LTD EC-1000 Deluxe Review

The neck scale is 24.75", 24 frets, pretty thick neck, but not unconftorable it feels solid and awesome. Like a Les Paul neck but nicer, also it has a sharper cutaway than a Gibson LP to get to those 2 extra frets easier.

Features:	9.4
Sound:	9.6
Action:	9.2
Reliability:	9.5
Impression:	9.6
Overall rating:	9.5
Users rating:	8.5
Comments:	92

Featured review by: unregistered, on may 30, 2005

Price paid: $ 800

Purchased from: Guitar Gallery

Features: This is a 2004 ESP LTD EC-1000, the LTD Deluxe series, it was made in Korea, not that it matters LTD put out guitars equal to their ESP counterparts for 1/4 of the price. The neck scale is 24.75, 24 frets, pretty thick neck, but not unconftorable it feels solid and awesome. Like a Les Paul neck but nicer, also it has a sharper cutaway than a Gibson LP to get to those 2 extra frets easier. As for the finish, the guitar I have is all black, very shiny, with albalone inlayed around the guitar and neck etc. Bosy style by the way is Les Paul style. It has a stop tail bridge, but the real beauty of this guitar lies in its tone, generated by two Active EMG 81 pickups. I could write a novel on these things, they are so clear, and they have so much heavy heavy tone but not muddeled in the least, best pickups I've ever used, and I have by no means a small collection, Fender Strat, PRS Custom 24, and I play this guitar 10 times more than my PRS for instance. Since I got this I hardly pick it up, the tuners are locking sperzels I believe, keep in mind folks, if you get the flame top version of this guitar you'll get dual Duncans instead of EMGs, just a heads up. My guitar did come with a ESP hardshell case. That about wraps it up, the best guitar I've played. // 10

Sound: Sounds amazing, I play in a progressive/death metal band. Very heavy stuff, alot of it similar to Children Of Bodom/Opeth/In Flames kind of stuff this hits teh nail on the head, I play through a Marshall half stack and a Crate Blue Voodoo, and in both amps this thing puts out amazing tone. No noisy feedback when you're not playing on the pickups which is awesome, I love the treble on this it's so driving, the bass is very very smooth too, not too raunchy. Tone wise this guitar isnt gonna limit you. Unless you like country or something, I would say this is meant for metal and maybe some borderline cool blues kind of stuff. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Facotry setup was perfect, action was perfect, pickup balance to eachother level wise was perfect, everything was in order, this guitar was absolutely perfect and new, not 1 single thing wrong with it, hell the GHS strings it came with hadn't even been played, this thing was sweet. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I use this and my PRS live, and this is my main guitar. This thing kills anything, my only suggestion would be make sure to check your battery in your active pickups (compartment in back of it so you don't have to muddle with the inside) so it dosen't die on you, active does mean battery operated for those who don't know, but it hasn't died on me, and if you have to change the battery it takes about 3 minutes, I tried it just for security. // 10

Impression: For metal/blues kind of stuff this fits like a glove, I've only been playing a couple years, but I know guitars, I know as much as I can absorb about necks, pickups, bridges, routing, and I'll say this if you're looking for something thats a neck-thru kind of thing for easy easy access to the upper frets, where you can practically live, then this probably isn't for you, I would suggest a M-1000 by ESP another amazing guitar, but getting up there on here isnt hard it's just not prone to it, just imagine a 24 fret Gibson Les Paul, with active pickups, locking hardware for 800 bucks, with a carved top. If that sounds appealing to you go buy this sucker. I love the neck on it, the way it feels to play cords and lead on it, the pickups rock the house, it looks sweet, if this thing got stolen id go out and buy another one immediately, if you want something with more reach but the punch of this I would suggest a MH or M series guitar from ESP, I have played heavily on both of them and they have the same bite and more reach, but this has such an amazing body, it's your decision. // 10

overall: 9.4

Reviewed by: xnirvanax924, on october 23, 2006

Price paid: $ 839

Purchased from: Digitalplayroom.com

Features: I got the 2006 Vintage black model. Made in Korea, 24 XJ frets. Mahogany body/mahogany neck/ebony fretbaord. 24 3/4 scale. Set neck construction. Abalone flag inlays with model name at 12th fret. Single cutaway body like a Les Paul, but the cutaway is sharper for easier access to the higher frets. TonePros locking bridge. Gold Hardware. Active elctronics. 2 volume/1 tone control. Bridge pickup, EMG 81, neck pickup, EMG 60. Sperzel locking tuners. Came with a free ESP hardcase, but most dealers do not offer this. The case costs almost $100, so you may want to shop around to find a free one like I did. // 9

Sound: I play mostly metal and hardcore music, with some classic rock/blues at times. I play through a Fender Champion 300 practice amp and an MXR Doubleshot Distortion pedal. The EMGs give some of the best tone for metal I've ever heard. Highs and lows are boosted giving a great edge to the sound. The '81s rich, bright, cutting sound is perfect for lead guitar and fast metal solos, while the 60 backs off a bit and is great for rhythm. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the sound cleaned up. The only real disadvantage to the clean sound is the high end is a little too sharp for smooth blues style playing. The real strong point of this guitar is when it's played dirty. EMGs are some of the best metal pickups around and are used by a wide variety of bands. Sustain is nearly endless and pinch harmonics are effortless. Trying to play another guitar is almost hard because this thing has spoiled me so much. The pickups seem to know what you want when they give a nice loud high end on the high strings, then go back to a heavy crunch on the low ones. This combination creates some of the most intense sounds you can ask for, with a decent variety to them. Them EMGs, being active pickups, deliver huge output and could easily blow an amp if you're not careful. But when you stop, these things go dead silent with no noise what'soever. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: Right out of the box, the action was great. No buzz anywhere on the fretboard, but still a very low and easy to play action. Pickup height was ideal and very good looking, blending with the body's contours. No flaws that I can tell of. Right out of the box, I was stunned by the striking gold hardware and trim, which gives perfect contrast to the gray/black body. Everything was aligned perfectly: wood, finish, hardware, tuners, electronics, and nut. The Earvana compensated nut gives perfect innotation and is perfectly cut and inlaid. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I would definately use this guitar live, and hopefully will soon. It is one of the most sturdy, solidly built guitars I've seen. It seems like it will last me a very long time. No strap was included, but the strap buttons are great and I'm confident they'll hold strong. Although a backup is always a good idea, I would trust this thing to last through whatever. The finish on my Vintage black model is not a glossy-based finish and does not show flaws as easily. I don't think the finish will wear off and scratches barely show. It will stay beautiful for quite awhile. // 10

Impression: For my metal/hardcore style, this guitar is exactly what I wanted. It gives the ideal tone I was looking for, with surprisingly good clean playing. I have been playing for about 2 and a half years. My only other guitar is my beginner Squier Standard Fat Stratocaster, but I've played a wide variety of guitars and can confidently say that this is the best guitar in it's price range for metal. It easily matches guitars that cost thousands, but costs less than $900. I am completely satisfied with this product, and if it were stolen, I would definately save up and but the exact same thing again. I love everything about the sound most of all, but looks are a close second. This guitar is Drop Dead Gorgeous and is a jaw dropper with all my friends. I can't think of a single thing I would change about it, except maybe giving it the ability to lose some of it's sharpness for a little blues from time to time. I compared this to my friend's Schecter C-1 Hellraiser and other guitars meant for my style, and this one came out on top. Nothing can beat this guitar for features in it's price range. The Hellraiser is a great guitar too, but when it comes down to it, The EC-1000 beats it in the details. The bottom line: A great, inexpensive guitar, perfect for the heavy guitarist. it's strong points are in attention to detail, from the locking tuners to the compensated but to the EMGs to to the ebony fretboard, perfect, nearly seamless, and beautiful. The only thing I have ever wished for on it is a tremelo system, but the tuning is so effortless without it that I think it's a fair trade off. I also had to wait through several back orders, which took over a month. This has something to do with ESP, so if you want this guitar right away, you need to walk out of a store with it, NOT order it. Amazing tone and a beautiful body, all for $840 is one of the best guitar deals you can find. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on june 18, 2007

Price paid: $ 850

Purchased from: J.C. Music, Meriden CT

Features: A 2007 ESP LTD EC-1000 Deluxe solid body electric in Vintage Black (VB), 24 fret, 3pc mahogany neck w/ ebony fretboard, generous abalone inlays and white bindings, model number at 12th fret. Mahogany carved, Eclipse styled body, Tonepros tail, active EMG81(N) EMG60(B) 1 vol bridge, 1 vol neck, 1 master tone pots, 3-way PU selector (neck, series, bridge), gold hardware Sperzel locking Schaller tuners, Earvana compensated nut, 24.75 inch scale, 2-way truss rod. // 10

