The Viper-1000 features a set neck, mahogany body, 3-piece mahogany neck, a set of EMG-81 humbuckers, a TonePros locking bridge, and XJ frets, a flamed maple top, black hardware, full neck and headstock binding, and abalone flag inlays and model name at the 12th fret.
LTD Viper-1000 Deluxe
Reviewed by:
Negative-creep, on november 15, 2012 3 of 4 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 1165.5
Purchased from: American Guitar Store
Features: - Construction: set neck
- Scale: 24.75”
- Body: mahogany w/flamed maple top
- Neck/fretboard: 3-pc. mahogany/rosewood
- Inlays: abalone flags w/name at 12th fret
- Pickups: EMG-81 active set
- Electronics: volume, tone, 3-way toggle
- Hardware: black + sperzel locking tuners + Earvana compensated nut
- Bridge: TonePros locking w/stop tailpiece
- Binding: white w/abalone (neck, headstock)
- Frets: 24 XJ
- Colors: STBLK, STBC.
I think everthing is perfect on this guitar but the color is to dark. On the website of ESP it's a lot lighter. I have the STBC and it looks purple. // 10
Sound: Today I played on it with my band and I was amazed by the tone deliverd by the EMG-81 elements. We play metal in the style like Mastodon. And this just sounds perfectly. I play on a Line 6 Spider 100 Watt. The guitar also sound clean perfect, verry dark. For the solos I play it just sound perfect I play just normal solos not very fast. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I asked the shop to put on Dadario 010 strings and to set it up right. The action is perfect. The strings are verry close to the EMG's but they don't hit any frets so it's perfect it also stays well in tune. The finish of the neck is great the binding is perfect. Only the color of the body is not realy the color you see on the website is far more purple loking. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I haven't played this guitar live yet but I think I surtenly will. Because I think this guitar is verry good bild. I don't expect to get problems with this guitar it's a very solid guitar. // 10
Impression: I think this is a excenlent metal guitar. Because of the EMG's. I don't think this guitar is for many styles of music. It's sound very dark and very brutal. // 10
LTD Viper-1000 Deluxe
Reviewed by:
trtr6842, on november 15, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 610
Purchased from: guitar center
Features: You can easily see all the specs from guitar center.com and other reviews maybe. The black nickel hardware looks great and on mine it was flawless except for one tiny scratch on the bridge. I've had the guitar for two years and the only problem I've had with the nickel is that some parts, especially parts you touch, develop tiny spots of corrosion that are hard to see but easy to feel. It has active pickups so there is a battery in that back which is easy to get to with the screwdriver. I have not had to replace it yet and its been over two years since I bought it. (I'm am fairly sure that unplugging the cord from the guitar and maybe setting the volume knob to zero when you let it sit helps with the battery life)
The locking tuners are great, especially if youve never had them before, you don't need to wind the strings around a million times when re-stringing, but beware with the high strings, especially the b and high e, because when you cinch down on the string with the locking mechanism, it can actually damage the string to the point that it will shear right at the edge on the gripper, inside the tuning peg, so I recommend stringing the high strings as if they were on standard tuners, but lock them anyway. // 9
Sound: This is definitely a guitar for distortion. It doesn't matter what type, as long as its distorted. I play thrash metal and any sort of rock I can get the music for. I am playing it through a Vox vt 30 modeling amp which has a couple of pretty dang harsh and heavy distortion channels that this guitar just rips through.
The guitar is not noisy. The only thing is that some metal (like Metallica) has mellow intro's with that awesome steely clean guitar, but even on the clean channel its hard to keep this guitar completely clean. This guitar also does a great job with picking up harmonics, including pinch harmonics. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The finish on this guitar was perfect except for the teeny tiny scratch I mentioned earlier.
The guitar was set up well as I remember it, (it was two years ago) I think I adjusted the bridge height slightly, but it was pretty spot on.
One thing I did and recommend is that you hold down the 24th fret on both E strings and then turn the two round headed screws on the the plastic part that holds the pickup to raise the pickups as close as you can get them to the strings (all while holding down the 24th fret, that is key) without the strings buzzing. This will give you a more evil and awesome sound. (if you plan on using a clean tone sometimes his isnt for you)
Other than that I don't remember changing anything, except the strings it came with were crap. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I don't play live or with a strap much so I wouldn't know anything about the strap buttons except that they feel very solid, just don't know how well they hold a strap, bu I guess that also depends on the strap.
The hardware (except from the minor corrosion spots on the tuners, which could most likely be avoided by cleaning every once and a while) has been very solid. // 10
Impression: As I said before I play metal and I have been for over six years now with an awesome instructor. I have a Vox vt 30 (love that amp) and also a mexico made Strat with the bridge mounted humbucker.
I would buy this guitar again and again if I had to (and had the money) and it is definitely a great guitar for the money, especially because guitar center gave me about $150 off because I had a coupon and they didn't have it in the store, but I ordered it there and they had it shipped to the store where I picked it up.
