@@ArtofShredding I very much agree. I have had mine since 2008, and I took it apart and sent it out to be repainted to an ice white. Odd choice but I really like the white ouija so I went with a white, just without the decal. I also bought a new set of the KH active pickups to get that authentic sound. Gonna be an absolute machine when it's done!
I got this Guitar as my 30th bday prezzy off my mum n dad (mostly me dad) haha but sadly it's sitting in it's hard case not getting used 😔 Hopefully by the end of this virus I would have learned a few things. I can play but it's the math I struggle with. Playing chords is fine but again it's the math of a song I struggle with
It’s a shame nobody mentioned that Nick here in this video was the guitarist for Grim Reaper...check out his stuff with that band you won’t be disappointed.
@@tylercady3985 Harley Benton has released a version of the ex84 with emgs... i wanted to buy it but then i found out that they're way smaller than the original explorers
@@GDCDGC Ltd’s explorer guitars don’t have the same shape as the MX-250s James used to play, they’re curved downward a bit and the headstock resembles that of an Ibanez.
Thought so myself but he does have some that are bolt on, I was surprised to find that the ESP version of this guitar is a bolt on but the LTD 602 was neck through according to guitar center's website, I own the KH330 which is basically the same guitar as this but with the ESP designed Active pickups but they sound identical to EMG's, I know because I own several guitars with EMG's, these guitar are great and you can get them used for $200-250 but you want the ones that say ESP Designed on the pickups, the earlier version made around 2010 of this just say ESP on the pickups but at that time they weren't as good, but the later models are great, to me the best bang for your buck is the LTD 330 range, basically anything in the 330 range is great, in 2016 ESP/LTD came out with the new 400 series but they are basically the same as the 330 series with different paint jobs and EMG's but you can get 2 or 3 330 series guitars for the price of 1 of the 2016 400 series, I have a couple of Kirk's signature models, not just because I'm a HUGE fan but for the extra functionality of them, most LTD guitars have 1 volume and 1 tone but most of Kirks have 2 volumes and 1 master tone, it allows you to do the Les Paul type thing and have 1 pickup rolled back for clean tones and one cranked for high gain, I need a couple more of Kirk's signatures and I'll be set
EXCEPT the one he used to do the neck smashing thing.. that gets replaced like every show.. (stated in the Kirk's gear video from quite a while ago. you know. "Pisscaster")
the 350mm fretboard radius isn't weird for LTD guitars. They are all that radius unlike the ESP & E-II guitars which have a 305mm fretboard radius. I prefer the 305mm over the 350mm but the guitar is still great i own one
You should do some research into your public image and make your image work for you instead of just following human gossip and hen pecking. It's as if you're asking should you buy the banana or the pizza? We're sick and tired of dealing with children who buy instruments and then call them shit and sell them. Why do you want people to not see your guitar? The KH model is blacked out. What's your reason for blacking out your instrument's appearence? What do you want to tell people, show people, etc...
I got this axe secondhand, and they replaced the bridge with another Floyd Rose Special so I gotta shell out an extra 275ish to get a black Floyd Rose Original
this was my first ever real guitar when I was like 13 year old and even though i kinda havent listened to metal in years and my go to nowadays is a mustang into a marshall and I play in an indie band and this guitar makes like ZERO sense for me anymore, I kinda rly miss it :(
hi , may i know if the bridge should be perpendicular to the studs ? so the bridge will not be parallel to the body? right? and may i know the spring setup? thanks for your video ,cheers from italy
Nice but I think the rounder radius has alot more control.if the neck is flat you are pushing up against all the other strings there for more tention. A rounder neck you lift up and over.
