Still waiting for Phil to refer to a "Phillips head" screwdriver as a "My head" screwdriver.....tell me that's not the worst joke you've heard all year
Played one today and fell very much in love with this guitar over the PRS Hollow body that I played for about 3 hours. I played this thing for about 20 minutes and this thing rocks right out of the gate.
Hi, Phillip! GREAT review and inspection. I wound up buying a slightly used one, and it's INCREDIBLE. Wow! I didn't even know such a transducer Fishman and Seymour's JB and 59 [neck]. What a rich compendium of tone. Coil split also. I owe you a debt of gratitude. I'm grateful for your comprehensive approach, especially since this ESP is my last guitar. Sadly, I got a Stage IV leukemia diagnosis recently, and I want to go out rockin.' Putting together a final album gig, in honor of my dear, late buddy, Warren Zevon. Bless you, brother. I know you'll recognize the tone when you hear it. Thanks for everything, Phil. "I have no Yesterdays... Time took them away. Tomorrow may not be...but... I have Today." Bye, Phil. KYG...Know Yo Gary!
Love the longer format and especially the fact that you showed measurements for the depth of neck at 1st and 12th frets and you described the neck profile. Nobody really does that and I have no idea why. The neck profile and taper, along with the fret size and dressing determines so much of the playing experience. Thanks!
You should check out the UA-cam channel The Trogly's Guitar Show. Because he does all that, measuring the neck depth along the entire neck to demonstrate the taper. And he goes into it and measures absolutely everything, in way more detail than literally anyone else I've ever seen in UA-cam. He'll dismantle the guitar, take it all apart to look inside, look at the pickups, look at the bridge, look at how it was painted and whether it's a veneer top or a proper top, everything. In more detail than you'd ever need really. But it's still fascinating His business is to buy and sell guitars. He does that full time for a living. But every guitar he buys, he'll do this complete breakdown of it in a video. And he manages to get his hands on some incredibly rare guitars. He'll plop down $30,000 on a whim, just to try out this rare guitar, make a video about it, take it all apart and then put it back together, and then sell it for $31,000 a week after he bought it, or whatever. He just documents so many rare guitars, like signature guitars where only 200 were made or something. He'll manage to get his hands on a real one and document it for us, and most of these videos of rare guitars he does, there's usually literally no other video on UA-cam about it, certainly not a hands on demo, because these guitars are so rare. So Trogly is like a curator for a guitar museum almost. He's become a world leading expert on how to identify whether something is a real rare guitar, or a cheap Chinese knockoff. There was a whole thing where he bought one of Slash's first ever Gibson signature guitars. But it turned out to be fake. And so over the years he's become an expert on identifying Gibson guitars from all decades, he's even had Gibsons from the 50s. Those are the ones that usually cost tens of thousands of dollars. But yeah, his video about it will usually be the only hands on video about it across the entire Internet. That makes him unique. His channel is unique among all guitar channels. Nobody gets as many rare obscure and ludicrously expensive guitars as he does. And yeah, he now offers a service where people will send him their rare Gibson guitar to him, and he'll identify whether it's real or fake. There's possibly nobody else in the world who can do what he does, and that's no hyperbole. He only began this service because when he had the fake Gibson slash snake pit guitar, he couldn't find anyone in the world who had the expertise to judge whether it's real or fake. So Trogly years later set up this service himself. Because he wished there'd been a service like that when he had the fake Snakepit I'm a big fan of his as you can tell. I'm shilling for him really, for free, voluntarily lol. Maybe I should ask for payment for that job lol. But nah I just think he's one of the top 5 guitar channels on UA-cam. And he does all this breakdown and measuring of everything, so I think you'd absolutely love him. His channel is addictive. Once you watch one video of him breaking down and demoing a guitar, you'll end up spending hours and hours just binging his videos. And yeah, you wanna see some extraordinarily rare guitars? His channel is the best for that.
This is easily my favorite guitar channel on UA-cam, I love how you take the time to review a wide range of guitars and go in depth with each one of them, keep doing what you’re doing man!
Saw this video about a month ago and immediately found a used LTD Deluxe EC-1000 nearby and picked up same day. Absolutely love the guitar and can’t put it down, thank you for the review!
I have an EC 1000 Deluxe with Fishman pickups that I got for $900 out the door last Fall. It's becoming my most played guitar. Sounds great and feels amazing to play. The only thing I'd change is I wish it didn't have a gloss neck. I can always take that down to a satin finish pretty easily if I want to.
I've owned over 40 guitars in my life and still own 15, including 2 MIJ ESPs (my best guitars for sure). My LTD EC1000 is the only guitar I ever regretted selling. I'm actually in the process of finding another one but made in Korea like the one I had and with the new neck joint which is such an improvement. They are both made in Indonesia and Korea now so it's kinda hard to know what you'll end up with and I've heard some complaints about the Indo ones, although some are also happy. I'd still rather go MIK, stellar guitars almost on par with my full blown ESPs.
Don't be put off by Indo's buddy, they've been made there since 2018 so any teething issues with the move will have been well ironed out. General opinion are they are no different to Korean. I've just received a brand new Indo EC1000 blue fade and it's outstanding, absolutely flawless. I own both Korean and Indo LTD's and they are honestly equal. It's worth remembering that you will always get the odd bad example from both, and these are the ones you tend to read about in online forums or YT.
I agree... so many of them sound like tupperware in a cardboard box, equalized to approximate a Casiotone approximation of an acoustic. This doesn't sound acoustic, but DOES sound pleasing and interesting.
I bought a used, 2010 Korean EC-1000 7 ago for around $600. I replaced the EMGs with PAFs and that's it. Though this particular guitar weighs a bunch, it's been a spectacular guitar in every way
Phil, your videos have come a long way as far as production from the days in front of the surfboard. I'm very happy for all of your successes and professionalism! I've learned so much from your channel over the years. Thank you for building a great online gear community.
Great review! They made this very versatile. I have it in vintage black with gh. It had the EMG 81/60 in black and i swapped it out for the Het Set in Gold. This was my first guitar before starting a collection of 20. Still my go to guitar.
