LTD MH-400 Review

The upscale MH-400 is absolutely packed with features. For starters, this is a set neck instrument with a quilted maple top and EMG humbuckers.

Features:	9.7
Sound:	9.8
Action:	8.8
Reliability:	9.3
Impression:	9.7
Overall rating:	9.5
Users rating:	9.2
Comments:	74

overall: 10

Featured review by: SGStrummer61, on june 26, 2006

Purchased from: Music123

Features: 2006 version, made in Korea.

- Set-thru neck construction
- See-through-blue finish w/quilted maple top
- Mahogany body
- 3-piece maple neck
- Rosewood fingerboard
- 24 extra jumbo frets
- Licensed floyd rose bridge
- Locking nut
- 25.5" neck length
- Natural (wood) binding on body & white binding on the neck & headstock
- Offset block inlays w/MH-400 at the 12th fret
- EMG 81 in the bridge and EMG 85 in the neck
- Black hardware
- Grover tuners. // 10

Sound: Unfortunetaly, I use a Spider II, which has a pretty digital sound, but the EMGs make the distortion better, the 85 makes it pretty smooth, and the cleans are fantastic. Unplugged, this guitar actually has some natural reverb because if you put your ear near the neck joint as you are playing, you can hear the notes ringing. For this guitar can also get a pretty good bluesy tone by sliding back on the tone knob and having a little bit of overdrive on. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar does look phenomonal, with its stained blue quilted maple top, the binding, and the inlays are all perfectly done and not a single blemish or flaw. The guitar also feels nice when sitting down or standing up because of the mahogany body. The guitar is lightweight and the neck isn't all too heavy considering its a maple neck. This thing truely plays beautiful. The action is as low as it can go without buzzing, and all frets are accessible thanks to the set-thru neck construction, which actually gets rid of a lot of the heel. The tremelo on this guitar is another high point. I can do dive bombs, harmonic drops, and Jack Owens all day and not go out of tune. Even though the bridge is recessed, it isn't by very much, but it still can go a good bit, more than 2 frets of a bend or 3. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is solid, from the construction of the entire thing, to the stabiliy of its parts, it isn't very fragile and can take a beating. I would still use a backup just because it uses a Floyd Rose and a string break can totally mess up the night, but a backup guitar is all you need. Other than that, this thing can go on for ever. // 10

Impression: By and by, this guitar is amazing, especially since I paid $660 for this thing, it's a steal. I've played Gibsons and Ibanezes that play this good and sound this good. If this guitar got stolen, I would hunt down the person Who stole it and kick their ass. Or just buy a new one. This guitar is highly recommended for any level of expertise of guitar players. // 10

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: eastern_riffs, on november 10, 2009

Price paid: C$ 900

Purchased from: Long & McQuade

Features: This is a Made in Korea ESP LTD, see through blue color, Mahogany body, quilted maple top, maple-set neck. I believe this is a 2007 model- 24 extra Jumbo frets with a blazing fast neck! This neck is definitely the best neck I've played on- compared to the Jackson DKMG, Dean Razorback 255, Ibanez RGs (with the Wizard II necks), the MH-400 is definitely the best. The neck fit's right into my hands and lets me run it like Paul Gilbert on crack (OK, I don't know how that's possible really). And this guitar isn't just a one trick pony; comes with EMG 81-85, and surprisingly has an excellent natural sustain. It's great for high gain metal, but it's just as good for clean playing and blues. Comes with a Floyd Rose tremolo. There's two knobs, one for volume and the other for tone, and there's a 3-Way selector. The tone knob actually works, unlike a lot of guitars, and so does the volume. Good construction and design. // 9

Sound: I play in a metal band and this guitar is perfect for it. It's great with any amount of distortion. I run it through a H&K Switchblade and it sounds like a dream. The tone cuts through perfectly, and it doesn't sound muffled or muddy at all. I also play a lot of shred-ish stuff, like Paul Gilbert, and this guitar is awesome for it. It's clean, yet aggressive, and takes on any amount of distortion you want. However, one surprise this guitar has is that no matter how the MH series is marketed and targeted, this guitar is just amazing when playing some clean stuff. It's natural sustain, resonance and reverb are just astonishing. I haven't heard any guitar below a $1000 have these features, and I haven't seen a lot of high end ones have them either. Great surprise.