Sound: I play mostly various forms of metal (death, thrash, glam, black) and progressive rock, and this is THE guitar for the price. The sound is sharp and aggressive on cutting leads and has sustain for weeks on end, every note is very clear. Properly balanced pickups enable a flick of the PU selector to go insanely chunky, brutal rhythm licks that demolish all and take no prisoners. I have yet to hear a better guitar for this kind of money (and more), and its sound is the definition of what a hard rock/metal guitar should be. I use EMG pickups on mine and they're very hot screamers, easily overdrive passive inputs on amps, but can sound very neat and precise when played clean. I've played this through a variety of amps and even with just a Boss distortion pedal it delivers bone-crushing crunch. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Action made fretting effortless and without excess noise or buzz. I own another ESP (a bass) and the setup on each of ESP's guitars is near-flawless. The lock on the A string tuner was a little soft and needed tightening but considering this was on display since the beginning of the sales year it was hardly irregular. Required very little adjustment if any (just a tuning check before dropping half step). Intonation was flawless, high consistency through all frets. The finish was perfect and pictures of this guitar do it no justice whatsoever. It is a guitar to inspire the self and envy in others, with a refined yet agressive appeal. Much lighter than its direct competitor (Gibson LPs) but heavy enough to feal real and make playing enjoyable. The neck is superfast, and makes chord switching feel like nothing. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Bottom line: this can be anyone, even the most agressive player's main Live guitar, provided enough care is given. I've heard this particular finish (satin/vintage black) is scratch-prone but otherwise ESPs are very durable. I haven't had this guitar for long but if it's anything like my cheaper (by comparison) ESP bass, it will be rock solid for as long as you own it, requiring minimal adjustments. // 10

Impression: The only thing I have of complaint with this guitar is that the standard/deluxe series of ECs don't offer a tremolo bridge/whammy, however, it has other features coming out the @SS. For metal, you will be hard pressed to find a better guitar, and it's probably this guitar's slightly nicer brother, the ESP Standard Series Eclipse II, possibly the only guitar I would dream of replacing this with if it were lost or stolen. I love the combination of its styling, sound, and playability, that can make even a relative newcomer to guitar feel awesome all over when you pick it up and play. I've played with three or so bands now and I've never heard such massive tone. Our main guitarist for my current group is in love with this guitar, and he's a virtuoso Who knows his stuff too. The only thing I can think of as being negative on this guitar is if you like playing country or R&B. The PUs on this model (EMGs) are ok for edgier blues but if you want a warmer sound go with the ones with Seymour Duncans (JB & 59).

Overally, I love this guitar (almost) as much as my girl. // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: punkgtrst096, on june 20, 2007

Price paid: $ 799.99

Purchased from: Moore Music, Evansville, IN

Features: This is a 2007 LTD EC-1000 Deluxe in the antique sunburst (ASB) finish. Made in Korea, it allows high quality components to be used, and only costs the fraction of an ESP's price. The guitar features 24 Xtra Jumbo frets on a set 3-piece mahogany neck (rosewood fingerboard) with abalone purfling and white binding (goes around the entire guitar). The body is mahogany with a flamed maple top that looks amazing, and a headstock that matches. The ASB model has the Seymour Duncan JB/'59 pickups, while the others (except for the VHB) have the EMG 81/60 pickups. There are two volume knobs and one master tone, with a three way toggle. Since my models is a 2007, it features the new Schaller locking tuners instead of the Sperzel's featured on earlier models. There is an Earvana compensated nut which helps improve intonation, and from what I can tell, it works. Finally, the bridge is a Tone Pro's T3B-T & T1Z Locking Bridge that helps to provide extra sustain. I rate this guitar at a 9, simply because the features are great, but it would have been cool if I could have gotten an included case instead of having to pay extra. // 9

Sound: I play mostly punk, metal, and hard rock, and this guitar is great for all three. The sustain is infinite, and I can get about any tone I want out of this guitar. With the tone knob rolled off and the neck pickup on, I can get that great Slash tone, but with the tone full on with the JB, it can rip some awesome rock rhythms, as well as insane leads. The cleans are amazing as well, very full sounding. I'm running the guitar dry, except for my Crybaby from Hell, into a relatively shitty amp, and it still sounds great. I've played it through a 6505+ and the tone was orgasmic. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Where to begin? The guitar was set up great! The action was low, but without fret buzz, the pick up heights were right where they should be. As far as the finish, it looks just as good (if not better) than any Gibson I've seen. The abalone purfiling really makes the guitar stand out, and the matching headstock is the icing on the cake. No flaws whatsoever. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I haven't had a chance to use this guitar Live, but I'm sure it would be fine. The hardware is extremely high quality stuff I'd have to pay $200 at least to get installed into another stock guitar. The stock strap buttons seemed alright, but I replaced them anyway with a black DiMarzio cliplock strap system, just because that's my preferred strap. The guitar is solid, and I've heard nothing but great things about ESP guitars, so I'm sure this will last a while, as well as be dependable. // 10

Impression: Again, I play anywhere from metal, to punk, to hard rock, and this guitar can cover all three easily. I've been playing for over four years, and I've owned Fender and Epiphone guitars, and currently own an Ibanez JEM7DBK (not made anymore.) I knew exactly what I was looking for when I bought this guitar: I wanted something versatile. I do like EMGs, but after I threw a JB in my JEM, I knew that was my tone, so I had to get the LTD with Duncans. If this guitar was lost or stolen, I'd probably buy another one, but I might try out some other stuff (maybe a Viper). My favorite feature of this guitar is the toggle Switch and two volume knobs. I can turn the neck volume off and use the toggle as a kill switch and it sounds awesome. Overall, it's an amazing guitar, and I don't regret buying it. // 10

overall: 8

Reviewed by: Mark G, on november 28, 2007

Features: // 9

Sound: My style is mostly hardrock and metal, which this guitar was pretty much perfect for. Granted, the EMG81/60 combo really shines for metal and metalcore but it performed well for rock also. I was testing it through a Marshall JCM2000 DSL 50 with a 1960A Marshall Cab. No other effects, since I wanted to test the guitar not the gizmo's. It suited especially metal very well. Defined, yet deep and powerful riffs were easily achieved with this guitar. The sound is phenomenal. It isn't noisy at all, because of the EMGs which are shielded. The guitar sounds very dark and warm, due to the large mahogany body which is surprisingly light. The cleans using the EMG 60 were very warm and clean as well. This is clearly the best EMG active pickup for cleans, and complements the EMG 81 nicely. In short, this guitar has fantastic sound all around, although it is especially suited for metal. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up very very well. The strings were nice and low, and the pickups were properly adjusted. It was to be expected with a top of the line model like this. The routing was also properly done, no flaws there. However, the painting left some to be desired and the fretwork was flawed. There was a little paint on the abalone binding near the neck joint and the frets were protruding slightly, causing my hand to get stuck when sliding down the neck. Also, the guitar just would not stay in tune. I'm guessing it just had new strings installed, because the features on this guitar are known to be able to stay in tune very well. I'm giving this a 6, since I was very disappointed with the fretwork. A guitar that costs this much should not have these issues. // 6

Reliability & Durability: I do think this guitar will withstand Live playing, it is very light yet very durable. Everything seemed pretty solid, and I would trust this guitar to do the job. However, I would never gig without a backup. It isn't the guitars fault when you trip and snap the guitar neck during the landing. // 8

Impression: This guitar is a very good match for my metal and rock music. The distortion is brutal and heavy, and the cleans are crisp and warm. I've been playing for slightly over 3 years, and I mostly play through a Schecter C1 Classic and B-52 AT 112. If it were lost or stolen, I would most likely just get this guitar again. That, or a Schecter Hellraiser. These guitars are very similar so it would depend on my mood at that time. I absolutely love the sound of this guitar and the smooth action. I did hate the poor fretwork, which needed to be fixed. My favorite feature is the large mahogany body and the EMG 60. Those just sound fantastic together. I compared this guitar with my own Schecter C1 Classic but also with a Les Paul BFG and a Les Paul Menace. The Les Paul guitars had a fatter neck, and the pickups were not as great. It is very similar to the C1 Classic, but more metal oriented. I will use it for my metal playing while my Schecter will do the rock music. Only thing I wish this guitar had is strap locks installed Standard. But hey, I don't think I've ever seen a guitar that has that Standard. Get this guitar if you can find one with proper fretwork. It plays and sounds amazing, especially for metal and hardrock. // 8

overall: 9.4

Reviewed by: riseagainst821, on january 12, 2007

Price paid: $ 700

Purchased from: Sam Ash

Features: I won't bother on the specs because everyone else already has. I have the amber sunburst model and it is just amazing. This is one sweet guitar that if you need a step or middle range guitar, this is perfect. It's not your traditional les paul in sound, but what it lacks in sound in makes up with features. First off, it is much lighter than a les paul. The sperzel locking tuners are great, much better than the stock grovers on most guitars at this price. The tonepros locking bridge is nice as well. I personally like the neck on this guitar compared to Gibson Les Paul and SG's. It not too thick but not too thin, just perfect. The pickups (Seymour Duncan JB/59) are crystal clear. If you are playing very heavy music, get the EMGs, otherwise stick with the JB. It could have come with strap locks and a case. This guitar is perfect if you ever wanted a Les Paul style for half the price with just as much good quality as the real thing. // 9

Sound: It suits my style of playing well. I play anything from early metal (Black Sabbath, Led Zepplin, etc.) to punk to some Jazz. This guitar sounds great clean and distorted. My setup is my guitar through a whammy and NS-2 to a Flextone III amp. It has a three way toggle as any les pual style and has two volume controls and one tone control. I play a lot of rage and this guitar works well if you use the "Killswitch." The cleans are bright on the neck pickup and dirty on the bridge. But if you need, you can find that perfect sound right between the two if you need, especially through the Flextone III. I would definatly reccomend this for most styles of music. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: My guitar came set up well. The only problem I had was that it took forever to get here. I ordered it from Sam Ash, they had to get one shipped from God knows where and it took 2 months. But well worth the wait. I try to avoid online purchases b/c I have had only bad experiences with those. The action was a bit low and the intonation all messed and one pickup slightly lower than it should be, but nothing one trip to the sam Ash guitar guy and I was good to go. Other than that, no issues. The pickups are good, the strings and bridge were good. Just a good guitar all around. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I have played with it twice on-stage. It has held up well. No isses. It will just have to past the test of time. I believe it will last for quite awhile. I never think you should use a guitar without a backup. You never know what could happen. I think the finish will last long enough. // 10