Superb review Phil!! I've owned 6 LP Gibson's over many years and none of them sound as good as this LTD guitar even discounting the acoustic guitar feature,I'm going to buy one.
The imports are getting really good now. I just bought my first electric in years, one of the new 2020 Epiphone's, and it's a fire breathing monster! For under $600 USD, you get a hell of a guitar!
I have a lower end model LTD LP and while I don't have the acoustic option, I'm astounded how much quality goes into these. ( i stole it for 300 bucks (with discount) as it had a problem with the switch which took a few minutes to replace. I looked at the higher end and I couldn't justify another 800 bucks for an acoustic option when I have a great acoustic already. I popped a Babicz TOM replacement and dropped it in. Amazing.
I bought a LTD EX-400 back in 2007, i threw it around, dragged it trough the dirt, at some point i changed the pots and wires inside and now it needs new frets and a new saddle but it never lets me down, good stuff.
What a beautiful instrument. I love everything about. This guitar covers all styles of music for $1150. I enjoy the fact that you don’t over pedal your sound. Fantastic!
Japan, Korea and Indonesia build killer guitars period. Jackson built gear is certainly excellent too. This ESP in the video is very good. P.S. This blue gem sounds great, what more could you ask for.
I got an ec1000 like 6 months or so ago but with emg's. $999 from musicians friend. I'm pretty happy with it. It has a see through red maple top that was only for musicians friend and guitar center. That one sure has way more tones .
I have this one and the natural finish one with the 3 voiced fluence. 2 of the best guitars I’ve ever owned. Quality builds, setup great from the factory, and they sound fantastic. I’m in the process of selling a bunch to thin out the herd and those 2 were never even considered for sale. Love those ec-1000’s!
I had a EC-1000 goldtop back in 2011... it had Alnico 2 Pros. One of the best guitars I've ever owned, my luthier desperately wanted to buy that from me!
@@schmoemi3386 yeah, too bad. I even modified it with black metal pickup frames, black metal knobs, black pickup switch tip (the guitar looked wonderful) and added two push-pull for pickup split and out of phase... it was exceptional but I have the bad habit of continusly selling and buying gear. that EC-1000 is one of the guitars I regret the most having sold...
@@schmoemi3386 I really dig the new one in matte black with gold hardware and Seymour Duncans. I clearly remember back in 2011 the black EC-1000 only came with active pickups!
If you roll back the piezo volume to a 6-7 and your magnetics all the way down, you can get an amazing clean in a drive channel, then roll up the magnetics to completely overpower the piezo. I do this and it gives a natural feeling and sounding swell to a distorted sound without going from full clean to full drive too quickly. I always hated that abrupt change. I had my guitar designed so I could play it through two amps, but simply using ONE amp and doing this was so amazing I just never went back to two amps. I'll be checking out this guitar as I want a solid body version of what I am using.
LTDs punch well above their weight. Very very happy with my Korean built LTD M1 87 series. Flawless and incredible tone/playability. I've bought Japanese Jacksons , Charvels etc for over 20 years. LTD is at the top now for imports imo
I have this guitar in black from 2018 without the piezo pickups. Everything is the same as you’re describing, I’ve replaced the nut and pickups and it’s seriously my favorite guitar ever. No gibson could play like this does.
Longer reviews are good Phil. Especially now when it's harder to go out to a store and many purchases are online, with no chance to see/feel a guitar. Plus it's those little things like a neck feeling thicker/thinner than it is, fret condition etc that can really ruin the experience of a new guitar. Having a little more knowledge helps a lot.
I actually enjoyed my 401 better than the 1000 I had. It was more to the specs of a great Les Paul as far as thickness and stuff. Both of them were fantastic guitars for sure.
Those ESP LTD EC series are incredible players . . . One step down from the EC-1000 series I use an EC-400 as well as an EC-401 (with a Floyd Rose) & they both play circles around my Gibson Les Paul Standard Pro Plus at almost $3K . For most gigs I use those two EC-400's & a (PRS SE Santana only for for slide). For any & every genre of music those ESP EC-400s play it very easily . . . I wish I'd of tried out those ESP's prior to purchasing that Gibson as that Gibson mostly stays in the closet. Great video & demo Phillip much appreciated . . . All the best to you & yours & stay well !!!
I had an amber one in like 2003. Great guitar. I would definitely recommend it and I'm looking at getting another now that they've done more comfort cuts and the access heel.
I own an ESP LTD EC-1000 Deluxe, the goldtop with chrome covers on the pickups, a early 2010s model. I absolutely love it, it’s one of my go-to guitars.
I've a Deluxe Nashville Power Tele that has a Fishman bridge. I use it mostly for solo performance. The acoustic/magnetic combo is heavenly. I put the acoustic through the PA, and mags through an amp. The acoustic has fat, clean bottom, and sparkling highs. The mags fill out the mids. I've recently purchased a Fishman Loudbox. This Tele really sounds great... Fishman through a Fishman... go figure. One thing your guitar lacks that mine doesn't, is a stereo jack (TRS) output with a Y cable.
I’ve had an EC-1000 since 2008. Mine has EMG’s and abalone binding around the entire body and neck. It’s so beautiful. 14 years after first buying it, I still just look at it in admiration sometimes. Best Les Paul body guitars on the market. You won’t get that quality for price from any other company.
Hey Phil, what a great vid about such a fun sounding guitar. Really loved those accoustic warm tones. I had not heard one before so this was a great intro for me. Plus the 2 amp option ! Thanks again.
I had an EC-1000 DLX and really loved it. So well built. I've also had Piezoelectric pickups in two different axes - the Godin xtSA and the Dean Zelinsky Signature Veloce. They each handled the piezo differently, as the Veloce used a "ghost" system which had individual transducers for each string saddle. The Veloce sounded more even and natural, by far, and the Godin had the better control options. They both sounded great, though, and I'd love to see more instruments use a good piezo pickup system.
Id like to see you get your hands on the Schecter C1 E/A since its exactly like this guitar aside from dual jacks and it would make a good "which one is better value" for this style of instrument.
@@jscott893 The c1 e/a cats eye reminds me of Wreck Guitars which make fantastic metal guitars. Now the older f hole generations would be more limiting. I do like the ec1000 and have been toying with the idea of one over a les paul prophecy. Since its more versitile.