The EMGs are very quiet pickups anyways and don't hum or produce any noise, and the 81-85 is definitely a great combo on this guitar. However, I put dual 85s in the guitar and modded it to 18V as I prefer it like that. But don't get me wrong, on it's own this guitar is a masterful work of ART. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was definitely well constructed and built to good specifications. Having said that, I notice flaws in all guitar constructions and this one was no different. These are minor flaws that don't actually need 'fixing', but it's not a bad idea to do so, especially if you're recording some songs at the studio and such. Firstly, the string guide had a wrongly screwed nut (it should've gone in 90 degrees flat, but it was screwed in at about 85 I'd say). This was causing my Lower A string to buzz a TINY amount on the first fret. I fixed that, took about 3 hours to do. Apart from this little thing, there wasn't anything else that needed to be fixed, and there definitely wasn't any rust or loose tuning peg or anything. Everything else was perfect, in I haven't had any problems with the guitar ever since. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I've played multiple gigs with this guitar, and literally, have never had any problems. The strap hasn't come off in all the 7 months I've had the guitar, and neither has any of the tuning changed when playing Live. In fact, the tuning stays perfect for 8-10 days on a stretch. I Switch between this guitar and my Schecter C7 Hellraiser in between gigs, and truly, I haven't encountered any problems at all. I don't take a backup to my gigs because I'm pretty sure this guitar isn't going to mess up on stage. It's a solid build, doesn't seem frail or anything. // 9

Impression: Great guitar. For the price, it's majestic. I believe when it first came out it was about $1200, but it's slightly cheaper now; I paid CAD 900 for it. It really seems like a $1500 guitar. I've been playing for about 11 years now, and I own a Schecter C7 Hellraiser which is another great guitar, but not a right comparison to the MH, as it's a 7 string. I also own a custom shop guitar called a Scyther, made by a local group of luthiers. The Scyther is a wonderful guitar, it's built to my exact specs, and while it costs twice as much as the MH-400, the feel of them both is pretty similar. I play all my guitars through a H&K Switchblade, which is another good amp I feel, and the MH-400 certainly brings out the best in it. I really like the MH, it's a great guitar. I compared it to the Jackson DKMG, Dean Razorback 255 and Jackson RR5. I chose the MH because it's certainly a better play than the DKMG and Razorback, and while the RR5 feels just as good as the MH, it's got passive Seymour Duncans, and passives aren't something I'm looking to get into now, ever since I started playing actives. All in all, the MH-400 is one great guitar! // 9

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: Carrot, on december 23, 2008

Price paid: £ 630

Purchased from: local music shop

Features: My guitar is a 2007 ESP LTD MH400NT (non trem). It's made in Korea. Specs: Set-Thru, 25.5” Scale, Mahogany Body, Quilted Maple Top, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 42mm Earvana Compensated Nut, Thin you Neck Contour, 24 XJ Frets, Black Nickel Hardware, Grover Tuners, TOM Bridge, EMG 81 (B) / 85 (N) Active p.u. , Finish: STBLK, controls are a master volume, master tone with a 3 way selector. This think looks amazing. // 9

Sound: I've got it tuned down to D Standard, but I do have it in drop C too. Probs guessed from the tunings that I play metal, metal or all kinds. I have other guitars too that I use for other tunings so I do play lots of other styles of music. I play this through a Line 6 Floor POD into a Hiwatt Maxwatt G40R but I've played it through many different things(Blackstar pedals and amps, valve kings) and it's just sounds amazing. I love the sound from the EMGs you can never go wrong with these pups in your guitar. Great for pitch harmonics too. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I can't really comment on much about the guitar from the factory setup because the shop I got it from did an amazing job setting it up for me, it's a dream to play every time I pick it up. Bridge was routed very well, bookmatched top was good( what ever that means)and the pickups are just perfect. No flaws in the guitar at all. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I've played this guitar a few times live, only did a few songs and we weren't allowed to proper rock out, but the guitar just wants you to keep playing it. The hardware is the best you can get so it's gonna last you a long time. I always change my strap buttons on all my guitar to locking straps. I just feel safer that way. You can always depend on this guitar no matter what you need it for, it will deliver the good and then some. It's built like a tank so it's gonna last a long time to come. unless it gets blown up or somethin silly. // 9

Impression: As I said before I play mostly metal on this and it suits me just fine. can't get the right sound I want tho but that's due to Line 6 for the digital stuff they always use. I've been playing about 3 years now, most people think it's longer because how well I can play. My other gear consists of a Ibanez S7320 and a ESP LTD EC 401, but I'm getting an Orange amp and Blackstar effects soon so that will get me the sounds I'm looking for. If this was stolen I'd probably go for the 1000 NT just for the locking tuners and better build, but that's like £1000. I love everything bout this one, wouldn't change a think on it, now I have it the way I like my guitars. Before I was looking at the MH 250 NT but they were all out of stock so I had the better one instead, was a birthday present to myself. If you have looked at this guitar and thought it's for you then it probably is for you. Go and buy one, they are f--king amazing guitars. // 10

overall: 8.6

Reviewed by: ShredIsNotDead., on may 28, 2007

Purchased from: The Planet Of Sound (Online music shop)

