. The action was on the low side of moderately low. Fast enough for shred, but with enough room for a more aggressive picking hand. There was no excessive fret buzz or fretting out on big bends. The frets had as good a factory fret job as I`ve ever seen. I would compare it in every way to USA Jacksons.

I had to look very, very hard to find anything "wrong" with the guitar. I found one spot of dust stuck in the body finish. I had to get very close to even find that. All joints were perfect. The nut was cut perfectly. The pickup and control cavity routing was clean and well executed. The control cavity was well shielded and very tidy. All the hardware is of the highest quality. Over-all, an absolutely stunning example of high end Japanese guitar manufacturing. Very, very nice.

There is nothing on this guitar to break. The single pickup with single volume control should last for years with no trouble. The TOM bridge and string through body are as sturdy and dependable a set up as you can find. The strap buttons were large. Like that matters. They came off immediately and were replaced with Schaller strap locks. No problem there.

I am curious as to how well the finish will stand up to abuse. The satin finish feels very thin. Almost like an acoustic guitar finish. This makes the guitar very vibrant, but may not stand up well to abuse. In the end, I don`t think it will matter. As I stated above. This guitar isn`t pretty. It`s a machine. I think the players who choose this model could probably care less about how the finish holds up when gigging.

The guitar features locking tuners which make for quick string changes, but I would still carry a back up in any gigging situation. Quick string changes or not. You will look like a dumb ass on stage with no guitar if you break a string and don`t have a back up.

I have dealt with ESP before in regards to another guitar, and that situation was resolved to my satisfaction. In my experience ESP makes a quality product and stands behind it.

Hopefully this guitar will give years of service without any reliability issues. Honestly I don`t foresee any problems.

Like I stated above. I`ve played guitar for 20 years. I was there when metal started and have probably played every major "metal" guitar made (slight exageration). I`ve played many ESP guitars over the years and have found all to be excellent instruments. I feel that this guitar represents one of the best values on the market. The attention to detail is outstanding. The appointments and hardware are top shelf. And the electronics are arguably as good as you can get. I would stand this guitar against any comparable model on the market, and never worry.

If it were stolen I would be devastated. Then I would take the insurance money and buy another one. I can`t think of anything that would make this model "better". It is a profesional caliber instrument in every way.

If you are looking for a players guitar and prefer simplistic set ups, then look no further. If tone is more important to you than glossy good looks, then look no further. Don`t just take my word on it. Try this guitar out in person. See if you don`t agree with everything I`ve said in this review.