Impression: My overall impressions are good. It fits my styles well. The cleans are clean and the distortion can be anything. Especially good for a punk sound. Think Rise Against. But also good with jazz and some metal. Would deffinatly buy again if stolen or lost, but there is no way I would let that happen. I first had a Gibson SG for awhile, but I took it back and got this. This guitar flet better to play on and sounded better for less money. There are very few things, if any I don't like. This is one special guitar. Very rarely are you going to find a guitar of this quality for this price. Oh I forgot to mention. The abolone bindings are amazing. It's a great feature. The only thing I might do with this guitar is change the bridge pickup to a Duncan Distortion for more of a metal sound. But if you want metal, get the one with EMG's. Great guitar, should deffinetly consider and buy this one. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: creepingdeth05, on may 31, 2005

Price paid: $ 800

Purchased from: Musicians Friend

Features: I ordered this guitar in the end of January, and finally got it now at the end of May! But it was way worth the wait. 2005 ESP EC-1000 Deluxe, it was made in Korea. 24-fret, 24.75" scale, Rosewood with abalone pearl flag inlays (which look amazing) on the neck. This guitar is similar to the Gibson les paul, but in my opinion you get ten times as much quality for the price for the ESP. Two active EMG-81's make this guitar scream like crazy, you can find any tone you need with these. They master the Hetfield, Hammet, and Zakk Wylde sound. Two volume and one tone knob. Locking Sperzel tuners which are gold on mine cause I ordered the black model. I also received a free wireless system with this guitar, which was a very nice extra! // 10

Sound: This fits my music style excellent, which is mainly heavy metal. I use a digitech metal master with this guitar and it screams. This guitar has no scratchy/feedback sounds. If you stop playing, no sound will come out of it. This guitar can be used for almost any style of music, it is very versatile. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was set up amazing when I got it, I have no problems with anything with it. Pickups and everything else on the guitar are in great shape and work amazingly. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar will definetly withstand live playing, cuz it is used by a variety of famous musicians. These same pickups are used by Hetfield and Hammet in Metallica. Everything on this guitar looks like it will last a long time, and I can depend on this guitar more than any other. The finish is beautiful, and I dont worry about it not lasting. // 10

Impression: I play mainly heavy metal and this fits perfectly for the style. This guitar will work well for any music. This is my third electric guitar, and definetly my best and favorite. If it was stolen or lost I wouldnt even think twice about not getting another one, cuz I would do it immedietally. I would choose this guitar over any Gibson. If you buy gibsons your paying for the headstock with the name. This guitar gives you so much more quality at a lot lower price. It is kind of expensive, but nothing compared to a price of a Gibson. I recomend this guitar to anyone willing to spend around this price range. // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: Hentsik, on july 24, 2008

Price paid: € 577

Purchased from: Second-hand

Features: My LTD EC-1000 was made somewhere between 2002 and 2004 in Korea. It has 24 XJ frets and it has a mahagoni neck and body. I have one finished with black paint and abalone bindings. It looks really nice. The finish and the abalone shines a lot. Especially at direct sun. It has a Tonepros TOM bridge and locking Sperzel tuners. It comes with EMG-81 in bridge and EMG-60 at neck position which are active pickups and need batteries. It has 2 volume and 1 tone knob, gold hardware, glued neck and also the Les Paul sustain. Well it has a lot of features that normal Les Paul style guitars doesn't. Well it doesn't have a Floyd Rose and HSH or SSH pickup configuration, but almost no Les Paul has them. I'll give 10 points for 24 XJ frets and locking tuners. // 10

Sound: I mainly play Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica songs. So I need both clean and distorted sounds. For leads the EMG-81 is great. It has a cutting through and sharp tone. It's also good to play rhythm with it. And the EMG-60 is nice for cleans. It gives a bright and warm tone. Two pickups together give you best of both. By using the tone knob you can get even more sounds out of it. I can use my LTD to play blues, rock, metal, basically anything. I wish it had an EMG with coil tapping so I could get a little more Strat like single-coil tone, but EMG-60 is enough for me at the moment. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: If I got it second hand it was set up well. Action was perfect, not too high but also not too low. As for second hand guitar it was a little worn, but it's very playable and if I'd change anything then I would change the nut with one made of bone. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar will definately withstand Live playing. It's 4 years old and everything works as it should. Strap buttons are OK. They hold if you aren't going to do some flips or jump around. Use without a backup? Sure, but it has active pickups so you will need to change batteries over time. Everything else is fine. Finish seems to last long. Though it has some dents they aren't seen very much. // 10

Impression: I have played guitar for about 2.5 years. I have a Squier Strat, Roland Cube-15, Behringer TO-800 and a Dunlop Crybaby 535Q. Before buying the LTD I wanted to buy a Brand New Epi Standard or Custom. After I had tried them I wasn't impressed anymore. They didn't had jumbo frets and such a good access to higher frets. Also the pickups weren't nothing very special. I'm glad to have the LTD standing in in the corner instead of Epiphone. I play rock/metal/blues style of music and I think that this LTD is a good match. It has a good distorted sound thanks to EMG-81 and nice cleans, but it lacks of the Fender shining, bright and sharp clean tones. Well I already have a guitar with single coils and I didn't buy this guitar to get the cleans. I bought this to play rock and metal and it fits like a glove in my hand. Great playability, great tone, beautiful looks. What more could you ask? // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: Johansensan, on august 19, 2008

Price paid: $ 600

Purchased from: Bananas At Large

Features: I bought this used at a guitar shop in California about a month ago and it's amazing. Eclipse shape, ESP's Les paul type, mahog, body, Vintage black with gold hardware and aged triple white binding on headstock/body + white binding on neeck, 24XJ frets, set-neck, 24.75in scale, 3pc mahog. neck w/ ebony fingerboard, earvanna compensated nut and sperzel locking tuners. The 2006 model (first year in VB) is the only that usese sperzel locking (2007 uses schaller, 2008 uses ESP). It has a tonepros bridge with stoptailpiece and EMG 81/60 pickups. 2 vol, 1 tone, 3-way pup select. I don't Live in california and had to get on a plane 2 hours after I went to the store and the guy that helped me was nice enough to give me a discount on a case (I think it's an aligator, not sure) to safely transport my guitar. // 10

Sound: I play metal, mostly Metallica, Slayer and Black Sabbath and this guitar is more than perfect. I have an LTD EX-400 which uses the same pickups and these guitars are amazing. When I was at the store I ran it through some kind of Vox amp, I didn't ask what model it was and it sounded pretty cool. At home I pull it through a Marshall MG100HDFX w/MG412 cab or a Peavy Envoy 110 with Metal Muff dist. pedal. The guitar sounds amazing. the 60 is nice and warm and the 81 is so much brighter on this guitar than the Explorer. When playing really fast sometimes on the Explorer it gets a little muddy but on the eclipse every single note is as clear as it would be if I played slowly. it's incredible how clear and distinct each note is. I've played some blues and jazz on it (my guitar teacher is a jazz player) and it sounds pretty good. this guitar is very versatile. This guitar does very well when played on a clean channel, it's never overdriven itself like my Explorer has. it's unbelievable how different the guitars are even though they use the same pickups and woods. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I doubt the guitar had any work done to it by the time I bought it. It looked Brand New except for a few belt scratches I found on the back when I got home. the action, just as is on my other LTD is perfect. ESP/LTD do a great job with factory settings. This is my first 24 fret guitar and it's a 24.75" scale so the pickups are closer together than on my other guitars which took me a little getting used to, not long though maybe half an hour at most. The only thing that I've seen that's not great on this guitar is the G string buzzes every once in awhile but I found if you grab it and jiggle it a little it stops buzzing. That's the only flaw I've seen. This guitar is what I expect an ESP custom shop to feel like. It's perfect. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar can certainly withstand anything. I'm trying to think of a saying to go with this but I'm drawing a blank. The hardware looks brand new and is very sturdy. the strap buttons are well placed and look very solid. Sturdy as an ox. The finish is very nice. No doubt it will last. I havn't had the chance to use this Live but practicing at home this works fine. I play at home as I would live and it's holding it own. // 9

Impression: When I saw it in the store I just thought it was cool to see an LTD Eclipse and had no intention of buying it. After I played it my dad asked me if I wanted to buy it and I said sure. I only expected it to be another guitar and didn't expect greatness from it. When I came home and started playing it I instantly fell in love. It felt like I'd owned it all my life and had played it since the day I was born. It feels great. I think it's perfect and I can't say that enough. Before I bought this I used the LTD EX-400 all the time and this guitar trumps it any day. I wish I bought an ESP case to properly secure the guitar but I can always get one here. If this guitar was stolen (because I would certainly never lose it) I would be completely devistated. I wouldn't buy any other guitar and I wouldn't get another copy of it. I feel this guitar is the perfect match for me and nothing else compares. I love every single thing about this and I can't find a single thing to hate. This guitar new costs $900 so it's supposed to have high quality but it makes every other guitar (including my friends 90's Gibson LP) feel and look like trash. I can't stress enough about how amazing and perfect this guitar is. I recoment it for every single guitarist on the planet. I'm a very hard grader and I hate giving 9s and 10s on everything but I really feel like I should on this. it's jost so amazing. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 12, 2009