Features: // 10

Sound: This guitar sounds good for most music styles. I mostly play metal and shred, and it's excellent for those, but I've tried playing jazz and blues on it, and it still gives a great result. I use a Line 6 Spider II amp, and if you put the amp model on "insane", and crank the Drive right up, then select the bridge pickup on the guitar, with the volume and tone fully open, then you have a really great metal/metalcore tone. I could play Children Of Bodom riffs for hours on end using these settings. I'm sure this sound is possible to achieve on most modern amps, but I have yet to try it on a Marshall (I'm sure it would sound just as good, if not better). If you add a bit of reverb to the same sound, then select the neck or middle pickup, then you have an insane shred tone. I like to play a lot of neo-classical stuff, like Yngwie Malmsteen, and this guitar sounds almost as good as an old '70s Strat (like Yngwie's) so it's great for that too. As I said, I've tried playing jazz and blues, and for those, it delivers a really bright, clear tone, which I love. It's impossible to find a tone which sounds bad with this guitar. You just can't lose. It's pretty much noiseless as well (unless you're playing next to a computer). // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up reasonably well, I think. I made some adjustments, though. I lowered the action a bit, adjusted the pickup height, and the intonation was a bit dodgy, so I reset that. Although these things should have been done at the factory/shop, I think it should be expected to have to set up your guitar, when buying online. I didn't have any problem making these adjusments (the intonation was a bugger, though). // 6

Reliability & Durability: I haven't used this guitar live, yet, but I look forward to doing so. I would use it without a backup, as I don't have a choice. I'm not planning on using a second-hand Squier Strat Live, although my home-made Les-Paul style guitar is pretty safe. Anyway, this guitar stays in tune very well, thanks to the thru-neck construction and the locking nut. The only problem I have with tuning, is that I Switch between Drop-D tuning and Standard tuning alot, and I have to get the alan keys out for that, as you have to retune all the strings, because of the unbalance that retuning the bottom sting by a whole tone causes. This is all down to the Floyd Rose tremolo system. If you want to retune alot, then I recommend getting the Non-Trem version of this guitar (the LTD MH-400NT), which is exactly the same, apart from there is no tremolo system or locking nut. The stings drop off the back of the bridge, through the body, and this makes the tuning just as stable. The finish is very glossy, and seems reasonably durable. I can't see it wearing off anytime soon. The hardware attracts condensation, but hasn't rusted on me, and looks great. The strap buttons are just as solid as the neck joint, which is saying something, as it is a thru-neck instrument. // 8

Impression: This is a great guitar for playing metal, and shred. I've been playing since I was 9 (I'm now 14), and I've played lots of amazing guitars (electric and acoustic), I've made my own guitar, and I've played through lots of amps as well. Unfortunately for me, being 14, it takes me a long time to save up for new equipment, so my ESP is the only good guitar I own, as my self-built guitar isn't extremely playable, although it does sound good. I use a Line 6 Spider II amp, as I said earlier, and I don't use any effects pedals, as I don't need them (yet). If this guitar was stolen, I wouldn't replace it, as I can't afford to, but I would probably save for another couple of years, and then buy one again. I love this guitar mostly because it has helped my playing improve tonnes and it looks amazing. I just hate that little problem with the tuning. I will probably buy a Fender Classic series 70s Strat, once I have enough money, as it will be great for shredding, and then I can keep my ESP in drop-D tuning and use the Strat for playing shred. I get the feeling that most people won't take this review seriously, as I'm 14, but I have built a guitar from scratch (I even wound the pickups), I've worked out a Bach piece from piano music (I'm grade 5 on the piano), and I've taken advantage of pretty much every shop on Denmark Street (London), by playing as many guitars as I can get my hands on. I don't have guitar lessons either. So if the words "Why would I listen to the advice of a 14-year-old?" have come out of your mouth in the last minute or so, you can bloody well shove them back in there. // 9

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: hessian101, on july 06, 2006

Purchased from: Drum City Guitarland

Features: The features of this guitar are many and high quality. The Schaller liscenced trem acts like an original floyd, The set thru construction allows easy access to all 24 of the highly polished frets, The active EMG 81/85, (not dual 81's as the website said) the high quality grover tuners. As for the woods used, The fact that the body is made of mahogany, but the top and neck are made of maple gives the guitar the bite that maple has and the depth of tone that mahogany has. The finish is just as good as the guitar itself. In your room, with the lights on, It looks a dark slightly greenish blue. In a bright naturally lit room, it looks pretty much like the photo on ESPguitars.com. Under direct sunlight, it looks bright electric blue. The quilt on mine was fantastic. The neck is somewhere between a Fender Strat and an Ibanez Wizard (perfect to me). // 10

