The ESP Guitar Company

I've got one delivered this week. First impression: wow. I have several brands of guitars (Gibson, PRS, ESP) and owned a lot more. But this one, where have you been??? The neck feels just right, even more than my 2011 ESP Eclipse Standard, and that's a great guitar. I like the SD Distortion a lot (have it in some other guitars). The boost, I've set it just to pimp the split coil a little so it spanks a little more because I find a coil split a little weak sounding. Great job!

How is the action? I'm concerned if I can get the action low enough to where I like it since the floyd isn't recessed. The action seems kinda high in the pics and videos I have seen. My rule of thumb is if I can get it low enough to where the strings are touching the frets or close enough that it is not playable then it is good cuz I can raise it right to where I want it from basically a ground zero if you will. 

Just got mine, and it is great. Not kidding when I say mine is equally as good as an ESP USA M-1 and my EBMM Majesty. I would definitely buy another if I were to part with one of my other guitars. The Korean factory did a great job. It's too bad this is a limited series. 

I got mine in today. Here's my review (after about 5 hours of playtime) if anyone is interested:

Wow. That was my first impression. The finish looks so cool. It has a metallic type sheen to it that is hard to photo, but looks great in person. The pickup and boost switch are a perfect match and sound AMAZING. This is my first SD Distortion pickup, but probably won't be my last. I typically prefer a JB, but this thing sounds amazing clean while split and clear/tight while under high gain. The non-routed Floyd looks and feels great too. I have a few different LTD, but this one has a bit thinner neck and wider fretboard. Not too thin like another brand, but a great profile in between. 

All in all, just super easy to play. Perfect setup out of the box, but that's probably due to Sweetwater. No uneven frets or sharp edges. It does cost a lot, but other than the lack of stainless steel frets (personal preference) and a case, I can't find anything else I would consider a flaw in mine. I've never played an E-II M1, but I've played an E-II MII and a USA shop M-I NTB (basically a dream guitar). To me, this guitar plays just as good as either of those minus the fret feel of the USA shop (again, my strong preference for stainless steel).

ESP is my favorite guitar brand because I can't find guitars from other brands that resonate with me as much, and this guitar is no exception. Maybe that makes me biased, but I love what I love and I've tried enough to know. It's cool to own something that honors and represents all the aspects that make this brand so great. 

Finally received my ESP LTD M-1 Custom 87. First thoughts? Meh! Why? It’s definitely not a 1k guitar! The finish is awesome! This guitar looks like a hot rod! Quality wise it is on the heavy side. The frets are level, but care was not taken to ensure the edges were smooth. Additionally, the frets are not smooth at all. I’m finding a scratchy feeling on bends. I’m not finding a need for the coil split, or I don’t even know if the boost actually works. Maybe it’s subtle. As expected, the SD distortion screams 80’s. The tone is kind of a warm and tight tone. I’m already packing it up, as I don’t care for it. Anyway, I’m going to end it with it is a nice low to mid end guitar just not for me. My personal opinion is for the same price you can get an E series. Once again, this is my opinion of this guitar. My viewpoint might be skewed, as my main guitar is an ESP.