LTD Truckster Review

It features a mahogany body, EMG 81/60 active pickups, Sperzel locking tuners, rosewood fingerboard w/ flag inlays, satin chrome hardware, and much more!

Features:	8.8
Sound:	9.3
Action:	9
Reliability:	8.5
Impression:	9
Overall rating:	8.9
Users rating:	8
Comments:	41

overall: 10

Featured review by: aintlifegrand, on november 07, 2005

Purchased from: SamAsh

Features: Set-neck construction; 24.75" scale; mahogany body; 3-piece mahogany neck; rosewood fingerboard; flag inlays w/LTD at 12th fret; EMG 81/60 active pickups; 2 volume & 1 tone control w/2x3-way toggle (toggle in upper position is inactive); satin chrome hardware; Sperzel locking tuners; TonePros locking bridge w/stop tailpiece; white binding on body, neck & headstock; 22 XJ frets. // 10

Sound: I play mostly metal and this works great, I love the tone of the EMG's they sound great. Right now I'm using a Line 6 Spider II 212, but in a month am getting a Peavey 6505+, to really bring out the tone. But for now the Line6 sounds pretty good with the EMG's. The sound is a little bright with the 81 so I mainly use the 60, but the 81 sounds great with solos. Is has a very nice sound and unplugged it is quit loud with a great tone. It has fairly nice sustain and some good natural harmonics as well. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I was very surprised on the settings when I recieved it, the action was nice and low, but not too low as to get unwanted fret buzzing. The EMG's appear to be set at a very nice height, right up in there under the strings. It has a very nice fast great sounding low action, I couldn't have asked for anything more. It definitly saves me a trip to the guitar shop to get it set up. The construction was very nice, no spare glue laying around on the body or neck, all knobs were nice and tight, strap buttons seem nice and tight, wouldn't be worried about them coming out at all. All sontrols worked very smooth. Only prob was the strings were a tad bit oxidized, but replacing the stings isn't a big deal. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I'm really impressed with this guitar and the craftsmanship that ESP put into it. It is definitly one of the nicest guitars I have ever played on. Everything seems like it will last all knobs and strap buttons are very secure, the guitar is nice and light so I wouldn't worry about the strap buttons coming out. I would almost always have a backup no matter what guitar I was playing with, but I gaurantee this would not let you down. The finish is great, it just looks like it can take a beating, and if it did, who cares, it's already distressed, just adds your own character. // 10

Impression: For me this guitar is a perfect match, playing mainly metal it sounds great, but I also play some classic rock, and it sounds great with that as well. I have been playing for 11 years and have played on quite a few guitars and am highly impressed with this guitar. One of the nicer LTD models I have seen. If it were stolen I would most likely hunt down the thiefs family slowly murdering them all, while the thief was tied up in the corner watching, I would then proceed to beat him to death with his own mother's arm, then I would buy a new one. This is a really great guitar I hate nothing, but love everything. I actually changed my order at the last minute from the KH-602 to this, and am highly pleased with my decision. Now I have to save back up for the KH-602. The one thing I wish this had was a nice ol' floyd rose or something of that nature, but then again I bought this bacause I needed a solid rhythm guitar, and that is exactly what I got. // 10

overall: 9.2

Reviewed by: jimzer, on february 11, 2008

Price paid: $ 681.72

Features: My truckster was Brand New and made in Korea. It has 22 frets with a very comfortable thin, shaved neck. It has a rosewood fretboard which is sweet to play. The body is made of mahogany and it comes in a very special finish. it is painted black then white then red and then sanded down to match James Hetfield's original truckster axe, in my opinion it looks awesome. It comes with sperzel locking machine heads and a tonepros locking bridge. It comes loaded with the active emg 81/60 pickup combo which absolutely scream. It has a volume knob for each pickup, tone knob, a pickup selector at the knobs and a pickup selector swtich at the top which is inactive (this emulates James' original axe). // 9