@@jscott893 Ive played three now since the new release and havent seen any of those issues. You must just have bad luck. They had their issues but this new release has been solid so far for my local store.
Phil ...I just got the blue ultraviolet one with fishman pickups on an impulse buy.....I went to pick us a NOS hagstrom ultra swede blonde i got for a steal....but the ltd 1000 was unbelievable....for a newbie of 8 months to guitar playing and addiction of collecting them....the ltd 1000 is beyond amazing
I have the see thru black EC-1000 Piezo, EC-1000 tiger eye Fluence and EC-1001FR. The Piezo is probably my favorite guitar, The Seymour Duncan JB/59 and Piezo combined with the Helix, Acoustic IR's and a stereo Y cable you can cover ALOT of musical ground.
Hey Phil I have had an LTD ec1000T for a few months this is the one with the Fishman Open Core Classic pick ups that have three separate voices and I got to say it’s one of my two or three very very favorite guitars. I frankly thought I was going to hate the neck because I have a 55 reissue Les Paul special with a massive chunky neck and a Fender custom shop artisan Strat with an even chunkier neck and I love them both ( number one and two on the fav guitar list). There is just something about the way these guitars are built they make the magic. And you nailed it when you said just playing it feels like a $3000 guitar totally agree thanks for the review of the Seymour Duncan version they sound great not as clean as my Fishmans tho!
These are maple cap with a veneer on top of that for the figuring. Same goes for the MIJ E-II Eclipse btw, and also the discontinued ESP Standard Series. Lesser LTDs are veneer only. You need to go to a current model ESP guitar (that actually says ESP on the headstock) to get a solid figured maple cap.
Have an ESP Eclipse MIJ... dark cherry burst , put a Duncan 8.5 in the neck , Dimarzio 9.5 in the treble .. Love it , necks are smaller ... mother of toilet seat is an old school term usually reserved for pick guards and doesn’t really have a negative connotation
This guitar has been on my radar for the past year. If it weren't for the Godin LGX (piezo + midi) I wouldn't been having such a hard time picking one up.
The fretting has always been phenomenal on the LTD EC series--- Jescar FW58118, I believe, could be Dunlop 6000s--- I refret all my Floyd-equipped Stratocasters with either. Lowest I'll go is 6105s.
I might get this guitar as a replacement for both of my Epiphones. The only thing i would change on it is order it with a black Graphtech Tusq XL nut instead of ordering it with the stock molded plastic nut. Probably gonna have it plekked too.
PMK, this video is exactly the reason I want to learn more about how to play guitar. It is a beautiful instrument and as you went thru the various options available on this guitar alone was mind blowing! As I am a newbie and just trying to set up a guitar, string adjustment, saddle ht, has been wonderful to learn from a master! I really dig how you show even the most minute details of how the tone changed in this vid. I'd be glad to have the ability to play some of those licks but that is in the future. Ground up learning, been fun. Thank you. Again mind blown 🤯🤓
Hey Phi, thanks for this video. This convinced me to buy the guitar, it will be the first time buying a new guitar in over 10 years and first guitar since losing all 3 of mine in a house fire last year (a Schecter Hellraiser, American Fender Telecaster, and Takamine classical that’s been handed down from late grandfather, I still have heartache for all of them). Your professional opinion and ringing endorsement of this ESP encouraged me to start fresh and get back into doing something I love and reignite my passion for guitar I haven’t felt in some time. I receive the guitar tomorrow and couldn’t be more excited. Thanks again!
I have an older M-200 and I can’t believe the “intro” model from back in the mid 2000s is a neck through construction, I have it with EMGs and it’s a metal beast, comfortable but with a bit of weight to it which I really like, hate the floyd bridge tho.
I recently bought a LTD Eclipse Custom 1987 model. For a $1000, hard to beat for the money. Doesnt have the piezo like the one you got but it did come with a Floyd Rose.
I have an older EMG version of this guitar and it plays like butter. It's my go-to shredder. The only problem with them is the cheap pickup toggle switch which will fail eventually.
Just picked up an EC-1000T Fluence pickup model and didn’t realize until after I got it that all of the new (2021 & newer) EC1000’s come with stainless steel frets. You can’t beat these guitars for the money.
Wow! That guitar sounds awesome just watching this video, I can only imagine in person! Can’t believe that’s less than 1200$. The finish is beautiful too! I recently played a PRS Piezo semi-hollow and this guitar sounded VERY similar but, as you know, the PRS was of course nearly 6k! Thanks for sharing, I think I just discovered my next guitar purchase!👍🏼😃
I have an LTD EC-256 (made in Indonesia) w- push-pull. I swapped the LH-150 bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan Invader (white) and kept the LH-150 neck pickup which sounds amazing and I absolutely love it! -- ESP/LTD FTW! 💖
Beautiful guitar, looks well made. I avoid touching my pickup pole pieces with any kind of metal object that might affect their magnetic strength. Some pole pieces can loose their magnetism pretty easily. I use a plastic ruler to measure the height of my pole pieces, just to be on the safe side.
I have the ec1000 deluxe in flamed maple. Honey burst look... Abalone inlays on all fret inlays and around the whole guitar inside the binding. Same JB and 59... Its a great guitar!!!! Love the ESP, LTD line of guitars. Thanks for the review!!!
To me, the "ESP LTD Xtone PC-1V Paramount with Bigsby" was the EPITOME ... unfortunately I had to sell mine (and deeply regret it) and ESP LTD has discontinued that model. Mine was White and played and sounded like a DREAM. There is something special with the ESP LTD necks which makes these guitars far superior to their counterparts (Gibson, etc...), they mostly all have very slim tapered necks and great flat fretboard radiuses with big jumbo frets which make them extremely easy to play (when perfectly set by professional luthiers), and the Seymour Duncan pickups used on most all the high end series (like a lot of models within the 1000 series) sound sweet with great definition. Luckily I still kept my "ESP LTD EC-1000 DELUXE" and it's still my favorite guitar so far. It's such a fantastic guitar that I had the necks of both my "Epiphone Sheraton Pro II" and my "Epiphone Flying V Brent Hinds" re-shaped by my luthier to match the neck profile of my "ESP LTD EC-1000 DELUXE", and both these Epiphone guitars became great playing instruments.
