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Iron1
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:04 am
Posts: 236
Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 6:31 am 
 

Curious about how they play and particularly, what the action is like. I cracked the large bone in my left thumb a few months back and playing for too long causes a ton of pain, so I'm thinking about looking for a guitar with lower action so I don't have to use the thumb as much to hold the neck...

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AppleQueso
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 8:00 am 
 

You know action is adjustable right?

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Iron1
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:04 am
Posts: 236
Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:51 am 
 

AppleQueso wrote:
You know action is adjustable right?


No way!! It is?!

;)

Sorry, could help the sarcasm.

It's as low as it can go without buzzing. I had my Ibanez set up by a guy in Phoenix years ago who used to be one of Eddie Van Halen's guitar techs, so it's as set up as it can be (he made an already nice guitar really phat - but the action just won't go any lower without filing down the frets and all sorts of other stuff that just isn't worth it). And,the BC Rich I have is a cheapo Warlock that won't go any lower without a TON of fret buzz.

So, it seems easier to just get another guitar that has better action right out of the gate. Plus, it sounds like a good excuse to get a new guitar. ;)
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AppleQueso
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 2:36 pm 
 

mm, I see.

I don't have that guitar, but I might suggest saving up a bit more and going for an EX-401 over the EX-360. IIRC, the 400 series and above are made in Korea, while the lower numbered ones are Indonesian. You'll be getting a better made guitar.

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Iron1
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:04 am
Posts: 236
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 6:27 am 
 

AppleQueso wrote:
mm, I see.

I don't have that guitar, but I might suggest saving up a bit more and going for an EX-401 over the EX-360. IIRC, the 400 series and above are made in Korea, while the lower numbered ones are Indonesian. You'll be getting a better made guitar.


Thanks, that's good to know.
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AppleQueso
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:35 am 
 

Iron1 wrote:
AppleQueso wrote:
mm, I see.

I don't have that guitar, but I might suggest saving up a bit more and going for an EX-401 over the EX-360. IIRC, the 400 series and above are made in Korea, while the lower numbered ones are Indonesian. You'll be getting a better made guitar.


Thanks, that's good to know.


Correction there, apparently the 401s are Indonesian as well now, hm. Heard nothing but good things though, and it's probably still worth going for the 401 over the 360 anyway.

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Iron1
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:04 am
Posts: 236
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 6:23 am 
 

AppleQueso wrote:

Correction there, apparently the 401s are Indonesian as well now, hm. Heard nothing but good things though, and it's probably still worth going for the 401 over the 360 anyway.


Someone beat me to the one I was interested in at Guitar Center. So, I'll keep looking, but yeah, I'd think the 401 would still seem to be a better choice.
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Zodijackyl
63 Axe Handles High

Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:39 pm
Posts: 7601
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 12:21 pm 
 

ESP recently changed up their offerings a lot while keeping the same numbering system, and within the past decade or so has changed production setups, so it is important to take note of the reasons we give and make sure they apply to what you're looking at. Some of us have very new gear, some have gear that we got new many years ago, and a lot of people on this forum have used gear.

LTDs, including Indonesian-made ones, tend to have very good action out of the box. I'd guess that may be done when they are "inspected in the USA" as most tend to be stickered. I would always take a new-in-box one over a display model, even without playing it, because in my experience they come very clean, perfectly packed, and set up well.

A few tips, if you're up for it:
-Finding new old stock of older LTD models is great, because in the past they used some better parts on lower models, like Grover tuners on 400 series models (they still use them on some)
-Used ones can give you a great combination of price and quality, though I have no issues with the quality of the one I bought new around four years ago.

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RabbitOfDoom
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Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 4:36 pm
Posts: 58
Location: Chicago, Illinois
PostPosted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 1:37 am 
 

I used to own an EX-401. It had a good enough tone (EMGs sound pretty much the same in most guitars, in my experience), but the neck dive was a real pain in the ass.

I'd count on getting straplocks, and you can usually move the one by the neck to the back of the body (near the neck joint) so that it doesn't weigh so heavily on your left hand. Gibson does this on their guitars, no idea why ESP haven't caught on.

I bought mine used and sold it a couple of years later for roughly the same sum, so it's not a bad investment from that perspective.
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Iron1
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Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:04 am
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 6:11 am 
 

Went down to Guitar Center the other day and played a Jackson Kelly for a bit, it was okay but had awful neck dive, so I counted it out. Then I grabbed up a Schecter Blackjack, which was much nicer than the Kelly, but the painted finish on the neck made it hard to move up and down quickly. So, I came home and just decided to dunk the Dimarzio Super Distortion in my RG and wow did it make a HUGE difference, sound-wise. So, I think for now the search is off. Thanks for all the feedback on the ESP. Still want to check one out, but with the pup swap on the RG, I'm feeling content for the time being - despite the thumb pain.
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hakarl
Metel fraek

Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 1:41 pm
Posts: 8816
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 5:30 am 
 

Do you have an Ibanez RG? Did it have V7, V8 or whatever those Ibanez pick-ups are originally?
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Iron1
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Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:04 am
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 6:15 am 
 

Ilwhyan wrote:
Do you have an Ibanez RG? Did it have V7, V8 or whatever those Ibanez pick-ups are originally?


Yes I do. It had an INF1 & INF2 stock. Replaced the bridge position INF2 with the DiMarzio and it made an amazing difference. I run it through a Line 6 floor pod, using the Treadplate and the sound is similar to the Ride the Lightning guitar sound, but with more bark and bottom end.
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