ESP or LTD Eclipse?

[Harvest]

First of all, i'm new here, so i'm not sure if this is the right sub-forum or not.

But here it goes:

I've been drooling over the snow white Eclipse CTM II. But is it really worth the money, or should i go for an LTD instead? i terms of sound quality etc etc?

Thanks in advance, and keep on rocking

[Thrashman]

First of all, i'm new here, so i'm not sure if this is the right sub-forum or not.

But here it goes:

I've been drooling over the snow white Eclipse CTM II. But is it really worth the money, or should i go for an LTD instead? i terms of sound quality etc etc?

Thanks in advance, and keep on rocking

I say go ESP, totally worth the money. The quality difference is huge!

[Harvest]

I say go ESP, totally worth the money. The quality difference is huge!

BUt to me it seems like the specs are almost the same? Is the craftmanship the thing that makes the difference or what? And i'm thinking about the LTD 1000 btw

[ViperPlayer187]

Go ESP, yes the specs are similar, but Standard ESPs slay the LTDs in tone, playability and overall craftmanship. Besides even if it is too expensive isnt it worth waiting another month or two to raise the funds? Cuz once you buy the LTD teres no going back unless you return it. So think about this, if you buy the LTD you'll have a good guitar. But if you wait like a month you'll have an excelent guitar.

Trust me in the end it's better to wait, I learned it the hard way.

[flakelorenz]

ESP all the way... even if you have to wait months more to get it it sounds way way way better than the ltd (especially eclipses when sustain is the main thing they are famous for)

[Harvest]

Go ESP, yes the specs are similar, but Standard ESPs slay the LTDs in tone, playability and overall craftmanship. Besides even if it is too expensive isnt it worth waiting another month or two to raise the funds? Cuz once you buy the LTD teres no going back unless you return it. So think about this, if you buy the LTD you'll have a good guitar. But if you wait like a month you'll have an excelent guitar.

Trust me in the end it's better to wait, I learned it the hard way.

Thanks for the reply Viper. It (plus looking at pics, and on reviews) made me decide to raise the funds to go ESP. But it seems that the headstock is black, even though the body is white? Or is it just me being colorblind?8o

[Thrashman]

Thanks for the reply Viper. It (plus looking at pics, and on reviews) made me decide to raise the funds to go ESP. But it seems that the headstock is black, even though the body is white? Or is it just me being colorblind?8o

colorblind 8o

[ESPKH4Builder]

go ESP....my buddy owns an LTD EC-1000 and a ESP Eclipse Standard same pickups and set up and the ESP plays way better...spend the extra $$$ and go ESP

[ViperPlayer187]

Its meant to be black, my viper 400 is what with a black headstock, i love it.

[Harvest]

Yeah it looks good.. Just got confused for a second since my friend has it with a white headstock. But i asked him, and he had it made after he bought the guitar..

Thanks for helping me out everybody. I am definately going for the ESP now ;)

[Chonny]

I have had many ESP Ltds and regular ESPs. You can find some nice Ltds out there especially if you look for them, definitely one of the better Korean guitars on the market. I think ESP is a bit better, the craftsmanship on the ones Ive had "M2, and Eclipse II" have been right up there with my nice US made guitars.

The ESP Eclipse standard comes with a maple top which will add a bit more brightness and clarity even on super distorted riffs, this is why everyone likes maple. The Ltd is solid mahogany no maple top.

[flakelorenz]

Japanese made guitars are better than USA made guitars IMO :P

I don't know if it's just preferance of companies but most guitars made in America have unimpressed me

[T'cat]

harvest i had both guitars the ltd ec 1000 bit the dust and the esp eclipse is still with me the comaparisons between esp and ltd are night and day get the esp eclipse 2.

[KH Guitar Freak]

Japanese made guitars are better than USA made guitars IMO :P

I don't know if it's just preferance of companies but most guitars made in America have unimpressed me

That's cause you have yet to play good ones... ;)

[Gnochman]

At the risk of sounding unpopular, go Gibson over ESP or LTD Eclipse.

[flakelorenz]

That's cause you have yet to play good ones... ;)

I'm played USA made strats and teles and one PRS i forget which but they're no way as good as my ESP

[Chonny]

I have many guitars made in US, Japan, and Korea. The US and Japanese guitars are very, very similar. The Korean guitars aren't that far behind. Globalization is in fact playing a big part in guitar marketing.

[Harvest]

At the risk of sounding unpopular, go Gibson over ESP or LTD Eclipse.

