ESP Review: LTD H-100

History:

Purchase: I acquired this guitar from a local music shop. I had my eye on purchasing an ESP for some time, but always steered clear because of the price. Then I found the LTD series H-100 in this used shop in brand new condition! It didn't have a scratch to it! The previous owner must have babied it like none other! I paid abour $280 for it, which in my mind, was a steal, since it goes for about $300 at major stores, and doesn't come with a case. I was originally looking for a guitar with a Floyd Rose to it, but after seeing, and PLAYING this guitar, I couldn't refuse it! It was a wonderful purchase, and have had little to no problems with it since it was set up. Great Axe at an amazing price for it's quality level.

What I Like About This ESP LTD H-100: I love the neck. I would compare it to an Ibanez Wizard. It's really thin, and the frets are extra large, which I like, and the dots are small, nothing too obnoxious. I really like the tilt in the headstock, as it really does add a lot of sustain. The tuners are dead on every time, and since there's no trem, I have no tuning problem no matter how extreme the weather changes, and playing styles. The pickups are way hot! The bridge pickup will give you the most cutting tone with a blazing distortion. I use that with a Danelectro Fab-Tone and a seven band Trace Elliot EQ (among other toys!) and the sound kicks! The three was switch makes it easy to find the sound you want fast! The middle position is close to the Petrucci tone of the JPM models, with a little more "umph" to it. And the neck humbucker gives you a clunky sound like an acoustic, but still gives you sufficient high end clarity to play smooth leads. the knobs are slightly recessed into the body, as it is a carved top, which makes them a bit harder to knock around, and out of place when playing wildly. I own seven guitars, and this is the only one that, once in tune, will SING ever chord perfectly in tune, everywhere, anywhere on the neck. It amazes me how much more i can play, when not having to worry about tuning problems.

What I Do NOT Like About The ESP LTD H-100: I wish the two humbuckers were four-lead pickups, so I could rewire it to do different coil combinations, or out of phase work. I like the easy knobs (vol. and tone) but wish there was a set for each pickup, or a blend know, or something more to play with. Also, when I got this, it wasn't very well set up, so there was a buzz on all the strings around the third fret and below, but a little tweak with the truss rod, and raising the bridge and tailpiece made all the difference in the world! And I still have incredible, fast action all the way up the neck!

ESP LTD H-100 Quality Rating: Very high quality wood for the neck and body. Very solid, and substantial without the unneccessary weight. Great wine red finish. I love this guitars shape! It almost clings to you! Great access all the way up into the last couple frets, and a really cool contour on the back side that really "hugs your hip"!

Review Summary: I love this guitar! It's my main axe in the lineup of onstage, and studio stuff I use. I want to buy another one that I can use for onstage use and keep this one pristine, as it is such an incredibly guitar. If this went missing, short of crying for hours and having to make due with other guitars in my collection, I would run out and buy another one. I would expect to pay about 4 to 5 hundred for a guitar like this. Thanks to ESP for such an incredible guitar!

Rating of this ESP product: 5

This ESP LTD H-100 Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Alan Gyssler

Review Date: 2001-07-03