I have the Bill Kelliher signature Eclipse and it is amazing. LTD Korea is doing it right! I did swap the pickups but that's neither here or there. The build quality is awesome!
I got the ESP LTD EC-1000fr violet shadow with emg 60/81 pickups from sweet water and it’s absolutely beautiful and an incredible instrument with no complaints at all it surpasses a lot of Gibson Lp’s it definitely plays like it cost more than $1000 ... thanks ... GOD BLESS !!!
EC-1000's have always kicked ass. Love my LTD Truckster(3 color primer James Hetfield painted EC-1000). I love that blue! Always a sucker for a blue guitar!
I had an MH-1000NTQM come here a couple of days ago. ESP touts these as tour-grade, and I was very interested in seeing exactly what to expect from the Arctic Metal M-HT. The purple finish was nice, and it looked ok from a distance, but the finish didn't look anywhere as thick on the guitar as it does in the pictures on the ESP website. Picking it up, it did not feel like a mahogany guitar. I have an '05 SLS3MAH and a '08 Custom SL2HTMAH, and this LTD did not feel anything like those two Jacksons. It feels light and strange - almost like a chambered body or something hollowing it out, making it awkward and neck-heavy. I sat down with it and took a closer look. Unseated, sharp frets; my fingernails slid under them easily, and the side of the fretboard felt like a steak knife. The finish had bled into the binding on the neck and headstock, almost like it was done free-handed to cover up a mistake in the factory. The knob bolt for the tone pot was rusty, as though it had been gigged and put up wet. It felt like a defect that someone had already returned. After 30 depressing seconds, I boxed it back up and it's heading back to Sam Ash, who assured me that it had never been played. Anyone have any ideas how a knob bolt gets rusted on the inside of the knob other than it has been gigged, sweated in, and put up wet without any water displacement agent? This one is from Jakarta. I hear good things about the ones from Seoul, but pre-order of the Arctic Metal? Cancelled.
I have the purple EC1000 Deluxe (without the piezo stuff). Amazes me how not many people talk about LTD guitars, they're amazing. Mine plays and sounds beautiful.
I love my EC-1000P. The only minor gripe is that my Piezo switch has some crackling when on the magnetic pickup position and the piezo bleeds in a little. I probably just need to check the soldering on the jacks and/or switch. Besides that, amazing guitar!
I have to say, I brought a LTD Snakebyte for a friend, and I was genuinely astounded by the level of fit and finish. It made my collection of 'classics' feel a bit old and clunky. It was an excellent player, and the 'Het Set' pickups were surprisingly good. It's a lucky thing for my mate it wasn't quite my style, or I would have kept it (and, to be fair, I was looking to swap for a SG classic I'd given him earlier).
I got 3 back to back (only one shipped, the other two were checked before leaving sweetwater) horrible PRS Mark Holcomb SVN guitars. Their "55 point inspection" doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I'm beyond satisfied with my replacement Schecter Toxic Venom multiscale 7 string (my sales rep did give me 12.5% off), but their inspections mean nothing to me now. Not ordering another guitar from them anytime soon.
Almost picked up a C1-A Piezo Schecter for $250 . . . I passed, and still kicking myself. But, I do have an LTD E-265 that I slapped a GK-3 pickup on and hooked up to the GP-10 . . . so, I have classical nylon, Martin D28, Gibson Dreadnaught . . . all kinds of acoustic guitars to play with. LTD sure makes nicely finished guitars.
Wow that thing sounds amazing. Thanks for the review! I had my eye on that guitar all year. In the end the EC-1000t with the full thickness body and fishman fluence classics won out bc I found it for a killer deal. Hopefully they'll still getting making this model next year and I can pick one up
Still waiting for Phil to refer to a "Phillips head" screwdriver as a "My head" screwdriver.....tell me that's not the worst joke you've heard all year
Yea...that’s pretty bad!!!!!
Complete dad joke.
Lol dad jokes are the best.
What Dad lvl are you?
Do it. Do it.
I just bought one! Through Sweetwater and they had a Korean one still with the ebony fretboard. Will do a review soon on it.
Enjoying the longer review format... Thx.
Thank you.
@@PhillipMcKnight yep......Philip got a say you sucked me in for the WHOLE 18:27
Good stuff !!!
Played one today and fell very much in love with this guitar over the PRS Hollow body that I played for about 3 hours. I played this thing for about 20 minutes and this thing rocks right out of the gate.
Hi, Phillip! GREAT review and inspection. I wound up buying a slightly used one, and it's INCREDIBLE. Wow! I didn't even know such a transducer Fishman and Seymour's JB and 59 [neck].
What a rich compendium of tone. Coil split also. I owe you a debt of gratitude. I'm grateful for your comprehensive approach, especially since this ESP is my last guitar. Sadly, I got a Stage IV leukemia diagnosis recently, and I want to go out rockin.' Putting together a final album gig, in honor of my dear, late buddy, Warren Zevon. Bless you, brother. I know you'll recognize the tone when you hear it. Thanks for everything, Phil.
"I have no Yesterdays...
Time took them away.
Tomorrow may not be...but...
I have Today."
Bye, Phil. KYG...Know Yo Gary!
As always, an unbiased and thorough analysis of the instrument. In Phil We Trust!
Thank yoy
Yes definitely
Love the longer format and especially the fact that you showed measurements for the depth of neck at 1st and 12th frets and you described the neck profile. Nobody really does that and I have no idea why. The neck profile and taper, along with the fret size and dressing determines so much of the playing experience. Thanks!