Sound: It surely suits metal, blues and all other heavy genres too. I play it through a Vox AD15VT and it has wicked tone. As I said it can cover all your heavy tones from zeppelin hard rock to maiden Metallica thrash and heavy metal. If I had a Marshall tube combo or head+cab then the emg's would really be unleashed but they still sound wicked awesome from the Vox. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: it came up fairly out of tune but that was rectify quick. The pickups were adjusted fine but the battery was kinda almost dead but that was also rectify. It came all setup and ready to play. The strings were awesome but I have no clue what brand they are. I've had the axe for a super long time and they haven't dulled yet. I play it so much I thought they'd be changed by now but they are still as bright as from the day I bought them. // 9

Reliability & Durability: The truckster is very sturdy. I've hit it on table corners and can barely notice a ding. But anyway, the truckster is meant to be dinged to look badass! The finish is awesome. You can actually sand it down even more to get the colours you want in the axe. Very creative. // 9

Impression: I play mostly heavy stuff like Metallica and Megadeth and this axe covers it all. If it were stolen I might buy another one, they are quite expensive new. I love everything about this axe. The tone, the colours, the ability to stay in tune for an eternity, just perfect. The only thing I wish it had was for the top pickup selector switches between active and passive, that'd be super awesome. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on november 17, 2007

Purchased from: Sam Ash

Features: I have a 2006 LTD Truckster and it lives up to its Legacy as James Hetfields signature guitar. It comes out of the box with plenty of goodies like locking tuners, strap locks, and an EMG 81/60 active pickup set. It has 22 frets and plays beautifully. There are 2 volume knobs, 1 tone knob, and a 3 way pickup selector. It is basically a Les Paul Copy modified specifically for hard rock/metal. // 9

Sound: This guitar sounds amazing. This is such a satisfying guitar to play, the neck is perfect and feels like silk. The tone is unbeatable as well. If your not a fan of EMG pickups then this is not the guitar for you. The bridge pickup (EMG 81) has a very brilliant sound to it when it's clean, and screams and wails when it's distorted. It really shines with distortion though, sometimes I've found it to sound a bit too weak when it's clean. The EMG's have a clarity unlike any other pickup, even when strumming full chords with distortion the single notes are still distinct. The EMG 60 in the neck position is decent with distortion but have a very warm voicing when it's used with a clean tone. All in all I had no complaints from the pickups. They have no buzz and sound amazing! // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The action was almost perfect when it came out of the box. I had a slight buzz on the low E string which was easily fixed with a tiny truss rod adjustment. The finish, hardware, and wiring were all flawless. The finish to this guitar is very unique though, you will either love it or hate it. Other than the slight buzz everything was perfect on this guitar right out of the box. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is a tank. I beat the daylight out of it traveling and gigging and this guitar has held up beautifully. After months of constant gigging I have never had any problems with any of the hardware or wiring of the guitar. The finish is already beat up looking so even if you do manage to knick it up nobody will ever be able to tell which is a bonus in my opinion. I have a Dean Razorback as a backup guitar, and it has never seen a show yet. The Truckster has never failed once on me. The only thing that you need to remember is to change the battery for the pickups every few months. // 10

Impression: This guitar is a tank. I beat the daylight out of it traveling and gigging and this guitar has held up beautifully. I have never regretted buying this guitar, it was worth every penny I paid for it. I looked for a long time and at every major brand to find my perfect rhythm guitar and this was it. It is a no frills heavy metal guitar! If you aren't too fond of the finish, or aren't a Metallica fan I would recommend the LTD EC-1000 instead. It has all the same features just about and is a bit cheaper, selling for around $800. Overall this is the best guitar I have ever owned. I wouldn't have to think twice about replacing it if something ever happened to it. I would strongly recommend this guitar to anyone looking to purchase it! // 10

overall: 6.8

Reviewed by: Iplayneatthings, on november 17, 2007

Purchased from: Axe Music Store

Features: The ESP LTD Truckster has a Set Neck construction 24.75" scale, a mahogany body, a 3-piece mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard, Thin you neck shape, Schaller locking tuners, Flag inlays and 22 XJ frets, Satin chrome hardwear, Tonepros T3B-T & T1Z Bridge and Tailpiece and features an EMG 81 in the bridge and EMG 60 in the neck and white binding on the neck body and headstock. This guitar is based off of the ESP Eclipse series of guitars with a few minor changes. This guitar all features two three way pick up selectors, the second of which is just a dummy switch (located near the top of the body). // 7

