I've been looking for other similar priced guitars before I buy an ESP Ex-400. I'm posting the specs and I'd like it if anyone with experience would reccomend which axe is the best out of these. Shape is not an issue.


ESP F 250 Electric
LTD Series

Body Agathis
Bridge/Tremolo Licensed Floyd Rose
Case Included No
Controls Volume, tone, 3-way toggle
Fingerboard Rosewood
Inlays Arrowheads w/name at 12th fret
Neck Material 3 Piece Maple
Pickups EMG-HZ H-4 set
Scale 25 1/2"
Hardware Black
http://images.misupply.com/products.../ESP/125809.jpg
$454
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ESP MH 400NT
LTD Series

Binding Natural (body), white (neck, headstock)
Body Mahogany with Quilted Maple Top
Bridge/Tremolo Tune-o-matic w/string-thru-body
Case Included No
Controls Volume, tone, 3-way slotted toggle
Fingerboard rosewood
Frets 24
Inlays Offset blocks w/name at 12th fret
Machine Heads Black + Earvana compensated nut & Grover tuners
Neck Joint Set-thru
Neck Material 3 piece Maple
Pickguard None
Pickups EMG 81/85 active pickups
Scale 25 1/2"
http://images.misupply.com/products.../ESP/126068.jpg

$594

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and lastly the one I've been planning on getting, but am having second thoughts about:

ESP EX 400

LTD Series

Body Mahogany
Bridge/Tremolo Tune-o-matic w/ stop tailpiece
Controls Volume, tone, 3-way toggle
Fingerboard Rosewood
Frets 22
Inlays Dots w/ model name at 12th Fret
Machine Heads Grover tuners
Neck Joint Set-Neck
Neck Material 3 piece Maple
Pickguard None
Pickups EMG 81/60 active pickups
Scale 24 3/4"

http://images.misupply.com/products.../ESP/126062.jpg
$595.



I have no idea if I would ever need the 24 frets on the MH, but the 81/85 pickups caught my attention. I'm not a huge fan of regular shapes(like the MH), but since this would be my first electric I'm afraid that I won't find the explorer shape comfortable. There's nowhere in my area where I can try one of these out. Are explorer shapes easy to get used to?

The F250 is much cheaper than both of those($450), but it has a Floyd Rose tremolo, which is something I might not need right now but plan to get in the future. The passive H-4 pickups it comes with... that I have no idea about. Are they crap compared to a 81/60 and 81/85 set?

Well it would be cool if anyone could help me out in buying one of these three. Once again, thanks for your help.

If it's your first guitar I wouldn't recomend the Floyd Rose. They can be nice, but tuning them can be a pain and string changes can take quite a while as well.

Of your list I would take the mh400 as I am a fan of the tune-o-matic bridges and I like "normal" shapes. The 81/85 pickup set seems to be what like 90% percent of people are using right now, myself included. I have heard the 60 sounds better for cleans, but you'll sound alright either way.

I think you should get the ex-400 like you first were going to. It's a good guitar for the price and the white with black hardware looks super goodness to me.

Shape wise I think the ex would be not to uncomfortable to play, standing would be fine and sitting would be okay as long as you hold it classical style, between your legs-ish.

hope that helped.

Thanks for the assistance. Okay, the F250 is out of the picture now. I guess now I have to decide which shape I like best. Definately the EX, but I'll just wait and see what other people have to say. Thanks a lot.

The absence of avatars is irritating.

Gte the 400NT, great guitar

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yea, awesome! esp for the price
but it depends if you want a floyd or not, if you want a floyd then you obviously wont like it but if you dont want a floyd its perfect

btw, why the fuck has it got a locking nut if the guitar is strings-thru...? :S

i personally would rather look at ibanez, but each to his own

yea the 400nt looks great for the price, i hate those esp wanna be explorers

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Go with the ESP MH 400NT. Good bridge and good looking guitar.