Nick Bowcott.. I'm pretty sure he did the first Nuno Bettencourt interview I ever read in Guitarist magazine back in the early 1990s around Pornograffiti
Am contemplating buying this or the ESP Arrow Flying V.....The only drawback to Kirk's guitar (that I hear) is the "Floyd Rose Special" bridge....it's a budget version of the Floyd Rose, and is made in Korea rather than Germany.... :(
True, but really the only thing you would need to consider is wearing out the saddles since they're from zinc alloy and not hardened Steel. You can just order replacement saddles from floyd rose original or 1000 which will Last you forever
@@Exxitsi just bought the same model yesterday, for as old as it is it’s VERY nice dude. very smooth, easy to maneuver the neck, the tone is great, perfectly fine without active pickups. overall great guitar
Hey, Kneuzer! Thanks for reaching out. It really depends on the sound and feel that you’re going for. These come with EXL D’Addario strings (.009-.042). If you like D’Addario and want something that does better with drop tunings or more distortion I really like the NYXL’s, personally. There are so many options and it really just depends on the player, so feel free to reach out to me if you want to discuss it and I can make some recommendations for you! Connor Smith, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1793, connor_smith@sweetwater.com
my KH202 has active ESP designed so they must of changed them.....I like the actives that come with it but What's in yours? keep in mind these guitars are eq'd for leads.
@@sportidiots6587 my friend your info is incorrect. The gibson he uses has a set neck, and his esp signatures have a neck thru body construction, in the early 90s his kh 2 guitars had bolt ons and those ones still do. I believe the first ouija guitar was the first one of his guitars to have a neck thru and he has used neck thru body guitars since then.
@@sportidiots6587 btw the caution hot sticker guitar he has, a guitar which he has been using since the justice tour was the guitar the original esp kh 2 was based on. The production kh 2 model had a bolt on whereas his guitar had a neck thru body. Even the relic version of that guitar which was made later has a neck thru body construction
"Like all of Kirks's guitars it has a bolt-on neck" WTF? The original ESP KH is not bolt-on, the jackson RR he uses is a neck-trough, his Les Paul has set-neck. etc.
I keep seeing people saying this is a Korean model, it's not. The one he's reviewing is the latest iteration from China. The older Korean ones are a lot nicer and have EMG/HZ pickups and actual black hardware instead of the ugly black chrome hardware on previous Chinese models. This one seems to have decent black hardware though but I know for a fact those pickups are trash...all the new budget LTDs use them. He must be playing through $3000 worth of modeling equipment to get that tone from them. Anyway this thing costs around $499; you can do much better for the money IMO...unless you're a KH stan and simply have to have his signature model. The Ibanez Quantum pickups that they use on models like the $399 RGA42FM are way more tight and harmonic than these ESP ones. You can usually find a Sterling Petrucci model for around $500-$550 that has stock Sterling pups that also blow these ones away. If you look hard enough you'll find the newer Dean Mustaine signature models for around $500-$550 and those have actual Seymour Duncans, one of them being Dave's signature "Thrash Factor" pickup. So yeah, basically with this guitar you're getting mediocrity with Kirk's name attached.
Overrated guitarist Kirk is and Nick uses Kirk's popularity to sell this guitar. Like he did with Tony Iommi Epiphone Lim Ed which turns out to be a joke of a guitar except the pickups.
Kirk is such a MEDIOCRE guitarist, that having a signature model is beyond comprehension. Also being on so many covers of guitar magazines is another mystery.
I want this guitar cus it’s the only KH guitar I can afford :D
i have it and must tell you to buy it.....because it awesome
@@ArtofShredding I very much agree. I have had mine since 2008, and I took it apart and sent it out to be repainted to an ice white. Odd choice but I really like the white ouija so I went with a white, just without the decal. I also bought a new set of the KH active pickups to get that authentic sound. Gonna be an absolute machine when it's done!
I got this Guitar as my 30th bday prezzy off my mum n dad (mostly me dad) haha but sadly it's sitting in it's hard case not getting used 😔 Hopefully by the end of this virus I would have learned a few things. I can play but it's the math I struggle with. Playing chords is fine but again it's the math of a song I struggle with
@@lIlPedrolIl man wish you luck learning to play...guitars like this must be played
lIl Pedro lIl just throw on a cd and crank the amp up with the guitar and try to play along. Just have fun man
Just bought this today, it’s savage. I got in the zone playing it and when I finished shredding I was taken aback. It’s savage.
Just ordered mine today! Hope you're still happy with yours 👍👍
ive heard its savage
It’s a shame nobody mentioned that Nick here in this video was the guitarist for Grim Reaper...check out his stuff with that band you won’t be disappointed.
That's awesome. I never would have noticed.
