well tha title explains all.They both look like amazing guitars but which one would you buy? Thanks
ESP MII vs Jackson SL2 h
- Thread starter soulshred
- Start date
Yngvai X
Dark Emperor
Ive never played the Jackson but I own an ESP M-II and its the best guitar Ive ever played. ESP guitars (ESP, not LTD) have some of the best craftsmanship on any guitar on the market. Their standard series instruments are even the same quality as their custom shop guitars. Not many companies can say that.
Serge...
That guy you're not
The Jackson has its pro's though. Isn't the Jackson neckthru while the M-II is bolt on? Either way, they're both great guitars.
Yngvai X
Dark Emperor
Serge... said:
ESP's bolt on necks are as tight as a virgin's asshole, to make a vulgar analogy
. But seriously its the most rock solid bolt on you'll ever feel.
RobbM
Another lefty freak...
why dont you just try them both out and decide which feels best? Remember, the ESP necks are a bit fatter than jacksons, and Neck thru can be a high selling factor, especially if you have smaller fingers. Haveing a compleatly unobstructed path to the upper frets can be really helpful, if not a life saver. One of the good points about Ibanez is there wonderful all access neck joint which is standard now on just about every one of there guitars, only thing that sucks is you cant Jimify your guitar cause of the off set bolt pattern..
I say Jackson anyways, I love mine..besides, they only make the M-II in blackuke:, what the fuck is up with that? Jackson has a half a page of custom finnish options!!
I say Jackson anyways, I love mine..besides, they only make the M-II in black
uke:, what the fuck is up with that? Jackson has a half a page of custom finnish options!!
Zax666
The Prince Of Ice. Almost
Oh, and... Jackson and ESP are not the only shred/metal capable guitars around. With the risk of TSR staring to rave about his DC127 (remember the last time I asked him about it? ), I'd advice you to consider this brand as well -> www.carvin.com
With the risk of TSR staring to rave about his DC127 (remember the last time I asked him about it? ), I'd advice you to consider this brand as well -> www.carvin.comive got a SL2H, selling it though...
ive tried the lower LTD models.. i wasnt too keep on the necks.. personal pref.
I liked the soloist, they feel very expensive because of the neck through, they play very well and all ur troubles with higher fret work go away...
there was soemthing about the wide fretboard of the soloist i didnt like though so I now use a USA Kelly with upgraded EMGs which is Very nice also. slightly smaller width, i always thought wide would be good for sweeping, but for me its just more work fo rmy fingers, im happy with KE2.
hope that helped kind of hehe
ive tried the lower LTD models.. i wasnt too keep on the necks.. personal pref.
I liked the soloist, they feel very expensive because of the neck through, they play very well and all ur troubles with higher fret work go away...
there was soemthing about the wide fretboard of the soloist i didnt like though
so I now use a USA Kelly with upgraded EMGs which is Very nice also. slightly smaller width, i always thought wide would be good for sweeping, but for me its just more work fo rmy fingers, im happy with KE2. hope that helped kind of hehe
Serge...
That guy you're not
http://www.carvin.com/cgi-bin/Isearch.exe?CFG=2&P2=DC727&P1=GTRZax666 said:Oh, and... Jackson and ESP are not the only shred/metal capable guitars around.
Yeah, Carvin guitars are awesome and so damn cheap. The problem is, it's hard to find a place to try them out before you buy them.
the_satanic_rabbit
Return of Ganon
somebody had to mention the Carvin!!! now you're all in for it!
Yes, Carvin is a great guitar company. I'm still extrememly happy with my purchase. The craftsmanship is flawless, the frets are perfect, the wood is beautiful. I only wish I took advantage of all their "pretty" features. It's doesn't cost that much to get a high quality flamed maple top from them for instance. But I wanted to stay simple, so I just got the classic white finish.
I don't know the jackson in question, but I do know the MII sort of. I have an LTD Deluxe M-1000 which is about the best non REAL ESP there is. I would imagine that they are very simlar except that the ESP MII is much better made.
My Carvin DC-127 is shaped like an MII, but it is much slimmer. It is not as heavy as the MII due to its slimmer design and the fact that I have swamp ash body sides, instead of alder like on my M-1000, and I believe the MII is alder as well. (The great thing about Carvin is that you get to pick the woods.)
The scale on my Carvin is smaller than the MII and probably the Jackson. (25.5") My carvin is an even 25" which is the same as a PRS. All my guitars before this have been 25.5" and it does take some getting used to. While its a bit easier on the lower notes, it is slightly more crowded on the high notes, and sometimes I overshoot a note and play one fret up from where I intended to hit. But I don't have any problems with crowding or anything like that.
I can't really compare the bridges because my M-1000 is an original floyd rose and my carvin is an FT6, which is a fixed bridge. I've always had floyd type bridges so that took some getting used to as well, but now I love it. You can of course get any Carvin with an original Floyd or a Wilkonsen Trem, I think some models you can get a Tone-o-Matic too.
