Series 10 Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

I bought an LTD M10 about a year ago and love it so much that I bought an EC10 too, planning on slapping some humbucker-sized P90s in it for a different tone. Here's the details on how DIFFERENT these two guitars are, despite appearing more similar at first glance. – Headstock shape; just personal preference. I prefer the 3+3 design of the EC (functionally). – Scale length; the EC has a slightly shorter scale length (24.75" vs 25.5") than the M, making it somewhat easier to play, especially when performing wide stretches and chording. Bends are easier due to lower string tension. The longer scale of the M I believe contributes to superior tonal qualities. -The EC has a painted neck back to match the body. The M has a natural satin transparent finish. Personal preference, but I prefer the transparent finish for the more natural feel. -Both guitars have a 350mm (13.7") fretboard radius, which is somewhat flat, but not extremely so. -The EC has 24 frets, while the M has 22. -The M has slightly better upper fret access since the body shape is less restrictive of fretting hand thumb placement. -Both guitars have TOM bridges, but the M is strung through the body, whereas the EC has a stop tailpiece. String thru designs are lighter and arguably provide more resonance, but the tailpiece is adjustable, allowing you to raise or lower string tension. -Slightly different control layouts, particularly with the pickup selector; a blade on the M vs a toggle on the EC. -EC is slightly heavier. -Strap button placement affects strap retention and where the guitar hangs. The M retains a strap better and sits "closer" (further right) due to the horn, providing easier lower fret access. The EC has no horn so it sits "further" out (further left), naturally guiding the left hand towards the middle of the neck. -The EC sounds beefier, but muddier. The M has clearer but a BIT thinner tone. -The M is made in China and the EC is made in Indonesia. Hope this helps you decide between the two.Pazuzu

I did not buy mine from MF, but I had to put in my opinion. I bought my EC-10 from some guy who posted it on an app. He had not taken very good care of it and the body had a lot of dings and chipped paint. The neck was still good and the hardware was solid. I stripped off all the paint and sanded out most of the dings, stained it and put a coat of shiny finish on it. Topped it off with a new set of EMGs (just my preference the stock pups were actually pretty nice). Now it is one of my favorite guitars to play and I wouldn't give it up for anything. If my used and abused old EC-10 can be this good, I can only imagine what a brand new one could be like. May be buying a new one in the near future.Chris

I am just beginning to try and teach myself to play guitar. So I'm hesitant to give it any kind of star rating or say anything about the guitar in regards to quality of playability, electronics/pickups, tone or any of that important stuff, as I don't have the experience to fairly do so. I've played drums for about 20+ years in bands, so have been around plenty of guitar gear that I know was good. Vintage or custom Gibson and Fender guitars with high end or specialty pickups and hardware, running through half stack 100 watt Mesa Boogie triple rectifiers, 100 watt Marshall JCM 800s/900s, Vox AC 30s, Orange Rockerverbs, Sovteks, etc. Pretty much guitars and amps that sound amazing and are my only in person points of reference. However, It would be completey unfair to try and compare this sub-$200 guitar going through my little Blackstar HT5R combo to the guitars and rigs mentioned above that I'm used to drumming along with. My girlfriend was wonderful enough to buy this guitar for me and she took a good friend who's played for 20+ years and has a 1978 Les Paul himself and after checking out/playing a few lower budget guitars in the store, some in the used section that cost a little more, he recommended this one. Said it played good to him, didn't have the fret buzz that the guitar I wanted to replace had and happened to be the sweet satin black finish he remembered me saying I liked. To sum it up, I doubt this is a guitar any of the experienced players I know would have, but as a beginner still trying to figured out how to fret chord shapes, I'm very happy with this entry-level/budget guitar. Only minor complaint I have so far is that the low E (which I drop to C or D) string seems to need frequent tuning. I'm considering taking it to GC for a proper setup and have larger gauge strings put on, so hoping that might help. But for the price I'd say it's worth any beginner checking out. If only these entry level guitars would include some in-person lessons, lol.Marcus E.