Sound: This guitar suits metal perfectly. The EMG pickups scream. Right now, I have a Fender Frontman (soon to be either a Randall RG50TC or a Peavey XXX) But have played it on a Mesa combo, and it sounded sweet. It makes even the frontman sound good. The EMG's produce no noise, but when you pluck the string they jump to life. THe tone is well rounded. It is not completely limited to metal. The clean is not fantastic, but good. Blues is probobly its high point other than metal. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I don't know about the factory setup, as the guitar was set up by the guitar tech free at Drum City Guitarland. The pickups needed to be higher because they were EMG's, of course. The action was a bit high, but the action on this guitar can be adjusted so low that the strings are almost on the frets without buzzing. The top was well matched. Everything was fit very nicely, except for 1 thing. The nut was attached under a millemeter off center, but this is hardly noticeable (unnoticeable when you are playing). Also, there was some white-dusty stuff on the top 10 frets, but it just wiped off. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This guitar feels very solid, almost like it was made of a single piece of wood. The stock strap buttons are good enough for me, as I dont do any weird 'swing around the neck' tricks with it. I would never gig without a backup, regardless of what guitar it was. The finish is thick and beautiful. // 10

Impression: I am simply in love with this guitar. It matches my style (METAL) perfectly. This guitar is better than I could have ever imagined. If This guitar was stolen, I would kill the one Who took it, and buy another. I compared it to an Ibanez RG1570, a Jackson Dinky, a Schecter Hellraiser, etc. None of them came close to the features you get for the price on this one. I hated the boring looks and neck of the RG (too small), I hated the body wood and neck joint of the Jackson, and the Hellraiser looked too flashy and costed more, probobly because of the original floyd bridge (which is no better than my Schaller liscenced one). // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: Nycto, on july 07, 2008

Purchased from: A friend

Features: This guitar is absolutely legendary. This one was made in Korea, but I really don't think that matters as long as the product provides what it promises. It's a 24 jumbo fret guitar which, combined with the maple/rosewood neck and fretboard, makes playing very smooth and fast. The body is made of mahogany with a quilted maple top that looks and feels wonderful. The Floyd Rose on this guitar is absolutely perfect. I can whammy the crap out of the guitar and this thing stays in tune great. It has an active EMG 81 bridge pickup and an active EMG 85 neck pickup that both provide an excellent tone. There is one volume control and one tone control, but not much variety using the tone control. // 10

Sound: This is the perfect guitar for my music style, which is mostly metal. I occasionally play some classic rock, and it handles this beautiful as well. Even melancholy chords on a clean setting sound beautiful and haunting. I play this guitar through a cheap Peavey Rage 158 Transtube series that I hope to upgrade to a Line 6 Spider III soon. On any setting I play I get virtually no noise. The neck pickup adds the perfect amount of bass to every clean setting, but can sometimes sound a bit more noisy than wanted on distortion. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I got this guitar from a friend Who had already had the controls adjusted perfectly. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is a beast when it comes to durability. The strap buttons are larger and shaped a little different to make sure the strap doesn't come off, provided you aren't flailing around too much. Even if you dropped it, it probably wouldn't damage a thing. This is a good, solid guitar and is in near perfect condition even after being two years old. I'd use it on a gig without a backup. // 10

Impression: I've been playing guitar for two years now, and this guitar beats any guitar I've ever laid hands on except for an expensive Gibson SG my friend owns. This guitar was half the price as his but sounds almost exactly the same. Wonderful guitar for the price. My favorite feature would have to be the Floyd Rose and locking system; other people have complained about theirs, but for me this thing is godly. There really is nothing I don't like about this guitar. If it was lost or stolen I'd buy another one as soon as I had the money. I had the opportunity to play this before I purchased it, and I suggest everybody do that whenever they make a purchase. Even if you hadn't played it, in this case you'd still have been impressed. For my playing style, (stuff like In Flames, Dragonforce, Opeth, Dream Theater, and Soundgarden) it is absolutely perfect. Grab a Boss distortion pedal and you'll experience angelic tunes from the gods, and pop killer squealies. // 10

Comments

[WyldeMalmsteen]

Sweet guitar!

[myguitarskucks1]

NICE!! I should check this out

[FenderJTx]

I played one at my local guitar shop, they're really nice.

[x_rox]

schweet. now all i need is money...

[kill em´all]

ESP rocks! love it!

[b.b-king_19]

and weeeee

[b.b-king_19]

on a real note: made in korea thats not the best

[SGStrummer61]

It doesn't matter where it is made. I could make a guitar that sucks balls, but say that it was Made in the US and people would think that it is better than the ESP since it was made in the US.

[Yongyot]

SGStrummer61 wrote:

It doesn't matter where it is made. I could make a guitar that sucks balls, but say that it was Made in the US and people would think that it is better than the ESP since it was made in the US.