The one thing you probably won't like is the pickup choice for the Carvin. You can only get Carvin made pickups, and while they're better than most standard pickups, they don't give you the same kind of variety that aftermarket pickup manufacturers do. I have the M22SD in the bridge, which is probably hotter than the DiMarzio Tone Zone and has more bite to it. In the neck I have the H22N (holdsworth) which is a very nice pickup. I do everything but heavy rythm with the holdsworth pickup. The coil splitters enable you to get a single coil like sound from either pickup. And I use that frequently for clean tone or stuff that is lightly overdriven.
It's hard to buy a guitar without being able to try it. I wish I would've tried my M-1000 before I bought it (I got that from music123.com). It sounds good (EMG 81's) but the playability is complete crap compared to most of my guitars. The action on my Carvin was perfect out of the box as was everything else. BTW, the standard fingerboard wood of Carvin is ebony, which may or may not appeal to you. To me, I can't really tell the difference, I think the tone is a little brighter with ebony, but as far as feel goes, I know that the ebony wood is denser and harder, but I never feel the wood anyway, I always get jumbo frets so my fingers never come in contact with the wood really. At this point in time though, I don't think rosewood is even an option for Carvin. Either Ebony, maple, or bird's eye maple (very pretty wood).
With Carvin, you really have a ton of options to choose from: inlays, fret size, bridge type, hardware color, body wood, neck wood, fingerboard wood (limited choices), pickup configuration, number of splitters, phase switch, headstock type/wood. If you are happy with the body styles that they offer, you can really make a guitar however you want it. I do recommend them, because of the quality of their work and the price at which it is available to you. They stand by their products. If it comes to you and you aren't completely happy you can send it back. (10-day trial). You will have to pay to ship it back though, so keep that in mind. If you're like me though, you won't even think of shipping it back.
Y'all had enough yet or should I keep going?
Just had to add one more thing about ESP. I do rag on my M-1000 because I paid $700 for it and my carvin only cost $70 more. To me, those guitars should be comparable in quality. But they are not. The M-1000 is not even close to the Carvin. The Carvin is more comparable to a guitar that costs twice or three times as much. The M-1000 is comparable to a guitar that costs $300. The only difference is that it has EMG 81's and the original floyd. For $700, the craftsmanship is shitty. It was in serious need of a fret job right out of the box. And I haven't done it yet because the Carvin is keeping me happy, so I just forget about it. The other thing I would need to do to the LTD M-1000 is strip the paint off the back of the neck. Why the hell a metal guitar has paint on the neck is beyond me. I also hate binding, which it has too.
Anyways,
I'm sure that if I had a REAL ESP M-II I would be giving it nothing but praise. The ESP standard series is truly great. If I were you I'd probably get it without even comparing to the Jackson, but then of course you could get a smokin' Carvin for half the price. And don't worry about the bolt-on thing. Like Yngvai said, the ESP bolt-ons are magnificent. Neck-thrus are overrated and a well crafted bolt-on like the MII can smoke a typical neck-thru anyday.
OK, now have you had enough?
Get back to work!
Yes, Carvin is a great guitar company. I'm still extrememly happy with my purchase. The craftsmanship is flawless, the frets are perfect, the wood is beautiful. I only wish I took advantage of all their "pretty" features. It's doesn't cost that much to get a high quality flamed maple top from them for instance. But I wanted to stay simple, so I just got the classic white finish.
I don't know the jackson in question, but I do know the MII sort of. I have an LTD Deluxe M-1000 which is about the best non REAL ESP there is. I would imagine that they are very simlar except that the ESP MII is much better made.
My Carvin DC-127 is shaped like an MII, but it is much slimmer. It is not as heavy as the MII due to its slimmer design and the fact that I have swamp ash body sides, instead of alder like on my M-1000, and I believe the MII is alder as well. (The great thing about Carvin is that you get to pick the woods.)
The scale on my Carvin is smaller than the MII and probably the Jackson. (25.5") My carvin is an even 25" which is the same as a PRS. All my guitars before this have been 25.5" and it does take some getting used to. While its a bit easier on the lower notes, it is slightly more crowded on the high notes, and sometimes I overshoot a note and play one fret up from where I intended to hit. But I don't have any problems with crowding or anything like that.
I can't really compare the bridges because my M-1000 is an original floyd rose and my carvin is an FT6, which is a fixed bridge. I've always had floyd type bridges so that took some getting used to as well, but now I love it. You can of course get any Carvin with an original Floyd or a Wilkonsen Trem, I think some models you can get a Tone-o-Matic too.