This Guitar is really good for a beginner they would love this guitar for the price the guitar is in and Esp is a really good brand of guitarsramirtav

Highly recommended first guitar. I bought this for my 7 year old son after having a bad experience with a cheap epiphone which would not stay in tune. We sold the epiphone and I picked up one of these m10 ltd. I play a KH WZ model which is over £1000 but it’s the same shape and dimensions including the thin u shape neck and jumbo frets. My KH WZ is the most comfortable guitar I have played and this feels like a fairly faithful copy. I have owned more expensive guitars which don’t play as well. Even my Mexican fender strat wasn’t as fun to play as the M-10. The positives are. 1. Stays in tune including intonation 2. Fairly fast / comfortable neck 3, good weight/solid build 4. Metal knobs. The only drawbacks are 1. that there is a knot in the wood on the neck (although I’m fine with this) 2. you can see a scarf joint on the neck 3. The set up needs sorting out of the box. In terms of set up I had to adjust the truss rod, raise the action and sort the intonation and within 15 mins I had a great playing guitar. Not only this but the tuning was very stable and the intonation was very easy to tune. If your practicing setting up guitars this one is nice and easy. The pick ups are fine, but my opinion is that the body is great and you could upgrade the electrics into something more meaty. However Ive taken this to rehearsals and I’m pretty pleased with it. No sprouting frets, plays well and feels solid. I own Gibson, Ibanez, and Fender Guitars but overall ESP/LTD are my favourite brand as they are well built and well priced. I would say this was better than others in this price range and the thin u shape necks are generally very comfortable.Rob

I've played drums for over 30yrs and have wanted to play more guitar on my own time. I have a very nice acoustic-electric I've had for about a year and wanted to start working on electric guitar and didn't want to spend big money. For the cost and my little experience in playing guitar, This guitar makes me want to practice more often.dotcgs1

I bought an LTD M10 about a year ago and love it so much that I bought an EC10 too, planning on slapping some humbucker-sized P90s in it for a different tone. Here's the details on how DIFFERENT these two guitars are, despite appearing more similar at first glance. – Headstock shape; just personal preference. I prefer the 3+3 design of the EC (functionally). – Scale length; the EC has a slightly shorter scale length (24.75" vs 25.5") than the M, making it somewhat easier to play, especially when performing wide stretches and chording. Bends are easier due to lower string tension. The longer scale of the M I believe contributes to superior tonal qualities. -The EC has a painted neck back to match the body. The M has a natural satin transparent finish. Personal preference, but I prefer the transparent finish for the more natural feel. -Both guitars have a 350mm (13.7") fretboard radius, which is somewhat flat, but not extremely so. -The EC has 24 frets, while the M has 22. -The M has slightly better upper fret access since the body shape is less restrictive of fretting hand thumb placement. -Both guitars have TOM bridges, but the M is strung through the body, whereas the EC has a stop tailpiece. String thru designs are lighter and arguably provide more resonance, but the tailpiece is adjustable, allowing you to raise or lower string tension. -Slightly different control layouts, particularly with the pickup selector; a blade on the M vs a toggle on the EC. -EC is slightly heavier. -Strap button placement affects strap retention and where the guitar hangs. The M retains a strap better and sits "closer" (further right) due to the horn, providing easier lower fret access. The EC has no horn so it sits "further" out (further left), naturally guiding the left hand towards the middle of the neck. -The EC sounds beefier, but muddier. The M has clearer but a BIT thinner tone. -The M is made in China and the EC is made in Indonesia. Hope this helps you decide between the two.Pazuzu