Sound: The ESP LTD Truckster sounds great for most types of rock and heavy metal music. The EMG's give it a really nice crunch through an amp with overdrive or distortion. The pickups remain relatively clean sounding so it's not too muddy. The Truckster performs as expected with EMG pickups on a clean tone. They aren't the best for riffs aimed at being crystal clear but this isnt surprising for such high output pickups. The only time I get any amount of hum from this guitar is when my amp is on the lead channel, but it is minimal. I'm running this guitar through a Peavey JSX Signature Head with a Boss DD-6 Delay in the effects loop and a Zakk Wylde Signature Wah through the input. This guitar is really well suited for heavy metal and heavier rock genres. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar came perfectly set up from the factory. The action was at a reasonable level and the pickups were well adjusted as well. I've had this guitar for just over a year now and I haven't changed a thing on it except the strings. The guitar contained no flaws, the bridge, finish, action, and pickup placement were great.No problems here. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This guitar seems like it's built to last. I do have an issue with the strap buttons and tuners though. I found that the strap buttons almost too small in a way, the strap seemed to slip off of the top button quite often during playing. The other issue I have is that the B string seems to go horibly flat after a while more so then the others. That being said I haven't had any major tuning problems with the other strings. I personally use this as more of a secondary guitar that I keep in different tunings such a drop D or down a half step etc. I wouldn't take any guitar to a gig without a back up. // 5

Impression: Overall The ESP LTD Truckster give you a real great bang for your buck sound. I play mostly hard rock (Zeppelin, Van Halen, Kiss etc) and heavy metal (Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Testament, Metal Church, Ozzy etc). And it handles these genres and bands perfectly. I particularly prefer this guitar for rhythm guitar parts, not because it's a James Hetfield model and he plays rhythm (mostly), but because its sound is really big and thick with overdriven chords. I've been playing over 6 years and I find it to be a guitar that really delivers. My favourite thing without a doubt are of course the EMG pickups, they are just perfect for heavy music. The only thing I wish this guitar had was the Sperzel locking tuners like the higher end ESP Truckster model has, but hey you can't have it all. I also own a Dean Dime-O-Flame and a Fender American Standard Strat which are both amazing guitars. I think personally if it were stolen I would not buy it again as I'm someone who perfers to have a whammy bar on thier guitar because I play a lot of leads that incorporate it. Definately a guitar worth checking out if you're in the market for a guitar with a really tight crunch sound that can deliver when playing on 11. // 7

Comments

[epi-g-400-goth]

i like tha kewl lookin decal-ish burn mark things on it!!!

[MaAal_MaAan]

Stress marks

[xsoupx]

I really hate the look of this guitar. I'm sure it plays great and all, but it just looks tacky, like something you'd see someone in a really godawful metal band playing... uh... how appropriate.

[ChangTurkey]

Reminds me of a cow, but the shape is nice.

[slipknot_13]

its a rip of the gibson les paul. all esp's r rip offs of other guitars

[henza_x]

slipknot_13 wrote:

its a rip of the gibson les paul. all esp's r rip offs of other guitars

well durh, its like a les paul..
genius

[LakeboDom]

only better than a les paul

[Yoms]

I really hate the look of this guitar. I'm sure it plays great and all, but it just looks tacky, like something you'd see someone in a really godawful metal band playing

lol, this is the James Hetfield signature guitar....so basically its played by the best metal band ever...

[pedro_008]

James Hetfield is frikkin awesome and so maybe his signature guitar will be too?