You should check out the UA-cam channel The Trogly's Guitar Show. Because he does all that, measuring the neck depth along the entire neck to demonstrate the taper. And he goes into it and measures absolutely everything, in way more detail than literally anyone else I've ever seen in UA-cam. He'll dismantle the guitar, take it all apart to look inside, look at the pickups, look at the bridge, look at how it was painted and whether it's a veneer top or a proper top, everything. In more detail than you'd ever need really. But it's still fascinating
His business is to buy and sell guitars. He does that full time for a living. But every guitar he buys, he'll do this complete breakdown of it in a video. And he manages to get his hands on some incredibly rare guitars. He'll plop down $30,000 on a whim, just to try out this rare guitar, make a video about it, take it all apart and then put it back together, and then sell it for $31,000 a week after he bought it, or whatever. He just documents so many rare guitars, like signature guitars where only 200 were made or something. He'll manage to get his hands on a real one and document it for us, and most of these videos of rare guitars he does, there's usually literally no other video on UA-cam about it, certainly not a hands on demo, because these guitars are so rare. So Trogly is like a curator for a guitar museum almost. He's become a world leading expert on how to identify whether something is a real rare guitar, or a cheap Chinese knockoff. There was a whole thing where he bought one of Slash's first ever Gibson signature guitars. But it turned out to be fake. And so over the years he's become an expert on identifying Gibson guitars from all decades, he's even had Gibsons from the 50s. Those are the ones that usually cost tens of thousands of dollars. But yeah, his video about it will usually be the only hands on video about it across the entire Internet. That makes him unique. His channel is unique among all guitar channels. Nobody gets as many rare obscure and ludicrously expensive guitars as he does. And yeah, he now offers a service where people will send him their rare Gibson guitar to him, and he'll identify whether it's real or fake. There's possibly nobody else in the world who can do what he does, and that's no hyperbole. He only began this service because when he had the fake Gibson slash snake pit guitar, he couldn't find anyone in the world who had the expertise to judge whether it's real or fake. So Trogly years later set up this service himself. Because he wished there'd been a service like that when he had the fake Snakepit
I'm a big fan of his as you can tell. I'm shilling for him really, for free, voluntarily lol. Maybe I should ask for payment for that job lol. But nah I just think he's one of the top 5 guitar channels on UA-cam. And he does all this breakdown and measuring of everything, so I think you'd absolutely love him. His channel is addictive. Once you watch one video of him breaking down and demoing a guitar, you'll end up spending hours and hours just binging his videos.
And yeah, you wanna see some extraordinarily rare guitars? His channel is the best for that.
@@duffman18 I don't like him
This is easily my favorite guitar channel on UA-cam, I love how you take the time to review a wide range of guitars and go in depth with each one of them, keep doing what you’re doing man!
Saw this video about a month ago and immediately found a used LTD Deluxe EC-1000 nearby and picked up same day. Absolutely love the guitar and can’t put it down, thank you for the review!
Wow never saw this kind of bridge acoustic thing before. Really neat
I have an EC 1000 Deluxe with Fishman pickups that I got for $900 out the door last Fall. It's becoming my most played guitar. Sounds great and feels amazing to play. The only thing I'd change is I wish it didn't have a gloss neck. I can always take that down to a satin finish pretty easily if I want to.
Eclipses have always been my favorite single cut on the market! Such great players!
I've owned over 40 guitars in my life and still own 15, including 2 MIJ ESPs (my best guitars for sure). My LTD EC1000 is the only guitar I ever regretted selling. I'm actually in the process of finding another one but made in Korea like the one I had and with the new neck joint which is such an improvement. They are both made in Indonesia and Korea now so it's kinda hard to know what you'll end up with and I've heard some complaints about the Indo ones, although some are also happy. I'd still rather go MIK, stellar guitars almost on par with my full blown ESPs.
Don't be put off by Indo's buddy, they've been made there since 2018 so any teething issues with the move will have been well ironed out. General opinion are they are no different to Korean. I've just received a brand new Indo EC1000 blue fade and it's outstanding, absolutely flawless. I own both Korean and Indo LTD's and they are honestly equal. It's worth remembering that you will always get the odd bad example from both, and these are the ones you tend to read about in online forums or YT.
*Definitely* Loving the extended reviews!
Great review Phil, thank you so much - and for being the special guy you are too - keep up the good work!
Love the review Phil! I own 5 ESP LTDs and I love every single one of them, absolutely some of the best guitars for the money.
Awesome video!!!! Thank you so much :)
I usually don't like the sound of piezo pickups, but this one sounds good to my ear.
I agree... so many of them sound like tupperware in a cardboard box, equalized to approximate a Casiotone approximation of an acoustic. This doesn't sound acoustic, but DOES sound pleasing and interesting.
@@tomlupton3975 - Yeah, it's interesting.
I bought a used, 2010 Korean EC-1000 7 ago for around $600. I replaced the EMGs with PAFs and that's it. Though this particular guitar weighs a bunch, it's been a spectacular guitar in every way
Phil, your videos have come a long way as far as production from the days in front of the surfboard. I'm very happy for all of your successes and professionalism! I've learned so much from your channel over the years. Thank you for building a great online gear community.
Great review! They made this very versatile. I have it in vintage black with gh. It had the EMG 81/60 in black and i swapped it out for the Het Set in Gold. This was my first guitar before starting a collection of 20. Still my go to guitar.
Superb review Phil!! I've owned 6 LP Gibson's over many years and none of them sound as good as this LTD guitar even discounting the acoustic guitar feature,I'm going to buy one.
It's getting more difficult to justify spending north of $1,500 these days for a new guitar. That sounds really good.
especially when those guitars are sometimes of lower quality!
Definitely not hard when it's an R7 R8 R9 or R0....
@@jcout25 None of those guitars is worth '$5000 more than this one. There is no way to justify the expense.
I bought a 2nd hand Classic Vibe recently...It's getting hard to justify $400 at this point! Haha
The imports are getting really good now. I just bought my first electric in years, one of the new 2020 Epiphone's, and it's a fire breathing monster! For under $600 USD, you get a hell of a guitar!
I have a lower end model LTD LP and while I don't have the acoustic option, I'm astounded how much quality goes into these. ( i stole it for 300 bucks (with discount) as it had a problem with the switch which took a few minutes to replace. I looked at the higher end and I couldn't justify another 800 bucks for an acoustic option when I have a great acoustic already. I popped a Babicz TOM replacement and dropped it in. Amazing.
I bought a LTD EX-400 back in 2007, i threw it around, dragged it trough the dirt, at some point i changed the pots and wires inside and now it needs new frets and a new saddle but it never lets me down, good stuff.