Price paid: £ 700

Purchased from: guitar centre

Features: features are pure bliss to look and also to play. this guitar was made in korea and has 24 jumbo frets on an awesome dark rosewood neck.It has an arch top cut away body in see through black cherry and is honestly one of the most beutiful things I have ever.it also has ace EMG pick ups great for brutal distortion and articulatored for acoustic and light rythm. with Bullet proof sperzel locking tuners it stays in tune also has tone and volume nobs too take a beating. // 10

Sound: This guitar has ace EMG pick ups which trough my 100watt Marshall shake the house down, and as I play Live at least twice a weak I have had chance to flaunt it.I mostly play metal which this guitar suits but also I have played solos such as comfortably numb and stairway and they couldnt have sounded any better through any thing else.I own a few other guitar and had bought a Schecter c1-plus before as I had heard they were related but I was bitterly dissapointed it sounded awful in comparrison and had very cheap looking hardware not fit to be in same building as my EC-1000. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar arrived ready to play and was extremely well set up no fret buzz nothing flawless finish couldnt ask for more.as I say no adjustment were made it's all completely Standard and still rocks. (misaligned bracing, poorly filed fretwire, finish flaws, poor quality wood, rusted or oxidized hardware, loose tuning pegs, poorly cut nut, poorly fit saddle, noisy pickup selector, loose controls.
none of this is present or by the looks of thing ever will be. // 10

Reliability & Durability: The finish is great and will definatle last and so wil the solid metal hardware.the srap buttons I wasn't sure about at first they are also solid as I jump around quite a bit they have to be and they are.this guitar relentlessly stun when played Live and nothing has gone wrong yet. // 10

Impression: This guitar is amazing I would recomend it to any one I would love to only olay this guitar for the rest of my days it is that good. if it was stolen after ihad finished pouring my eyes out I would by a new one emediatley. I have compared this guitar with my Schecter c1-plus which isnt even and also Jackson rhoads but the EC-1000 stomps all over them. // 10

overall: 9.4

Reviewed by: meridsa, on may 12, 2009

Price paid: £ 749.99

Purchased from: Live Music, Edinburgh

Features: My LTD EC-1000 Deluxe was made in 2007-2008 in Korea. It has 24 frets on a med-thick fretboard. The fretboard is mad of Rosewood and is very comfortable and is one of the most "slidable" and playable fretboards I've played. The Top of the Guitar is laminated and gives a nice Shine to its blue wooden finish. The guitar body is made of Mahogny except for the top which is made of maple for all finishes except black and vinatge finishes. The Body style is a cutaway with a slightly sharper "cut" than on the Gibson LP, this is so the player can reach the frets on the body easier. The bridge is a basic Neck-thru style. The pickups are active EMG "61 and a EMG "83. There are controls for treble, distortion and "cleaness" of vibe and a three way selector Switch. The tuners are locking which mean musicwise, that they keep the guitar tuned for a longer time. // 9

Sound: The guitar siuits my style of music (which is punk/rock/Indie) excellently. It has wide range of music styles to heavy distotion of metal to clean pieces such as wonderwall and handles chords well also but with a slight twang. I'm using the guitar with a Fender Pro Junior 15 watts without effects. It can't make the real overdrive/distortion sound with this amp so you have to buy a effect pedal if you have a valve amp without distort/overdrive settings. The guitar makes a full rich sound and is really good to experiment with. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar is as far as I can see put together really good, its pickups are well adjusted and the wiring is good. I have not had the guitar for long but for now I have not noticed any flaws with this instrument. The only thing I find slightly annoying is how it is slightly hard to tune being very excact. // 10

Reliability & Durability: As I mentioned earlier, I have not had this guitar for long, I am not in a position to rate this, but the shopassistant told me it was a really sturdy and reliable guitar which would last me 40 or 50 years. As long as I have had it, it seems real sturdy the only thing I am worried about is the finish which seems as if it might come of with the years. // 9

Impression: It is a real good instrument for my style of music and also has a wide range of sounds. I do need to say that if I broke or lost this instrument I woulsd buy it again because it is so playable and looks great. I even compared it to a Gibson LP and this guitar is the one I chose. Though, I wish it had a distortion knob. // 9

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: vampirecorex, on november 04, 2008

Price paid: € 969

Purchased from: ProMusicTools

Features: My LTD EC-1000 is a 2007 model made in Korea in Glossy Black. It has 24 jumbo frets and a 24, 75" scale. The neck is pretty thin and non sticky, thus perfect for fast solos and any type of riff that requires fast movement along the neck. The LTD has abalone binding all over which looks awesome especially when exposed to bright light.

The body is mahogany which gives the guitar a dark-ish sound but doesn't fail to deliver the brightness for bluesier tones. The Fretboard is rosewood and feels nice, but keep in mind that it needs lemon oil once in a while since it dries out pretty fast. The fretboard is really dark, at least on mine, almost as dark as maple, but I've seen some brighter fretboards on some EC-1000s. Could be either brighter wood or just hasn't been oiled for some time. The LTD features a TonePros Tune-O-Matic bridge and Schaller Tuners, so you don't need to tune every time you pick up the guitar.
3way Switch toggle and vol vol tone knobs. It features EMG 81 and EMG 60 pickups which are very versatile, but they're active so they're a little bit noisy. // 9

Sound: I play a lot of metalcore, post-hardcore such as Avenged Sevenfold, Misfits, Haste the day as well as rock and some blues and the LTD does it all with ease. This guitar was made for shredding metal but it can also handle pretty much any gerne. The EMGs are awesome but quite a little bit noisy, yet very versatile thus you'll be able to pull of metal, Switch the pickup and play rock in a matter of seconds. Some may prefer passives but I'm pretty amazed by the EMGs. I play it through a solid stage Orange amp with some pedals and it sounds quite good, but I've also played the LTD through a Bogner Ãœberschall and other tube amps and it sounded perfect! It has an agressive, metal-ish tone especially in Drop-C but with the right settings and less gain you can play anything with it. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: My LTD is Glossy Black with abalone binding all over the body, neck and headstock and it looks stunning! The action was a bit high but you can lower it by yourself easily by adjusting the screws in the bridge. The pickups are also adjustable which doesn't take long, but they were setup perfectly so I didn't have to change the height. What I like most is the neck since it is pretty thin and non sticky which is perfect for fast solos and it feels really nice. For this price it was setup very well without any major flaws aside from some scratches in the binding but you won't see it unless you get really close. The LTD feels really comfortable, it is not too heavy, not too light and has rounded edges on the back so you won't Hurt your ribs while sitting and playing. What more could you ask for? // 8

Reliability & Durability: I'd say the guitar will definately withstand Live playing as everything seems built to last, no moving parts or anything. The only thing I worry about it the neck, as it seems to thin but I doubt it will break unless you want it too. I've noticed some color changes on the bridge and tail, but that probably comes from resting my hand on it while palm mutting, and I've had it for a year so I think it's normal. The strap buttons seem pretty durable and I haven't dropped my guitar yet (be sure you use a good strap). The Glossy Black scratches pretty fast but every guitar does that and unless you have the matte black version, you won't see any finish wear. // 9

Impression: For Metalcore or any other type of metal, whether it be heavy stuff like pantera, or more modern metal like a7x or Trivium, this guitar is perfect for it! But with the right amp and settings you'll be likely able to play anything with it. It has tons of gain and just plays wonderfully, the fretboard is smooth and bending feels so easy, the neck feels awesome and the guitar just looks beautiful! I'm pretty happy with it and unless you hate the abalone binding (some people do) then you won't regret it, for that price. Otherwise go with the EC-500 which has pretty much the same features except the binding and Schaller tuners. Out of all guitars I've played (Gibson Les Paul, Schecters, Deans) I like this one the most and for that price (I think it costs about $600 in the US) it is unbeatable. Everyone Who has played my LTD EC-1000 was amazed by how nice it feels and how it looks. Plug it into a decent amp and you'll be blown away. I can't say anything bad about it beside the guitar being a little too heavy, but it doesn't bother me. This won't get stolen as I protect it more than my eyeballs:P but if it were stolen or lost I'd get it again, maybe in See Thru Black Cherry or another color but I'd definately get an LTD again. Pretty ipressive! // 9

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: ironbird PPS, on june 11, 2005

Purchased from: American Musical

Features: This guitar was made in korea about a month ago. It is a 24 1/2 fret neck. The frets are standard suze on a resewood fretboard. This finish is a gorgeous "see-through black cherry" as ESP calls it. It's like a deep burgundy, with thick flame. The body style is most comparable to a cross between a Gibson Les Paul and a Gibson Nighthawk. The bridge is the same idea as the Tune-O-Matic but it is more stable and locks. Active electronics. There are three knobs, the one in the middle is the master volume, the rear knob is for the bridge pickup and the front is for the neck. Also there is a 3-way selector in the same place the Les Paul has the selector. It is a dual humbucker set-up, like before, this comes with EMG-81's in both holes. The tuners lock so you dont have to wind your strings several times when putting new strings on. I think the tuners are sperzel. the only downside is it came with some allen wrenches and a 2005 ESP product catalog. // 10

