Get classic looks and great sound for less than $300 with this ESP LTD EC-256 Christmas deal

Get classic looks and great sound for less than $300 with this ESP LTD EC-256 Christmas deal
(Image credit: ESP)

Guitar Center is rocking a great Christmas deal on the ESP LTD EC-256 right now, knocking $99 off the list price. With two meaty humbuckers and a slimmer form factor than most other Les Paul-style electric guitars, the EC-256 is one of the best pound-for-pound rock guitars around, especially when it’s available for just $299.

It’s no one-trick-pony though, and is capable of some surprising tonal depth thanks to the coil tapping. But the true strength of the EC/Eclipse range lies in its ability to make those heavy, gain-laden chords and riffs sing. There’s a reason Lamb of God use them, after all.

ESP LTD EC-256: Was $399, now just $299, save $99

ESP LTD EC-256: <a href="https://guitar-center.pxf.io/c/221109/1125892/14264?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.guitarcenter.com%2FESP%2FLTD-EC-256-Electric-Guitar-Faded-Cherry-Sunburst-1365021482759.gc" data-link-merchant="guitarcenter.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Was $399, now just $299, save $99
The ESP LTD EC-256 is a great guitar for rock and metal players on a budget, delivering that classic single-cut experience at a very nice price indeed. Even better when it’s $99 cheaper at Guitar Center for a limited time.

ESP, based in Japan, has a great track record for producing some of the finest rock and metal guitars around. And, in its sister brand LTD, it continues that trend only with a keener eye on delivering value for money. You could compare it to the Gibson/Epiphone deal; ESP produces the high-end wallet shredders, but there’s still a wide selection of great guitars to be found as you travel down to the LTD sub-brand.

For ESP, the Eclipse is one of its best-known ranges, and the LTD EC-256 is a natural stable mate. It boasts two weighty ESP-designed humbuckers and a neat mahogany body with a maple top to add some top-end tone. The master tone control doubles up as a coil-tapping switch so you can extract some incredibly versatile sounds from the EC-256, making it suitable for a number of genres.

ESP LTD EC-256

(Image credit: ESP)

But it’s in rock and metal where this guitar really shines, both tonally and in playability. It’s lighter than a standard Les Paul, for starters, so you can concentrate on playing it rather than wielding it – so to speak – and those extra jumbo frets are ideal for fast, nimble riffing and solos.

So, while it may bear more than a passing resemblance to another, more famous guitar line, the LTD EC-256 is very much a great instrument in its own right.

Chris Corfield

Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar and Dawsons Music. Chris loves getting nerdy about everything from guitar and bass gear, to synths, microphones, DJ gear and music production hardware.