Haha, true

[x_themetalfan_x]

SGStrummer61 wrote:

It doesn't matter where it is made. I could make a guitar that sucks balls, but say that it was Made in the US and people would think that it is better than the ESP since it was made in the US.

SO true. American made shit has terrible quality control because they depend on the fact that it's not oriental to sell it (unfortunately, that usually works).

[wigers will die]

I got to addmit, ESP guitars are probably one of my favorite..... They Sound pretty good, they dont crap out on ya, and of course... dont look half bad.

[CustomCustom]

its nice only the trem bothers me slightly

[clusky]

HOW SO!

[N_I_N-621]

because the trem is a piece of crap...

[Blood Hawk]

ESP makes some pretty decent guitars but this is a good model i have to say.

[SGStrummer61]

N_I_N-621 wrote:

because the trem is a piece of crap...

The trem is nowhere near a piece of crap. I have only tuned this guitar once and that was when I got it.

[Subliminal_Daze]

Seems it's the ESP answer to Ibanez RG's, but still looks nice. And the p-ups are amazing. I dare say I like passive p-ups just as much, though. They have a very organic sound ^_^

[L_E_M_U_R]

yeah i like esp but my favorite is the viper 400 white killer lookin

[RPotts]

SGStrummer61 wrote:

N_I_N-621 wrote:

because the trem is a piece of crap...

The trem is nowhere near a piece of crap. I have only tuned this guitar once and that was when I got it.

Is your guitar out of tune?

[hessian101]

Before you hack on it for being made in korea, try one out. I feels like one continuous piece of wood. I ordered one after I played the h-400 in my local store. It really has an amazing feel for the money, or any amount of money. I Asked the store owner how much it was, and was very suprised that it was only $600. About the trem, The only times Ive heard of the schaller floyd not working was when it was not set up correctly. I guess I'll write a review about it when I get mine.

[hessian101]

Oops. Some DIPSH!T at the guitar store told me it was a schaller liscenced floyd (which I dont think it is). Regardless, the trem is awesome.

[SGStrummer61]

It isn't a Schaller Floyd. It is just a copy of the Lo-Pro OFR, but it's still nice.

[sebbes]

Does the MH compare in any way to the playing style of an Ibanez RG. I'm looking to buy a new guitar cause I only have a GRG170, although I really like the neck on it. It has a really nice smoth playing style and quite a thin neck.

[SGStrummer61]

The neck is thicker than a Wizard II neck, but I like it better since I have somewhat larger hands.

[ZildjianUK]

Can any1 tell me if this is a dark blue finish or light blue? I have seen pictures showing both types...Where i think the light blue looks disgusting, any help??

[Jlix]

I placed an order yesterday for this guitar after playing a similar one at my local guitar shop. Should be here in less than a week. I cant friggen wait! Will all that is packed into this guitar its a steal at under $600 (Getting mine for $575) The trem is a typical lo-pro, no suprises. I have owned a few and never had one single problem with them.
I'll right a full review when it gets here

[SGStrummer61]

I recommend getting the bridge setup since every Floyd needs a setup at first. Also, you can view my picture of my guitar here: http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/CHChamp61/Guitar%20pics/

[Kriptonite_r]

if the trem bothers you, get the MH400NT...same guitar, no trem , just a different finish (see-thru black...nice)

[axemanchris]

I picked one up about three weeks ago. I've been playing for almost 25 years, and this guitar rocks! It's one of those instruments that you buy that makes you want to play just because it feels great and sounds great. It came set up and almost in perfect tune right out of the box. Took a day or so for the new strings to adjust to 440 and stay in tune, but now, even cranking on the Floyd Rose doesn't knock it out of tune. Solid, beautiful, and a pleasure to play!

Chris

[ESP Maniac]

I was gonna get one. Decide on the H-1000 deluxe instead, I saved up a bit and learnt the differences between passive and active pickups.

[ESP Maniac]

I was gonna get one. Decide on the H-1000 deluxe instead, I saved up a bit and learnt the differences between passive and active pickups.

[SG6578]

Mine is on backorder right now (esp needs to get their shit together, I know people that have waited over 6 months). With that being said, this guitar rocks! I ordered the non-tremelo version because I personally hate floyd's. *peace*

[SGStrummer61]

^^ They aren't manufacturing any '06 models right now because of the '07 models. It isn't ESP's fault, it is the store you are buying it from.

