If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

[Robert Delahunt]

If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400, either normal (duncan loaded one) or archtop (duncan loaded), which would you buy? Both are mahogany body, rosewood fretboard, etc, two humbuckers. Neither has coil splits wired in, as far as I know. Anyways, one is '59/JB (the archtop) and the pickups have the chrome covers. Black is a nice color . The other is the standard EC-400, with Jazz/C5 and no pickup covers.

Assuming the only difference was the pickups (essentially), which would you buy, if you had to get one of the two? (For instance, if this was a free guitar in the sense that you won a contest, and had to pick one of them, etc)

 

[tubeman87]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

I'd go with the arched top, for no other reason than I'd prefer a ached top. As far as pups both combos are great, it would just come down to astetic appeal.

 

[sublimerules9604]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

I love my EC400at The Pickups sound grat and the neck feels perfect for me. The jazz neck would be nice, but I love the look and feel of the at.

 

[Loserchief]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

AFAIK the LTD EC series has changed quite a bit and the two different 400s are discontinued and replace with one named EC-400VF which comes only with JB/59.
But if you have the choice between the older models i'd go for the archtop. Archtops look better imo and pups can always be changed.

 

[D-EJ915]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

I'm not a big fan of the flat top eclipse, I'd get the arch-top, also note that the AT and VF are thicker than the other eclipses.

 

[Loserchief]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

judging by the ESP site the AT is discontinued now.

 

[Ez74]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

i'm looking to get the white EC500 with EMGs. I actually like the 500 bettter than the 1000 because it doesnt have all the cheesy abalone inlay

 

[Surgeon]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

Both would be great guitars IMO but the archtop would be closer to the lp specs... 22 frets, thicker body, etc...

I'd go for the AT if I had to chose...

 

[baritone]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

I would choose archtop.

 

[Kac]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

i'll take the arched top please.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

archtop too!

 

[infrared72]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

My vote is for the archtop Esp Ec's as well - they just look better. Plus, like others have said there's more wood, and that's always better. I've seen the flat top version, and they just look kinda strange when you're expecting an archtop LP style.

I've been eyeing the ESP Eclipse2, EC400 and EC1000's for some time now. I actually played the Eclipse 2 with the nitrocellulose vintage honeyburst (VHB)finish, the EMG81/60 combo and that was a really smoking guitar. Pretty smoking on the price as well, so then I started looking at the lower cost EC1000, the EC400AT (now discontinued) and the newest EC400VF. The EC400AT is last years model, but I see them frequently on Ebay. One that I saw not too long ago was the gold top version with Paul Reed Smith pickups on it, which I thought sounded kinda cool and different. I wish there were some more color options for the EC1000 that didn't include all that abalone inlay. Some is cool, but I think they kinda overdid it.

I REALLY dig the new EC400vf in tobacco sunburst though - I think that finish for a $600.00 guitar is unbelievable. It certainly isn't a Les Paul replacement, but I could seriously deal with owning an EC400VF! I'm such a guitar geek that I took the full size EC400vf tobacco sunburst image off the zzounds site and made into wallpaper on my computer. Isn't that what those full size guitar images are for?

-Peter

 

[BG00]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

Black archtop by far, its closer to the 1000 series quality than the flat tops are.

 

[El Dorado]

Re: If you had to buy an ESP LTD EC-400...

No question, archtop. Flat top LPs are yucky.