What a beautiful instrument. I love everything about. This guitar covers all styles of music for $1150. I enjoy the fact that you don’t over pedal your sound. Fantastic!
Japan, Korea and Indonesia build killer guitars period. Jackson built gear is certainly excellent too. This ESP in the video is very good.
P.S.
This blue gem sounds great, what more could you ask for.
I got an ec1000 like 6 months or so ago but with emg's. $999 from musicians friend. I'm pretty happy with it. It has a see through red maple top that was only for musicians friend and guitar center. That one sure has way more tones .
Thanks for talking about pickup heights!
I have this one and the natural finish one with the 3 voiced fluence. 2 of the best guitars I’ve ever owned. Quality builds, setup great from the factory, and they sound fantastic. I’m in the process of selling a bunch to thin out the herd and those 2 were never even considered for sale. Love those ec-1000’s!
That blue finish is just so cool, I wish they had that finish for their Fishman loaded ec1000.
Now that looks like the keeper, and you should sell something else to fund and further the channel along. That is one hell of a guitar.
You had no business hitting my soul with that solo over the acoustic. Lol
I had a EC-1000 goldtop back in 2011... it had Alnico 2 Pros. One of the best guitars I've ever owned, my luthier desperately wanted to buy that from me!
Had? ☹️
@@schmoemi3386 yeah, too bad. I even modified it with black metal pickup frames, black metal knobs, black pickup switch tip (the guitar looked wonderful) and added two push-pull for pickup split and out of phase... it was exceptional but I have the bad habit of continusly selling and buying gear. that EC-1000 is one of the guitars I regret the most having sold...
@@DavidRFIT I sold my first EC-1000 too... 😳 But just to buy I newer one because I was excited to try the features of the newer iterations... 😅
@@schmoemi3386 I really dig the new one in matte black with gold hardware and Seymour Duncans. I clearly remember back in 2011 the black EC-1000 only came with active pickups!
If you roll back the piezo volume to a 6-7 and your magnetics all the way down, you can get an amazing clean in a drive channel, then roll up the magnetics to completely overpower the piezo. I do this and it gives a natural feeling and sounding swell to a distorted sound without going from full clean to full drive too quickly. I always hated that abrupt change. I had my guitar designed so I could play it through two amps, but simply using ONE amp and doing this was so amazing I just never went back to two amps. I'll be checking out this guitar as I want a solid body version of what I am using.
LTDs punch well above their weight. Very very happy with my Korean built LTD M1 87 series. Flawless and incredible tone/playability. I've bought Japanese Jacksons , Charvels etc for over 20 years. LTD is at the top now for imports imo
I have this guitar in black from 2018 without the piezo pickups. Everything is the same as you’re describing, I’ve replaced the nut and pickups and it’s seriously my favorite guitar ever. No gibson could play like this does.
Longer reviews are good Phil.
Especially now when it's harder to go out to a store and many purchases are online, with no chance to see/feel a guitar.
Plus it's those little things like a neck feeling thicker/thinner than it is, fret condition etc that can really ruin the experience of a new guitar.
Having a little more knowledge helps a lot.
When it comes to guitar information this is the channel I resort to. This guy knows his stuff.
I actually enjoyed my 401 better than the 1000 I had. It was more to the specs of a great Les Paul as far as thickness and stuff. Both of them were fantastic guitars for sure.
Those ESP LTD EC series are incredible players . . . One step down from the EC-1000 series I use an EC-400 as well as an EC-401 (with a Floyd Rose) & they both play circles around my Gibson Les Paul Standard Pro Plus at almost $3K . For most gigs I use those two EC-400's & a (PRS SE Santana only for for slide). For any & every genre of music those ESP EC-400s play it very easily . . . I wish I'd of tried out those ESP's prior to purchasing that Gibson as that Gibson mostly stays in the closet. Great video & demo Phillip much appreciated . . . All the best to you & yours & stay well !!!
I really like the longer vidios like this you get the little details that really matter
Sweet guitar you sold me on this one. Can't wait to pick one up. My only gripe would be the lack of color selection but not a deal breaker for me.
I had an amber one in like 2003. Great guitar. I would definitely recommend it and I'm looking at getting another now that they've done more comfort cuts and the access heel.
I used to have one of these... (but non-piezo) and it was an incredible value. I have an E-II Eclipse now, but the LTD is excellent.
My EC1000 was almost as good as my current ESPs.
I own an ESP LTD EC-1000 Deluxe, the goldtop with chrome covers on the pickups, a early 2010s model. I absolutely love it, it’s one of my go-to guitars.
I've a Deluxe Nashville Power Tele that has a Fishman bridge. I use it mostly for solo performance. The acoustic/magnetic combo is heavenly. I put the acoustic through the PA, and mags through an amp.
The acoustic has fat, clean bottom, and sparkling highs. The mags fill out the mids.
I've recently purchased a Fishman Loudbox. This Tele really sounds great... Fishman through a Fishman... go figure.
One thing your guitar lacks that mine doesn't, is a stereo jack (TRS) output with a Y cable.
I’ve had an EC-1000 since 2008. Mine has EMG’s and abalone binding around the entire body and neck. It’s so beautiful. 14 years after first buying it, I still just look at it in admiration sometimes. Best Les Paul body guitars on the market. You won’t get that quality for price from any other company.
Seriously gas’ing for a 1000 series ESP. They all look so fun. 🤘🏻 🎸
Hey Phil, what a great vid about such a fun sounding guitar. Really loved those accoustic warm tones. I had not heard one before so this was a great intro for me. Plus the 2 amp option ! Thanks again.
I had an EC-1000 DLX and really loved it. So well built. I've also had Piezoelectric pickups in two different axes - the Godin xtSA and the Dean Zelinsky Signature Veloce. They each handled the piezo differently, as the Veloce used a "ghost" system which had individual transducers for each string saddle. The Veloce sounded more even and natural, by far, and the Godin had the better control options. They both sounded great, though, and I'd love to see more instruments use a good piezo pickup system.
I have an EC-1000 Korean in SW finish and with EMG's 81/60! It's simply awesome for the price.
Id like to see you get your hands on the Schecter C1 E/A since its exactly like this guitar aside from dual jacks and it would make a good "which one is better value" for this style of instrument.