The one thing you probably won't like is the pickup choice for the Carvin. You can only get Carvin made pickups, and while they're better than most standard pickups, they don't give you the same kind of variety that aftermarket pickup manufacturers do. I have the M22SD in the bridge, which is probably hotter than the DiMarzio Tone Zone and has more bite to it. In the neck I have the H22N (holdsworth) which is a very nice pickup. I do everything but heavy rythm with the holdsworth pickup. The coil splitters enable you to get a single coil like sound from either pickup. And I use that frequently for clean tone or stuff that is lightly overdriven.
It's hard to buy a guitar without being able to try it. I wish I would've tried my M-1000 before I bought it (I got that from music123.com). It sounds good (EMG 81's) but the playability is complete crap compared to most of my guitars. The action on my Carvin was perfect out of the box as was everything else. BTW, the standard fingerboard wood of Carvin is ebony, which may or may not appeal to you. To me, I can't really tell the difference, I think the tone is a little brighter with ebony, but as far as feel goes, I know that the ebony wood is denser and harder, but I never feel the wood anyway, I always get jumbo frets so my fingers never come in contact with the wood really. At this point in time though, I don't think rosewood is even an option for Carvin. Either Ebony, maple, or bird's eye maple (very pretty wood).
With Carvin, you really have a ton of options to choose from: inlays, fret size, bridge type, hardware color, body wood, neck wood, fingerboard wood (limited choices), pickup configuration, number of splitters, phase switch, headstock type/wood. If you are happy with the body styles that they offer, you can really make a guitar however you want it. I do recommend them, because of the quality of their work and the price at which it is available to you. They stand by their products. If it comes to you and you aren't completely happy you can send it back. (10-day trial). You will have to pay to ship it back though, so keep that in mind. If you're like me though, you won't even think of shipping it back.
Y'all had enough yet or should I keep going?
Just had to add one more thing about ESP. I do rag on my M-1000 because I paid $700 for it and my carvin only cost $70 more. To me, those guitars should be comparable in quality. But they are not. The M-1000 is not even close to the Carvin. The Carvin is more comparable to a guitar that costs twice or three times as much. The M-1000 is comparable to a guitar that costs $300. The only difference is that it has EMG 81's and the original floyd. For $700, the craftsmanship is shitty. It was in serious need of a fret job right out of the box. And I haven't done it yet because the Carvin is keeping me happy, so I just forget about it. The other thing I would need to do to the LTD M-1000 is strip the paint off the back of the neck. Why the hell a metal guitar has paint on the neck is beyond me. I also hate binding, which it has too.
Anyways,
I'm sure that if I had a REAL ESP M-II I would be giving it nothing but praise. The ESP standard series is truly great. If I were you I'd probably get it without even comparing to the Jackson, but then of course you could get a smokin' Carvin for half the price. And don't worry about the bolt-on thing. Like Yngvai said, the ESP bolt-ons are magnificent. Neck-thrus are overrated and a well crafted bolt-on like the MII can smoke a typical neck-thru anyday.
OK, now have you had enough?
Get back to work!
thanks to everyone who shared their opinions ı went to usa to visit my cousin last week and after long thinking ı bought an esp m2.ı think ıts amazingly well made and comfortoble.again thanks everyone
Jeff-Loomis-fan
Member
Wizard of Ozz
¤Arch Mage of Metal¤
Jackson USA SL2H all the way. I've got 3 of them and they kick-ass. I've owned ESP MIIs in the past and they are nice axes, but unless you're going to order a Custom Shop MII, the qualtiy of the USA Jacksons is better. Nicer frets, better fret dressing, better parts, etc. Not a huge difference, but after you've played both you can see the difference.
Here's a pic of my boyz:
Here's a pic of my boyz:
the_satanic_rabbit
Return of Ganon
I just got my MII yesterday and wow best guitar I have ever played. I got the rosewood bolt on and the thing has more sustain than any other guitar I have tried. I played a few jackson soloists and this thing was my favorite. IMO the play better than jacksons but thats just me
Kenneth R.
Cináed
Necrothread...
Personally I prefer the SL, but that's a loaded preference: I own a pre-buyout SL in a finish they no longer produce. So I really couldn't say having not tried new SLs (tried some 2004's out of curiosity and yuck...) or MIIs. To each his own. My favourite axes off the rack are my C1-Hellraiser and my 1527.
Personally I prefer the SL, but that's a loaded preference: I own a pre-buyout SL in a finish they no longer produce. So I really couldn't say having not tried new SLs (tried some 2004's out of curiosity and yuck...) or MIIs. To each his own. My favourite axes off the rack are my C1-Hellraiser and my 1527.
The Emptier
t3h b3aSt0rZ
i'd say M-II thats the next guitar im getting, i just played the rosewood one today and its quite possibly the best axe i've ever played
anacrucix
aka Shredcaptain Matt
Eternal Dragon
1337AD
The Emptier
t3h b3aSt0rZ
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