ESP LTD EC-1000 Electric Guitar - See Thru Purple Reviews

First off when this guitar arrived it was perfect out the box. I had no set up done to it whatsoever. The action was perfect, the fret edges were perfect also. The neck is awesome. Not too thin or thick. It is a beautiful guitar. The white binding on the purple looks amazing. It's plays like a dream. For around you get Seymour Duncan pickups, locking tuners, and stainless steel frets. The frets are so smooth that your fingers just glide over the fretboard. I have a Gibson Les Paul standard which I love but I always keep coming back to the this guitar. Yes the Gibson sounds warmer and you the nostalgia but dollar for dollar you can't beat this ec1000.

Arrived in perfect condition. The finish is gorgeous and it plays and sounds fantastic. My other EC-1000 (Piezo) has a different combination of SD HBs which I appreciate since they sound a little different. Love that Sweetwater lets you choose the guitar you want since there are differences in the color shades. Huge shout out to my very knowledgeable sales engineer, Mike Bell. I could not be happier with this guitar and Sweetwater.

I'll get right to it - I love this guitar. Build quality is outstanding. The neck is a dream to play, not one blemish that I can see, and it stays in tune unbelievably well...as in I never really need to re-tune no matter how much I'm bending the strings. The bridge pickup reminds me of the SD 59 I have in another guitar but just a bit hotter and the neck pickup is more usable that the 59 neck in my opinion - of course the 24 frets might have something to do with that. This guitar is solid, easy to play, and just sounds great - I highly recommend it. Oh, and the neck is not that thin - just perfect really. Finally, my rep Reid Bright is one of the most helpful and knowledgeable people I've had the pleasure to work with. I had a problem with another order not working out for me and he made it the most easy experience for returning and helped with this order and the communication was outstanding. Reid, and the whole Sweetwater team/support is why I continue to shop here.

If you're thinking about buying this guitar, STOP THINKING!!! Just do it! If you want a real rounded guitar that can play the heaviest riffs all the way down to country chicken pickin', then this guitar is for you!!! I will be buying another one of the same model, but in a different color, just to have some different color options while I'm jamming away in my bedroom/studio!!!

There was a time when my boys were young I had to sell almost all my of my guitars, I kept one. At the time, about 17 years ago, it was worth much less than the American Kramers, Jacksons and Gibsons I had used since the 80s. That was an EC1000 in see through black cheery, fantastic guitar. Eventually things got better, I got other guitars and traded that away but I have missed it. Yea I had some pretty high end guitars but something about that one just fit. While I never got to play it live I always thought it would have been great.

For the past year or so I've considered buying another multiple times and finally pulled the trigger last week. When it arrived it was everything I had remembered and more. Truly the fit and finish was perfect, not a single flaw on the body or binding, the fretwork was stellar and ebony on the board is beautiful. I did have to make a few adjustments to the truss rod to get it where I wanted but it was playable, and probably where many people would want it right out of the box.

Guitars are expensive and always increasing it seems but there are a few "steals" out there in my humble opinion and the LTD EC-1000 is one of them. I'll be playing this one live this weekend and I can't wait. I have a Jazz/JB set in my LP so the Jazz/Custom5 is very similar... in fact I like it better. The pickups will do everything from metal to praise without missing a beat.

If you are looking for a guitar that feels and plays like one three times the price, this is it, you won't be disappointed.

I will note this one is from World Music in South Korea, s/n begins with W, so I can't speak to the models from the Indonesian factory.

Lifetime player, still play in a weekend cover band, own numerous guitars including Gibson and American Fender. Was looking for a single cut with a more modern, "playable" neck than my Les Paul Standard. Found it, and in a much lighter guitar. Beautiful finish, quality instrument. My first ESP purchase, and not my last! Nothing "cheap" feeling or sounding on this axe, switches, knobs, tuners are all solid. Sustain for days, even with the plastic nut that came standard (my wife purchased this for me, she didn't know Sweetwater would change out the nut prior to shipping). Very happy with the Duncans, never had this particular set. They sound great distorted, clean, and even in single-coil mode. No great volume drop when switched to single coil. I love the neck on this guitar, similar to my Les Paul, but much less "chunky" feeling. I routinely gig with this guitar now, it has become my number 1 axe. I have received many compliments on the look and sound of this guitar. You will not find a better single cut for the price. Head to head comparison, my LP Standard stays home on gig day. If you have the cash, do yourself a favor and buy this guitar.

Lifetime guitarist, own American made and numerous other guitars. Play in a gigging classic rock band. I was seeking a single cut, lighter and "more modern" than my LP Standard. I was weened on Fender necks, and the Gibson neck has always felt "foreign" to my hand. I'd never owned an ESP guitar, or even seen one in person. I made the purchase, leery that this ESP guitar might feel "cheap". It does not. Switches, locking tuners, and input jack are solid. I'm a Seymour Duncan fan, but never owned this set. They are awesome, and I will not replace them. Coil split is useful, volume does not drop much in single-coil mode. Have played 3 gigs now with this guitar, and it is my number 1 guitar. Extremely playable neck, love the radius and "feel" of it. Far more modern and "playable" than my LP neck. Less "chunky". Nice frets too, and I like having that 24th fret. This is a professional, gig-worthy guitar, and I've received numerous compliments on the purple finish. Mine is nice and light, under 8 lbs., but sustain for days. This one's a keeper, go get you one!

Oh,my! This is my first guitar from ESP/LTD, and likely not my last. I was looking for a replacement for a 2018 Epiphone Les Paul Custom Prophecy Plus GX i was forced to sell last October, and wanted something comparable. I wanted a two octave fingerboard and powerful pickups, and a really fast neck. I got all those things and more.

