Made in 2007, this superstrat guitar features an Original Floyd Rose, two EMG 81 pickups, Neck Through Construction, 3 way blade Switch with 1 volume and 1 tone, along with Grover tuners.
LTD M-1000 Deluxe
Reviewed by:
Widow6, on november 15, 2012 4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 900
Purchased from: Sam Ash
Features: Made in 2007, this superstrat guitar features an Original Floyd Rose, two EMG 81 pickups, Neck Through Construction, 3 way blade Switch with 1 volume and 1 tone, along with Grover tuners. The neck is made of Maple with a rosewood fretboard. The body has Alder wings, and an 1/8" flame maple top. // 9
Sound: When I got the guitar, it felt great, and sounded decent. My main gripe was with the dual EMG's. They aren't very versatile, and just generally aren't for me. While I was happy enough to at least keep the guitar, I wasn't truly happy with it until I switched out the EMGs for a set of Seymour Duncans. Now, truth be told, it sounds significantly better than my PRS and Music Man JP 7 string. I'm rating it a 6 since they still come stock with EMGs, but in the case of adding Duncans, I'd rate it a 9. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: The factory set up was pretty good. Neck is straight, Floyd was level. The action was significantly higher than I like, but it was definitely playable. All hardware was in great condition, and it had no scratches either. It was exactly how a new guitar should be sold. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar withstands lots of Live playing. I play with it out 3-4 times a week, and it's yet to let me down. The hardware will last, assuming you're capable of maintaining a Floyd Rose guitar. The strap buttons were replaced, but that's not a big issue. A 15$ insurance plan, so to speak. It's also done a remarkably good job in the studio as well. I do a lot of recording for many artists, and I've yet to be asked to use a different setup. The finish isn't unbelievably durable, but it's definitely not the worst. // 8
Impression: This is a good match for you if you're the type that likes a relatively thin and flat neck, and who likes to have the whammy available to them. It's also good if you're into EMGs, or are comfortable with changing the pickups. I've been playing for longer than I can remember, have played more guitars than there are days in 10 years, and I consider this one to be a keeper. I'm completely content with this guitar. If I had to absolutely nitpick, I'd say it could lose the excessive abalone, but it's not a big issue. // 9
LTD M-1000 Deluxe
Reviewed by:
ForeverCursed, on november 15, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 300
Purchased from: Sam Ash
Features: 24 frets with a thin, fast mahogany neck. An original floyd (amazing bridge), alder body for a nice, solid tone. Two EMG 81 actives give Killer shred tone and some nice deep lows and solid mids. Beautiful finish with a flamed maple top. 42mm locking nut and black nickel hardware. Set thru neck so you can easily reach that 24th fret. THree way pick up selector. // 9
Sound: I play in a metal band, and having a guitar that can give bright leads and nice solid rythms is essential for me. Well, this guitar delivers. I bought it used with a ding in the body near the tone knob, and it has never once even fuzzed from it. Thats how solid this guitar is. I can go from cranking out a metal rythm to soloing and maintain solid, tight tone through it all. The lack of a middle pickup and the actives kinda kills the clean tone to an extent, but if you're looking for a jazz shredder this isn't for you then, is it? Despite it's lack of a nice smooth clean tone, add some overdrive to it and it gives a nice mello vibe that resonates deeply, thanks to the alder.
You can dive on the floyd and recover your note without any problems whatsoever. I play through a Peavey vyper, so I can only imagine how epic this bad boy sounds on an all tube/high gain amp.
I will say that I'll eventaully swap out the 81 in the neck for an 85.
In short, if you want an affordable shred machine, buy this guitar. This thing is a tonal monster. I use it for almost all my bands recording and practices, and I can guarentee I'll be performing with it. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I bought it used, but it was in suprisingly good shape aside from some cosmetic damage. The action was at just the right height and the 9's on it were aged but still sharp (I changed them recently, same guage) and it's never lost intonation on me once. The pickups never buzz on me and given my amp has no noise gate, that is essential. The finsh is beautiful, but given it was used, there are some scratches. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I play this gutiar every day, and it never loses intonation. As said earlier, the body damage hasn't even affected the tone or playability at all. The strap buttons do seem small, but unless your dancing on stage like a moron, I doubt they'll ever be a problem. This guitar seems like it would survive the apocalypse to me. // 8
Impression: I've been playing since I was 15, and I've never played a guitar that seems to fit me so well. I play it everday through my vyper 30 watt and I'll never give it up. Killer tone, durable despite the previous owner, and still quite the looker. ESP has definetly made me a loyal customer from now on. // 10
LTD M-1000 Deluxe
Reviewed by:
CoMeAgAiN, on november 15, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 910
Purchased from: Samash.com
Features: *Has 24 Jumbo frets, Avery thin neck for shredding, and the neck is thru-body, which is smoother than a bolt-on.
