What's your goto "sleeper" brand for used instruments?

[MaxOfMetal]

havent they been out of business for several years?

News to me, the bassist I jam with ordered a custom one a couple years ago. I still see some being advertised as new and recent around here. I know they switched owners not too long ago.

Yeah looks like the parent company folded in 2013 and they finished up some time last year for outstanding orders. Bummer.

 

[GuitarBizarre]

I wouldn't call the Eclipse a "weird" shape.

Plus, we're talking about used guitars here.

If we were talking new and wanted a DAMN close Les Paul, the Edwards are great, but there is too much great stuff that's the tiniest bit off on the readily available used market over here, not flipper fodder.

I'm with you on this. LTD make a really, really damn good Les Paul Killer - it's just People always forget that a big piece of the Les Paul puzzle is just how THICK those bodies + tops actually are. This is compounded by the fact ESP/LTD Eclipses come in 3 different body thicknesses, and they don't advertise which is which on the spec sheets.

Theres the thin and contoured style, the slightly thicker and contoured style, and then the Full thickness, unchambered, uncontoured LP body they use on the EC401VF. They DON'T use that thick of a body on the regular EC401, you need the VF to get it.

Buy an EC401VF and you get: a full thickness LP body shape with no contouring on the back, a nice thick Maple cap with a nice deep carve, and generally pretty excellent workmanship.

Additionally, they come in two versions - the EC401VFDMZ, which comes with Dimarzio 36th Anniversary PAFs, and the standard EC401VF, which comes with a JB/Jazz set, so you can choose between contemporary or vintage output.

Look no further for a Les Paul without the pricetag. I love mine, and it has the best sustain of any guitar I've ever owned. Yes, it's a sharp cutaway, and flag inlays, but frankly, I think the sharp cutaway looks nicer anyway, and the inlays don't bother me.

 

[Itchyman]

The thing about ESP and LTD Eclipses is the cut away is a little short, and it always feels like it's about to fall off my leg - especially with the heavier ass inherent of a LP type guitar.

 

[GuitarBizarre]

The thing about ESP and LTD Eclipses is the cut away is a little short, and it always feels like it's about to fall off my leg - especially with the heavier ass inherent of a LP type guitar.

I've never considered LPs to be ergonomic anyway - But it's not that the cutaway is short, it's that the waist is narrow, so compared to a similar strat, it sits with the strings lower down, closer to the leg.

They also sit further to the right, which exacerbates this, but again, I've found this time and time again with real Les Pauls. I tend to just play it standing if I need a more consistent playing position for a technical passage. Otherwise I just wrestle with it a bit.

 

[kmanick]

80's early 90's MIJ Jacksons and Charvels are great instruments.
People are catching on now though, as I see the prices on them have been creeping up lately.
Same with the Ibanez Rg's from that era. Great guitars for not a lot of money.

 

[noise in my mind]

washburn

 

[vilk]

So about what do they cost these days?

I bought my Edwards SG for 70,000JPY new in 2014. At the time it was about 700 USD.

I regularly see used Edwards going for over 600 on chicago cl. I even see used Edwards on the marketplace of this site doing the same thing.

That's the only point I was making. If I could buy another Edwards or a Gibson and I had to choose one from the same price bracket--I'm going Edwards every time. I'm just saying I feel loathe to up and order one across the pacific ocean because I'm looking at a few hundred bucks flying out the window on currency conversion, shipping, import taxes/fees(?), etc.

 

[Chiba666]

Dont the esp ltd EC's have 24 frets as oppossd to the Gibson 22.

Out of the guitars Ive played I tihnk it would be esp ltd as my go to sleeper brand.

Ive had mixed results with both Ibby and Jackson, nothing horrific but just little things.

 

[s4tch]

80's early 90's MIJ Jacksons and Charvels are great instruments.
People are catching on now though, as I see the prices on them have been creeping up lately.
Same with the Ibanez Rg's from that era. Great guitars for not a lot of money.

This, + old Yamaha, Washburn, Fernandes guitars also often represent great value.

Jacksons in the UK sell for chips. Too bad UK sellers generally won't ship abroad even within the EU. They should just write a different address on a box, but they won't.

 

[GuitarBizarre]

Dont the esp ltd EC's have 24 frets as oppossd to the Gibson 22.

Out of the guitars Ive played I tihnk it would be esp ltd as my go to sleeper brand.

Ive had mixed results with both Ibby and Jackson, nothing horrific but just little things.

Some do have 24 frets, but the EC401VF I mentioned (Which is LTD's only true LP style guitar, with the thick body and no bevels), is 22.

 

[ikarus]

japanese made Tokai guitars

 

[youngthrasher9]

+1 to Godin.

Criminally underrated IMO. While I've only played a couple of guitars, they were insanely well built and sounded pretty damn good for what they were.


If they expanded their Redline series with baritone 6's and 7's, Godin would have lots of us bowing at their feet, I bet.

 

[DraggAmps]

I don't get the Edwards hype. I've owned one and played/worked on several. They're really good LPs......but so are EC1000s and those go for less than half of what Edwards LPs go for. I know the Edwards are closer to Gibson specs, but feel wise and tone wise the EC1000s are on the same level. Even when it comes to quality the Edwards aren't really better overall.

Heck, you can even get legit ESP Eclipse models for less than most of the Edwards models. Brand new even. When compared to used the prices are almost identical.