[thegovtmule]

I just bought this guitar from a dealer in Atlanta but did all my research online, mostly at Musiciansfriend.com. I am very impressed with the action, the finish and the craftsanship of it. The color IS NOT what it looks like in the ads - it is a much darker blue than what you normally see in the pictures online and the quilting is not as dramatic. That being said, it is still beautiful, very glossy. The body is more contoured and smaller that the pics lead you to think - smaller, thinner and lighter than a strat. It also had creame binding all the way around instead of natural on the body as was advertised. The hardware feels sturdy, knobs don't feel cheap and the floyd is actually staying in tune! I'm not sure if the tech made any adjustments to the setup before I saw it but everything is where is needs to be. Hardware color is actually a deep bronze color instead of black - looks nicer I think. The EMG's are loud and crisp with little noise and feedback. They sound great for heavier styles but would not be good for jazzy type stuff but you could make the blues work probably. This is a rock axe for sure. Action is low and the neck really is thin and fast with very little heal (set neck). I am used to playing a Les Paul and it feels great to be able to actually reach the top of the fretboard with this guitar! Neck a bit thicker that the Jackson I used to have but the Jackson's neck was really borderline too thin.

In general, I was a bit hesitant to buy an LTD. I didn't know anyone with one and you figure they are just a cheap version of the nice ESP guitars. I was wrong!! This is a really impressive instrument. I paid what musiciansfreind.com is asking but since I bought it locally, I had to pay tax. Worth every penny for this guitar!! Only downside is that ESP wants you to buy a case for $200 - screw that! I got a musiciansfriend gigbad instead. I gave this an 8 for features because it only has one tone knob, would have liked one for each pickup. Also, the battery compartment has to be unscrewed to get to the battery. These are small things though. Overall I give this beauty a 9 overall. If you a considering getting one - do it!!

[PISS]

i own the mh-400nt, which is the same as this model, except with no tremolo (NT). i paid $900 canadian for it. its the best guitar ever. if you dont like this guitar, then you can suck my left nut and then die!

[Hanger 17]

How low can you get the action on these things, and does the floyd stay in tune or is it a shit one?

[ShredIsNotDead.]

the action goes pretty low if you want it to and the floyd is great.
i personally have the action quite high, though.

[ShredIsNotDead.]

to save confusion, many of you may have bought the older version, as many places still have that in stock.
the mh-400 was update at the beggining of this year.
also, as many people are getting confused, the binding is natural (ie the wood is not stained) on the body, and white on the neck and headstock.
also, if you're wondering why on the esp site it says the hardware is "black nickel", it doesnt mean that the hardware is black in colour. black nickel is the type of metal used.
i hope this helps if youre confused.

[Shib]

played one today, ammazing.. but for 979 its kinda expensive..

[luisjarj]

I ask for suggestions at Musik-Produktivin Germany and they told me the best option between Jackson (Dinky models), LAG (Arkane 1000), and ESP-LTD (the MH400) was this last one. But I had a problem: I can't find any MH400 LEFTHANDED. Could you help me, please, to find any MH400 lefty, new or secondhand?
Many thanks, Luis from Spain

[theadvice]

PAY ATTENTION: LICENCED FLOYD ROSE vs ORIGINAL FLOYD ROSE.
both functionally work exactly the same. the difference is that the metals they use in the licenced floyd is cheap and tend to wear down alot faster than the metals found in a original floyd. THe best original floyd would have to be the german made schaller floyd. warning other companies like ping make "original floyds" and they suck crap. getting back to the main point, there is nothing wrong with this trem. sure i a couple of years the blade edge will wear down and it won't stay in tune but until that day it will work just as good as a original...and by that time i'll have enough money to buy a new (original)floyd or new guitar.
!!!!!ESP!!!!!

[andy_h04]

i tried one of these on a peavey xxx amp and cab, pickups were to touchy, lovely guitar to play, just mighta been the stack.. the guy in the store had it down low

[vhdude923]

i haved used this guitar alot, and i'm planning on getting it over the summer. the floyd stays in tune well, but it's a hassle to change tuning with so i suggest to tune it to what you use the most and leave it there. the guitar feels and sounds incredible. i use a line 6 spider III and it sounds ok on clean but the EMGs make the distortion amazing. the neck feels amazing and it's easy to shred on. it's a great guitar, and it's only $700 at musiciansfriend.com

[!Schecter!]

The lead guitar player in my band plays this guitar and I'm so jealous of him even with my ESP EC-1000! it plays so nice and i would willingly trade straight up

[free.music.free]

sorry to say guys, but im pretty dissapointed in this guitar. Ive had it for almost 2 years and i regret buying it.

- tone is too thin and cold
- floyd trem doesnt stay in tune at all.
- shit palm muting.

