ESP Review: M-1000

History:

Purchase: I got a great deal on this baby at the Mars Music going out of business sale. Yeah, I miss Mars, but hey I only paid $550 for this $1000 guitar. I was looking to buy myself a Christmas present, and this looked like the perfect guitar for me.

What I Like About This ESP M-1000: This guitar has it all, EMG 81 active pickups, neck-thru body design, an ORIGINAL Floyd Rose tremelo, (not one of those imitations) and abalone inlays along the neck. This guitar's distorted sound is the best I've ever heard. The color and the quality is just perfect for anything, especially if you're playing metal. Some people take out the neck EMG 81 and replace it with an 85, but I like it just like this. It also has jumbo frets, which I personally like but others may not.

What I Do NOT Like About The ESP M-1000: The clean sound on this guitar isn't as well as some people might like. The EMG 81s gice it a sort of processed sound, but is still really good. It's sustain isn't as good as it could be because of the Floyd Rose, but the neck-thru design somewhat makes up for that.

ESP M-1000 Quality Rating: Yes, this is still and ESP LTD, and is still Korean made. However, I think it seems to be just as good quality as any American or Japanese guitar. The action was perfect for me when I received it. The finish is plain black, but it's the best black you'd ever see. I use it every once in a while for a mirror when I need one.

Review Summary: This guitar is a great guitar, especially for my style. It has the best pickups you can buy, the best bridge you can buy, and for me the best neck you can buy. However, if your style doesn't use distorted sounds a lot, or if you never use a tremelo on your guitar, this guitar isn't for you. You should only buy this guitar if you're going to use the Floyd Rose. Otherwise, it's just a hassle, and you might want to try looking at an ESP H-1000 or an EC-1000.

Rating of this ESP product: 5

This ESP M-1000 Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Mott

Review Date: 2002-12-30