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Pros:
- Good Sound
- Interesting Design
- Affordable
Cons:
- Tuning Stability Issues
- Easy to Outgrow
The problem with affordable guitars is that most of them feel the same in many ways. To truly stand out manufacturers either have to start innovating or creating new, interesting gimmicks for the buyers to enjoy. Whatever they do, sometimes they come out with an interesting guitar. The ESP LTD MH-100QMNT is one of these interesting guitars, but entirely on accident. Let us take a close look at the instrument and see, what makes it so unique.
Body Quality
First and foremost is the discussion of the design choices made by the manufacturer. The body of the guitar is designed in an obvious imitation of the stratocaster design. This is not a bad thing, as stratocaster is a famous enough design with a lot of positive things to it. The guitar is comfortable to play, thanks to the design, and grants easy access to the pesky high tone frets that most people find so hard to play. The quilted maple top of the guitar looks very beautiful, especially with the purple coloring. This coloring is in actuality one of the biggest differentiators of the guitar, making it look mysterious, a little gothic, and all around appealing.
The body of the guitar is constructed of the very famous Basswood. This hardwood is well known for its positive properties. To be more specific, the tonewood is known to have a very positive effect on the lower tones. It has a tendency to resonate with them better and bring out more nuance in the bass. The tonewood also adds a little more warmth to the rest of the sounds produced by the instrument. Basswood is also known to be very light, which is always a positive for any guitar player. You don’t have to deal with shoulder pain! The only drawback is that basswood is a little on the gentle side and can dent and scratch even with the slightest impact.
The neck of the guitar is built out of traditional maple. The traditional in this case does not mean the wood was grown in some special way, but it means that maple is the most common neck material. The result is a very sturdy neck which is in no danger of being damaged, possibly ever. The neck is bolt on, which is kind of expected of an affordable guitar, but I do still prefer myself a different neck construction. The fretboard of the guitar is made out of a very pleasant, to the touch and the eye, rosewood.
Hardware
There aren’t many bridges that look good on a stratocaster body design. The tune-o-matic bridge is one of the bridges that actually do, which is fortunate, because the design is on this guitar. It is a string through type of bridge as well, which means the guitar is easy to restring. The bridge also provides decent action during play.
The nut of the guitar is made of synthetic material. The synthetic bone, as it is known, is a decent material by all standards, providing the guitar with adequate insulation from string buzz. Nothing world shatteringly amazing, but at least you have a chance to not deal with string buzz.
The tuning machine of the guitar could do a little better. While a better made version than the guitars of cheaper price tend to be, the tuner does go out of tune a little on the sooner side than wanted. Not to worry though, as tuning a guitar every few days is a normal thing in this price range.
Electronics
The guitar is equipped with two humbuckers for optimal power and sound. The ESP LH-150 are standard humbuckers for affordable ESP models. They provide just enough sustain, just enough nuance and just enough power for a beginner to appreciate. You might find yourself wanting to replace them eventually because your demands for sound will go beyond what the ESPs are able of providing.
The guitar comes with a standard set of controls. Two knobs to allow you control over the volume and the tone of the guitar and a single level to control the pickup configuration. You won’t be needing much more as a beginner.
LTD MH-100QMNT Sound
The guitar has a really decent sound, much more so than a guitar of this price and make has the right to have. This is what makes this guitar unique: the combination of the tonewoods, master crafting and electronics allows the guitar to sound great. Whether you want clean tone or dirtier, more rock-and-roll tone, this guitar has it all. Still, the guitar could use a little bit more of an upgrade once you become better with the instrument, but until then this is more than enough.
Conclusion
The uniqueness of this guitar lies within two aspects: it’s purple color and it’s purple sound. Both of these are royal, just like the color purple, and definitely enjoyable. Highly recommended to beginners and put up for consideration among average to professional players.
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