Review

Few entry-level ranges get us hotter than LTD, and with a mahogany body that looks like it’s permanently throwing the horns, a double-dose of active EMGs and the same colour scheme as Tony Iommi’s bedroom, the Viper-417 screams ‘rock!’ without saying a word. Heroes like Deftones’ Stef Carpenter trust LTD to make their signature models - should you trust them with your wedge?

OK, so the ‘squashed SG’ shape sits awkwardly on your knee and doesn’t balance that well on a strap, but its physical performance is brought back from choppy waters by a neck that counteracts its inevitable width with a slender U-shaped profile, monster fretwire, and a simple tune-o-matic bridge that lets you drop and raise tunings without Allen keys.

You’ll find yourself punching out the same big riffs and searing solos as you would on a 6-string, but the back-breaking prevalence of mahogany also gives awesome capacity to shake the room when you hit the bottom string.

Next: LTD Viper-417 verdict