[espdude96]

damn dude this guitar is awesome i have this one and the kirk hammet one and this one sounds better!! they are both awesome but this one is better for that metal tone

[metal_skill]

ok, slipnot_13, #1 your an idiot. #2 what other shape do you expect guitars to be. theyre made in those specific shapes for a reason. the les paul shape has great sustain. If you make guitars in wierd shapes the quality of the sound goes way down. And those marks on the guitar make it look the way james' did after he wore off the paint on the St. Anger tour

[etard]

As for guitar shapes, most of them are licensed shapes. Everyone rips off from everyone for a price. How many people have strat shaped guitars in their line-ups? Countless.

Anyways, the stress marks on this guitar, I initially thought were just paint or decals... But alas it's actually sanded down, scratched and ****ed up so that it at least adds a bit of authenticity to the instrument. Also, since each one is hand sanded and stressed, no two are exactly alike, which is dope.

I picked up one of these less than a month ago. Bottom line, there is nothing wrong with the guitar whatsoever. Just cause it's got Hetfield's name on it doesn't make the guitar terrible just because you think Metallica is garbage. The electronic configuration in this (and most ESP Eclipses for that matter) offer enough versatility to cover such a wide spectrum of music. All around impressive to me.

metal_skill, that's not how the truckster came to be created. James basically took one of his black eclipses, with his guitar tech he added 2 additional layers of primer to the instrument and went at it with sand paper, nails, steel wool, everything. Although it would have been wicked if his guitar was just naturally worked like that.

[JamesHetfield2]

metal_skull is right about the guitar bein bukld when james used it throughout the st anger tour, says on esp website and near enough every other site that sells the guitar

[JamesHetfield2]

" This model is manufactured to the exact specifications of James’ Truckster, a modified ESP Eclipse-style stage guitar used on the St. Anger tour. It features a multi-layered finish strategically sanded through and fully distressed to simulate the original."

[Spanky Dude]

i

[etard]

Just because it says 'fully distressed to simulate the original' doesn't mean that it's how the guitar initially came into conception. When have you ever seen James play a primer gray Eclipse that wasn't his Truckster? Um, never. It was purposely scuffed up.

[etard]

"As Metallica prepared to tour for their 2003 album, St. Anger, Hetfield decided he wanted a guitar that would reflect the album’s raw sound. So he and a friend took one of the guitarist’s black 24 3/4–inch-scale ESP Eclipse axes, gave it several coats of color and aged it in the appropriate spots on the body, neck and pickups rings. He also deactivated the topside pickup switch and replaced one of the tone knobs with a threeway toggle. The ESP Truckster is a faithful recreation of that guitar with respect to looks and hardware."

[JamesHetfield2]

etard u dont get wot im sayin just coz i proved u wrong when u tried to correct another person u make up and excuse. oh have u ever seen james play a grey eclipse?. I havent actually and i no the original guitar was black. So uv just asked me a pointless question the truckster was destressed to simulate the original didnt say the original was grey mate.....
put an r infront of ur name u tit

[Der Bomber]

That's one ugly guitar (the coating, not the shape and sound though).

[mrost123]

actually etard is correct on how the originals finish occured, its so ****ing obvious and how does tour damage make it look anything like that?

[etard]

you're trying to point out that the original guitar became distressed that way simply by playing.

i'm telling you this is not the case.

and honestly, resulting in petty name-calling... really, is that necessary? if you're going to take a shot at me, please at least learn to spell properly.

[livetodie180]

ok besides all this bickering i've been reading some of you have said some interesting comments. I resently bought this guitar, and i'm very happy with it. i personaly love the sound and if your expecting any sound besides hetfields then you don't realize that it's HIS guitar. you don't buy a hetfield sig. guitar and expect it to sound like SRV. so when you judge a signature guitar. you rate it to how much it really sounds like the owners. and slipknot_13, you don't know much about ESPs i'm guessing because most esps don't even look like any other guitars. I love ESPs because they have their own looks and styles. that all i have to say.