I have already tried a couple of gibson LP's.. They just didn't do it for me.. I'm an ESP/LTD guy. Love 'em :)

[KH Guitar Freak]

I'm played USA made strats and teles and one PRS i forget which but they're no way as good as my ESP

Is that all you can name from America??? :rollin

[John in 757]

First of all, i'm new here, so i'm not sure if this is the right sub-forum or not.

But here it goes:

I've been drooling over the snow white Eclipse CTM II. But is it really worth the money, or should i go for an LTD instead? i terms of sound quality etc etc?

Thanks in advance, and keep on rocking


I just want you to know I own the snow white Eclipse II and the playability is SOOOO much better than the cookie cutter LTD series. You pay the money for a reason. Hand made all the way. This guitar was MADE for metal!! I will never purchase anything other than hand made for now on. ESP all the way!!

[flakelorenz]

Is that all you can name from America??? :rollin

Yes

[Olie_80's_Child]

ESP = High end LTD = Lower end granted LTD's are well built, have nice finishes and are priced right but there is nothing like the real deal so I'd say go ESP.

[KH Guitar Freak]

Yes

Sorry, but I'll have to say fail... 8o

Try other brands like Tom Andersons and Hamers, just to name a few...

And just to clarify, I'm not saying American guitars>Japanese guitars, they all build very nice guitars, to me, comparing them and choosing one over the other is like choosing between a Lamborghini and a Ferrari...

[flakelorenz]

Sorry, but I'll have to say fail... 8o

Try other brands like Tom Andersons and Hamers, just to name a few...

And just to clarify, I'm not saying American guitars>Japanese guitars, they all build very nice guitars, to me, comparing them and choosing one over the other is like choosing between a Lamborghini and a Ferrari...

Ok i've never heard of either of those. I've heard of kramer though there really good 80's guitars.

[espdood]

I'm gonna go with everybody here and say save up the money and get the ESP standard. I don't like the way the LTD was made. I had to return my EC-1000, because the fret job was done poorly and there was blemishes on the binding of the neck. There was also a noticeable paint blemish on the top as well. The ebony fretboard looked like it was overdone with gloss and doesn't feel like a "real" ebony fretboard for some reason. If you really want an ltd ec-1000, you'd have to go to a store to try out the EC-1000's if any store carries a bunch of them, and inspect them..I bet you can find that 1 if you're lucky out of how many they had as they all may differ in quality. I don't have any stores near me that carry a bunch of ltd models and I'm confident if I bought a standard..it'll sound/play/feel/ much better out of the box (first try) than most ltd eclipses out there.

[2fat2furious]

I was in the same situation as you are a couple months ago, I wasn't sure what to get, and what was worth the money. Now, I am a very proud VHB Eclipse II owner, in overall quality, tone, playability, comfort(while sitting and standing) it just completely surpasses the LTD in every category (including price ;)) If you don't want to spend an additional 800 just check the spam thread in the general discussion forum, theres bound to be one there, and if not ask around or ust wait a little while longer.

P.S. I got my eclipse for $1030(including shipping and ESP HSC) thanks to Yo Daddy, great deal.

[KH Guitar Freak]

Ok i've never heard of either of those. I've heard of kramer though there really good 80's guitars.

Kramer is good too, my ex-instructor had a Kramer Flying V, it was sex...

[P.D.]

Go for the LTD. 24 frets. The ESP has only 22

[Harvest]

Go for the LTD. 24 frets. The ESP has only 22

So what? I play rhytm guitar anyway. Nad if i play solo I would just move the 24th fret on the G-string (Pun intended.. Or not) to the 20th(?) fret on the b string :)

[Skwisgaar]

ESP for sure, well worth the extra cash.

[espdood]

ESP for sure, well worth the extra cash.

Agreed!!

[x Norge]

Sorry, but I'll have to say fail... 8o

Try other brands like Tom Andersons and Hamers, just to name a few...

And just to clarify, I'm not saying American guitars>Japanese guitars, they all build very nice guitars, to me, comparing them and choosing one over the other is like choosing between a Lamborghini and a Ferrari...

Ferraris are for gay people who cant afford lamborginis lol

[Bytor]

I owned a Ec-1000 and decided to try the Eclipse. I now am the proud owner of the eclipse and my LTD is going in the classified. It is night and day to me that the eclipse is much better. The tone of the guitar (wood) unplugged has more sustain and clarity. The tone and sustain plugged is the same. I notice in certain songs where the note was a bit muddy are now is clear. The feel of the fretboard is smoother and more quick, and the overall guitar shows it's handcraftmanship. I think Gibsons LP's are great of coarse, but these are just as good, but lighter.

