Wow, never thought I'd own a real ESP. Even E-II's are usually out of my price range. How could I afford this one? IDK, it is pretty beat up, but honestly I've seen other ESP's in worse condition go for twice the price I paid for this one. There's dents. There's cracks. But despite that, the quality of this thing is amazing. It it weren't for the damage there wouldn't be a single finish flaw on the entire guitar. And the frets are absolutely dope.
I've owned an ltd Viper in the past, and I did like it, forget why I ended up getting rid of it, but anyways, ltd and ESP's alike are advertised as having a "thin-U" neck. My old ltd's neck was pretty normal feeling tbh, could have told me it was a C and I wouldn't have argued. In fact, at that time, I used to frequently wonder, "what the hell's the difference between a C neck and a U neck?" I thought it was just a marketing thing. HOWEVER, on this ESP Viper, the neck is very, very U shaped. You can definitely feel that it is a U and not a C shape. At first, I thought it was too U shaped, but I've gotten used to it. I wouldn't say that it's my ideal neck shape, but it is definitely very playable.
So, Vipers have a balance issue. Lots of people say that the reason that ltd and E-II Vipers have neck dive is because of the strap pin location. That is absolutely true! On my old ltd Viper, I moved the strap pin from the back of the upper horn to the traditional SG location behind the neck heel, and it fixed the balance completely. I even made a thread about it with pictures if you'd like to see. Many people on the internet who talk about fixing Viper balance, and SG balance as well, will suggest that you put the strap pin on the tip of the upper horn. In fact, Gibson Iommi signature guitars come this way from the factory. Everyone says that this is the ideal location for fixing the neck dive of either a Viper or an SG.
I would beg to differ. This ESP Viper came from the shop with the strap button on the top of the horn. It did not have the severe neck dive of an ltd, or any Viper with the strap pin on the back of the upper horn. It wasn't neck dive... honestly, the body of this guitar is pretty heavy, I don't know if it's possible for it to have neck dive regardless of the strap pin location... But the balance wasn't where I wanted it to be. I like the neck to rest at a high angle. I'm probably more particular about it than most, but I think it makes a huge ergonomic difference. So I went to Big Boss and got a strap button drilled out so that one of the neck bolts would fit through it and put it on the neck plate. PROBLEM SOLVED. Balances absolutely perfect. If anyone is playing a Viper, of any manufacture, I highly recommend that you move the strap pin to the back of the neck.
OK, picture time!
I've owned an ltd Viper in the past, and I did like it, forget why I ended up getting rid of it, but anyways, ltd and ESP's alike are advertised as having a "thin-U" neck. My old ltd's neck was pretty normal feeling tbh, could have told me it was a C and I wouldn't have argued. In fact, at that time, I used to frequently wonder, "what the hell's the difference between a C neck and a U neck?" I thought it was just a marketing thing. HOWEVER, on this ESP Viper, the neck is very, very U shaped. You can definitely feel that it is a U and not a C shape. At first, I thought it was too U shaped, but I've gotten used to it. I wouldn't say that it's my ideal neck shape, but it is definitely very playable.
So, Vipers have a balance issue. Lots of people say that the reason that ltd and E-II Vipers have neck dive is because of the strap pin location. That is absolutely true! On my old ltd Viper, I moved the strap pin from the back of the upper horn to the traditional SG location behind the neck heel, and it fixed the balance completely. I even made a thread about it with pictures if you'd like to see. Many people on the internet who talk about fixing Viper balance, and SG balance as well, will suggest that you put the strap pin on the tip of the upper horn. In fact, Gibson Iommi signature guitars come this way from the factory. Everyone says that this is the ideal location for fixing the neck dive of either a Viper or an SG.
I would beg to differ. This ESP Viper came from the shop with the strap button on the top of the horn. It did not have the severe neck dive of an ltd, or any Viper with the strap pin on the back of the upper horn. It wasn't neck dive... honestly, the body of this guitar is pretty heavy, I don't know if it's possible for it to have neck dive regardless of the strap pin location... But the balance wasn't where I wanted it to be. I like the neck to rest at a high angle. I'm probably more particular about it than most, but I think it makes a huge ergonomic difference. So I went to Big Boss and got a strap button drilled out so that one of the neck bolts would fit through it and put it on the neck plate. PROBLEM SOLVED. Balances absolutely perfect. If anyone is playing a Viper, of any manufacture, I highly recommend that you move the strap pin to the back of the neck.
OK, picture time!