The pickup combination just sparkles, there is no better word to describe the clear, bell like tones this guitar gets, and the bells have teeth! It has a bright, clear snarl that I can not get enough of.

I mentioned the neck earlier. The description calls it a 'U', but it is really a slim tapered 'D,' not unlike my Les Paul Classic. The rounded heel allows easier access to the higher frets, and the ebony fretboard is very smooth.

The body is thinner than I am used to, close to the thickness of a Les Paul Studio, but still has a maple top on a mahogany body, and is just under 9 pounds. The neck and body meet at the 17th fret, and a cutout at the rear of the horn also aids access to the highest frets.

Overall this is wonderful, professional quality instrument, and the deep purple finish is aesthetically pleasing.

Kudos to Sweetwater for the fast delivery. I ordered this on 23 December, it shipped on the 26th, and I had it on the 30th.

I took a 2 hour drive to Sweetwater to try out a handful of ESP guitars. The sales staff brought me an E-II Horizon, an E-II Eclipse, and this purple LTD Eclipse from the warehouse so I could play them in the store. I loved the E-II guitars, especially the Eclipse, but I noticed little to no difference between the E-II Eclipse and the LTD Eclipse. The E-II Eclipse had a stunning purple sparkle finish, but the see-thru purple is equally beautiful, and certainly more nuanced and subtle. Along with the awesome finish, the LTD has Seymour Duncan Humbuckers which produce a nice, thick rock tone that will get you all the pinch harmonics you want without the EMG "compressed" sound. This guitar's sound could best be described as classic rock on steroids. There are no imperfections in the finish, binding, or fretwork. I was prepared to drop 2 G's on an E-II, but I walked out of the store with this guitar and a Boss Katana amp for about half the E-II price. I could not be more pleased with this rock machine. Thanks to Cole and Andrew for the great in-store experience.

I bought this guitar because I was looking for something other than a LP but with the same familiar layout. I play mostly rock, blues, some metal and this guitar sounds awesome. Even better, it has a push/pull tone pot for coil splitting, not mentioned in description. And its simply beautiful.
T. Woods

Handle great and play amazing and sound amazing worth the money everyone.

There's so much that I appreciate about this guitar. From the way it stays in tune almost perfectly, to the killer sustain flying out of the EMG pickups, to the variety of tones achievable, to the overall beautiful finish and neck inlays, I really do enjoy holding, playing, or even just staring at this guitar. A quality instrument at a great price point. No regrets.

I waited 10 months to receive this guitar and suffice it to say it was absolutely worth it. I love everything about this guitar from the build quality to the feel and play ability to it"s stunning appearance. Certainly is not a guitar to bang out some Stevie Ray Vaughan but if you"re into metal or hard rock… Wow! Sweetwater is always a great place to deal with

Such an amazing guitar crafted with quality materials. Such a BEAUTIFUL GUITAR and SOUNDS AMAZING!! 100% happy with my purchase! Shoutout to Sales Engineer Phil Potts!

First off this is the nicest guitar Iv owned,i was originally in the market for a strat,but seen this and glad I did,the finish is beautiful.The fishman pickups are very clear and crisp sound for the clean kinda has a acoustic sound to it,and the distortion will blow you away it"s like getting a round house kick to the face from chuck Norris,I mainly play Power,thrash metal and this does Job,works great for worship music at church to.overall very happy and pleased about my purchase.

Most easy playing guitar ever, scale length is perfect, in amazing condition, and the fluence pickups take his guitar to another level. Very satisfied with my purchase

I just received my ESP LTD EC-1000FM in the see thru purple. It is a beautiful guitar and it sounds great on any amp setting from distortion to clean jazz. I was especially intrigued by the Seymour Duncan jazz neck pickup. It did not disappoint.

The body is thin and carved very nicely. I have been wanting a nice purple guitar every since Prince past away. I had initially bought a Jackson guitar with EMG pickups from another day Kline music store. When the guitar arrived I was very disappointed in the overall appearance and sound of the guitar.

I have to say that the ESP LTD EC-1000FM looked exactly like the photos online. I love the black hardware and the white trim and the guitar is not chunky or heavy at all.

Next year I will look at possibly getting the ESP LTD EC-1000QM that comes with the piezo pickup.

My 2nd guitar (both from Sweetwater). My Sales Engineer, Camden Uhazy, recommended the Squire Classic Vibe 70's Stratocaster as my first guitar - and it didn't disappoint (see that review). I love playing it so much, I spoke to Camden about purchasing a second guitar. I wanted a Les Paul cut of some kind and we settled on the ESP LTD EC-1000 in See-Thru Purple. Awesome guitar! Arrived on time, well packaged, and to my limited experience, playable straight out of the box. It feels great and sounds great - love it! Camden and Sweetwater came through for me once again - thanks, guys!

This is my first ESP guitar and let me say this guitar is amazing. Looks incredible, plays and sound fantastic. Its actually the first guitar that I've bought that has PERFECT intonation up and down the fretboard.
Finish and build quality and stunning. Worth every penny.
T. Woods

Love the color, playability, and it sounds killer!

The reason I gave it 4 stars is because the fret edges needed some slight work (fret sprout) and the selector switch would cut out sometimes when switching to the bridge position.

I work on my own guitars and got it set up beautifully now. Plays like a dream. This is a good guitar!

I had been eyeing this guitar for about two years. I finally pulled the trigger and couldn't be happier. It looks and plays great. I really like the neck profile and the light weight. My only complaint is with the pickups, which is why I only gave it four stars. The pickups are too scooped and muddy for my tastes. I will be replacing the pickups in the very near future. Overall, I'm very happy with the guitar.