[Shamino]

Ferraris are for gay people who cant afford lamborginis lol


Protip: Ferrari's are priced the same, if not slightly more, than Lamborghini's.

[stevako]

I originally got an LTD Truckster I thought that played nice, then I got 2 Eclispes now those play nice. Alot of the difference that I can tell is the playability and tone. I think you can have somebody setup a guitar and get pretty decent playability but then you will still not have the same tonality. To give you an idea just play the eclipse if you get the opportunity unplugged. Listen to how the sound projects and how the neck and the frets feel. I'm not dogging the LTD's but they just don't have that. Keep a good look out for deals. The one I just bought this week was $1095.00 they originally were asking $1700+ but you have too look and ask for the deals.

[Kannon]

I own an EC1K-VB. It's a great guitar, but I've played the Eclipse II. It's better. I would barely have paid 250 more for the Eclipse but it wasn't an option at the time. Wish it had been.

btw, Hamers are great. :)

[espsy]

Standard series Eclipse all the way!! it kills the LTD model.

[Zach21]

Go for the LTD. 24 frets. The ESP has only 22

Is that really the deciding factor for you?

[Deadpulse]

If you look on the ESP website's pictures, the 2 finishes are pretty acurate as to how they look in person. The finish on the LTD isn't nearly as nice as on the ESP (the LTD looks almost purplish when put side to side with the EC-II). I was recently in the same predicament and pulled the trigger on the EC-II myself.

The contours on the ESP are much nicer too.

[Zach21]

EC-1000's have an incredibly large amount of excess abalone as well.

[TheSandman]

I've owned 2 EC-1000's and an just picked up a vintage white ESP Eclipse and they're too totally different animals. The quality and sound of the ESP over the EC is nuts. The ESP has a better sound then the EC, through the bridge, the EC had too much high end for my liking, I like a low, deep chug, and the EC didn't do it for me. The cleans are good on the EC though, ESP's a little better. The advantage of the EC over the ESP is the tuners, the EC comes with sperzels (or schaller) locking tuners and the ESP doesn't. Depending on the abalone finish on the EC, it can be good or bad. I had a cherry EC and the abalone did not go well at all with the cherry, but I did have a snow white EC and the abalone looked beautiful with the white, best color in the EC IMO is the snow white with abalone. The EC is a very nice guitar for the money, but if you can spring for it, go with the ESP.

[MikeC]

The Sandman,
I just rescently purchased an Eclipse and mine came with the Sperzel locking tuners on it. I played both the EC and the ESP and I have to say the ESP is overall better. As Sandman stated, the quality and sound on the ESP is much greater then on the EC. I tried both guitars on a different number of amps, and I've played both side by side and I must say, the sustain and tone on the ESP is better IMO. Alot of people complain about the price difference because the specs on each guitar are the same, but the overall quality is unbeleivably. I'm not putting down the EC, because they're great instruments and they play fantastically. I'm just saying that for the extra money, you're deffinatly getting what you pay for,

[TheSandman]

The Sandman,
I just rescently purchased an Eclipse and mine came with the Sperzel locking tuners on it. I played both the EC and the ESP and I have to say the ESP is overall better. As Sandman stated, the quality and sound on the ESP is much greater then on the EC. I tried both guitars on a different number of amps, and I've played both side by side and I must say, the sustain and tone on the ESP is better IMO. Alot of people complain about the price difference because the specs on each guitar are the same, but the overall quality is unbeleivably. I'm not putting down the EC, because they're great instruments and they play fantastically. I'm just saying that for the extra money, you're deffinatly getting what you pay for,

what year was it? Mine came with gotoh tuners, thinking of switching to sperzels

[sonofagun]

Globalization is in fact playing a big part in guitar marketing.

WORD

[slate]

hey y'all ,
i'm going to play devils advocate here and say that i reckon the LTD eclipse is actually BETTER than the ESP .
i own both an EC1000 deluxe and an eclipse 2 standard - the difference in build quality between the two is negligable and the tone of the LTD is way fatter than the ESP .
yes , i know the LTD has no maple cap , and this will make a big difference tonally - but the ESP sounds very thin in comparison , and really nothing like a les paul .
either ive got a really good LTD or a duff ESP , but i'm seriously considering selling the ESP - it just doesnt get used .
pretty dissapointing given that i had to wait 6 months for it ( i'm a lefty )....
the EX standard i ordered at the same time is another story though - its absolutely monstrous !!
:)

[P.D.]

