NGD: ESP 2022 Alexi Laiho Arrowhead Custom Shop

[jaxadam]

Lovely man.

 

[Yul Brynner]

Thanks man. I agree. I showed the pics to friends who don't know the first thing about guitars and the only thing they said was that it looks super expensive.

Yeah I got the Edwards version in 2008 during my last Iraq tour. I had some friends who didn't play but they were big into the 80s hair metal and liked CoB. They loved my arrowhead. They were always hanging out around my barracks room after PT trying to feel her up.

 

[Blytheryn]

Yeah I got the Edwards version in 2008 during my last Iraq tour. I had some friends who didn't play but they were big into the 80s hair metal and liked CoB. They loved my arrowhead. They were always hanging out around my barracks room after PT trying to feel her up.

That rules hahaha!

 

[Furtive Glance]

I just had to come back to this thread. Got me GASsing for a V shape meow.

 

[Metal Mortician]

Damn nice guitar! This, and the Kelly Hayes Eclipse, are the unicorn guitars I hope to own someday.

 

[IbanezDaemon]

Wow! Totally Epic score Chris!!! That's a jaw dropper for sure!!

 

[Blytheryn]

Wow! Totally Epic score Chris!!! That's a jaw dropper for sure!!

Thanks Paul! Absolute grail piece for me, and I got it at very decent price as well. It plays like you wouldn’t believe.

 

[Alberto7]

Man, that is HOT. Great story too, all that is definitely in my bucketlist. After reading you talking about COB so much, I am sure you are absolutely elated. 15 year old me would have done some really stupid shit to have one of these, and I'm sure you're feeling it! Happy for you! Congratulations.

I've wanted a CS Alexi since I was like 13. The Arrowhead is a really cool choice. Those inlays always looked fantastic on this guitar. I am torn between a Pinky and an Arrowhead, though lately the tackiness of a Greeny is very appealing for some reason I think I've been listening to too much Metallica. I can't justify a Custom Shop Alexi at the moment, since I have other voids in my collection to fill first, but man... I wouldn't be surprised if one day I said fuck it and just got one on a whim instead of whatever boutique 7 string with roasted sweetbum ash from a 5000 year old tree.

Color me jealous! Meanwhile, my Edwards E-Scythe is giving me the quack I need.

 

[Blytheryn]

Man, that is HOT. Great story too, all that is definitely in my bucketlist. After reading you talking about COB so much, I am sure you are absolutely elated. 15 year old me would have done some really stupid shit to have one of these, and I'm sure you're feeling it! Happy for you! Congratulations.

I've wanted a CS Alexi since I was like 13. The Arrowhead is a really cool choice. Those inlays always looked fantastic on this guitar. I am torn between a Pinky and an Arrowhead, though lately the tackiness of a Greeny is very appealing for some reason I think I've been listening to too much Metallica. I can't justify a Custom Shop Alexi at the moment, since I have other voids in my collection to fill first, but man... I wouldn't be surprised if one day I said fuck it and just got one on a whim instead of whatever boutique 7 string with roasted sweetbum ash from a 5000 year old tree.

Color me jealous! Meanwhile, my Edwards E-Scythe is giving me the quack I need.

Trust me man, 28 year old me did some equally stupid shit to get my hands on one of these.

My number one favorite Alexi has always been Scythe, with Arrowhead, Katakana, Pinky, Sawtooth and Blacky right behind. I missed out on the best priced CS Pinky of my life as well as a 10 piece Finnish SS Katakana and I shit you not, I began to think think that the universe was withholding Alexi’s from me. I tried to wait for a good scythe, but this came up, and it grew on me MASSIVELY very quickly. By the time I picked it up in Helsinki I was in love with it.

AAAAAAAAAANDDDD the day after I sent the payment do you know what pops up at Diablo guitars?

A semi yellowed short horn SS Scythe with just enough wear to make it charming for 3000 dollars. Now given the chance it’s always better to massively underpay for a custom shop vs overpay for a standard, but as we know those ESP Standards pre 2011 are magical. I feel more similarities between my SS SV-1 and and my CS Arrowhead than the E-II’s played. Anyways, I see this as my first Alexi guitar of many, and I think it’s funny and kind of fitting that his first sig would become mine as well.

 

[Edika]

So it's time for some Blytheryn fast riffing and solos?

P.S. I'm sorry, could not resist the pun . I have a problem lol!