-Hans

[GHalsey]

I had a pop with one at a local shop and can say it played like a absolute dream. Shame as I prefer his EX guitars as he use(d) them far more often

[whiplash_90]

the actual guitar is quite heavy and chunky, as hetfield plays with jumbo frets. it just feels good to hold, though i agree it only feels right if you play a certain type of music, i.e. metallica (heavier stuff).

i think it looks rad and if you dont like the look of it, go to your music store and play it, you may change your mind.

[etard]

compared to a les paul, it's actually really light.

[dj600]

you people are reatarded the reason it looks the way it does is because James loves old trucks and he wanted to incorperate that into his guitar. read up on the guitar before you put a bunch of bulshit reasons for the finish out there

[Der Bomber]

Yoms wrote:

I really hate the look of this guitar. I'm sure it plays great and all, but it just looks tacky, like something you'd see someone in a really godawful metal band playing

lol, this is the James Hetfield signature guitar....so basically its played by the best metal band ever...

Well duh, he was being sarcastic

[DeathByStereo23]

Can anyone explains me how the 2X3 toggle works?

[etard]

the top one doesn't "work" at all. it's not wired up.

[mrbiscuits315]

I would of considered buying this if it wasnt the cow's closest genetic relitive.

[eetfuk58]

i own it.

its pretty amazing. althought i must say i like my alexi laiho model better.

and my real esp eclipse is unbeatable haha. yeah i like esp's.

[yo yo]

Yoms wrote:

I really hate the look of this guitar. I'm sure it plays great and all, but it just looks tacky, like something you'd see someone in a really godawful metal band playing


lol, this is the James Hetfield signature guitar....so basically its played by the best metal band ever...

The thing is that James Hetfield uses the ESP version of truckster. The ESP one has realistic scratches and the back and its jst beter this is jst my opinion

[disterbed93]

kick ass guitar, i have one plays great and sounds great

[Brad_Bassist]

Der Bomber wrote:

Yoms wrote:

I really hate the look of this guitar. I'm sure it plays great and all, but it just looks tacky, like something you'd see someone in a really godawful metal band playing

lol, this is the James Hetfield signature guitar....so basically its played by the best metal band ever...


Well duh, he was being sarcastic

No he wasn't.

[Twisted Magnum]

They should've just made a J-Het signature in the shape of an EX, since he played those 90% more than the Truckster.

[FantomLord]

Twisted Magnum wrote:

They should've just made a J-Het signature in the shape of an EX, since he played those 90% more than the Truckster.

I love the ESP Explorers, but they don't make 'em anymore 'cause Gibson sued them.
It's too bad though...

[ironwolg]

this is a badass guitar and my most prized posession
GET IT NOW

[1201ZJ]

xsoupx wrote:

I really hate the look of this guitar. I'm sure it plays great and all, but it just looks tacky, like something you'd see someone in a really godawful metal band playing... uh... how appropriate.

I agree with you, although metallica is the best band EVER, but anyway, James' Explorers were like a trademark for him, but now he goes to this?

[ironwolg]

1201ZJ wrote:

xsoupx wrote:

I really hate the look of this guitar. I'm sure it plays great and all, but it just looks tacky, like something you'd see someone in a really godawful metal band playing... uh... how appropriate.

I agree with you, although metallica is the best band EVER, but anyway, James' Explorers were like a trademark for him, but now he goes to this?

yeah i was hoping for an explorer too, but this guitar is awesome. i love the look of it, it's great all around.

[liam2309]

Yoms wrote:

I really hate the look of this guitar. I'm sure it plays great and all, but it just looks tacky, like something you'd see someone in a really godawful metal band playing

lol, this is the James Hetfield signature guitar....so basically its played by the best metal band ever...

+1

[livewire76]

Id love this guitar but even more the limited ESP "Iron cross" thats out now. Limited numbers and a price tag thats waaay over my budget i wont be able to get it but goddamm, i want one!!