@@jscott893 The c1 e/a cats eye reminds me of Wreck Guitars which make fantastic metal guitars. Now the older f hole generations would be more limiting. I do like the ec1000 and have been toying with the idea of one over a les paul prophecy. Since its more versitile.
@@jscott893 Ive played three now since the new release and havent seen any of those issues. You must just have bad luck. They had their issues but this new release has been solid so far for my local store.
Phil ...I just got the blue ultraviolet one with fishman pickups on an impulse buy.....I went to pick us a NOS hagstrom ultra swede blonde i got for a steal....but the ltd 1000 was unbelievable....for a newbie of 8 months to guitar playing and addiction of collecting them....the ltd 1000 is beyond amazing
I have the see thru black EC-1000 Piezo, EC-1000 tiger eye Fluence and EC-1001FR. The Piezo is probably my favorite guitar, The Seymour Duncan JB/59 and Piezo combined with the Helix, Acoustic IR's and a stereo Y cable you can cover ALOT of musical ground.
Hey Phil I have had an LTD ec1000T for a few months this is the one with the Fishman Open Core Classic pick ups that have three separate voices and I got to say it’s one of my two or three very very favorite guitars. I frankly thought I was going to hate the neck because I have a 55 reissue Les Paul special with a massive chunky neck and a Fender custom shop artisan Strat with an even chunkier neck and I love them both ( number one and two on the fav guitar list). There is just something about the way these guitars are built they make the magic. And you nailed it when you said just playing it feels like a $3000 guitar totally agree thanks for the review of the Seymour Duncan version they sound great not as clean as my Fishmans tho!
These are maple cap with a veneer on top of that for the figuring. Same goes for the MIJ E-II Eclipse btw, and also the discontinued ESP Standard Series. Lesser LTDs are veneer only.
You need to go to a current model ESP guitar (that actually says ESP on the headstock) to get a solid figured maple cap.
Have an ESP Eclipse MIJ... dark cherry burst , put a Duncan 8.5 in the neck , Dimarzio 9.5 in the treble ..
Love it , necks are smaller ... mother of toilet seat is an old school term usually reserved for pick guards and doesn’t really have a negative connotation
This guitar has been on my radar for the past year. If it weren't for the Godin LGX (piezo + midi) I wouldn't been having such a hard time picking one up.
The fretting has always been phenomenal on the LTD EC series--- Jescar FW58118, I believe, could be Dunlop 6000s--- I refret all my Floyd-equipped Stratocasters with either. Lowest I'll go is 6105s.
I might get this guitar as a replacement for both of my Epiphones. The only thing i would change on it is order it with a black Graphtech Tusq XL nut instead of ordering it with the stock molded plastic nut. Probably gonna have it plekked too.
PMK, this video is exactly the reason I want to learn more about how to play guitar. It is a beautiful instrument and as you went thru the various options available on this guitar alone was mind blowing! As I am a newbie and just trying to set up a guitar, string adjustment, saddle ht, has been wonderful to learn from a master! I really dig how you show even the most minute details of how the tone changed in this vid. I'd be glad to have the ability to play some of those licks but that is in the future. Ground up learning, been fun. Thank you. Again mind blown 🤯🤓
Hey Phi, thanks for this video. This convinced me to buy the guitar, it will be the first time buying a new guitar in over 10 years and first guitar since losing all 3 of mine in a house fire last year (a Schecter Hellraiser, American Fender Telecaster, and Takamine classical that’s been handed down from late grandfather, I still have heartache for all of them).
Your professional opinion and ringing endorsement of this ESP encouraged me to start fresh and get back into doing something I love and reignite my passion for guitar I haven’t felt in some time. I receive the guitar tomorrow and couldn’t be more excited. Thanks again!
Keep doing these long reviews, Phil! It's great to have your opinion explained in greater detail!
I have an older M-200 and I can’t believe the “intro” model from back in the mid 2000s is a neck through construction, I have it with EMGs and it’s a metal beast, comfortable but with a bit of weight to it which I really like, hate the floyd bridge tho.
I recently bought a LTD Eclipse Custom 1987 model. For a $1000, hard to beat for the money. Doesnt have the piezo like the one you got but it did come with a Floyd Rose.
I had played an ec 1000 at a local shop years ago and loved it but couldn't afford the price tag. Fantastic guitars.
Impressive. The pickup configuration is similar to the Alex Lifeson custom-signature model. Sounds versatile.
I have an older EMG version of this guitar and it plays like butter. It's my go-to shredder. The only problem with them is the cheap pickup toggle switch which will fail eventually.
Excellent review. Own the guitar for over year and am amazed at the tonal quality.
Just picked up an EC-1000T Fluence pickup model and didn’t realize until after I got it that all of the new (2021 & newer) EC1000’s come with stainless steel frets. You can’t beat these guitars for the money.
Wow! That guitar sounds awesome just watching this video, I can only imagine in person! Can’t believe that’s less than 1200$. The finish is beautiful too! I recently played a PRS Piezo semi-hollow and this guitar sounded VERY similar but, as you know, the PRS was of course nearly 6k! Thanks for sharing, I think I just discovered my next guitar purchase!👍🏼😃
I have an LTD EC-256 (made in Indonesia) w- push-pull. I swapped the LH-150 bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan Invader (white) and kept the LH-150 neck pickup which sounds amazing and I absolutely love it! -- ESP/LTD FTW! 💖
Beautiful guitar, looks well made. I avoid touching my pickup pole pieces with any kind of metal object that might affect their magnetic strength. Some pole pieces can loose their magnetism pretty easily. I use a plastic ruler to measure the height of my pole pieces, just to be on the safe side.
I've been considering these EC1000's for a while now and I'm so glad you did this very thorough review! Much appreciated sir!
I got the EC 1000 with a black satin finish and EMG 81/85. I love it.
I have the ec1000 deluxe in flamed maple. Honey burst look... Abalone inlays on all fret inlays and around the whole guitar inside the binding.
Same JB and 59... Its a great guitar!!!!
Love the ESP, LTD line of guitars.
Thanks for the review!!!
I have that guitar also! Amazing looking and playing!