[Carrot]

CustomCustom wrote:

its nice only the trem bothers me slightly

You can get the non trem guitar like i hav =]

ITS AMAZING

i love it so much
and if anyone is thinkin of getting this guitar or the MH 400 NT (which i hav) go for it
its worth it

[ellucifere]

what annoys me is how nobody ever includes an estimated price so i can compare guitars, i'm getting and ltd tho

[treem]

i already owned this guitar and it's like any other guitar. the emgs pickup ( 81 and 85 ) are the best pickup i ever played with... i paid like 1000 bucks in canada but it absolutly worth it

[Eddie's'Waitor]

ShredNotsDeads Get on with the review, why are you on the defensive. Noone with gives a **** that you are 14 as long as you're a guitarist...

[maleksamman]

hey everyone,i`d like to take ur opinion ...
i was goin to buy this guitar and i`m still thinking of gettin it until i saw this guitar:
it`s Michael Kelly Hex Deluxe Electric Guitar
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Michael-Kelly -Hex-Deluxe-Electric-Guitar?sku=515961

it has EMG85/81 pickups , ORIGINAL floyd rose , neckthru,,,and everything just like the MH-400 , but with an ebony fretboard " i haven`t try ebony fretboards before , wat do you think of it ? is it fast like the rosewood or,,,wat`s the different between them?"
so wat do u think guyz? shall i get this michael kelly guitar or just stay with ESP LTD guitars"u kno brand name"
and some1 has wrote somethin bout the original floydroses , so i`m afraid that the original floyd rose that michael kelly guitar has is crap or something,is it the same one of the ESP guitars?
hope u write guy ASAP cuz i`m gettin the guitar after this weekend,,,i`ve been thinkin from years and now it`s the time to get a kickass guitar and rock the stage...
btw if i had more money i`d get the MH-1000 because of the original floyd rose ,,,that`s why i`m thinkin of michael kelly

[guitarfreak222]

PISS wrote:

i own the mh-400nt, which is the same as this model, except with no tremolo (NT). i paid $900 canadian for it. its the best guitar ever. if you dont like this guitar, then you can suck my left nut and then die!

Take a chill pill dude, you should take the time and respect other peoples opinions.

[dreadwitfear]

ahh man, just bought this baby!! it's a truely awesome guitar, the action is amazing, the tremolo just doesn't go out of tune even if you are really really really roughly with it. This guitar is truely built to last. Totally love the finish and the EMGs are superb!! The clarity of the clean and distortion is the best that i've heard from any guitar.

[3 days grace14]

I will be getting the non trem version I campared it to a real FR and it didn't begin to compare

[3 days grace14]

the FRversion that is

[Arnthor]

Just unloaded £600 for one of these and £200 for a spider III 75watt amp, quite a upgrade from a Marshall MG (ewww shitty muddy tone) and a Vintage SG and A.X.L Badwater.

The guitar! oh my god it feels like im playing on ice its just so smooth, my fingers glide across the fretboard Ive never experienced quality like this before!

I even tried a hand made USA Gibson les paul in wine red, and call me stupid if you want (i don't care) but in my opinion the MH401QMNT is just as good, and plays better.

[Arnthor]

3 days grace14 wrote:

I will be getting the non trem version I campared it to a real FR and it didn't begin to compare

Wait are you saying the FRversion didn;t compare to the NT version meaning the NT version is better?

[camc1214]

just got this new for 479 i cant wait....i looked for a kick ass guitar WITHOUT a floyd rose (imo they are the worst things on earth) and i found it!

[camc1214]

^^ i got it off ebay thats why i cant wait

[mrjustinguy]

whats the difference in this and the m-400

[Quinlan]

The M-400 has a flat top. The MH-400 has a sorta arched top. Other than that I think they're about the same. I love mine, but I'm really starting to want a better amp. Some kind of all-tube combo would be nice...

[3 days grace14]

Arnthor wrote:

3 days grace14 wrote:

I will be getting the non trem version I campared it to a real FR and it didn't begin to compare

Wait are you saying the FRversion didn;t compare to the NT version meaning the NT version is better?

srry bout that. No i meant the licensed FR wasn't as nice as the real deal

[laklok]

Im thinking of buying a new axe soon. This is definitely one of the guitars im going to try out. But ill try the NT version. I just like playing a lo of tunings.

[craig-sansum]

PISS wrote:

i own the mh-400nt, which is the same as this model, except with no tremolo (NT). i paid $900 canadian for it. its the best guitar ever. if you dont like this guitar, then you can suck my left nut and then die!

rofl xD yea i might get this guitar

[eastern_riffs]

I just got this guitar today. One of the best guitars I've played in my life. I think this and Jackson DKMG are easily the two best guitars below $1500 (and also a lot better than some of the $2000+ models). The sustain is amazing, very high gain, awesome reverb, and nothing beats the EMG 81-85 set. Beautiful looks. While the DKMG has a slightly better trem, the mh-400 beats it with it's awesome sustain and reverb. If you have 700 bucks, get this guitar.

