ESP LTD H-1007FR 2014

[Plendakor]

Edit : yes, still made in Korea. That Facebook manager is clueless.

Original post :
Can anybody tell me if those are still made in Korea as of 2014 ?
I'm looking for a new guit, 7 strings and either made in Korea or Japan, with a real Floyd, 25.5" (Played 3 years with a 26.5" but I'm a 25.5" guy) and the best bang for the bucks... that LTD seems to be the one.

Stupid answer from ESP :

 

[NecroDM]

I thought that the LTD deluxe series (1000) were all made in South Korea, guess i'm wrong, from ESP's answer they could be made anywhere in Asia so YMMV.

I do have an LTD H1001 that's made in South Korea and it's a good guitar but if you don't want to risk getting something with inferior quality I'd recommend getting an ESP instead.

 

[Plendakor]

But you know, that person running the facebook page is probably some kind of IT guitar noob without any answers (maybe). I would love a real ESP but it's out of my reach for now. That H-1007 Fr will cost me 1335$ here in Canada (with taxes), and it's advertised at 969$ US on their website. That's the saddest part, because with the current currency/conversion, it should be 1077$ before taxes. The currency is always varying, happens to be equal sometimes with the US but still, now after that big currency difference, it's still an additional 100$ before taxe because they sell it 1160$ before taxes.

969 USD
1160 CAD

Would cost me lest to buy some fuel and cross the boarder... stupid

 

[alphabeta]

Buy a used ESP.

 

[Plendakor]

It's so rare around here. If I'd be near Montreal it would be easy to find a used one I guess.

Look at this lol :

I highly doubt that the machinerie used in South Korea is as old as what they use in Indonesia.
Prbably much more modern in Korea, it's plain logic.

 

[JeffTD]

Or because ESP has been making guitars in Korea for longer than in Indonesia, the Indonesian factories could have newer equipment. It's plain logic.

 

[Plendakor]

Not at all. They would use the same old rusty tools they have. I know some people think it's a myth that Korean guitars are better than Indonesian/Chineese ones but I do think they are made better.

What do you think of that guitar ? I narrowed my choices to either that one of the Shecter SLS but couldn't find it with 7 strings and a FR.

 

[alphabeta]

Rare? Pf I sometimes find the guitars I like on some facebook groups and I live in the middle of nowhere and your city has 7+ times people than my city. You're doing it wrong.
If you really want a new south korean guitar then go for the schecter hellraisers ( essentially what you want ) , banshees or whatev. They specify the country of origin in their site so there you go.

 

[Plendakor]

How do you know my city ? I'm in a small one/region.

 

[alphabeta]

I was mistaken. So you are from Port-Cartier? Anyways in a city that small you're pretty much fucked. You have to buy online anyway. I'd check ebay before buying new.

 

[AboutBlank]

I love my H-1000, a rather old model from Korea, best guitar I own(ed).

And that ESP comment looks kinda cocky and nonprofessional in my eyes. Not so much the content(impossible to forecast which one you "accidently" buy), more how it was written.

Whatever, just can say that I love mine.

 

[Plendakor]

No, I'm in Saguenay where 2 stores have the brand (used to be a single one). But kids mostly buy the cheaper models.

Do I know you ?

 

[Deathprayer82]

Have a ltd ec407 made in indonesia. Building quality/sound perfect and i have owned a lot of guitars also in customshop pricerange, so i know what i'm talking. I was also wondering to read at the back of the headstock made in indonesia so dont be afraid of the country

 

[Plendakor]

To be fair, I own one made in Indonesia (Schecter Extreme 7) and it plays super great. But since I'm paying 3 times the price now I don't want it to just be a great playing guitar, it needs to spread peanut butter on my toasts, fetch the journal and wash my back. Really tho, has to be perfect. Like on my Schecter I don't like a certain spot in the wood. Not sure about the nut job either. The electronic was impressively clean and well done.

 

[Deathprayer82]

Sure its much money for made in indonesia. Gibson made in USA starts with the half of that price

 

[Deathprayer82]

The china made bc rich NT series i liked more than the korean made NJ series. In Quality and in Sound.

 

[egan.]

I've gotta say, it is mind boggling that ESP publicly declared ignorance of where their guitars are made. Maybe they change it up so often they don't want to misrepresent but that's a crazy way to state that.

 

[Plendakor]

As far as I know, and I contacted the Canadian dealer, the 1000 series is still and has always been SK. I guess they just don't want to give any chance of impression that guitars made elsewhere are any less good.
I did a lot of research before ending up on that one, it is gonna be my first try with that company. I played an EC-300 many years ago and it was amazing compared to what I had. From what I can read, they are very well built and the QC is very good.

 

[Plendakor]

Now can we talk about pick-ups ?

That guitar is gonna be exactly like my Schecter Extreme 7 (same woods : mohagony, maple top, maple neck and rosewood). Except, of course, a much thinner neck and a Floyd instead of a TOM.

Schecter had an SD Disto and a Jazz in the neck.
LTD comes with EMGs (81b and 707n)

Will be my 1st guitar with EMGs and I'm not sure if I'm gonna like it. Is it better to record or live ? Is it similar to those two SDs ?

 

[TheWinterSnow]

Most LTD guitars are now made in China, some of the deluxe series are made in China and some are made in South Korea. When I looked into it the answer I got was that the Chinese guitars had the same quality as the Korean, which I highly doubt. As to why some of the 1000 series are made in three different countries including now China? To save money on guitar lines that aren't as mass produced. They don't sell as many of the higher end guitars as they do the 50 models.

Still I believe that LTD and many other companies will have all their manufacturing in China within the next five years. As for the quality of the Chinese guitars, I have hear that they are on par of South Korean quality, but the quality control is more sloppy and so if you order online and can't play the guitar before you buy you are gambling a high chance that you are buying a dud with lots of things wrong with it. Don't know how true this is, in reality my Indonesian F-50 plays better than the newer Taiwanese F-50s and my F-50 has overall better construction sound than my much more expensive South Korean Agile Interceptor Pro, which is lame as hell.