Great guitarist, but I hate the way he talks 🤷🏻♂️
Grim Reaper was such fantastic NWOBHM band. Steve Grimmets Grim Reaper is still pumping out great songs too
This was my first guitar my grandmother got for me when i was 13. Man I miss her and the guitar that kh 202
I really wish James had a more affordable version of his guitar.
yeah. I'm looking at this and a Harley Benton explorer to mod for my affordable Hetfield guitar
@@tylercady3985 Harley Benton has released a version of the ex84 with emgs... i wanted to buy it but then i found out that they're way smaller than the original explorers
@@thaatmatt I like the big body though. If I can get the bigger one I can just swap the pickups for emgs or the het set
Epiphone explorer 1984EX is the answer.
@@GDCDGC Ltd’s explorer guitars don’t have the same shape as the MX-250s James used to play, they’re curved downward a bit and the headstock resembles that of an Ibanez.
That crunch sound!!!!! Super heavy!!!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Not gonna lie, theres something so upsetting about left handed guitars
It’s because they are backwards, but they don’t look upsetting, just odd.(there is nothing wrong with something being odd)
True 😂😪
Tell me about it, I am one 😆
Good 👍
im left handed there is a lack of them im getting the kh602 higher quality but both guitar from what ive heard are great
This guitar is really cheap on andertons during the summer sale
PzG D3ATH for how much?
Every Kirk's guitar is a neck through but no worries ;)
Thought so myself but he does have some that are bolt on, I was surprised to find that the ESP version of this guitar is a bolt on but the LTD 602 was neck through according to guitar center's website, I own the KH330 which is basically the same guitar as this but with the ESP designed Active pickups but they sound identical to EMG's, I know because I own several guitars with EMG's, these guitar are great and you can get them used for $200-250 but you want the ones that say ESP Designed on the pickups, the earlier version made around 2010 of this just say ESP on the pickups but at that time they weren't as good, but the later models are great, to me the best bang for your buck is the LTD 330 range, basically anything in the 330 range is great, in 2016 ESP/LTD came out with the new 400 series but they are basically the same as the 330 series with different paint jobs and EMG's but you can get 2 or 3 330 series guitars for the price of 1 of the 2016 400 series, I have a couple of Kirk's signature models, not just because I'm a HUGE fan but for the extra functionality of them, most LTD guitars have 1 volume and 1 tone but most of Kirks have 2 volumes and 1 master tone, it allows you to do the Les Paul type thing and have 1 pickup rolled back for clean tones and one cranked for high gain, I need a couple more of Kirk's signatures and I'll be set
MB215 his original kh2 is a bolt on
@@4572dk yehhhh
EXCEPT the one he used to do the neck smashing thing.. that gets replaced like every show.. (stated in the Kirk's gear video from quite a while ago. you know. "Pisscaster")
The white zombie is bolt on
the 350mm fretboard radius isn't weird for LTD guitars. They are all that radius unlike the ESP & E-II guitars which have a 305mm fretboard radius. I prefer the 305mm over the 350mm but the guitar is still great i own one
Tim Tomasello should i buy this one or an epiphone ?
toxic- jäger I would go with Kirk Hammett. Its a great guitar. But at the end of the day its all preference.
Tim Tomasello okey thank you :)
You should do some research into your public image and make your image work for you instead of just following human gossip and hen pecking. It's as if you're asking should you buy the banana or the pizza? We're sick and tired of dealing with children who buy instruments and then call them shit and sell them. Why do you want people to not see your guitar? The KH model is blacked out. What's your reason for blacking out your instrument's appearence? What do you want to tell people, show people, etc...
I got this axe secondhand, and they replaced the bridge with another Floyd Rose Special so I gotta shell out an extra 275ish to get a black Floyd Rose Original
He does not prefer bolt-on necks. He prefers NTB. Although, he has both.
NewGunGuy the early kh models were bolt on coz he modeled it on his strats ,,, wasn’t till later in he started using neck thru
@@paulparker8298 That's not what he said.
this was my first ever real guitar when I was like 13 year old and even though i kinda havent listened to metal in years and my go to nowadays is a mustang into a marshall and I play in an indie band and this guitar makes like ZERO sense for me anymore, I kinda rly miss it :(
playing the stupidest metalest guitar like im Stephen Malkmus kinda sounds so fun
I have one, and I effing love it.
