narad
Progressive metal and politics
Inoffensive? What about those inlays?
ESP 2023
- Thread starter 4Bolt71
- Start date
Inoffensive? What about those inlays?
Kyle Jordan
Ace of Knaves
Those inlays remind me of a partially eaten Peep or marshmallow.
Flying Zzzzz.
They need Cialis.
When you think about it they're almost a perfect metaphor for Metallica. Bravo ESP.
They need Cialis.
When you think about it they're almost a perfect metaphor for Metallica. Bravo ESP.
soul_lip_mike
SS.org Regular
MetalDestroyer
Heaven's Football Bat
they are appealing to the youths by putting emojis on the fretboard
OMFG I’m dying here, lol. Absolutely brutal. Next time I need to talk some serious shit I’m consulting @MaxOfMetal first.
I generally don’t like Vs but I love these (including the flaccid inlays), with the exception of price.
I generally don’t like Vs but I love these (including the flaccid inlays), with the exception of price.
I'll freely admit I'm getting more jaded about this industry these days.
BlueTrident
SS.org Regular
ESP is getting to the point where they’ll price themselves out of the market. I know that we live in a time where everything is more expensive than before but the pricing is becoming insane. In the early 2010‘s usual Japanese made ESPs were around the £1500-2000+ bracket and the LTDs were less than £1000 but it seems that you’re getting less bang for your buck and a higher risk of manufacturing errors. But now they use an artist signature to break the price bracket (Original JR-608 was the first guitar to cost over a grand and then the JR-7 is the first model to cost over two grand).
HeHasTheJazzHands
SS.org Regular
It's not just ESP. Schecter, Dean, Jackson/Charvel all have Korean made guitars that are reaching the 2k mark or are there/passed it.
Folks have been saying that for decades, it's not happened.
What happens is that the parent company of the brand in question just introduces cheaper options and further sub-brands to replace the older lines that now sell for more.
It has everything to do with brand perceptions. The cheaper lines gain trust and respect and can command higher prices to match market position.
MAJ Meadows SF
on a tone quest
- Joined
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They will sell and we all know it. I won't lie if I saw the black one in a shop I'd be hard pressed not to grab it and then feel disappointed in myself later out of principle.
Geez you guys are on a freaking roll with the jokes
Geez you guys are on a freaking roll with the jokes
Was probably originally an LTD and he wants to pretend he has an ESP.I think all the raised logos look like shit lol. Theyd all look better with either the old block logo or script/whateveryoucallit logo.
That reminds me that Richard Kruspe has a heavily modified Truckster, and it seems like he hated the hot rod logo so much he had it replaced with a proper block logo lol
Wucan
SS.org Regular
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Country of origin doesn't mean much nowadays, it's more the expectation of fit/finish/specs at a given price range. It used to be a proxy for quality but the gap has largely closed.
Hell, Strandberg and Duesenberg have sold imports at near boutique prices for decades. The rest of the industry just caught up to them.
HeHasTheJazzHands
SS.org Regular
Nah it would say LTD on the 12th fret lol
OmegaSlayer
SS.org Regular
My only demand to ESP LTD for 2023 is putting a different bridge on the H3-1007
That's a guitar that is solid on my to buy list, but the TOM bridge is holding me back
That's a guitar that is solid on my to buy list, but the TOM bridge is holding me back
xwmucradiox
sweep.tap.sweep
What's rough is the $1000 price point options have the quality of the $500 price point options from 10 years ago. I played an EC1000B in a shop this past weekend and it was just as much a garbage guitar as my EC401B I've been beating up on tour for a decade. Crappy fit/finish everywhere. I don't mind paying more when they're doing good work but the LTD stuff isn't anywhere close to the equivalent Schecter models.
That hasn't been my experience. I've worked on probably a dozen LTDs since fall and they've been about where they've been for the last decade or two, mostly 600, 1000, and Metal series.
Now actually getting something in stock, that's gotten more difficult.
I wouldn't be surprised if consistency of quality took a hit thanks to distributors and retailer taking their chances at point of sale due to supply issues. That's usually how it goes, regardless of brand.
Like I said, I've seen folks talk about it online on instrument by instrument basis, but I worked on plenty of shitty LTD Deluxe in my days, so it's hard to get a good picture, especially since I haven't seen anything really bad first hand yet.
I do agree that Schecter has done good to keep their flagship MIK stuff consistent. Anything cheaper is absolute garbage though, and not just cosmetically. I've worked on multiple SVSS models with cracks around trem studs, locking nuts already stripped out and mounted >1mm off, DOA electronics, etc. and that was before the pandemic.
The big issue is that brands are going for stacked specs over consistent quality. Now that you can get a $250 Alibaba guitar with stainless frets, roasted woods, etc. everyone needs to keep up since folks have come to expect that stuff now, and while big picture it doesn't actually cost more the OEMs are sure as shit charging more. That's why the most consistent stuff is coming from brands who own their production.
stinkoman
SS.org Regular
Anymore news on the Javier Strat?
