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| Sound: | |
| Value: | |
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Pros:
- Great Sound
- Handsome
Cons:
- Not Affordable
Beautiful things are not a rare thing. They are abundant and replicable infinitely. Yet there are beautiful things that truly strike your eye and mind and stick with you. Some of these things are pieces of art, others, by pure chance, turn out to be instruments. The ESP LTD EC Series EC-1000 strikes me as one of these beautiful things in the world. Yes it is easily replicable, but whatever, the more of it there is, the happier I am. Let’s take a closer look at the instrument and figure out what makes me so happy.
Body Quality
The body and the design are probably the most striking things you notice about the guitar when you first see it. Which is why it will be discussed first .The manufacturer of the guitar took a hint from Les Paul and twisted it just a little bit into something of their own. The slight spike to the cutaway of the guitar gives it a feeling of superior style. The black/gray coloring is classy, to say the least. The gold coloured binding of the guitar adds on a whole load of more class, and in the end we get a beautiful guitar.
The body is build out of, predictably, mahogany. Mahogany is a great tonewood because of the multitude of amazing qualities it has. First and foremost, let’s talk about the effects on the tone. Mahogany is known to have a warming effect on the sound a guitar. It resonates exceptionally well with the lower tone sounds, while also having an interesting, thickening effect on the other tone ranges. Mahogany is very durable, not having issues dealing with collisions, dents or scratches. The wood might be a little on the heavy side, but this is less of a problem with this guitar, the body of which is smaller than you’d expect.
The neck of the guitar is made of mahogany as well. While some of you might feel uncomfortable with a solid piece of mahogany for an instrument, I would encourage you instead. Mahogany is a very sturdy wood, which means the neck of this guitar is stable and prone to resisting damage. It is also slightly lighter than maple, which result in the guitar being a little more comfortable to hold. The fretboard of the guitar is, as expected, made of rosewood.
Hardware
The bridge of the guitar is the TonePros locking Tune-o-Matic design. This bridge guitar design looks very good on the Les Paul-shaped guitars, especially so on this model. The action from the rise of the bridge is great and the restringing of the guitar is easy.
The nut of the guitar is made out of synthetic materials. The nut is high quality though and does a great job of keeping the sound clean, clear and harmonious.
The tuning machine of this guitar is exceptional. The design is beautiful, of course, and the tuning stability can rely on no matter how much you travel or play.
Electronics
The guitar comes with the combination of two pickups, one at the bridge one at the neck. The two are EMG pickups, the EMG 81 and the EMG 60 on the black model, and two Seymour Duncans, the JB and the 59, on the sunburst model. These pickups are exceptional at their job, humbucking through the loudest crowds and concert halls. The sound is powerful and versatile.
The guitar comes with a simple set of controls, with three knobs. Two of them are for individual volume settings of the humbuckers, while one determines the tone of the guitar.
LTD EC-1000 Sound
The guitar has a powerful sound that works incredibly well with the classy look. While you are playing smooth and beautiful tones thanks to the versatile humbuckers, you will also enjoy the ability to switch to a sustain heavy tone. Whatever it is you are playing, the sound of the guitar can be adjusted to it. Though the guitar is especially well suited for rock and roll.
Conclusion
A great guitar whichever way you look at it. Versatile in sound, handsome in look, I can’t help but wonder whether it should be slightly more expensive. Then again, it is not affordable so the price justified I guess. Good for intermediate and advanced, or even professional players. Recommended.
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