Might be ordering this next month since i can afford it
hi , may i know if the bridge should be perpendicular to the studs ? so the bridge will not be parallel to the body? right? and may i know the spring setup?
thanks for your video ,cheers from italy
What’s that opening riff???
James Needs to Release an Independence Limited(LTD;) Get it!!
Nice but I think the rounder radius has alot more control.if the neck is flat you are pushing up against all the other strings there for more tention. A rounder neck you lift up and over.
I have this guitar. Very good quality !!!
Killed it !
I have one. My advice, replace the pickups with actives.
Good video! I looked very good. What do you think of Jimmy Hendrix? If you like my guitar and harmonica you will be happy.
Nick Bowcott.. I'm pretty sure he did the first Nuno Bettencourt interview I ever read in Guitarist magazine back in the early 1990s around Pornograffiti
How long has nick been with Sweetwater?
Definitely not playing enter sandman and master of puppets and maybe sanitarium..
love the guitar, they need a satin version, the gloss shows too much fingerprint IMO... honestly considering the purple version over the glossy black
The body has some growl to it, huh?
I was almost positive that kirk preferred a through neck and the body was alder.
Hello, what is the song he is playing on 4:40 or its just random because sounds very familiar to me? 😅
It’s similar to Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Am contemplating buying this or the ESP Arrow Flying V.....The only drawback to Kirk's guitar (that I hear) is the "Floyd Rose Special" bridge....it's a budget version of the Floyd Rose, and is made in Korea rather than Germany.... :(
True, but really the only thing you would need to consider is wearing out the saddles since they're from zinc alloy and not hardened Steel. You can just order replacement saddles from floyd rose original or 1000 which will Last you forever
I have a special and it works just perfectly.
Besides the fret inlays, this looks perfect for me
Yea the fret inlays are cringey
Waiting for mine to arrive next week, if someone has any questions about the guitar I will answer them in the future - see ya!
How good are the pickups Should I spend more money on the one with active pickups?
It's been a year how's the guitar treating you?
@@Exxitsi just bought the same model yesterday, for as old as it is it’s VERY nice dude. very smooth, easy to maneuver the neck, the tone is great, perfectly fine without active pickups. overall great guitar
does anyone know if it’s possible to scratch of those skull decals on the fretboard
Good thing is.. it still cheap for left handed
I’m left handed................
JUST BOUGHT IT YERRRR
is this a good guitar ?
Is Kirk a good player
@@conradotoledojryoutubechan2107 now we are asking the real questions
@Jérémie Lamontagne meeh, I think he is average, but yeah can't go too hard on him going to see metallica tomorrow on Lisbon so yeah xD
What strings do you use on it? I have this guitar for nearly 5 years, and still can't find the right ones for me.
Hey, Kneuzer! Thanks for reaching out. It really depends on the sound and feel that you’re going for. These come with EXL D’Addario strings (.009-.042). If you like D’Addario and want something that does better with drop tunings or more distortion I really like the NYXL’s, personally. There are so many options and it really just depends on the player, so feel free to reach out to me if you want to discuss it and I can make some recommendations for you!
Connor Smith, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1793, connor_smith@sweetwater.com
Any suggestions for pickup upgrades? I have this same guitar, bought on 2011 but the pickups that came with it are just not enough
my KH202 has active ESP designed so they must of changed them.....I like the actives that come with it but What's in yours? keep in mind these guitars are eq'd for leads.
Seymour Duncan sh6 distortion set. I had put this set on mine this week
NO don’t waste money on pickups… they DONT CHANGE TONE
@@sirspongadoodlethey do.
is he left handed
I’m begging my parents for this for Christmas lmfao
Good luck im doing the same this as you
Did you guys get it? :)
Good guitar
you just play single notes what do you want to make understnd about the sound of this guitar?
Kirk uses a Neck through on his guitars
Indeed, this falls under the budget model. He uses high end models, this guitar is meant to replicate his custom models.
Rock Roller247 back in the day when these records were made they were bolt on at times... and his favorite guitar is his 50s? Seafoam green strat .