 

[Blytheryn]

So it's time for some Blytheryn fast riffing and solos?

P.S. I'm sorry, could not resist the pun . I have a problem lol!

It made me buy a metronome!

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

Honestly, that is a great looking guitar, though I am glad I do not own it. I'd be tempted to mod it to look like Alexi's. (CKY, XXX)

You might not want the H4. It is hot with a capital T. I'm not sure how 1:1 the ABQ is to the MM04, but it wasn't necessary with the ABQ. With the ALX (basically an H2), I turned the boost down from whatever it is shipped as to maybe 30-35%. Even that is pretty hot.

 

[Blytheryn]

Honestly, that is a great looking guitar, though I am glad I do not own it. I'd be tempted to mod it to look like Alexi's. (CKY, XXX)

You might not want the H4. It is hot with a capital T. I'm not sure how 1:1 the ABQ is to the MM04, but it wasn't necessary with the ABQ. With the ALX (basically an H2), I turned the boost down from whatever it is shipped as to maybe 30-35%. Even that is pretty hot.

I’ve installed the H4(early voicing of the pickup with the EMGHZ logo) and run the MM04 at 50% gain into a JCM800 Kerry King/1960B with G12T-75’s from ‘88 (early voicing). The tone is almost identical to AYDY or Kylähullut’s Turpa Täynnä.

Really cool setup.

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

I’ve installed the H4(early voicing of the pickup with the EMGHZ logo) and run the MM04 at 50% gain into a JCM800 Kerry King/1960B with G12T-75’s from ‘88 (early voicing). The tone is almost identical to AYDY or Kylähullut’s Turpa Täynnä.

Really cool setup.

I had the EMG ALX at whatever it comes at stock and it was muddy. Too much gain. I turned the boost down and it was much better. Not sure what the MM04 is like, but apparently the ABQ is meant to be a clone of it. Either way, sounds like a rad setup.

 

[Blytheryn]

I had the EMG ALX at whatever it comes at stock and it was muddy. Too much gain. I turned the boost down and it was much better. Not sure what the MM04 is like, but apparently the ABQ is meant to be a clone of it. Either way, sounds like a rad setup.

Thanks man. I don’t think the ABQ is meant to be a clone of the MM04. More like EMG’s own take on it so they could sell some type of “Alexi sound” because nobody buying an H4 or an H2 is going to get that cocked wah thing going on.

Alexi never used the ABQ and his guitars were never fitted with them.

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

The ABQ definitely gives a cocked wah thing.

 

[Alberto7]

I probably wouldn't do this to any CS Alexi I'd get, but I dropped in a BKP Holy Diver in my Edwards E-Scythe shortly after getting it and it's almost hard NOT to get cocked wah sound out of it it's great.

One of its previous owners had already installed an MM-04 in it sometime prior to me buying it, but I feel like I've never experienced it properly since I haven't owned a real amp in well over a decade. The guitar itself sounds great through plugins but there's no real preamp circuitry to "overdrive", so the boost just ends up clipping my input signal . It's part of the reason I want to get an amp again.

 

[Blytheryn]

I probably wouldn't do this to any CS Alexi I'd get, but I dropped in a BKP Holy Diver in my Edwards E-Scythe shortly after getting it and it's almost hard NOT to get cocked wah sound out of it it's great.

One of its previous owners had already installed an MM-04 in it sometime prior to me buying it, but I feel like I've never experienced it properly since I haven't owned a real amp in well over a decade. The guitar itself sounds great through plugins but there's no real preamp circuitry to "overdrive", so the boost just ends up clipping my input signal . It's part of the reason I want to get an amp again.

It sounds magical in front of a mid gain Marshall!

 

[Jake]

Welcome to the CS Alexi club! It's a great place to be! I'm so happy with the one I picked up earlier this year and it looks like this one is probably even nicer!

The Alexi GAS is always there though....always there. I have another ESP Standard Series one on the way right now....LOL

 

[Blytheryn]

Welcome to the CS Alexi club! It's a great place to be! I'm so happy with the one I picked up earlier this year and it looks like this one is probably even nicer!

The Alexi GAS is always there though....always there. I have another ESP Standard Series one on the way right now....LOL

Thanks man! Yeah I’m in love. I knew these guitars would rule, but didn’t have any idea actually how great they would feel. I’m liquidating a large part of my collection to score another super rare Alexi as well.

Are you the guy who bought the one from Diablo?