I love everything about this guitar, hate nothing, and my favorite thing is the sound. (one thing, the strings seem a tiny bit stiffer on this guitar than on my strat, but easy to play still) my favorite feature is the sound ( I know its not really a feature), but it is anyway.
I chose this one over others( especially the other ESP Ltd. Xxx 1000 deluxe modes (which are all vers similar except shape and pickups)) ecause of the way it looked (the neck is really long and the whole thing looks mean) and the way it played and the way it sounded. // 10
LTD Viper-1000 Deluxe
Reviewed by:
enswinchester, on november 15, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: C$ 442.75
Purchased from: Long & McQuade
Features: Set Mahogany Neck With Mahogany Body
24.75 Scale With 24 XJ Frets
Ebony Finger Board
Thin U Neck
ESP Locking Tuners And a Tonepros locking TOM Bridge
Equipped With Seymour Duncan Custom-5 (Neck) And Seymour Duncan 59 (Bridge)
Has an Olympic White Finish // 10
Sound: The Seymour Duncan Custom-5/59, used on a Line 6, Spider IV 75, sound amazing and even that's an understatement. They have a simply beautiful clean and when pumped full of gain, sound heavy as anything, making it the perfect guitar for pretty much anything Metal. I'm not entirely sure how it would sound with anything since I play only metal but when chords are played, they ring out clearly and when trying to pull off an epic pinch harmonic, you'll pretty much make it scream. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I don't know how well it was factory set, because it was used in the store. When I got it home, I set it up myself and had no problems doing it. I found that in one of the horns of the Viper, a bit of a bubble in the finish which surprised me a little since the rest of it was finished pretty much perfectly. I don't much like the stock tuners either, but the fact that they lock tightly and haven't come lose on me yet makes the fact they're stock seem very small. The placement of the slector Switch is very awkward though when playing, as you have to move your hand a little further than you should to Switch your pickups. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I played with this guitar live yesterday and I was so impressed with the guitar, I used it without having a backup at hand. It sounded great on stage and not once did my strap come lose at all. I would use again without having a spare guitar around, knowing that this Viper wont let me down. // 10
Impression: Over all, its epic. The guitar just screams metal and when you play metal on it, it lives up to all expectations for hard rhythm, or fast leads, this guitar won't let you down. The Seymour Duncans are just the greatest thing about this guitar, with how thin the neck is being the second. The rest of it, is all as good as everything else...awesome. I would change a few things though, very, VERY minor things, such as the colour. I would make it dark red or something rather than having it as a pure white with gold hardware, and I would change out the tuners for Grover Locking Tuners. But other than that, this guitar is easily the best one I have ever played so far. If I were to lose this guitar or have it stolen, I would cry probably more than I ever have before. As much as I would love to be able to get another, I wouldn't be able to, as I got this guitar for a rare price as it was. // 10
I played the white Viper-1000 with the duncan 59's in it tonight for about 2 hours. It kicks ass. The build quality on the viper 1000's is superb. The store I was in was a smaller local store, and they still figured they could beat $1000 on the guitar...which is fantastic. I am all but sure I am buying a viper-1000 now...it's just a matter of deciding between the black one with emg's or the white one with the duncans....decisions decisions!
Just to clarify, I have played the limited edition epiphone SG with EMG's, and the comparable ESP's I have played blow it out of the water.
I Love My Opaque white Viper 1000 Deluxe
the custome 5's (neck) and vintage 59' (bridge) pick ups are perfect from anything from Hendrix to Chili Peppers to shredding out your favorite Metallica solo. a definite must get for the diverse guitarist i fell in love with this guitar at the start. To be honest i was going to get the schecter Synyster Gates Custom but when i found out that The custom 5s are a better version of syns invaders and the vintage 59;s are EXACTLY what Zacky Vengaence uses this became an easy buy for me. And You Cant Go Wrong with the sleak off-white color and beatiful golden hardware. Its a very solid smooth play and i highly recommend it esecially because you can even get tone out of it without it plugged in :O
I have played this guitar and i absolutely love it. I currently own a ESP Ltd Ec-1000 Vintage black (which i love with all my heart.) I have played a Gibson SG, and by far this guitar here kicks its ass, whenever I bring up guitars i bring up ESP Ltds' great quality (great price too.) I plan on to making this guitar here my next guitar. plus you cannot beat the price, i'd buy this guitar over an SG any day. 975$ vs 3,500 to 4,500$ i'd chose the 975$ Viper which like i said kicks the SG's ass
The ESP LTD Deluxe Series are some of the best guitars in thier price range. I have a ltd m-1000 deluxe in the snow white. It plays great and sounds amazing. ltd deluxes are the way to go for sure.
haha, both reviewers play thier ltds through a line 6 spider...so do.
