LTD Elite line announced!

Re: LTD Elite line announced!

Some nice looking guitars in there BUT I have to question the logic of building an intermediate premium/budget series. This seems like a contradiction in terms.

If ESP are going to manufacture in the same facility as the top line product, why not put the big name on it? Gibson is doing this with its current Melody Maker series. Real, no frills American guitars. Unashamedly cut down but still with the kudos of the name. It seems silly to build something that is almost a "real" ESP then saddle it with the budget logo.

NOTE - I am not knocking LTD guitars. I own a modified EC-401w.
 
Re: LTD Elite line announced!

Ya know, the more I look at the Eclipse with the black burst and EMG 57/66, the more I think I could live with a rosewood board, considering I was going to go with a LTD EC of some sort, most likely the T/CTM...

I wonder what body thickness it's got, if it's either like the EC-1000's with the thin body and contours, the full thickness T/CTM, or like a standard ESP Eclipse, with thicker bodies but contouring..... I'm hoping it's the latter!
 
Re: LTD Elite line announced!

Too much quilted/flamed maple, imo; still the same cheesy 12th fret inlay. Apart from that, being MIJ, they're bound to be good.

Funkfingers said:
Some nice looking guitars in there BUT I have to question the logic of building an intermediate premium/budget series. This seems like a contradiction in terms.

If ESP are going to manufacture in the same facility as the top line product, why not put the big name on it? Gibson is doing this with its current Melody Maker series. Real, no frills American guitars. Unashamedly cut down but still with the kudos of the name. It seems silly to build something that is almost a "real" ESP then saddle it with the budget logo.

NOTE - I am not knocking LTD guitars. I own a modified EC-401w.
Click to expand...

Perhaps the rationale is similar to the Premium Ibanez guitars.
 
Re: LTD Elite line announced!

Ashurbanipal said:
Too much quilted/flamed maple, imo; still the same cheesy 12th fret inlay. Apart from that, being MIJ, they're bound to be good.



Perhaps the rationale is similar to the Premium Ibanez guitars.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, true about the cheesy 12th fret inlay, would much prefer something plain, like offset blocks or just blank boards...

But hey, it's an improvement over that horrible abalone stuff on a lot of their LTD guitars

I'm looking forward to them!
 
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Re: LTD Elite line announced!

Not even a hard decision. Do you think the "premium" guitars REALLY cost more to make? Most guitars cost about the same from a junk Epi to an LP Custom.

Just a matter of what you can sell it for. If people will pay an extra 400 dollars for a two dollar bit of flame veneer and a different label - sell it!

In some (many) cases the margin on the lower end is actually higher - as there are stupid labor/production/material/marketing costs that the low end does not have. Sometimes the high end is just a vehicle to sell the low end. Make 300 expensive sigs at a serious cost and sell maybe 200 of them for low margin, and 30000 low end copies and sell all of them at a good margin.
 
Re: LTD Elite line announced!

Those are some serious clown bursts on the Eclipses
 
Re: LTD Elite line announced!

Mont97 said:
Hmmm, true about the cheesy 12th fret inlay, would much prefer something plain, like offset blocks or just blank boards...

But hey, it's an improvement over that horrible abalone stuff on a lot of their LTD guitars

I'm looking forward to them!
Click to expand...

12th fret stuff doesnt bother me none, but i have to agree, death to abalone body binding, that is the most liberace lookin sh!t IMO. i'd def be into either of those new M series. hell, those horizon 3's look sexy too.
 
Re: LTD Elite line announced!

P.A.Foholic said:
Damn those are nice! Aren't a few of those current Edwards models?
Click to expand...

Kinda what I was thinking! ?? Guess since Ibanez has the premium line, the other guys have to get a step up line too.. I do like the look of the black ones!! Pretty much every model! haha Is the Elite MII basically the m1000 without all the gaudy binding??
 
Re: LTD Elite line announced!

Huh, if they did the HORIZON-III FR in Reindeer Blue finish I'd be in trouble...
 
Re: LTD Elite line announced!

The more and more that I look at the see through black Eclipse, the more and more I wish it came in some other colours...

I'm GASing hard for it, but I dislike maintaining black guitars, something about how the un-cool wear and tear, plus sweat and grim shows up... It just puts me off...
 
Re: LTD Elite line announced!

Some of those look like rebranded Edwards guitars. The M-II looks awesome. The Horizon-III with the offset body not so much...
 
Re: LTD Elite line announced!

Actually Edwards guitars haven't been built in Japan for some years now, apparently these are. Although the designs certainly do remind me of the Edwards line.

Funnily enough, I like offset bodied guitars, admittedly this one has too much of an elongated horn judging from the photos but I would want to see it in person before passing final judgement. After all, the Horizon II is one of my favorite ESP designs and this one is basically based off of it.
 
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