I did not buy mine from MF, but I had to put in my opinion. I bought my EC-10 from some guy who posted it on an app. He had not taken very good care of it and the body had a lot of dings and chipped paint. The neck was still good and the hardware was solid. I stripped off all the paint and sanded out most of the dings, stained it and put a coat of shiny finish on it. Topped it off with a new set of EMGs (just my preference the stock pups were actually pretty nice). Now it is one of my favorite guitars to play and I wouldn't give it up for anything. If my used and abused old EC-10 can be this good, I can only imagine what a brand new one could be like. May be buying a new one in the near future.Chris

I am just beginning to try and teach myself to play guitar. So I'm hesitant to give it any kind of star rating or say anything about the guitar in regards to quality of playability, electronics/pickups, tone or any of that important stuff, as I don't have the experience to fairly do so. I've played drums for about 20+ years in bands, so have been around plenty of guitar gear that I know was good. Vintage or custom Gibson and Fender guitars with high end or specialty pickups and hardware, running through half stack 100 watt Mesa Boogie triple rectifiers, 100 watt Marshall JCM 800s/900s, Vox AC 30s, Orange Rockerverbs, Sovteks, etc. Pretty much guitars and amps that sound amazing and are my only in person points of reference. However, It would be completey unfair to try and compare this sub-$200 guitar going through my little Blackstar HT5R combo to the guitars and rigs mentioned above that I'm used to drumming along with. My girlfriend was wonderful enough to buy this guitar for me and she took a good friend who's played for 20+ years and has a 1978 Les Paul himself and after checking out/playing a few lower budget guitars in the store, some in the used section that cost a little more, he recommended this one. Said it played good to him, didn't have the fret buzz that the guitar I wanted to replace had and happened to be the sweet satin black finish he remembered me saying I liked. To sum it up, I doubt this is a guitar any of the experienced players I know would have, but as a beginner still trying to figured out how to fret chord shapes, I'm very happy with this entry-level/budget guitar. Only minor complaint I have so far is that the low E (which I drop to C or D) string seems to need frequent tuning. I'm considering taking it to GC for a proper setup and have larger gauge strings put on, so hoping that might help. But for the price I'd say it's worth any beginner checking out. If only these entry level guitars would include some in-person lessons, lol.Marcus E.

This guitar is lightweight very well balanced, it seems to almost float when wearing it with a strap, As I heard in another rating, it feels like every single note on every single fret is available and reachable at any moment. It takes me back to the early 90's when I played a early 70's Gibson Explorer. What an easy guitar to play! It just seemed to fall off the frets into your hands, and this ESP SnakeByte is no different. I've heard James Hetfield talk about his love for his Gibson Explorers, so it's not a surprise that his signature series SnakeByte has that feel and tone! I really like the locking tuners, what a great invention! It makes the horrible business of replacing strings easy and painless! The locking bridge is also a delight, keeps intonation intact when changing strings. I like the tone of the JH HET SET pups, they scream when needed, and purr when needed. This guitar matches up particularly well with a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, or most any amp from Mesa Boogie or Marshall.mkcr33l

I was so excited to get this guitar and I hooked it up out of the box a played it for about 5 minutes. Unplugged it put it back in the case. The next day I hooked it up again and got a terrible flanger like sound out of the guitar so I switched guitars and my other one was fine. Before I sent it back I wanted to check the 9v battery in the back compartment for the pickups and discovered only 1.2 v of power coming out of the battery. I swapped the battery and now it's good. I just thought it was kind of annoying that esp would sell guitars with off brand dead batteries. I know it's not musiciansfriends fault but still.Chris

What a great looking guitar, great tones no matter what your style of playing. Exceptional finish with a strong looking gig bag.Keith S.

