TunedToB
Well-Known Member
I never thought I'd actually be posting a NGD on this forum! Been a longtime visitor on this site since around 2009 and I always found myself drooling and dreaming of all the gear I would see featured.
THAT IS, UNTIL LAST SUNDAY.
The kid who kept dreaming of owning a quality instrument finally got his paws on the LTD H7 2015 to fulfill all his Nevermore and Scar Symmetry riffing needs and then some! It even came with the hardcase and some upgrades courtesy of the previous owner!
SPECS:
-25.5 scale
-Mahogany body
-Maple neck (set-thru construction I believe?)
-Ebony fretboard
-MOP offset inlays with the LTD 2015 inlay on the 12th
-Quilted maple top
-White body binding
-Transparent black finish in satin
-ESP locking tuners
UPGRADES FROM PREVIOUS OWNER:
-Tonepros locking TOM w/ string saver saddles
-TUSQ nut
-Strainless steel frets
-Bareknuckle Nailbomb (B) and Cold Sweat (N)
Here are some pics! (Still getting around the image hosting issue for now)
This is my first 7 string and pretty much first guitar that I've owned of this quality and I am absolutely floored. It's probably the honeymoon period, but there's a certain magic about playing a guitar like this and not having to put it back on a music store wall hehe.
Thing feels great! The guitar came with an amazing setup (although the strings feel a bit thin. Will have to experiment with gauges soon) The ESP thin U neck is very comfy. Like many of you can attest to, it's thicker than an Ibanez wizard and a bit more of a handful which suits me perfectly. Very comfy for riffing and going up the neck.
The stainless steel frets feel like a dream. Super smooth and makes everything feel a little easier than it should! They were installed perfectly as well. No dead spots and it even makes warming up and practicing feel extremely satisfying. Overall no problems here except for a tiny bit of friction when I bend and vibrato on the 17th fret on the B and G string but it's no deal breaker.
The body isn't as heavy as I thought it would be considering it's mahogany. I've tried a number of Horizon models like the MH-1000 and the MH-Evertune model and those things felt like they weighed around 9-10 pounds. This feels more like 7-8 pounds and is pretty comfy.
The one little gripe I have in terms of playability and comfort is the TOM bridge. Sure, it's quite comfortable but I just dont fully jive with TOM bridges. They feel like they need to be tighter or so. But that's all down to personal preference of course. I dont really see it as a deal breaker.
After riffing on it for a few days now in various environments (travelling between the province and the city and all) the tuning stability is pretty good. The occasional flat or sharp G string now and then, but overall I hardly touch the tuners except when I go down to drop A.
As for tone, the thing sounds like a BEAST. Had the privilege of trying this through a friend's Ironheart 120 half stack and a maxon OD808 and it was ferocious. Also works well with my home setup of BIAS FX. Super big fan of mahogany for tone and this thing didn't disappoint. The Nailbomb gets a little ice picky at times, but overall it's quite tight and has a great growl. Way brighter than I thought it was going to be. The Cold Sweat is a great match, although I do find myself wanting a bit more power from it...maybe I'll switch it out one day? But it's no priority right now.
Overall I am VERY happy with this guitar. I think it's a fantastic introduction to 7 strings. I just wish it came with a hipshot style bridge or even something like the knockoff hipshot that the Alex Wade model has, but it's still a very comfortable guitar. Will be keeping this guitar for a very, very long time. And hopefully I can upgrade into legit MIJ ESP territory in the near future if things continue to go well!
THAT IS, UNTIL LAST SUNDAY.
The kid who kept dreaming of owning a quality instrument finally got his paws on the LTD H7 2015 to fulfill all his Nevermore and Scar Symmetry riffing needs and then some! It even came with the hardcase and some upgrades courtesy of the previous owner!
SPECS:
-25.5 scale
-Mahogany body
-Maple neck (set-thru construction I believe?)
-Ebony fretboard
-MOP offset inlays with the LTD 2015 inlay on the 12th
-Quilted maple top
-White body binding
-Transparent black finish in satin
-ESP locking tuners
UPGRADES FROM PREVIOUS OWNER:
-Tonepros locking TOM w/ string saver saddles
-TUSQ nut
-Strainless steel frets
-Bareknuckle Nailbomb (B) and Cold Sweat (N)
Here are some pics! (Still getting around the image hosting issue for now)
This is my first 7 string and pretty much first guitar that I've owned of this quality and I am absolutely floored. It's probably the honeymoon period, but there's a certain magic about playing a guitar like this and not having to put it back on a music store wall hehe.
Thing feels great! The guitar came with an amazing setup (although the strings feel a bit thin. Will have to experiment with gauges soon) The ESP thin U neck is very comfy. Like many of you can attest to, it's thicker than an Ibanez wizard and a bit more of a handful which suits me perfectly. Very comfy for riffing and going up the neck.
The stainless steel frets feel like a dream. Super smooth and makes everything feel a little easier than it should! They were installed perfectly as well. No dead spots and it even makes warming up and practicing feel extremely satisfying. Overall no problems here except for a tiny bit of friction when I bend and vibrato on the 17th fret on the B and G string but it's no deal breaker.
The body isn't as heavy as I thought it would be considering it's mahogany. I've tried a number of Horizon models like the MH-1000 and the MH-Evertune model and those things felt like they weighed around 9-10 pounds. This feels more like 7-8 pounds and is pretty comfy.
The one little gripe I have in terms of playability and comfort is the TOM bridge. Sure, it's quite comfortable but I just dont fully jive with TOM bridges. They feel like they need to be tighter or so. But that's all down to personal preference of course. I dont really see it as a deal breaker.
After riffing on it for a few days now in various environments (travelling between the province and the city and all) the tuning stability is pretty good. The occasional flat or sharp G string now and then, but overall I hardly touch the tuners except when I go down to drop A.
As for tone, the thing sounds like a BEAST. Had the privilege of trying this through a friend's Ironheart 120 half stack and a maxon OD808 and it was ferocious. Also works well with my home setup of BIAS FX. Super big fan of mahogany for tone and this thing didn't disappoint. The Nailbomb gets a little ice picky at times, but overall it's quite tight and has a great growl. Way brighter than I thought it was going to be. The Cold Sweat is a great match, although I do find myself wanting a bit more power from it...maybe I'll switch it out one day? But it's no priority right now.
Overall I am VERY happy with this guitar. I think it's a fantastic introduction to 7 strings. I just wish it came with a hipshot style bridge or even something like the knockoff hipshot that the Alex Wade model has, but it's still a very comfortable guitar. Will be keeping this guitar for a very, very long time. And hopefully I can upgrade into legit MIJ ESP territory in the near future if things continue to go well!
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