Sound: I run this bad boy through a Line 6 Spider II 212. And it whips quite a considerable ammount of ass. I am known to play many genres, inside of rock of course. I play anything from Zeppelin to Slayer, and the versatility is very convenient. When both of the pickups are at full volume, there is some fret slide noise, but then again they are active. But the cool thing is the pickups don't feedback nearly as easily as the ones on my bc rich. And when you mute the strings with your hand they actually stay quiet. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: There were absolutely no flaws. I took it out of the box and all I had to do was tune the e-string and it played like heaven. There is pearloid on the 12th fret and it says "EC-1000" on it. All the rest of the inlays are abalone. When light hit abalone the right way, oh man, you'll crap your pants! // 10

Reliability & Durability: I have no idea how long this thing will last. I just got it last thursday so I'm not sure how it will stand the tests of time. But I have heard from some of my older guitar player buddies that you prettymuch get what you pay for in the guitar market. And for $840 this sumbitch better last as far as dependability, I almost never have to tune it unless I'm really bendin' em, or picking really hard. // 8

Impression: I'm true to metal but I branch off into jazz, blues, and japanese wierd scales, but this thing is pretty damn versatile. I've been playing about 3 1/2 years now. my other guitar is a BC Rich Ironbird platinum Pro series (I wonder where I got my user name) and it's a good axe but isn't a hair on the scrotum of the ESP. I think I shoulda asked the people at american musical if they could give me a place to sleep while I pay for this guitar. If it were stolen, I'd hunt that bastard down, but if I couldn't get it back I'd buy the same damn guitar, maybe something a littel cheaper next time. For example, have you ever seen wayne's world? You know how he goes to the music store every week and sees the white Strat and says "it will be mine oh yes it will be mine" well that was me with this guitar. So yeah I had to have, and now I'm paying for it, literally. I love the finish and the fretboard. And the harmonics. It plays just as heavy as the Rich but has higher capability when I really bend on it. Well guys just save up alot of money for this one, but it's worth every penny, happy hunting have a great day. // 10

overall: 8.6

Reviewed by: DDT, on december 16, 2006

Price paid: $ 839.5

Purchased from: zzounds.com

Features: // 9

Sound: It suits metal and hard rock perfectly, many people complain about the cleans but Switch it to the neck pickup and they sound great, I can easily get a good Guns N' Roses tone just as well as a heavy metal sound. I'm currently using it with a Crate XT120R (not the best but not the worst). With the active EMGs it can get very loud (buzzing, feedback) around things such as computers (but that's expected). Once you step away though you can barely hear the buzz and that's probly just my amps shitty distortion. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: Heres where I found most flaws, the guitar had extremely bad fret buzz with the factory set-up so I had to completely set it up starting with the truss rod, but then again many guitars require a new setup after they've been shipped. The pickups required little adjusting for a good sound. The finish was great, no flaws there all the routing looks well done. Once again I had a few problems here but most are extremely minor. Bridge pickup wouldn't work when switched to and you had to Switch back and fourth to get it to work (this problem has resolved itself, it doesnt't happen anymore). They were a bit messy when they glued the frets to the fretboard but it's hardly noticable. IN the binding on the neck there's not what I would call a scratch, but more of like an indent that's about an inch long very unnoticable. Everything else was as it should be, pickup selector works fine (beside earlier mentioned flaw, but that's done now) all the controls feel solid. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This guitar will definitely withstand Live playing. All the hardware seems solid and feels like it will last a long time. The strap buttons are alright, but it's recommended with any guitar to invest in strap locks, wouldn't want 840 to go to waste if your guitar hits the ground. I feel confident in saying I can depend on this guitar and that the only reason I wouldn't play without a backup are strings. I love the finish, the Vintage black is great because it doesnt't show fingerprints like crazy and will resist wear, also the gold on black looks great. // 9

Impression: This guitar shines for metal (obviously) but it plays well in many other styles and I can get many tones from it. I've been playing for roughly 2 1/2 years and I own an Ibanez GRX20 (which sounds like crap compared to this) an old Ovation electric. I would definitely buy it again if it were stolen or lost. I love the finish and the pickups. I compared this to many other products including the elitist epiphones, and a few other LTD deluxe models. // 9

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: aidandude, on june 26, 2006

Price paid: $ 948

Purchased from: steves music

Features: This piece of art was made in Korea. I'm not sure of the year. It is a les paul body style (single cutaway). It has 24 extra jumbo frets. A thin flat set neck, a rosewood fingerboard, a solid top, it has a mahogany body with a 3 piece mahogany neck, a glossy black finish, a tonepros Tune-O-Matic bridge and sperzel locking tuners. it has two active pickups, and emg 81 in the bridg and a 60 in the neck. It has 2 volume controls, 1 tone control, and a 3-way switch. It has all gold hardware with beautiful alabone binding on the body, neck, headstock, alabone inlays, and I'm pretty sure the LTD deluxe logo is alabone. // 10

Sound: It is a metal guitar. you can tell by looking at the EMG pickups. It sounds great distorted and the 60 sonds amazing clean. I have mlayed it through a Marshall MG100 combo and I am currently running it rhrough a Fender champ 15. Let me tell you, this amp doesn't deserve to be anywhere near the eclipse! That's why I'm getting a Mesa Boogie dual rectafier asap. It has a verry rich and full sound due to the mahogany neck and body. It has loads of sustain! It's best for balls to the walls metal due to the emg active pickups, but I plan on swapping the 60 for an 85, it's just a personal choice. The 60 is great for cleans, and distortion, as is the 81. You can get any metal tone out of this beast, but its not as good for a Vintage sound like AC/DC. That okay with me because I'm into more of a death metal thing. I compared it to a Les Paul Standard, an it blew the Gibson out of the water, and for like $2000 less! // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar came with a bit of fret buzz but if you take it to a tech it can be easily fixed in a few minitues, the pickups were perfect. They were close to the string, but they should be with actuve pickups. Besides the fret buzz everything was perfect. It is beautiful! I got the black one with goldhardware and real alabone binding and inlays. It is also slimmer than a recular les paul so it is easier to hold, and it is a lot lighter. Although it is lighter it doesnt take away much sustain. it has more than enough, it basiclally a big chunk of mahogany with strings. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I would definitely play live withot a backup. This thing is a total tank! The strap bttons are fine but I would get straplocks just in case. It the paint will last. It will scratch but every guitar does eventually. So far I have managed to keep my axe relitively scratch free. // 10

Impression: I'm primaraly a metal artist. the emgs in this guitar werent made for jazz or rock, they are pure metal! I have been playing for 4 years, 3 years of clasical and 1 year of electric. I have a mini clasical guitar made by a local craftsman, some Yamaha clasical, a Squier Strat, and this. Next I plan on custom ordering a Jackson, then getting an M-1000. My only complaint is that it has a 24.75 scale and I would prefer something longer like 25.5, but that's just my opinion. I love everything about it, but sometimes I wish it had a tremolo, again its just an opinion. I compared it to a Gibson Les Paul Standard, an M-1000 and a bunch of other things, this was just the best guitar for the money. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on april 03, 2006

Purchased from: Nowhere

Features: Made in 2003-04 in Korea. 24 XJ frets on a rosewood fretboard on a very comfortable neck (think a Les Paul on a diet). 24.75" scale, and very easy to play. The bodies on both are mahogany, with a cutaway in the back for comfortable playing when standing up. Here's where the difference comes in. Depending on which guitar bought, one has an Amber Sunburst finish w/ a flamed maple top, while the other has a quilted maple black cherry top. Both guitars are similar to a Les Paul, just with a sharper cutaway to make the higher frets more accessible. Abalone binding (body and neck), Tonepros locking bridge w/ stoptail piece (which is locked onto the guitar so when it doesn't fall off when changing strings), Earvana compensated nut, Sperzel locking tuners, and one tone and two volume knobs. // 10

Sound: The Black Cherry EC-1000 is more of my preference because of the EMGs. Downtuned far enough and with a high gain amp (I tested it through a Peavey Valveking), this guitar kills. The sustain goes on forever, and the tone is crushing, but it can clean up when needed. Pinch harmonics are so easy to hit with this thing. It's really good for a metal/hardcore/metal-core tone, or even some punk stuff. The Amber Sunburst EC-1000 looks nice, and the classic JB/'59 combo is awesome for any generic rock tone. I really got to test Drive this thing at my local store (I practically work there so I get to do whatever I want, I guess). My friend and I (he works there) took a Peavey XXX 212 combo and hooked it up to two custom built 4X12 cabinets. With the amp on the crunch channel, the EC-1000 put out some of the most insane rhythm and scorching lead tones I've heard in a while. Pinch harmonics are easy to hit, but easier on the Black Cherry EC. The clean sound on this guitar is better than the other, so I guess that's the trade off. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The action on both guitars was low, and very easy to play. Sweep-picked arpeggios and fast scale runs were very easy on both guitars. The pickup height on both guitars was fine. The finishes on both were superb, with no noticable flaws anywhere. Nothing seemed noisy and there was no fuzz when turning any knobs. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar could most definately withstand live playing, but anyone should bring a backup (just in case). The hardware seems like it could definately last. The strap buttons are solid, and the finish is awesome (definately not going anywhere). // 10

