Jackson vs. ESP and amp question...

Kinked Out Jesus

New Metal Member
May 27, 2004
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Okay so to be honest I don't know much technical stuff when it comes to buying a guitar. I used to play but then kind of stopped for awhile and now I'm hoping to pick it back up again.

So I'm planning on saving up for a guitar to get around January-ish. I was originally planning on getting an ESP but then I saw that a lot of people preferred Jacksons (I'll probably stick with ESP though)...

So I have some questions: What's the differences? What do you prefer (and why?) and which do you think would suite my styles better?

I'm looking for a more death metal and/thrash sound. Oh, and Amp help would be great too ;)

And thanks ahead of time (=
 
ug, well, i dont like esp because they are poorly made. what guitars specificly?

i like my jackson
~gR~
 
hm that's the same thing I heard about Jacksons..

I was thinking of getting a ESP LTD KH202 Kirk Hammett Signature. I'm not too familiar with Jacksons but the King V's looked good.. but they didn't have a whammy bar on them.
 
it really depends. both have cheapo models, but ESP seems to specialize in cheapo trash guitars.

if youve got about a grand, go buy a good jackson. if youre on a budget, dont go for either of em.

and "whammy bars" are for losers. not realy, i just dont like em.
~gR~
 
my king vee has a floyd so dont know where your looking, but it really depends on how the guitar feels to you. i just added an esp to my collection on monday(pics soon as i remmeber to take them), and honestly i would take my jackson over it anyday the jackson plays like butter cause jackson necks>anything ever made. more tone from the duncan jb it puts out nice metal tones approaching death metal but the emg will win all the time for serious dirtyness. the jackson is over a grand more so its kinda biased since my esp was only $1100. as for sound if you want death metal i suggest the esp with emg81 in the bridge. and if your gonna spend 7-800+ on a signature axe look into the esp-m1 alder body neck through ebony board emg81, although its string through(no trem) this axe will rock your world and 1100 for a real esp(noltds) its a steal. if you buy jackson you can get emgs in select models never tried one so cant comment, but im not a fan of non american made jacksons so your gonna have to use judgment. anyway once again jackson>esp in comfort and tone, but its pretty close.

as for an amp mesa all the way, but ive heard good things about engl's, the 6505 is alright, with heavy effects marshalls are ok. for a cheap fix id go to line 6, i just tried out a 2-12 spider bogner tweaked or some shit, it was good and at like 700 cant really go wrong.
 
dont buy the sig guitars. unless its the kevin bond signature rhoads, cuz its bad ass, and i love mine.

but the ESP sigs are waaay over priced, and really arent anything special. *flashes back to the nightmare of playing the tom araya sig bass*
~gR~
 
dont buy the sig guitars. unless its the kevin bond signature rhoads, cuz its bad ass, and i love mine.

but the ESP sigs are waaay over priced, and really arent anything special. *flashes back to the nightmare of playing the tom araya sig bass*
~gR~
that is what i said, he said he was thinking of a sig, sig ltd's are 800+, so its worth getting a real esp for 300 more.
 
http://www.ranguitars.com/

If you are willing to spend some money and go custom, check out ran guitars. The guy can build you a look-a-like jackson or esp for a fraction of the cost.

I have a jackson king v because I'm a lefty and at the time, only Jackson USA Select models were in my price range ($2000). If I wanted to get the same guitar from ESP, it would be $1500 more.

As far as amps, check out this site:
http://rocksolidamps.com/

DerekB will hook you up. Just tell him what kind of sound you're after. He's a great salesman and goes out of his way for people.
 
dont buy the sig guitars. unless its the kevin bond signature rhoads, cuz its bad ass, and i love mine.

but the ESP sigs are waaay over priced, and really arent anything special. *flashes back to the nightmare of playing the tom araya sig bass*
~gR~

In what respect do you consider ESP's "cheapo trash?" Their mid-range($5-800)guitars and bases offer an exceptional value as far as most are concerned. Fit, finish, materials, electronics and the like are all excellent on any ESP/Ltd I've ever played or owned(I have no experience with their entry-level stuff. Just curious what specifically you find so objectionable. I don't see anything Jackson offers in those price ranges that trumps the ESP's.
 
jackson beginners are great. but jackson middle of the line stuff is shit compared to esp/ltd mid. line stuff. esp has some good beginner stuff to. but obviously i would take high-end jacksons over esp's anydays (but of course im hypocritcal for getting my alex-600)
 
Aw thanks for all your replies, it'll help me look more into what I'm buying and such (=


that is what i said, he said he was thinking of a sig, sig ltd's are 800+, so its worth getting a real esp for 300 more.

Hmmm the signature she found was only like $400? (=

Yeah I'm hoping not to spend more than $800 ($800 even sounds like a bit too much for right now).
 
never NEVER buy and ESP end of story. it;s near impossible to find any jems in their gigantic sea of crap
 
Its funny to see all the ESP hate. Every Jackson I've played has been inferior to my MIJ Edwards Forest, including RR1s and other guitars that cost twice as much as mine.

It really is a taste issue. Some people hate ESP guitars ( obviously ) and other people really like them. Your best bet is to try all the guitars you can, and go with whatever suits you.

As far as what amp you should get... My Line 6 HD147 is pretty sweet :p
 
Its funny to see all the ESP hate. Every Jackson I've played has been inferior to my MIJ Edwards Forest, including RR1s and other guitars that cost twice as much as mine.

It really is a taste issue. Some people hate ESP guitars ( obviously ) and other people really like them. Your best bet is to try all the guitars you can, and go with whatever suits you.

As far as what amp you should get... My Line 6 HD147 is pretty sweet :p

Yeah I was surprised at how many people here hated ESPs.. I really liked the ones I've heard/played. A lot of my friends actually told me not to get jacksons heh.
 
why the ESP hate? jackson rr3's are the worst things i've every played :erk: i'm surprised with all the good feedback about those hd147's, because i think spiders are the worst line in the history of amplifiers, besides maybe the mg series by marshall
 
ug, well, i dont like esp because they are poorly made. what guitars specificly?

i like my jackson
~gR~

you're nuts, man. USA Jacksons are nice and all (USA only that is - $2000 and up), the rest are crappy bolt-on shit fiddles and good luck keeping that neck lined up. My custom ESP Horizon beats ANY Jackson I've ever owned, even my old Soloist.
 
I like both but high end Jacksons own esp. Some goo Randy Rhoads or whatever its spelled are damn good, i tried one recently and really liked but bought something else anyways.:rofl: Esp are most of the times more expensive but still good. Because I have little experience with esp/ltd I can't recommend anything.
 
why the ESP hate? jackson rr3's are the worst things i've every played :erk: i'm surprised with all the good feedback about those hd147's, because i think spiders are the worst line in the history of amplifiers, besides maybe the mg series by marshall

Marshall doesn't get a bad rep because of the MG series. They make a shitty line and a great line.

Same with Line 6. Their cheaper stuff ( Spider, Flextone, Spider Valve ) blows ass. Their more expensive stuff ( HD147, POD, Vetta II ) is awesome. Unless of course you suck at tweaking, in which case there are a good many tube amps you need to avoid as well.