seekfreed
SS.org Regular
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2020
- Messages
- 63
- Reaction score
- 310
After selling my Ran Flying V I could not live without a guitar with Gibby scale length.
Maybe the threads about Les Pauls inspired me to pull the trigger on this LTD EC-1000.
But anyhow...
Pics first
Story second
I sold my Custom Ran (rip) Flying V a couple of weeks ago because I somehow lost my connection to this guitar in particular. The weight was also starting to bother as well (was about 4.5kg). But I just can't live without a 24.75 scale length guitar! And after seeing more and more of Les Pauls being posted here, I felt that I should try to reignite my fire for a single cut.
Not wanting to recieve another boat anchor I called a bunch of shops near me to ask if they would provide me with 3 models of the same type so I could find my one! The answer I got was that I could try out the only one they had in their shops, they would not get any more from the storage.
So I called Thomann and asked if they would weigh some and send me a light one. That's a service they would only provide for custom shop guitars though. I mean I get why they don't do it but it's still a bummer.
So I just clicked order and said fuck it, if I recieve a lemon I'll just send it back.
A couple of days later the gutiar arrived and I was pleasantly surprised that the weight was at exactly 3.5kg. The set up on the other hand was atrocious... Sky high action, sharp fret edges, poorly cut nut and and some tuning issues. But the neck was straight, the ebony fretboard looked beuatiful and it resonated in a unique way that I had to give it a chance.
What surpised me was the Korea tag and serial number. I thought all on the LTDs got moved to Indonesia ... my theory is that the EC-1000 with passive pickups get produced in South Korea and the EMG-ones in Indonesia. Do you know more?
At the end of the day I saw all those "issues" as a plus, coz I love me some tinkering with guitars! Doing a fret job is easier compared to a weight relief as well!
The mods
I have to confess that I'm a sucker for straigth string pull after the nut because it improves tuning stability so much. The string butler in combination with a newly installed TUSQ nut got rid of the previous tuning problems.
The stock Seymour Duncan SH-4 was also bit muddy and undefined so I swapped it with a BKP Polymath that I found used. Only problem was that it came in a zebra finish and messed up the aesthetics of the guitar. BKP did not want to sell me their cover by itself and wanted me to send in my pickup to get it installed for about half the price of a new one. So I said fuck it again and ordered and installed a gold cover (not wax potting it but soldering it to the PU; so far I'm not having any issues).
The standard pots were some linear made in Korea 500k pots that had the weirdest feeling to them so they had to go. I tried to install the logarithmic made in US CTS ones without remembering the size difference between American and Asian manufacturers... After I redrilled the holes I had a similar experience with the poti knobs...
Verdict
After a string change and a thorough setup this thing rips! The new and thicker strings make the less optimal fret job almost a non issue and make the guitar resonate even louder. The satin finish feels so good and never gets sticky as well.
I fell in love with the SD 59 neck and I can get a great "tele-esque" sound by lowering it just a tiny bit. The Polymath is a pretty unique pick up that I still need to fully figure out, but so far I love the clarity and string separation. I have the feeling that it needed to be quiet a bit closer to the strings after my cover install, even after I have optimized the pole pieces. Maybe you guys have similar experiences and can tell me if all of that is in my head or a real phenomenon.
At the end of the day its a great guitar for a reasonable price. What do you think?
Maybe the threads about Les Pauls inspired me to pull the trigger on this LTD EC-1000.
But anyhow...
Pics first
Story second
I sold my Custom Ran (rip) Flying V a couple of weeks ago because I somehow lost my connection to this guitar in particular. The weight was also starting to bother as well (was about 4.5kg). But I just can't live without a 24.75 scale length guitar! And after seeing more and more of Les Pauls being posted here, I felt that I should try to reignite my fire for a single cut.
Not wanting to recieve another boat anchor I called a bunch of shops near me to ask if they would provide me with 3 models of the same type so I could find my one! The answer I got was that I could try out the only one they had in their shops, they would not get any more from the storage.
So I called Thomann and asked if they would weigh some and send me a light one. That's a service they would only provide for custom shop guitars though. I mean I get why they don't do it but it's still a bummer.
So I just clicked order and said fuck it, if I recieve a lemon I'll just send it back.
A couple of days later the gutiar arrived and I was pleasantly surprised that the weight was at exactly 3.5kg. The set up on the other hand was atrocious... Sky high action, sharp fret edges, poorly cut nut and and some tuning issues. But the neck was straight, the ebony fretboard looked beuatiful and it resonated in a unique way that I had to give it a chance.
What surpised me was the Korea tag and serial number. I thought all on the LTDs got moved to Indonesia ... my theory is that the EC-1000 with passive pickups get produced in South Korea and the EMG-ones in Indonesia. Do you know more?
At the end of the day I saw all those "issues" as a plus, coz I love me some tinkering with guitars! Doing a fret job is easier compared to a weight relief as well!
The mods
I have to confess that I'm a sucker for straigth string pull after the nut because it improves tuning stability so much. The string butler in combination with a newly installed TUSQ nut got rid of the previous tuning problems.
The stock Seymour Duncan SH-4 was also bit muddy and undefined so I swapped it with a BKP Polymath that I found used. Only problem was that it came in a zebra finish and messed up the aesthetics of the guitar. BKP did not want to sell me their cover by itself and wanted me to send in my pickup to get it installed for about half the price of a new one. So I said fuck it again and ordered and installed a gold cover (not wax potting it but soldering it to the PU; so far I'm not having any issues).
The standard pots were some linear made in Korea 500k pots that had the weirdest feeling to them so they had to go. I tried to install the logarithmic made in US CTS ones without remembering the size difference between American and Asian manufacturers... After I redrilled the holes I had a similar experience with the poti knobs...
Verdict
After a string change and a thorough setup this thing rips! The new and thicker strings make the less optimal fret job almost a non issue and make the guitar resonate even louder. The satin finish feels so good and never gets sticky as well.
I fell in love with the SD 59 neck and I can get a great "tele-esque" sound by lowering it just a tiny bit. The Polymath is a pretty unique pick up that I still need to fully figure out, but so far I love the clarity and string separation. I have the feeling that it needed to be quiet a bit closer to the strings after my cover install, even after I have optimized the pole pieces. Maybe you guys have similar experiences and can tell me if all of that is in my head or a real phenomenon.
At the end of the day its a great guitar for a reasonable price. What do you think?