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ive played them all... they're all decent, though i didnt like the sound of the HZ's. I'd say go for the EX 400, 81/60 is a pretty good combo, im pretty sure the 60 has a fatter sound than the 85, better for jazzy stuff. Sure its an explorer ripoff, but i think it looks better with the points... i actually was going to buy one a while ago.

heh, i just dont like string thrus, locking nuts, and plain looking bodies... which the NT has entirely

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If you want the floyd then get the MH400 .. the NT means No Tremolo. And it dosen't have a locking nut.. just some idiot photoshoped the pic to have the MH250's neck..

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I would go for the MH400.

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Personally I would go for the MH-400. It seems to be the best deal. About the Floyd Rose's I avoid them but I'm thinking about getting back into them. For a first I'd definitely avoid them unless you want to pay a guitar tech to mess with it like constantly. I had a lot of shit with mine when I had it, then I worked in a shop for a few monthes and I learned how not to have a nervous breakdown over them. In then end, its all up to you. 24 fret necks tend to have a little bit better upper neck access though. To me they seem like they get a little bit better tonal response. Maybe it's just something mental to me, but eh, I guess that's why it's called an opinion.

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Wow, I didn't expect so many people to suggest the MH400. Okay, so in technical aspects, the MH400 is a much better sounding axe, right? I just listend to the samples of the 60 and 85 pickups they have at the official EMG site, and the 60 did in fact sound fatter, deeper, and more powerful than the 85...

This is what the 60 sounds like: http://www.emginc.com/downloads/mp3..._neck_dirty.mp3

and the 85: http://www.emginc.com/downloads/mp3...ridge_dirty.mp3

The 81 is on the neck for both, so it doesn't matter.

So what makes the MH better than the EX? Please explain in detail.

The stuff I'm interested in playing is stuff like Megadeth and Maiden all the way up to stuff like Morbid Angel and Suffocation. This is why I feel that the EX might be a better choice since the 60 pickup makes a heavier sound.

Are you all reccomending the 81/85 set guitar(MH400) because it's more versatile for other kinds of music too?

I'm really stumped on this now, I love the EX shape and like the sound, but something is whispering in my ear telling me to get the MH...

The guitar quality seems overall better than that of the EX. Anyways, a 60 costs like what? 45-80 dollars. Until that alteration could be made you could just use the 85. Of course, Avoid the HZ's thats like the passive form of the EMG. I use an 81/85 set but eh, it's more or less a pocketbook matter, I'd use the overpriced illustrious PRS Vintage neck and bass(like on the custom 24's).

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the 60 sounds fatter and deeper in comparison in those two recordings because in those recordings, the 60 is in the neck position and the 85 is in the bridge position. If that 85 was in the neck position, it would sound much deeper and fatter..

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DeathCS apparently you pay much more attention than I about details like that. . . I guess that's why they call it Attention Deficit. . . .

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I would rule out the first guitar. Shitty pickups with shitty woods. And the licensed floyd would be a nightmare anyway.

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i never knew you could do that but thats cool.
what i mean is you know the 2nd one it hasn't got a floyd
but its got a locking nut and retainer

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considering this store is selling the 2nd one for this
i say get it while you can for that price.


http://www.bmusic.com.au/prod3344.htm

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depends, how good are you, are you begginer intermediate or advanced advanced shedder etc also wether you play lead or rythem more

i reckon an ibanez rg321 and an emg81/85 (or 60) set would suit you better

maybe, but only if hes either a beginer or advanced shredder

I consider myself to be intermediate... Not quite a noob, but I haven't tried shredding yet(mainly since I can't on my current acoustic's neck, since it has no cutout...). I play leads just as much as I do rythm.

I'm starting to lean towards the MH, but I still want to hear what they sound like or more comments on what they sound like/feel from people who have used them.

Thank you for all the help.

Edit: I think the Ibanez looks nicer, but I'm not willing to change pickups anytime soon...

ive had a few ibanez and you should only get them if you plan on playing mostly lead id say the mh should suite you better, its more all round

The NT is better by far.

NT vs EX
String through vs stop tailpiece
Set thru(?) vs set neck
25.5 scale vs 24.75 scale
24 fret vs 22 fret
mahogany and quilted maple vs plain mahogany

There's absolutely no question as to which one I would go for.