Impression: My first idea of LTD guitars were that they were relatively cheap and that Schecter pwned ESP (that's what I've been told). After playing both, I've determined for myself that LTD guitars are some the best middle-priced guitars I've ever played. I recommend either one of these guitars to anyone who wants a Les Paul, but without having to sell a couple organs to get one. It's all preference, so depending on what tone you want (metal or just rock), either guitar can suit anyone's musical needs. Also, this year, LTD has two more EC-1000's comming out, which look even better than these two. So if you don't neccessarily like the finish on either one of these, you can pick up an Vintage black EC-1000 w/ EMGs or a Vintage Honey Burst EC-1000 w/ the JB/'59 setup. Definately go check one out. // 10

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: Rock.In.Peace, on june 20, 2007

Price paid: $ 915

Purchased from: Ebay

Features: The first thing that I realised was that it is a lot light than a Les Paul which is good. The sperzel locking tunes are great they took me bit of getting used to from having a Fender Telecaster. I love the neck on this guitar it's so smooth movement up and down the neck is so easy which is an up on a normal les paul with a laquer back which can sometimes stick. Then the tonepro locking bridge is an added bonus. Pickups Seymour Duncan JB and a 59 a lovely set, but if your looking for a heavier sound go with the black model with EMG's. Unfortunately but not to bad it didn't come with extras like case or strap or anything else of such. // 10

Sound: The sound blew me away, I play blues, rock, metal, jazz loads of genres and it does all of them with ease. I play a Fender Twin Reverb '65 Reissue and it sounds so smooth and rich through that and I have a Trex Mudhoney Pedal, Jim Dunlop Wah, Roland FV300L. Fulltone Boost (to many to bother with) and the guitar sounds amazing with them all. This guitar can do everything and more! // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I bought this Brand New off ebay for like half the price and when it arrive it was almost perfect all I had to ajust was the front pickup as it had fallen down a bit. The action and the finish was beautiful perfect for me. The finish on the guitar is beautiful I have the Vintage honeyburst colour and it's stunning. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I play at few local venues and this guitar doesn't fail me I know I can rely 100% on this guitar and not need a back up. I'm a little bit careless and have banged this guitar a few times but hardly a scratch at all, the wood is durable and the finish has got better with age. // 9

Impression: Overall I recommend this guitar to everyone it can play everything and like I said if you want it heavier go for the black EMG model. If it was stolen I would deffinately buy another one or kill the person who stole it. The guitar is an amazing buy and even if you buy from shops Brand New it is so cheap for what it is! // 10

overall: 8.2

Reviewed by: les_zack611, on july 06, 2006

Price paid: $ 769.99

Purchased from: sam ash

Features: This guitar has some great features on it that wasn't on the EC-400. First it has 2 EMG 81 pickups or it has 2 Seymour Duncan JB/59 pickups. it has a 24-3/4' scale topped with a rosewood fretboard. Another feature I really enjoy about this guitar is that on the 12th fret it has EC-1000. It also has a classic 1 volume and 2 tone knobs like the older EC-400. The tonepros locking bridge and tailpiece keep tuning rock solid. Although it had some good qualitys, I thought it was a bit of a rip-off of the les paul, well at least the body. But through some consideration I noticed it had qualitys of many guitars so I got a better feeling about it than thinking it's a cheap ripoff of a Strat or lp. // 6

Sound: This guitar was made for distortion. I use a Marshall 100w amp nd it sounds great. The distortion isnt to heavy or to light. But really I think that the distortion is the only benefit from the sound. I have tryed putting effects into it but it never truly sounded right. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was setup fine. I played with it and it has never fallen apart. The pickups were alittle loose though, when I got them. The bridge and top are fine. // 9

Reliability & Durability: The hardware would definetly last. It can withstand live playing, guitar spins, nd everything u can think of. I accidently hit it on hard ground nd it just got alittle dent, no smashing or breaking. Well I didn't think that the strap buttons were great, but I got used to them. Its really dependable. You don't need an extra guitar for this. The finish can last for a while but soon its gonna wear away a bit. // 10

Impression: Personally I play metal, punk, grunge, nd rock. I tryed out this guitar for playing this one from first to last song nd it sounded like I was listening to it. I have been playing for 2 years nd I own a Marshall 100w amp, Fender 10w amp, Crybaby classic wah-wah peddle, a Marshall effects pedal, nd a marshal jazz bass amp. When I was looking for a new guitar to play I asked for somethin different, something that someone can headbang to. Immediately the guy at sa gave me the EC-1000 and I knew it was the one. my favorite feature are the EMG 81 pickups. I actually wished it had a wah wah bar but I think it would look horrible on stage. // 9

Comments

[Mahoru]

Simply great in every aspect! I'm going to buy one asap!

[xnirvanax924]

im thinking of gettin one of these in the vintage black color. can anyone tell me if http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/guitars/electric-guitars/Esp/EC1000-VBLK.asp is gonna be a rip off? it has a lower price than all the other sites and oncludes a free hardcase. are they gonna rip me off?

[foo-fighter]

xnirvanax924 wrote:

im thinking of gettin one of these in the vintage black color. can anyone tell me if http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/guitars/electric-guitars/Esp/EC1000-VBLK.asp is gonna be a rip off? it has a lower price than all the other sites and oncludes a free hardcase. are they gonna rip me off?

No way... That is the one.. i've been thinking of buying one myself.. but i just bought a laney TF300 amp and a Marshall MG 412B cabinet... :P (it is ****ing loud!)

[xnirvanax924]

alright thanks im getting it...this thing is beautiful

[Jinskee]

I got this guitar a few weeks ago, it's great. Highly recc to anyone basically.

[a-fmaster15]

i just bought this guitar and i have some fret buzz on the low E and A strings, especially when i play power chords.....is that normal or should i go look into it and get if fixed? Otherwise its a great guitar and i reccomend it to anyone who wants a great middle range guitar.

[Protestfan]

YuMMMMM

[dheim]

i have got a vintage black model... it's an outstanding guitar, perfectly built and finished... i just HAD to replace the bridge EMG81 with an EMG85 because i simply hated that thing... sharp but completely useless at everything but palm muted - massively distorted riffs... if i buy a 1000€ les paul - like guitar i wish to have more articulated and versatile sound... now it's perfect! i own 8 guitars and this one is my favourite!

[Triviumfan54]

cookies

[will22]

doesnt doc from god forbid play this guitar??
i want the vintage black one sooo bad

[not_dead_enough]

Does anyone know how this Guitar is in left handed? I'm thinking of getting one in LH but no one specificaly has reviewed one in that. I know it won't have the Earvana nut; will that make a huge difference?

[xnirvanax924]

dheim wrote:

i have got a vintage black model... it's an outstanding guitar, perfectly built and finished... i just HAD to replace the bridge EMG81 with an EMG85 because i simply hated that thing... sharp but completely useless at everything but palm muted - massively distorted riffs... if i buy a 1000€ les paul - like guitar i wish to have more articulated and versatile sound... now it's perfect! i own 8 guitars and this one is my favourite!

I have the vintage black too (I wrote one of these reviews) and the emg-81 is designed more for lead play. the 85 is mroe geared toward rhythm. i disagree, i think the 81 gets some of the best lead tone outside of palm-muting that i have ever heard.

[guitarNbass]

xnirvanax924 wrote:

dheim wrote:

i have got a vintage black model... it's an outstanding guitar, perfectly built and finished... i just HAD to replace the bridge EMG81 with an EMG85 because i simply hated that thing... sharp but completely useless at everything but palm muted - massively distorted riffs... if i buy a 1000€ les paul - like guitar i wish to have more articulated and versatile sound... now it's perfect! i own 8 guitars and this one is my favourite!

I have the vintage black too (I wrote one of these reviews) and the emg-81 is designed more for lead play. the 85 is mroe geared toward rhythm. i disagree, i think the 81 gets some of the best lead tone outside of palm-muting that i have ever heard.

Yeah I tried a used one of these with 2 85's, and I just didn't like it. 2 81's is the way to go.

[soulburn101]

guitarNbass wrote:

xnirvanax924 wrote:

dheim wrote:

i have got a vintage black model... it's an outstanding guitar, perfectly built and finished... i just HAD to replace the bridge EMG81 with an EMG85 because i simply hated that thing... sharp but completely useless at everything but palm muted - massively distorted riffs... if i buy a 1000€ les paul - like guitar i wish to have more articulated and versatile sound... now it's perfect! i own 8 guitars and this one is my favourite!

I have the vintage black too (I wrote one of these reviews) and the emg-81 is designed more for lead play. the 85 is mroe geared toward rhythm. i disagree, i think the 81 gets some of the best lead tone outside of palm-muting that i have ever heard.


Yeah I tried a used one of these with 2 85's, and I just didn't like it. 2 81's is the way to go.

i thought about putting an 85 in the bridge postion...it sounded great on this jackson i played while in the studio. i'm torn between the vintage black and see thru cherry

[xnirvanax924]

soulburn101 wrote:

i thought about putting an 85 in the bridge postion...it sounded great on this jackson i played while in the studio. i'm torn between the vintage black and see thru cherry

they both look really good. i liked the contrast on the vintage black but my friend has a schecter in see through black cherry and its beautiful. also consider that the vintage black will save you about $60

[XanTscia]

wich amp/cube fits best with this guitar?

[Metal_Militia2]

I just bought this bad boy today, and its stting right in front of me, I cant stop playing it!

[ESP Maniac]

I tried out the vintage honeyburst version and it is perfect for Lamb Of GOd Songs.

[xnirvanax924]

XanTscia wrote:

wich amp/cube fits best with this guitar?

I use it through a Marshall AVT50 head and it sounds amazing. It'll sound good through a lot of amps, but it really depends on your style. all i can tell you is if you're goin for metal, make sure it has a lot of gain.