Fuck the ESP . Go for the LTD.

[Thrashman]

Fuck the ESP . Go for the LTD.

Why don't you just fuck yourself, instead?

the difference, imo, is insane between the ltd and the esp eclipse(/ec1k), so if you can afford it, take the esp eclipse, there's no regretting there.

but as someone said earlier, the LTD is more of a gig and bash guitar due to the price..but meh, who cares, a guitar is supposed to be used..ESP:)

[dazr33]

Does anyone know if this is the new 2008 EC-1000. Its Gloss Black but has Black hardware instead of gold.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110213801285&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001

and

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300190500239&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=020

[espsy]

A friend of mine had an EC1000 and we A/B'd it with my Eclipse II and the LTD although a great guitar, sounded really thin and had no balls in comparison.

[espsy]

Does anyone know if this is the new 2008 EC-1000. Its Gloss Black but has Black hardware instead of gold.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110213801285&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001

and

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300190500239&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=020

No it isn't, someone has just changed the hardware.

[P.D.]

Why don't you just fuck yourself, instead?

the difference, imo, is insane between the ltd and the esp eclipse(/ec1k), so if you can afford it, take the esp eclipse, there's no regretting there.

but as someone said earlier, the LTD is more of a gig and bash guitar due to the price..but meh, who cares, a guitar is supposed to be used..ESP:)

... and the LTD have 24 frets while the ESP have 22.. and the LTD's are way cooler than the ESP's

[Fordman65]

ESP's are overrated get a LTD. Better yet get a real LP and not some cheap knock off wannabe.

[P.D.]

hell yeah, ESP ARE a bit overrated.. lol xD

[redlightklondike]

I just got an LTD EC400Vf. While it has impressed the shit out of me, I would still get an ESP if I could really afford it. But the fact is I can't. And I shouldn't. I don't want a $1500 guitar until I deserve it, skill-wise. Nothing says "douche bag" more than some tool with a wicked guitar but can't rip it to shreds.

If I ever get good enough--and if I ever can afford it--I'll get an ESP eclipse. That 2008 faded one is unreal!

rlk

[Fordman65]

I just got an LTD EC400Vf. While it has impressed the shit out of me, I would still get an ESP if I could really afford it. But the fact is I can't. And I shouldn't. I don't want a $1500 guitar until I deserve it, skill-wise. Nothing says "douche bag" more than some tool with a wicked guitar but can't rip it to shreds.
If I ever get good enough--and if I ever can afford it--I'll get an ESP eclipse. That 2008 faded one is unreal!

rlk

fail.

[StarIVBurns]

hell yeah, ESP ARE a bit overrated.. lol xD

fail x 10000000

[InVinoVeritasXXX]

fail.
Nah, he prolly hit the nail on the head there. What do you play, Fordman?

[Gfunk]

What do you play, Fordman?


It depends on the week.





:lol

[InVinoVeritasXXX]

It depends on the week.





:lol
I don't get it.

As far as Eclipses/LPs/whatever go, I was thinking of getting an EC-1000, but then I realized I could save a couple more bills and get a LP Studio, which I was able to try out at my local Guitar Center and found the neck profile to be satisfactory. I wish I knew where an ESP dealer was around here...

[Fordman65]

Nah, he prolly hit the nail on the head there. What do you play, Fordman?

Just sold a EC400VF, curently have a 96 LPC and have an edwards LPC on the way.

[BrazilianBootyLover]

I just got an LTD EC400Vf. While it has impressed the shit out of me, I would still get an ESP if I could really afford it. But the fact is I can't. And I shouldn't. I don't want a $1500 guitar until I deserve it, skill-wise. Nothing says "douche bag" more than some tool with a wicked guitar but can't rip it to shreds.

If I ever get good enough--and if I ever can afford it--I'll get an ESP eclipse. That 2008 faded one is unreal!

rlk


Why? I got a custom on the way and I suck! :lol

Besides, who says you can't have a really great guitar just cause you're not shreddy Mc fun tits?

[Thrashman]

^ i agree with some of that, i mean, i think you deserve any guitar you want, i mean, im not that great of a guitarplayer IMO, but i mean, im fucking picky about quality, and that leaves me with esp, so..:lol