*Glossy Black Flamed maple top with dark grey hardware.
*Basic strat-like body, not as wide.
*Floyd rose bridge style, with locking nut.
*Active EMG Humbuckers
*Volume, Tone, and 3-Way selector switch.
*Grover non locking tuners.
*Comes with only the guitar.
An included case would be nice, though. // 7
Sound: The pickups on this guitar sound like an angel from heaven. Their great for the heavy Metallica riffs, they are also gentle enough for the smooth jazz. You have to set it up to make it sound good, though. You can't have the guitar on full volume with the pickups rubbing the strings if you want to keep a smooth, clean sound. Tone it down, and its as gentle as a friken kitty or something. But Krank this sucker up, and you be frikin blowin away the neighbors! I love this guitar! // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: When I got this guitar from Samash, it was in great condition, only the volume and tone dials were kinda loose (easy to fix). The pickups were in the middle, so I raised them a little so I could get a higher output, and I also lowered the action of the strings. As for the top and bridge, it was exactly what I paid for. No faults what so ever, except for the loose controls. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is great for live playing. It is built like a tank. The hardware is rock solid. The strap buttons are also rock solid, unlike the Squier Strat that I have, they were loose and too small, so the strap would always be falling off. The finish is great, only it looks a little fragile so maybe you would want to get like a clear pickgaurd or something to protect the finish. // 8
Impression: This guitar, overall, I think is one of the greatest Rockers Weapon! it has great action, wicked tremelo, and a sick look. If someone stole this guitar, i would go depressed, for it took a crapload of time to get the money, but i would get this guitar again! This guitar is very similar to the KH series, only this guitar has sleek arrows to mark the frets instead of skulls and crossbones. The only other thing i wish it had or came with was a case, and locking tuners. Aside from that this guitar is freaking awesome! I <3 U ESP!! // 10
LTD M-1000 Deluxe
Reviewed by:
GisleAune, on november 15, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 1980
Purchased from: Riff in Trondheim, Norway (awesome store)
Features: This guitar, which was made in Korea, has an amazing alder body and a flame maple top that looks awesome. It has 24 frets, which is nice. The neck and everythinf feels just aamazing. The floyd rose came level and as I requested, with 010s. It has 2 EMG 81's which are nice for metal, if you don't like EMGs, why not find another guitar. It features a volume, tone and a 3 way selection switch. Like most floyd rose guitars, It came with nothing, no gig-bag or case, which is why I give it a 9. // 9
Sound: It's an alder body, however, it's good for metal and the bright tones are crystal clear. The cleans are thick and warm, but if you like the thin single coil clean tone, this is not the guitar for you. If you would like a guitar that's like a toy to play on and will sound amazing while playing solos/leads, go check it out in a guitar store and buy it if you like it. The only drawback is the lack of versitality. I use it with AcmeBarGig's amp simulators which are amazing. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: As I said earlier, it came with the floyd rose level and with great action. The pickups was well adjusted, however, I asked the store managers to set it up with 010s, but I tried this guitar in another shop and it was perfect. Basically, it's flawless. The finish is just beatiful! // 10
Reliability & Durability: I haven't had it long enough to talk about durabillity, but it feels and look solid. I doubt that it will fail on me. The strap buttons feels solid, however, I really recommend you to get a real strap-lock system that will not fail even when you're crazy. I would use it for a gig without a backup. The finish looks like it will last. // 10
Impression: If you play metal, the specs fits your needs and if you want to stay with E-standard (or go through the hard process when changing tune). I did not really know that had an alder body before I got it, but it's awesome anyways. If it was stolen, I would KILL HIM WITH FIRE. I would never lose a guitar, I'm overcareful with those kind of things. I was looking at a lot of guitars, mostly Ibanez, but I found this guitar to look and sound good. // 10
the high-end ltd are probably the best guitars you can get in this price range, but personally I also hate this "excessive abalone"...they would look so much better with a simple white binding or even no binding at all
What came into their mind to put the glittery bindings on it? It's on all the LTD Deluxe series except for the EC-1000 (the black with gold bindings)and IMO it ruins the beauty of the guitar. But thats the only reason I wouldn't buy it
How this guitar get an 8.2..I have the same guitar but green and color and without the floyd...and it kicks ass..The pickups are awesome on it too...bad thing is when u play loud it has a bit more feedback sense the pickups arent active...but u get a noise suppressor and ur good to go...People need to learn to rate a guitar..
