SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

  • Gibson SG special

    Votes: 14 53.8%
  • ESP LTD Viper 400

    Votes: 12 46.2%

  • Total voters
    26

Brian110687

Red Sox Hateologist
sgsp_wrch.jpg


VS.

Viper400_ow.jpg
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

ESP. I just like the feel and balance better. Of course, I'd change the EMG pickups, I'm a Duncaneer ;)
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

While they look similar, they are very different guitars. I've owned a few of both. The Viper will have more bass to it, the SG is a little brighter. The Viper has a thicker body and thinner neck profile, the SG has a thinner body and thicker neck profile. The SG sounds all Gibson, the viper sounds like....not a Gibson (but good).
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

Id go viper, i dont like too many controls, and that SG with 4 knobs and a switch just makes me cringe.
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

A Gibson SG with a SH-13 in the bridge is basically a Les Paul.
Gibson SG all the way, dude. :cool:
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

Forbes said:
Id go viper, i dont like too many controls, and that SG with 4 knobs and a switch just makes me cringe.

Yeah I prefer the 1 volume 1 tone layout also. Shame the Volume is a bit behind the bridge otherwise you could easily use it for violining also.

I've not played the ESP but I have played the Gibson and I thought it was an alright guitar for the money, just not my thing. It was very unbalanced on a strap though, pretty neck heavy.

I think the ESP is 24 fret so that will affect the neck tone a bit away from a classic SG one.
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

I like neither of them but if I had a choice Id go ESP not because of tone, cos its white and looks good. But if I was considering tone Id get something totally differnet.
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

ESP, 24 frets only effects the center positions tone ;)

Better pickups, you might really like EMG's. Better feel to me.
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

i have the predecessor to the viper 400 with a tom anderson bridge pickup, thing rocks. more balanced that sg's, fatter tone. i wish the neck was thicker though, but thats me
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

Im leaning towards the Gibson because of the way the weight is distributed as to the ESP. But I love the way the whie body and Black emgs look on the ESP. I am completely torn. :(
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

Go ESP, Gibson is too....evil.

Plus you'll hurt your hand on all those friggin knobs.

PLUS You've already got a friggin Les Paul, mix it up a little...

-X
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

I would have to say SG special because I own one and have compaired it to many Vipers with EMGs and to me they sounded to "Muddy".
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

I'm gonna say the Gibson SG only cause I like fat necks and thin bodies. The pup's and guts (pots) will have to go!!!!!!! And a leather strap cures the neck heavy problem.
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

jimmy said:
A Gibson SG with a SH-13 in the bridge is basically a Les Paul.
Gibson SG all the way, dude. :cool:

That's not correct. The Les Paul has a much thicker body and a 1/4 inch maple top; you can't get that tone by changing a pickup in a thin slab of mahogany. SG's and Les Pauls are both cool, but very different sounding.

DeadSkinSlayer3 said:
ESP, 24 frets only effects the center positions tone

That is also incorrect. To make room for he extra two frets, the neck pickup has to be moved back a bit closer to the bridge. This will affect the neck tone as well as mixed. I hate 24 frets as I'm not a shredder. Shredders mostly use the bridge pickup only so moving the neck pickup out of the sweet spot doesn't matter to them as they need the extra 2 frets to make two complete octaves (12+12=24) for the more technical scales and stuff they use. I like the neck pickup and don't need two full octaves for my style of playing so I got rid of all my 24 fret guitars, including a DC Les Paul standard that was otherwise the sh!t.
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

Oops...Maybe I just haven't played enough 22 fret guitars extensively then.

Keep in mind Gibson openly says that the body is multi-pieced...Who know's what the **** is under that finish?
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

DeadSkinSlayer3 said:
Oops...Maybe I just haven't played enough 22 fret guitars extensively then.

Keep in mind Gibson openly says that the body is multi-pieced...Who know's what the **** is under that finish?

Most guitars, even high-end models are multi-piece. Due to the difficulty in acquiring good woods anymore (depletion of the rainforests and all that), a one-piece body is both uncommon and expensive. However, you can be assured that Gibson uses solid wood whereas imports like the Ltd series uses laminates and not solid wood.

Despite Gibson's QC weaknesses, you are going to get a better guitar in the Gibson. However, the Ltd has better appointments (pickups, etc) and likely better quality control after assembly.

And I'm not repeating what I've read only, I have owned a lot of both Ltd and Gibson (approximately 15 Ltd's and probably 20 + Gibsons over the past 3 years, I'm a gear whore as you can see some of it in my sig link).
 
Last edited:
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

I think I am going to wind up getting the gibson and later on drop a duncan or something into it.
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

I'd gladly choose the LTD. The Specials just feel like hunks of cheap wood. It almost feels like I could bend it in half.... The fret job is terrible and the only reason why I would suspect anyone to want one is for the lovely gold name on the headstock. But believe me bro... you take it off the rack and you'll not even need to plug it in, it's just that uncomfortable!
 
Re: SG special vs. ESP LTD viper 400

That's not an SG special that you have a picture of... it's a g-310. The SG special blows. I suggest going with the viper 100%
 
Back
Top