Kirk used to use bolt on necks
Now he uses neck thru
He still uses bolt necks the only guitars he has with neck thru are his gibsons but the rest is bolt on
@@sportidiots6587 my friend your info is incorrect. The gibson he uses has a set neck, and his esp signatures have a neck thru body construction, in the early 90s his kh 2 guitars had bolt ons and those ones still do. I believe the first ouija guitar was the first one of his guitars to have a neck thru and he has used neck thru body guitars since then.
@@karambirsingh223 I forgot that his gibsons had set necks and the first ouija was bolt on and the rest were neck thru
@@sportidiots6587 btw the caution hot sticker guitar he has, a guitar which he has been using since the justice tour was the guitar the original esp kh 2 was based on. The production kh 2 model had a bolt on whereas his guitar had a neck thru body. Even the relic version of that guitar which was made later has a neck thru body construction
@@sportidiots6587 only the production model ouija had a bolt on, his own guitar is a neck thru
Now play the songs I thought you just played
"Like all of Kirks's guitars it has a bolt-on neck" WTF? The original ESP KH is not bolt-on, the jackson RR he uses is a neck-trough, his Les Paul has set-neck. etc.
I keep seeing people saying this is a Korean model, it's not. The one he's reviewing is the latest iteration from China. The older Korean ones are a lot nicer and have EMG/HZ pickups and actual black hardware instead of the ugly black chrome hardware on previous Chinese models. This one seems to have decent black hardware though but I know for a fact those pickups are trash...all the new budget LTDs use them. He must be playing through $3000 worth of modeling equipment to get that tone from them. Anyway this thing costs around $499; you can do much better for the money IMO...unless you're a KH stan and simply have to have his signature model. The Ibanez Quantum pickups that they use on models like the $399 RGA42FM are way more tight and harmonic than these ESP ones. You can usually find a Sterling Petrucci model for around $500-$550 that has stock Sterling pups that also blow these ones away. If you look hard enough you'll find the newer Dean Mustaine signature models for around $500-$550 and those have actual Seymour Duncans, one of them being Dave's signature "Thrash Factor" pickup. So yeah, basically with this guitar you're getting mediocrity with Kirk's name attached.
Dean is the company that makes Dave's guitar. Company+ artist name: ESP Hetfield, ESP Hammett, Dean Mustaine, Jackson Rhoads, etc.
I picked up a used one and threw some super distortions i had into it. Just wanted something with a Floyd. Wouldn’t buy one new though
Left Handed
Made in korea or china?
@Oroz Alvarez Aritz Belatz Mine is made in Korea
Korea
New ones China. Mines korean
It bothers me that he’s a lefty😂
the tone is horrid
your playing is horrid
good job
He literally went out of his way to say he was playing through a solid state amp with 6.5 inch speakers dawg
Yes but that has nothing to do with the guitar, guitars do not sound different from one another.
It's funny though because chris Poland is 10× better
LTD does not mean limited
Yes it does. Esp is electronic sound products. Ltd began as the limited series.
China.......:{
The skull and crossbones are ridiculous. Put an ebony board on it and some simple dots and you've got a winner.
You don't have any credibility. Shut up! Why should anyone listen to you? Piss off and go back to your knitting!
I'll have you know THAT I'VE FINISHED MY KNITTING!!!
The Artful Dodger then it wouldn’t really be a Kirk Hammett signature because that’s his thing genius
Overrated guitarist Kirk is and Nick uses Kirk's popularity to sell this guitar. Like he did with Tony Iommi Epiphone Lim Ed which turns out to be a joke of a guitar except the pickups.
Lol you think pickups make any sonic different 😂😂
Your right though Kirk isn’t that good
@@sirspongadoodle Yes.
Kirk is such a MEDIOCRE guitarist, that having a signature model is beyond comprehension. Also being on so many covers of guitar magazines is another mystery.
He's not very good now.. but in the past he was pretty untouchable
His guitar solos are ideal for the songs. That's his forte.
Play creeping death solo, go ahead
We await your upload, sir.
@@sebastiannegrin2284tornado of souls and perpetual burn hard enough??? Kirks solos are easy