[ESP Maniac]

I just ordered mine the other day, can't wait for it to arrive!

[werrbug]

im goin to buy it soon! is it came with case??

[sepultura alma]

I got mine the other day it came with a lot of fret buzz and I did make the action higher, its a bit better but not much, I've heard of a few people having the same problem.

[JOEYPWNSU]

i just got one today in the amber sunburst for 650$ used, and its awesome. I already like it more than my jackson

[Demonikk]

sepultura alma wrote:

I got mine the other day it came with a lot of fret buzz and I did make the action higher, its a bit better but not much, I've heard of a few people having the same problem.

If you're still getting fret buzz, you'll probably need to adjust the neck as it's most likely over-bent

[MGuitar24]

Can't wait to get this guitar, i go to the local music store just to play until and finally have enough doe for it.

[doug789]

I played this guitar today. Hoping to get it in a few weeks.

[NightEmbers]

this is my next guitar, Im gettting the Snow white though, im just sceptical about he buzzingbut i guess its easily fixed. This guitar seems perfect for me with 81 at the bridge for all my leads, and it sounds like with the EMG's wont need my noise suppresor anymore, has anyone found a better pickup combo

[ACDCRocksPM]

i want the james hetfield truckster version. metallica rocks

[will-loves-zep]

is it worth it if i wanna les paul model and love emg sounds? bit of an obvious question but is it worth dishing out £800+? also do the emgs sound good on low gain settings? i have a ltd m-200fm with esp-emg's and they sound quite poor on low gain.

[Buried At Sea]

Does anyone how much this guitar weighs? Cause I played a Les Paul once and it was heavy as shit! So if this one is lighter I might think about buying one.

[kelvov]

will-loves-zep wrote:

is it worth it if i wanna les paul model and love emg sounds? bit of an obvious question but is it worth dishing out £800+? also do the emgs sound good on low gain settings? i have a ltd m-200fm with esp-emg's and they sound quite poor on low gain.

Its not £800. Its £400. They put $800 which is £400

[Meatball200]

Nah Will's right, these things retail for £800 plus in the UK.

[Meatball200]

www.music-technology.com is the cheapest ive seen these at UK retail, standard paint jobs at 740 quid with the EMG's.

[Mikey p]

i was saving up for this (in vintage black, EMG's 60 and 81) and the cheapest I was quoted for was £729 in Denmark street near Tottenham court road in london. i havent actually seen the LTD vintage black version - i played the eclipse II and played the cream/off white coloured version. they sound so good, especially through a good quality amp.
But then I bought a Line 6 spider valve last thurs and i need to save up again. "It will be mine... oh yes it will be mine!" i need this guitar.

[Tedward]

man you guys got ripped, why have black when you could have the Green or Blue QM? i mean, im all for sunburst, but you guys gotta see some pics of the green one...

[MpowerMetal]

just picked this guitar up at work for 450$, and only one nick on it. plays great, i would have payed full price for new, but i couldnt pass up on this deal. but i still prefer to play my schecters

[spoonylove90]

22 frets and this thing would own. 24 frets on a 24.75" scale is 2 too many.

[Dangerboi]

Im going to buy the See Thru Green in a few days its an awesome guitar and awesome color!
but im getting tired of my crappy practice amp.
Whats a good amp for this guitar between $300-200?

[Yanks4Life92]

I might get this, stuck between this and a Gibson Special Faded SG 3 pickups.

[SchecterC-1+Man]

Man....I just put a deposit down on this thing (The shiny black and gold one...mmmm) about a week ago...I'm gonna have to wait till may to get it thought I have to pay about $200 a month. I bought a case and the 2 year set up deal...so that brought the cost up to about a thousand or so.


But anyways, it was so weird when I walked in the store...it was just there. Right in front of me. So I grabbed it and played, and just fell in love. It's definitely competing with my schecter...It's actually not bad at all for soloing either. I could play PTH and THA and everything just fine. Might have trouble with BTBAM, but nothing my schecter couldn't handle.

/wall of text. Sorry, I'm just fvcking excited to finally own this thing

[Balistic_Steve]

i just got this a week ago and am having major problems, wouldnt stay in tune, cant get a low action without major fret buzz and im gettin some electrical buzz. bit off a rip off for £600, has anybody else had these problems?

[Avenged.InFlame]

Balistic_Steve wrote:

i just got this a week ago and am having major problems, wouldnt stay in tune, cant get a low action without major fret buzz and im gettin some electrical buzz. bit off a rip off for £600, has anybody else had these problems?

The fret buzz is most likely your intonation, and the electrical buzz is your problem too not the guitar, and you know these things have locking tuners right?..... you got a ****ed up ec-1000 man.... these guitars are the most amazing ive ever owned, played, or heard of.

[apomon]

Damn I cant device between Vintage Black or Sunburst model. This would be my first guitar. And i really dont know which pickup JB/59 or 81/6o would be better for me..

I like heavy stuff like metallica and pantera, but I also like Slash's stuff very much, and jimi hendrix, led zeppelin too..

Which one of the pickups would be better for me?

-Apo

[KY_GuitarMan]

Damn I cant device between Vintage Black or Sunburst model. This would be my first guitar. And i really dont know which pickup JB/59 or 81/6o would be better for me..

I like heavy stuff like metallica and pantera, but I also like Slash's stuff very much, and jimi hendrix, led zeppelin too..

Which one of the pickups would be better for me?

-Apo

Dude for what you want I'd go with the JB/59. The EMG's are pretty much one-dimensional. Don't get me wrong, they shred, but they have a heavy low end and if you want to go from Pantera to Hendrix and Zeppelin then the JB/59 is a little more versatile.

With that said, I love the vintage black. It's so metal!

[Mikey p]

how come everyone on here can find these so cheap!? i guess ur buying them in the USA, but still any hints?

[Mikey p]

ps. im from the UK!

[nxtvanhalen]

0I read some review where this guy said it didn't sound good in own tunings. I sometimes play a whole step down, so that got me concerned. I REALLY want the Vintage Black one, that thing is just sick... but have you guys had any problems with the sound in down tuning? he said the earvana nut was made only for standard tuning...

but i guess if its just the nut then only open notes would sound off...

anyway, anyone have this problem?

[Mikey p]

the cheapest I found the vintage black is £669 from GAK.com anyone know if i can get this for cheaper or is this lowest i'll find it? PLS HELP!!!

[tsmilliner]

I have this in the VB, great guitar, but the EMG 60 is a POS compared to some of the other EMGs available. I swish they would have used the classic 81/85 combo instead or even better a coil tapped 89 would have really rocked. I changed mine within the first week over to an 85. Now this guitar is perfect for the money, even with the extra
75 bucks for the 85.

[Avenged.InFlame]

nxtvanhalen wrote:

0I read some review where this guy said it didn't sound good in own tunings. I sometimes play a whole step down, so that got me concerned. I REALLY want the Vintage Black one, that thing is just sick... but have you guys had any problems with the sound in down tuning? he said the earvana nut was made only for standard tuning...

but i guess if its just the nut then only open notes would sound off...

anyway, anyone have this problem?

man this guitar is great for down tunings, the grover locking tuners are great, and this guita can hold a tune for a good 3 or 4 days, and when you tune low you wont even hear the buzz, theres nothing wrong with these guitars.

[Avenged.InFlame]

also, i play in c,b even A tunings lol YES, A TUNINGS on this guitar, and it sounds amazing, heavy, and as metal as it gets.

[MT in Austin]

I own the sunburst model with the Seymour Duncans. It is an excellent guitar. One of the best I've ever played. It is very different from the models with EMGs. The Duncans have more tonal flexibility than the EMGs. Back off the volume and the Duncans clean up nicely. I've played the cherry model with the EMGs and it is a great metal guitar. The sunburst model is a great all around guitar. An added bonus is I don't have to keep batteries around for my guitar at gigs.

[Mikey p]

The question still stands, guys!what is the cheapest you've seen these at?! (vintage black,EMGs)

[Csonefeld]

the cheapest i've seen it brand new is $700. And another thing, no one has seemed to mention that the vintage black s the only one with an ebony fretboard as opposed to rosewood. so if you're torn between the vintage black and another, thats something to consider.

[ShadesOfNight]

im stuck between getting an EX series or an EC series ESP. i really like both
anyone got reccomendations?
this is for playing hard rock/grunge sort of music

[Johansensan]

ShadesOfNight wrote:

im stuck between getting an EX series or an EC series ESP. i really like both
anyone got reccomendations?
this is for playing hard rock/grunge sort of music

I have an EX-400 and an EC-1000, i love both but the EC is by far the best. If you've got the money, get it.

[uptheirons17]

I have one with EMG 81/60's, gloss black. I love it!!!! i play through a 6505+ and it sounds killer. If it were to get stolen i'd defintaly buy a new one. maybe in vintage black however with the gold trim. =sexy

[klynch]

i have this guitar with the black cherry quilt finish and its freakin' awesome. the only way this guitar could be better is if it had a floyd rose on it, but that would look bad on this guitar. nice and light weight which i like. my friend has a les paul, which eclipse is based on , and that thing weights a ton. the pick ups are great for playing metal, which is my style of play. overall i would say if you like playing guitar get this somehow because it's awesome!

[lethaldosage45]

I really like the new green and blue finishes... awesome stuff!

[jumpmanhat]

by the number of reviews and comments, perhaps too common?