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What are the advantages of having a string through? And having a slightly longer guitar? The only thing I see better in the MH400NT is the 24 frets, the neck, and supposedly the pickups. I guess this might be enough reason for me to get it over the EX, it's just that the strat shape and lack of inlays(those little stripes are lame) really turns me off. I'm still thinking this over, thanks again for the help.

Edit: That locking nut at the top of the neck... is it necessary to untighten it when you're tuning the guitar? Forgive me for my ignorance, 'cause I don't know crap about "add-ons" like that.

Another question, doesn't have much to do with this: On one thread someone once told me that I may want to make some adjustments to the bridge on a new guitar. Does this mean lifting/lowering it's height? How is this done and is it safe/easy? What result does it produce? Sorry for the noobish questions, but I'm really curious.

String = more sustain and more string tension.
25.5 Sclae neck = more tension, more articulate.

About the locking nut... READ THE FUCKING THREAD! I already explained. Thats a bogus pic goto www.espguitars.com

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Whoa... get that cork out of your ass. I read that but I merely forgot about it. What do you mean by articulate? Like faster neck action? I think I'm going for the MH now, I just want to compare how the two sound like before I jump for one. Don't know if I'll be able to do that, but I guess I'll aim for the MH since I can't try them out. thanks to everybody, you've all been very helpful.

I mean articulate.. like "To pronounce distinctly and carefully; enunciate."

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String through might have better tone as well. It also looks better.

A 25.5 scale guitar will have slightly more tension on the strings, useful when downtuned (which you will do), and the frets are less cramped at the top of the fretboard.

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get the MH

Ah, now I understand. Wow, the MH does indeed sound like a much better guitar. Thanks to everybody for helping me pick this awesome axe, MH it is.

yea the MH is kick ass, but i also love the shape of the EX

too bad the EX only has 22 frets! neways, string thru is better so get the MH

Why does everybody keep refering to new guitarists as "noobs", that's leattalk, It's meant to describe things done online only, just like the "Gai" spelling of "gay", just thought I'd point that out.

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gay spelled as "gai" ? Thats pretty bad. Which forums and communities do you visit?
Noob has become a word on it's own. Noob has a different conontation than the word newbie nowdays, so I guess it's not spelled differently.

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Well those terms are leetchat or whatever. The ways people spelled things after bots started booting people from chatrooms and crap like that. Besides that this is like the only forum/community I visit, I just like to be well informed on stupid topics that will never mean anything such as the origin of words and what they are actually used for. . .Just because something is used one way and a lot of people do it doesn't mean it's correct. .. for example racism. . . not cool

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I have an LTD Explorer. EX-102. I have the cheaper pickups, though, Duncan Designed, but they still sound awesome. I love everything about this guitar. The shape is cool, fast action, great playability, awesome tone, you name it. I am a little bummed out about it not having 24 frets, though, as I like to have that flexibility. I don't play lead at this point, but do plan to start, and having 24 frets on my main ax would be nice. It's also pretty comfortable sitting down, you don't have to have it in the classical position, either, works just fine in the folk position. I haven't played the other guitar, so I don't know how good it is, therefore am not qualified to critique it. I do like the shape and the string through body, though, that's very nice.

it kindo depends on what you want. if you want to do mostly rythm then ide suggest the ex. if rythm/lead or mostly lead then the mh-400. also i think the mh-400 would get better tone because it has the zakk wylde pickup set and it sounds a lot better then the 60 or 81 or 85 alone. i personaly have an ex-350 which has a floyd rose, set neck and came with emg hz's but i replaced them with seymour duncan sh-6's. i really like my ex but its more of lead/rythm because of the floyd then the ex-400 would be. ex shaped guitars are generely not as good for lead tho and even mine isnt as good as it can be. the mh400 would be better for leads, and quilted maple tops are cool. if i was you i would honestly change the emg's to seymour duncans though. a string thru with set thru made of mahogany with a quilted maple top will sound killer with some seymour duncans. also even tho you took the f-250 off your list its still a very nice guitar, tho working on a floyd would be a bitch if you havnt had much expirience. an f-400 or f-100 would be pretty good tho. 1 of my friends has an f-50 and its honestly good enough that we play it almost as much as our $500+ guitars.

get the second one