Build and features

An example of ESP’s more subtle side, could this guitar be the perfect mix of understated style and tonal substance? The gorgeous translucent haemoglobin red hue of our example proves beyond doubt that rock guitars don’t need to appear to have been hewn from solid asphalt to give off a palpable vibe.

In fact, all parts of the guitar - headstock, neck and body - have been so finished and the combination with the black nickel hardware is certainly flash without ever being cloying. A thin yet genuine sliver of quilted maple shines through nicely, and the body is a rather complex mix of mahogany flares surrounding a further block of the tonewood that follows the path of the maple neck up to the heel.

It’s not a through-neck in the true BC Rich-sense of the phrase, but it should nonetheless bode well for sustain. At a mere 3kg, it is easily the lightest of the four protagonists here.

Utilising a Floyd Rose Special bridge - a cast and plated version of the double-locking mechanism - the LTD is again unique here in that it possesses an additional string-retaining bar behind the usual 42mm locking nut.

The neck offers everything a speedy soloist would require, with perfect action, huge frets and a nice wide feel. The binding, although a tad untidy in places, is complementary to the entire package.

Next: ESP LTD MH-401QM sounds, pros and cons