I was hesitant about buying this. For the last year and change, I felt the price was just a bit high. I made an offer on it about a year ago for about 12% below asking price and it was declined. I waited, and eventually just paid the asking price because maybe it would be worth it. And honestly, I should've paid the fucking asking price a year ago.
I think back to my LTD and it was a bit neck heavy and somewhat clunky to maneuver around and play. It was a bit heavy as well.
This guitar...I don't even know what to say honestly lol. It's absolutely fucking fantastic!! I've had a handful of ESPs in the past, and they've always kinda felt somewhat "dead" in terms of feel and tone. They typically play and sound great, but they lack this vibrancy that even some of my LTDs have had in the past. Well, that is not the case here! It's very vibrant and resonant feeling. It's really close in weight to my OGV, which is excellent. Feels easy to mover around with, the neck feels amazing...fast and sleek but not thin like an Ibanez. As soon as I picked it up out of the case, it felt like a handmade, premium instrument. The back edge of the body is slightly contoured, too, which is nice for upper fret access, and the neck join is very nicely carved. The LTD version doesn't have either of these features, it felt very blocky at the neck joint. That's not the case here. Also, the LTD had a painted neck.
Also...mind blowingly great condition for a 15 year old guitar!! There's not even any fret wear. Just a little repaired damage on one of the wing tips, which you can't even see from the front.
Best guitar purchase in quite some time!!
Before
After