TheDill:
Not the same guitar, plus, high-end guitars tend to get a 'lower' rating than cheaper guitars, since the expectations are lower. (I guess, don't mean this bad at all)
The Abalone is a nice touch, in my opinion. Then again, tastes differ. I've got some pictures in my profile or go.sanderd.be/espm1000
About the review by Widow6: dual EMG81 is, obviously, more oriented towards thrashmetal, cutting the mids.
I'm thinking about swapping my pickups too, but you know this beforehand. It's a metal guitar
I don't think I have the right amplification gear to judge about the tone too much.
Wiintruder: I did change it to an 85 at one point. A friend's guitar had one, so we did a quick swap (Thanks to the Quik Connect on the EMGs), and I still wasn't feeling it. Active pickups react differently to your playing, and compress the guitar to a point where it's hard to have much character outside of a general metal tone. To answer your question about the tone above the 12th fret -- that's one of my favorite aspects of this guitar. It's very easy to get a smooth lead sound out of it, and it can be coaxed into something really gritty if the situation calls for it. On the neck pickup (even with the EMGs) it was very articulate and even; the low frequencies never ate up your notes.
The Dill: This guitar got an 8.2 because it's an honest rating. I've been playing for years on end, and I'm not the type to sugar coat anything. I've never played a guitar that was worth a 10 in every category. Period. You must remember, I'm a gigging, teaching, and recording musician. This is my profession. I have incredibly high standards. It also sounds like you have a pretty different guitar. Could you at least specify which model so a direct comparison could be made? If you're worried about too much feedback, it could either be a tad too much gain on the amp, or possibly some subpar wiring. I'd give both of those a look.
Sanderd: I like the Abalone as well, but I think it's just a touch too much. I think the abalone binding on the fretboard could go, and be replaced on the body around the sides. I also liked the pictures of yours, the flame has a bit of angle to it, very nice looking. And yes, I knew about it being a metal-oriented guitar beforehand. I bought it with the intentions of eventually changing out the pickups, anyways. I tend to make modifications to my guitars until they're playing as best as I can have them. If you're thinking about changing pickups, definitely try the Duncan JB in the bridge. I tried it on other guitars, and wasn't quite as happy, but it works well in this one. The Jazz neck is nice, but it's not quite there for me just yet. Maybe a '59?
purpose of this guitar is metal, so your not gonna bust out acoustic stuff on it... hence the emgs... i guess it just depends on what your gonna play whether you switch the pick ups... and if your an emg man... h-1000 with duncans looks nice... good review man
Dear Widow6,
thank you so much for your review and oppinion.
I have this guitar and it is amazing, but I feel like I want to replace EMGs with some other pick-ups. I want to have a powerful bridge pick-up for metal and also one for a warm, rich and fat solo sound in neck position. But I don't know what to choose. Can you recommend me some pick-ups? What Duncans did you use? Thank you so much again.
i think the reason the emgs are there is just because esp ltd figures it will sell with them. they have become common place on most metal styled guitars. I love emgs, active and passive, but they do mostly only have high gain in mind. they if you get some single coils or some coil splitting humbuckers you can coax some thick blues rock tones, but really they are a one trick pony. Mind you, that pony does that trick better than most anyone. short of maybe duncan blackouts.
It's been quite some time since I looked at this, so my apologies. I'll try to answer a couple of questions.
DmitryVTkachuk: I went with a pretty standard set - Duncan JB in the bridge, Jazz in the neck. The JB sounds exactly like you'd expect if you've played with a JB before. The jazz isn't really my thing, but a lot of people tend to like it, so it's a good place to start. If you don't like the EMGs, then it'll likely be an improvement.
el brother: They started putting on the 100 series Floyd at the beginning of either 2009 or 2010 (can't remember which, but I'm leaning towards 2010) Mine has an OFR, since it came before that. If you're buying one, it's a good idea to know what year to see which bridge you'll be getting. There are still a few "old" ones out there new, so it's worth looking around.
can anyone tell me, wich they would rate better, an LTD m-1000 or a PRS se torero(both stock)? their pretty much the same hardware wise when it comes to stock hardware, exept the PRS has one EMG 85 and one EMG 81 pickup.
i'm very interested in buying one of these guitars but still doin research into other brands.
is like anyones opinion, thanks
I have this guitar, first gen, its amazing. I swapped out the neck pickup for an emg85. I got it used for $450. Well worth it. Perfect guitar for heavey/aggressive/melodic music. Plays fast, sounds brutal.