I must not be up on current prices because when I got my Edwards, it was several hundred dollars less than a new ESP Eclipse, so it was a pretty damn good deal to me. Especially with quality woods, a thick maple cap, vintage LP long neck tenon, high end hardware, etc. It's basically an ESP, just built as a clone of a vintage guitar. I don't disagree that an EC1000 isn't a great deal and plays arguably even better than any Edwards or LP to me, because I prefer a more modern faster guitar. But if you want a Les Paul, the Edwards will give that feel whereas the EC not so much. But as good as the EC1000 is for the money, it's not quite on par with an actual Eclipse, right? Whereas the Edwards LP's are on par with the ESP's and are built along side them in the same shop in Japan if I'm not mistaken (or at least used to be). Some of the details will likely be a little finer than an LTD (though many EC1000's are pretty flawless) but mostly the materials, right? If I'm not mistaken, the EC1000 has a laminated top at least. So at least at the price I recall Edwards being, they're as good as a deal as you can really get for a new LP.

 

[DraggAmps]

The US Masters stuff (which are actually built not too far from me) is actually really good. I've been able to play a bunch of them as they're pretty popular around here, giving a "local discount" and all.

I'd never put it on the level of Suhr or Anderson though. But for the price, especially modestly spec'd and with discount puts it above a lot of the non-boutique production stuff, think USA production Schecters or Japanese ESP.

Yeah, I agree. I didn't think I said they were on the level of Suhr or Anderson, but they are (were) that type of USA superstrat semi-custom brand that have pretty high prices for a higher end model new (yet sell for insanely good prices used, hence why I mentioned them). They're not quite on Suhr/Anderson level in attention to detail, fit and finish, etc, and they probably don't spend 6 months of actual slow and tedious build time with the best materials possible like a Suhr either. That's why I liken them more to Carvin, because they're not on that insane Suhr/Anderson/Tyler level but they kind of have all of the same ingredients without the quite the level of quality and fit and finish and time taken to painstakingly build.

 

[parvis]

+1 to Edwards. I saw some of their range when I was in Japan and they are so cheap!

 

[technomancer]

I must not be up on current prices because when I got my Edwards, it was several hundred dollars less than a new ESP Eclipse, so it was a pretty damn good deal to me. Especially with quality woods, a thick maple cap, vintage LP long neck tenon, high end hardware, etc. It's basically an ESP, just built as a clone of a vintage guitar. I don't disagree that an EC1000 isn't a great deal and plays arguably even better than any Edwards or LP to me, because I prefer a more modern faster guitar. But if you want a Les Paul, the Edwards will give that feel whereas the EC not so much. But as good as the EC1000 is for the money, it's not quite on par with an actual Eclipse, right? Whereas the Edwards LP's are on par with the ESP's and are built along side them in the same shop in Japan if I'm not mistaken (or at least used to be). Some of the details will likely be a little finer than an LTD (though many EC1000's are pretty flawless) but mostly the materials, right? If I'm not mistaken, the EC1000 has a laminated top at least. So at least at the price I recall Edwards being, they're as good as a deal as you can really get for a new LP.

Woodworking on the Edwards are done in China, finish / binding / fretwork / assembly etc are done in Japan alongside the ESP Standard (now E-II) series. That's why they're cheaper.

 

[petersenb9]

Older, Korean LTDs are almost always cheap and worth every penny.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I must not be up on current prices because when I got my Edwards, it was several hundred dollars less than a new ESP Eclipse, so it was a pretty damn good deal to me. Especially with quality woods, a thick maple cap, vintage LP long neck tenon, high end hardware, etc. It's basically an ESP, just built as a clone of a vintage guitar. I don't disagree that an EC1000 isn't a great deal and plays arguably even better than any Edwards or LP to me, because I prefer a more modern faster guitar. But if you want a Les Paul, the Edwards will give that feel whereas the EC not so much. But as good as the EC1000 is for the money, it's not quite on par with an actual Eclipse, right? Whereas the Edwards LP's are on par with the ESP's and are built along side them in the same shop in Japan if I'm not mistaken (or at least used to be). Some of the details will likely be a little finer than an LTD (though many EC1000's are pretty flawless) but mostly the materials, right? If I'm not mistaken, the EC1000 has a laminated top at least. So at least at the price I recall Edwards being, they're as good as a deal as you can really get for a new LP.

This isn't the "Go to sleeper new instruments" thread, it's the the used instruments thread.

I never said new Edwards are bad, but if you look on the used market, as Techno said, everyone in the US wants to make a buck on them. So between $700 and $900 is what we're looking at on the used market over here, you can find some for a tiny bit less or a little more. Where as the EC1000 can be found for around $400 if you don't mind a goofy color.

Edwards are great, but they're not twice as good as an EC1000 in any way.

Obviously if you want closer to an actual LP they're better, but sound wise and feel wise the EC1000s, especially the T models or CTM which are out of production but still fairly priced, aren't "half an LP".

I wouldn't talk up the Edwards so much, they're not exactly on par with ESP in regards to materals, fretwork is solid though, but then again so are the 1000 series LTDs. Once again, Techno is right, the Edwards models are started in China.

 

[madboy]

Look for an Ibanez SZ320... solid, great players, and even the stock pickups aren't bad. There was also the 520 and the 720, with fancy maple tops, but were ruined by terrible tribal tattoo style inlays. But if you don't care about that, they could also be ones to look out for...

 

[cwhitey2]

Used older Carvins get my vote.

Paid $400 for mine with a hard shell. Not too shabby for an American made guitar imo