I think I should do a review on it now lol.

[ibanez77]

Put a downpayment on the 2008 model of This ESP MH-400 a coupla days ago, it is like nothing ive played before and a huge step up in my opinion from the Ibanez RG, if you are looking for a great guitar to shred and play metal with, please go to your local shop and plug this baby in

[GunLeatherGuy]

You know...you cant compare it to an Ibanez "rg"..to general. Thats like saying an ESP LTD...which one?
Ive got prestige, rgt neck through trem and non trems, s series and 3 LTD's to compare them too.
I love the neck on the MH and GL I have...but not anymore than the Wizards on the IB's.
Great guitar but the trem is a korean made Floyd..very much like the Ping on my Charvel. Great floyd but this one wont stay in tune. Just ordered a ping to replace it with...other than that its as good as anything Ive got.
And USA does make some killer guitars but so does japan and korea also.....we all have great stuff and we all make crap. Ironic!

[ibanez77]

yeah, good point about the korea thing, i love evrything about this guitar except for im having trouble with the palm muting its very weak. keep in mind i dont have my ernie balls on it yet, is there anything you know of that coudl fix this weak palm muting problem?

[ibanez77]

besides putting some thicker, higher quality strings on it

[jean_genie]

Gotta' pipe up ... I really don't like these guitars. I'm not really a fan of anything that comes with EMGs stock. I admit that objectively speaking, EMGs sound cleaner and better than high-output passives. But objectively speaking, CDs sound better than records too.

The ESPs I've used all seemed to lack a certain amount of 'grunt' that a lot of Gibsons, Jacksons, and other companies that favour passive pickups have. I think that's why a lot of active-using artists mix the bass tracks way back, almost into the guitar tracks: to make the guitars sound like they have that low end presense that is lacking from these pickups.

For leads, this guitar is great. For powerchording and other rhythm work, I strongly recommend one of the previously mentioned Jacksons.

[Jsteele1408]

jean_genie wrote:

Gotta' pipe up ... I really don't like these guitars. I'm not really a fan of anything that comes with EMGs stock. I admit that objectively speaking, EMGs sound cleaner and better than high-output passives. But objectively speaking, CDs sound better than records too.

The ESPs I've used all seemed to lack a certain amount of 'grunt' that a lot of Gibsons, Jacksons, and other companies that favour passive pickups have. I think that's why a lot of active-using artists mix the bass tracks way back, almost into the guitar tracks: to make the guitars sound like they have that low end presense that is lacking from these pickups.

For leads, this guitar is great. For powerchording and other rhythm work, I strongly recommend one of the previously mentioned Jacksons.

You are aware that ESP doesn't ONLY make guitars with EMG pickups, right? I bought the MH-1000NT Deluxe with Seymour Duncan JB/59 passives and it's easily the best guitar I've ever played.

[CapGunRoulette]

I have to say that i own this guitar and i love it.
It is very well built,has an amazing action and has a floyd rose system that actual works.I play the guitar in D-Standard with my band and it has always done me goog

CHEERS TO ESP!!!!!

[jean_genie]

Jsteele1408 wrote:

jean_genie wrote:

Gotta' pipe up ... I really don't like these guitars. I'm not really a fan of anything that comes with EMGs stock. I admit that objectively speaking, EMGs sound cleaner and better than high-output passives. But objectively speaking, CDs sound better than records too.

The ESPs I've used all seemed to lack a certain amount of 'grunt' that a lot of Gibsons, Jacksons, and other companies that favour passive pickups have. I think that's why a lot of active-using artists mix the bass tracks way back, almost into the guitar tracks: to make the guitars sound like they have that low end presense that is lacking from these pickups.

For leads, this guitar is great. For powerchording and other rhythm work, I strongly recommend one of the previously mentioned Jacksons.

You are aware that ESP doesn't ONLY make guitars with EMG pickups, right? I bought the MH-1000NT Deluxe with Seymour Duncan JB/59 passives and it's easily the best guitar I've ever played.

And you are aware that Fender makes Stratocasters without single-coils, right? But what do almost all Fender guitars come equipped with at least one of? Not all ESPs are active, but they're all designed for that sort of sound. Which I don't like. You can feel free to have your own opinion, but don't try to make me sound like an uninformed ass just because you don't like mine.

[guitarguru48]

I have the same model that the guy at the top looked at (2006 model). I love it so much. I've had a bit of a problem with the floyd, but after i blocked it off it has become my favourite guitar to use. The pickups sound fantastic with distortion, and surprisingly even better with a clean tone. I would recommend this guitar to anyone who wants a semi-pro guitar.

[Quinlan]

I bought this one with a floyd and have now blocked it off and am much happier with it. (Personal preference. The trem was fine, even though it is starting to tarnish)