[NightEmbers]

I love all the colors but Im not a fan of EMG's so I bought the sunburst, Seymore duncans til the end

anyway Im really pleased with mine

only thing is is... like all lespaul shaped guitars it seems, the nut on the input jack keeps coming loose no big deal cuz it plays and sounds great

[Mikey p]

Yeh the problem for us Brit buyers is that shops in the street and online normally just change the dollar sign for a pound sign, and so yeh lowest price ive seen is £699 in or in america $699

jumpmanhat wrote:

by the number of reviews and comments, perhaps too common?

i dont think that cos lots of people say this guitar is awesome means that its too common. the appeal is that they look kinda classy in one way, but can also look totally kickass aswell. and by the amount of comments on here probably shows that this guitar is just purest awesome!! its what i think anyway...

[BTKA]

IF your lucky enough to own one, then I say You lucky b*st*rds!

[Chrisiphone]

The amount of people calling it an ESP is unreal...
Its an LTD!!

[scguitarking927]

I have the EC-500 model, and man what a great guitar. These are some of the best sounding guitars i've ever played. Definitely recommend them to anybody, and in my exp, the 500 is a good counterpart if you don't have the funds for the deluxe version, your still getting an amazing guitar for the price.

[Shadow_player]

man....I wouldnt play it..id frame it and squirt my man juices over its shear sexiness

[mosh_rocker2006]

Does anyone really read all of the reviews?
It makes much more sense to read the featured review...and browse the other reviews just for the scores. Or maybe it's just me?

[Joeldix]

Iv had this guitar for around 4 years, its reliable, iv giged with it, just make sure you have a extra battery with you because the pickups are hot and run on battery, when your done playing with it just make sure you unplugg the patch cord, thats when the batteries cut out, I just changed them for the first time 2 months ago, so it lasted over 3 years, not bad at all, but luckly it didnt cut out on stage but in my room while practicing.

[xXChimairaXx]

Damn this guitar is cool BUT THE ECLIPSE II IS JUST SO MUCH BETTER...if you've got 1500 bucks to blow.

[mjones1992]

Chrisiphone wrote:

The amount of people calling it an ESP is unreal...
Its an LTD!!

Its the same company...

[mrrman]

I want one to lol

[GoodCharlotte92]

okay so im looking for a new guitar but i dont know if i want the 500 or this one. is it actually worth the extra money to go ahead and buy this model?

[Mikey p]

There’s actually not much difference between the two. The price difference is partly due to the fact that the ec1000 has a tonepro locking bridge, where as the ec500 has a standard, non fixed bridge. With the locking bridge you’ll find you will have better tuning stability, but it shouldn’t be affected too much. Over a long period of time, the tuning and intonation will go out more noticeably with the ec500.

Next is the Grover tuners in the ec500 compared to the Sperzal locking tuners on the ec1000 (not sure if they’ve recently changed them to ESP licensed locking tuners). Basically there will be a small difference in tuning stability again - locking tuners lock down the string in the tuning post so there no sting slipping, and so tuning will stay stable for a longer time. On the other hand the grover tuners are just standard tuners, so you’ll have to wrap the string around (like most guitars) so locking ones are just a bonus. Also there’s quicker sting loading with locking ones as you just pull the string through the post and lock it in and tune up.

These are the differences and if you’re just gunna be practising in your room, and your funds are quite tight you’ll probably want look at the ec500 in a better light as it is cheaper because of the slightly lower tech hardware. However the ec1000, in my opinion is nicer, because you know you paid for the more expensive, but slightly better model. Depends on whether you want 'ec1000' or 'ec500' model number on the twelfth fret as well! Also there’s slight differences in the finishes on the two models. On paper they’re basically the same, but if your funds aren’t much of an issue, or it’s for a big birthday present, then just go for the ec1000. (as long as your parents don’t mind paying!)

Price differences can also vary due to the internet being much cheaper than shops as a general trend. Like RRP in England for the ec1000 is £899. On the internet I found it for £699, from GAK.com. Now you could end up paying that price for the ec500 in a shop, so take that into consideration as well, but make sure the site is legit. I’ve seen on websites in the US where the ec1000 is being sold the equivalent of £500 (a proper good deal), but then it depends on where you live as to the postage costs - which could be up to £150 on top of that, or more (im in the uk!). I went for the ec1000 vb mainly due to the fact that it is better hardware-wise, and I liked the vintage black finish on it, which is not available on the ec500. also its for my 18th birthday, so it’s a big thing!

Hope this helps. Cheers

[Mikey p]

xXChimairaXx wrote:

Damn this guitar is cool BUT THE ECLIPSE II IS JUST SO MUCH BETTER...if you've got 1500 bucks to blow.

The only difference is the range of finishes and the fact that it is handmade. The eclipse II only has 22 frets as well. The ec500 and 1000 have 24 frets, so why pay more for something that isn’t as good. Unless you value better balancing of the guitar, but is the fact that that its handmade in Japan, rather than machine made in Korea, the deciding issue? I think not. Sorry to get hostile, but really I think that the eclipse II’s price isn’t justified. So really it’s not “SO MUCH BETTER” rather than six of one and half a dozen of the other. You trade the extra 2 frets and an Earvana nut for ‘handmade’ quality… sorry. Not my thing.

[Chrisiphone]

mjones1992 wrote:

Chrisiphone wrote:

The amount of people calling it an ESP is unreal...
Its an LTD!!
Its the same company...

No it isn't, its the same parent company.
If your logic is true then my Epiphone is a Gibson.

[Blanco]

i might get one in vintage black too but i heard that the finish scratches really easily. has anyone else heard of this?

[MGuitar24]

xnirvanax924 wrote:

im thinking of gettin one of these in the vintage black color. can anyone tell me if http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/guitars/electric-guitars/Esp /EC1000-VBLK.asp is gonna be a rip off? it has a lower price than all the other sites and oncludes a free hardcase. are they gonna rip me off?

Dude the esp ec1000 vblk (vintage black) is a really good guitar. It isn't the same as the one reviewed here though. It is really different. It has active emg 81 (B)/ 60 (N). This guitar is absolutely perfect for a good metal sound. If that is not what you are going for than you probably don't want this guitar. Although you posted this comment two years ago so you have probably already made a choice.

[MGuitar24]

Blanco wrote:

i might get one in vintage black too but i heard that the finish scratches really easily. has anyone else heard of this?

Any guitar will scratch without proper care. What you are probably talking about though is that this guitar will show a scratch much more than most. It doesn't have clear coat on the finish. It is a flat black finish and if it gets scratched it will really show. My suggestion is don't decide against this guitar for that reason. It is a good guitar if it has the sound you are looking for. Just take care of it.

[Ibanez187]

apomon wrote:

Damn I cant device between Vintage Black or Sunburst model. This would be my first guitar. And i really dont know which pickup JB/59 or 81/6o would be better for me..

I like heavy stuff like metallica and pantera, but I also like Slash's stuff very much, and jimi hendrix, led zeppelin too..

Which one of the pickups would be better for me?

-Apo

Definately go with the emgs. i tried the sunburst model in the stores and then the emg model the emgs blow the duncans away. EMG's aren't strictly for metal though you can get a good hard rock sound out of them. p.s. i highly recommend going with the green color of the guitar if you go with emgs, mine looks f-ing sick in green.

[Mikey p]

getting mine on Tuesday! cant wait! vintage black w/EMGS... mmm tasty

[eljordocoyne]

yeh i wanna get this guitar, but i play more styles like rage against the machine, guns n roses, chili peppers would this guitar suit those sorta styles i hear emg and esp guitars are more for metel if not this guitar wat kinda other guitars would be best for those styles thanx everyone pls give us a response

[pharm30]

I just got the amber with SD pickups, I love it.

[dontyellmedic]

if anyone wants to buy my vintage black ec 1000 email me! [e-mail] thanks! im locatedin los angeles

[hatecrewtabber]

xXChimairaXx wrote:

Damn this guitar is cool BUT THE ECLIPSE II IS JUST SO MUCH BETTER...if you've got 1500 bucks to blow.

I want a double octave for children of bodom solos

[Shredy_Mc_shred]

Meatball200 wrote:

Nah Will's right, these things retail for £800 plus in the UK.

Got mine for £700 in uk. Cool guitar great for the heavy riffs.

[Ibanez187]

xXChimairaXx wrote:

Damn this guitar is cool BUT THE ECLIPSE II IS JUST SO MUCH BETTER...if you've got 1500 bucks to blow.

Well actually if you look at the specs on both of these guitars then they are almost exactly the same except the ec1000 has 24 frets while the eclipse has only 22. Also the ec1000 has the albalone binding while the eclipse doesnt. Although it would look very cool to have esp on the headstock opposed to ltd i still chose the ltd.

[Armagedden66]

Holy reviews! but this does seem like a great guitar

[acidhendrix]

I have the flametop with the duncans, i think its better than wit emgs by FAR.

[DreadEnds]

Fuck me there was a shit load of reveiews for this guitar.

I'm getting one at the start of next month when my paycheck arrives.

I have enough for an Esp Eclipse but i just can't justify paying 550 euros more for a name.

[DreadEnds]

*reviews

[Spl!nTeRgu!tAr]

Schecter is in fact ESPs red headed step child

Meaning 90% of Schecter cant compare to this. EMGs make all guitars sound the same for the most part. Play the Amber Sunburst with the JB pickup if you want to hear some tone

[Aditya_ram]

how does the Schecter C-1 Hellraiser compare to this ?