ESP LTD M-300FM owners?

[bryan_kilco]

Looking at purchasing this guitar possibly. Just wondering any of your thoughts on it?

It's a gorgeous axe, says made in China, which has me skeptical. I thought ESP was out of Japan, and don't they have American built guitars?

 

[Joelegend]

LTD are sorta the budget brand of ESP. Real ESPs probably are Japan or US build. But come with alot bigger pricetag. I use a LTD MH-400. Like it alot, very nice finish, plays nice, sounds good, stays in tune. Is made in Korea tho. Plays alot better then my LTD M-100. The other gitarist from my band just bought a LTD-Viper 300FM wich is made in china. He didnt get sound from first time he connected it. Apparently there were glue leftovers in the jackplug. Also has to use a pretty high action to avoid string ratling all time. Might be a pro-guitartuner/intonator dude might fix this tho.

 

[neptunian]

ESP Custom Shop (Japan) > ESP (Japan) > LTD (Korea) > LTD (Indonesia) > LTD (China).

The Indonesia and China models are hit and miss in terms of quality. Occasional stuff like the glue leftovers Joelegend mentioned, misaligned drill holes, loose screws and nuts, and crappy fret job. If you can play one in person before buying, you'll know if you got a hit or miss.

What's really awesome is taking even a LTD China model and giving it a proper truss rod and intonation set up, and then most importantly a fret leveling and crowning using something inexpensive like the Thomas & Ginex system ( http://www.fretrefinishing.com ). I did that with my Schecter and Yamaha and they both played like a dream afterwards.

IMO, the best bang for the buck under a grand in the LTD line are the MH-1000NT and MH-1000, both made in Korea. I have three guitars from Korea and never had problems. I would buy a used Korean model over a new Chinese one, if given the choice.

 

[XnaySaturo]

The MH-1000 is my main axe and I absolutely LOVE it. I still haven't found anything that I'd rather play, especially for the price. I'm actually getting a H-1001 this summer too. (Pretty much the same guitar, no floyd, different headstock.)

 

[Tercero]

I work in a store that's an ESP dealer, and don't let the 'Made in China' stamp scare you off. Quality control has gone up leaps and bounds from the Chinese stuff from a few years ago. I just this week picked up an EC-50 for a friend of mine, and honestly after a quick setup the thing played like butter. The M-300 is a great guitar for the money.

 

[Deathell]

If you want to get your money's worth, put it on an LTD deluxe or any top of the line LTD models that are made in Korea. You get the build and sound quality more than what you paid for. I have an LTD DV8-R (Dave Mustaine sig), the sound is killer + top notch hardware + build is solid.. basically the real deal which is really worth it and theres no reason to actually get an ESP japan/usa unless you really want to spend that much. Take it from a hell lot of bands that uses LTDs for live and recording.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Thanks for the input guys. My current guitar is an Ibanez S-470. Had it for about 7 or 8 years now. I just want something that is of equal or greater quality, as the Ibanez held it's own for a fair share of shows. All the MH-1000's I see have the abalone around them, which I can't stand....and I do sort of like the reverse headstock of the M-300, but I have to draw a line between looks and playablility/sound.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ESP-LTD-M-300FM...y-/250851842470?pt=Guitar&hash=item3a67ef59a6

That thing is just gorgeous.....

 

[XnaySaturo]

The abalone is actually less distracting in person. The Agile Interceptor is pretty much the same guitar, but without the abalone and with an ebony fretboard. There's also the Schecter C-1 Hellraiser.

 

[Tercero]

Thanks for the input guys. My current guitar is an Ibanez S-470. Had it for about 7 or 8 years now. I just want something that is of equal or greater quality, as the Ibanez held it's own for a fair share of shows. All the MH-1000's I see have the abalone around them, which I can't stand....and I do sort of like the reverse headstock of the M-300, but I have to draw a line between looks and playablility/sound.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ESP-LTD-M-300FM...y-/250851842470?pt=Guitar&hash=item3a67ef59a6

That thing is just gorgeous.....

I think you'll like it. I've got a Japanese ESP, a couple of Korean LTD's and working in a shop that's an ESP dealer I handle a lot of Chinese LTD's. They're good guitars.