To me, the "ESP LTD Xtone PC-1V Paramount with Bigsby" was the EPITOME ... unfortunately I had to sell mine (and deeply regret it) and ESP LTD has discontinued that model. Mine was White and played and sounded like a DREAM.
There is something special with the ESP LTD necks which makes these guitars far superior to their counterparts (Gibson, etc...), they mostly all have very slim tapered necks and great flat fretboard radiuses with big jumbo frets which make them extremely easy to play (when perfectly set by professional luthiers), and the Seymour Duncan pickups used on most all the high end series (like a lot of models within the 1000 series) sound sweet with great definition.
Luckily I still kept my "ESP LTD EC-1000 DELUXE" and it's still my favorite guitar so far.
It's such a fantastic guitar that I had the necks of both my "Epiphone Sheraton Pro II" and my "Epiphone Flying V Brent Hinds" re-shaped by my luthier to match the neck profile of my "ESP LTD EC-1000 DELUXE", and both these Epiphone guitars became great playing instruments.
I have an LTD ec-1000 deluxe (EMG’s)
It’s my workhorse. Built like a tank, super fast neck...ESP is making some really good stuff
I like the longer review, especially for a guitar at that price. Thanks for asking.
Thank you
These guitars are so good! Why would anyone buy a Gibson anymore? Especially with there bad quality control lately. Great video as always my friend!!
I have the Bill Kelliher signature Eclipse and it is amazing. LTD Korea is doing it right! I did swap the pickups but that's neither here or there. The build quality is awesome!
I got the ESP LTD EC-1000fr violet shadow with emg 60/81 pickups from sweet water and it’s absolutely beautiful and an incredible instrument with no complaints at all it surpasses a lot of Gibson Lp’s it definitely plays like it cost more than $1000 ... thanks ... GOD BLESS !!!
EC-1000's have always kicked ass. Love my LTD Truckster(3 color primer James Hetfield painted EC-1000). I love that blue! Always a sucker for a blue guitar!
Love this video Phil. I just bought a Godin LGX a couple of months ago with almost all of these same features, and I absolutely love it.
I love Godins. So so underrated
I would have never looked at one of these, but you make it sound incredible!
James Hetfield and Kirk Hammet has been using ESP guitars since late 80:s
I have a EC-1000 Koa Top (Korea, 2015). Its absolutely amazing looking and sounding, and most important playability is off the charts.
I had an MH-1000NTQM come here a couple of days ago. ESP touts these as tour-grade, and I was very interested in seeing exactly what to expect from the Arctic Metal M-HT.
The purple finish was nice, and it looked ok from a distance, but the finish didn't look anywhere as thick on the guitar as it does in the pictures on the ESP website. Picking it up, it did not feel like a mahogany guitar. I have an '05 SLS3MAH and a '08 Custom SL2HTMAH, and this LTD did not feel anything like those two Jacksons. It feels light and strange - almost like a chambered body or something hollowing it out, making it awkward and neck-heavy.
I sat down with it and took a closer look. Unseated, sharp frets; my fingernails slid under them easily, and the side of the fretboard felt like a steak knife. The finish had bled into the binding on the neck and headstock, almost like it was done free-handed to cover up a mistake in the factory. The knob bolt for the tone pot was rusty, as though it had been gigged and put up wet. It felt like a defect that someone had already returned. After 30 depressing seconds, I boxed it back up and it's heading back to Sam Ash, who assured me that it had never been played. Anyone have any ideas how a knob bolt gets rusted on the inside of the knob other than it has been gigged, sweated in, and put up wet without any water displacement agent?
This one is from Jakarta. I hear good things about the ones from Seoul, but pre-order of the Arctic Metal?
Cancelled.
LOVE the longer in-depth reviews Phil! Cheers from Phil (Australia)
You got me with that piezo silliness. Beautiful guitar and awesome playing.
I have the purple EC1000 Deluxe (without the piezo stuff).
Amazes me how not many people talk about LTD guitars, they're amazing.
Mine plays and sounds beautiful.
Wow! Recessed control cavity covers at that price point is impressive. PRS core and above gets u recessed covers for three times the price.
I love my EC-1000P. The only minor gripe is that my Piezo switch has some crackling when on the magnetic pickup position and the piezo bleeds in a little. I probably just need to check the soldering on the jacks and/or switch. Besides that, amazing guitar!
Sounds like it may need the switch cleaned or replaced.
@@PhillipMcKnight or the battery replaced, always remove the cord from the Jack when not played or the battery will be drained.
Neck thickness in imperial: about .800" at the 1st fret, and about .880" at the 12th
Great vid! My 2002 LTD strat has been in my top 5 ever since I got it. I think of it as my half priced PRS.
I have to say, I brought a LTD Snakebyte for a friend, and I was genuinely astounded by the level of fit and finish. It made my collection of 'classics' feel a bit old and clunky.
It was an excellent player, and the 'Het Set' pickups were surprisingly good.
It's a lucky thing for my mate it wasn't quite my style, or I would have kept it (and, to be fair, I was looking to swap for a SG classic I'd given him earlier).
Ltd makes some of the best guitars period, my only criticism is there prices are sky rocketing wich blows :/ , but buying used helps
I got 3 back to back (only one shipped, the other two were checked before leaving sweetwater) horrible PRS Mark Holcomb SVN guitars. Their "55 point inspection" doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I'm beyond satisfied with my replacement Schecter Toxic Venom multiscale 7 string (my sales rep did give me 12.5% off), but their inspections mean nothing to me now. Not ordering another guitar from them anytime soon.
Love the new format with measurement and setup insights. Thanks Phil!
Almost picked up a C1-A Piezo Schecter for $250 . . . I passed, and still kicking myself.
But, I do have an LTD E-265 that I slapped a GK-3 pickup on and hooked up to the GP-10 . . . so, I have classical nylon, Martin D28, Gibson Dreadnaught . . . all kinds of acoustic guitars to play with. LTD sure makes nicely finished guitars.
Wow that thing sounds amazing. Thanks for the review! I had my eye on that guitar all year. In the end the EC-1000t with the full thickness body and fishman fluence classics won out bc I found it for a killer deal. Hopefully they'll still getting making this model next year and I can pick one up