I bought one for my grandson. After some minor set-up, I took it to the gig for a test run. I am not exagerating when I say this guitar chewed up my bandmate's 800 dollar Gibson Les Paul Studio. Amazing guitar for the price! So I ordered another one for me. I have been a pro for over 30 years and if it's good enough for me, it's good enough for the beginner on your list. Nicely done ESP!Danny Boy-XJB3u

Am primarily an SG player, I have 2 Gibson's, always wanted a Viper, looks like a modern day SG, & when I saw the price, it was a no brainerRC

Sound: The stock pickups sound great especially with high gain. Nice crunch and break up. Features: For me the reason that I bought this model is that it is the least expensive way to get a real Edge tremolo. I can do subtle things with the Edge that I can’t do on an Original Floyd Rose. The bar is easier to position and it stays where ever you put it. As long as the torsion bushings on the bar aren’t worn out, the pop in bar is neither too tight or too sloppy. Value: This guitar is worth every penny. Manufacturer Support: I did not use Ibanez customer service and I did order half a dozen sets of torsion bushings, but had to order them from different places. The Wow Factor: I love the color of this one, Desert Sun Yellow. Overall: In the last 2 months I’ve bought 5 different Ibanez guitars, both lower and higher price. I must say that this guitar is the most bang for the buck out of any of my 21 guitars that I own.Got more than 200 bucks off on mine as it was sold as a slight blemish. When the guitar arrived, I noticed it did have a hairline crack in the paint on the bass side at the neck pocket. That was the only flaw I could find and it probably would have happened anyway if I would have got a “new” one.This is the shreddiest guitar that I have. The only thing that I had to address is that the 6th fret was a little proud. Other than that the fret job was good. All the frets were shiny and smooth and no fret sprout.This is the guitar that is at the price point where if you spend more money, you aren’t going to get much better. And the fit and finish were top notch.Scott

Overall: This guitar was a total impulse buy and I’m so glad I bought it! It’s easily worth twice the price of it. Can’t get too many mid tier guitars that are neck thru with decent pickups and a 5-way switch that has a fast and slim neck at this price. I mostly play baritone 6 strings and 7 strings but I needed a 25.5” scale for drop C and this is perfect for it with 10-54 strings. I did upgrade the nut with a Graphtech tusq nut and Hipshot locking tuners with knurled tuner buttons and looks even more badass while staying in perfect tune! I have an Ibanez rgib6 Iron Label 28” baritone and this is up there with that as far as quality and playability. The stock pickups aren’t bad at all and definitely surprised me cuz that’s usually the first thing I’ll change in an inexpensive guitar. As you can see by the other reviews people say it’s a great guitar and they’re not lying so if you’re on the fence about getting it then go for it! You won’t be disappointed at all and if for some reason you are then zZounds has a return policy within like 30-45 days so you won’t be stuck with a guitar you don’t love.Josh

I bought this item for my daughter for her birthday and she loved it, it came to our door on time, it was playable and very attractive, unfortunately a relative with a drug problem stole it within a day and we haven't been able to afford a replacement. It would be wonderful if BCP would be willing to ship another to us, but either way, very good product. I'll buy another one in time when we are able to afford it.Steve H.

I would give it 20 stars if I could. I’m not going to say that I can even play guitar. I am still trying to learn. I have a Stratocaster that I have been learning chords and following the lessons in a book that is instruction for learning scale. But the semi-hollow body has such a wounderful tone that I have to get better. It is so Inspirational that I have been practicing more than I ever did with my strat. LOVE IT! Thank you.Ronald P.

This is a beautiful guitar and if it were 1000$ it would be well worth it. For 2300$ though I would like to have some inlays that don't look like cheap plastic and not have fret buzz. The buzz could be fixed with a set up but for 2300$ I feel like it should come set up. On the back the slots for the cover plates are not routed so they just sit on top. Not a deal breaker but this does make it look a little incomplete. Overall it sounds great minus the fret buzz. I'd say no better than a se model and not worth the extra money unless you just want a bolt on neck. I prefer bolt on or through necks which is why I bought the ce but I plan to return it and either get an ernie ball music man or an American strat.Not satisfied with AMS quality c

I bought this because I was in the market for a US guitar and I already had a US Strat. I was thinking about a Gibson Les Paul Classic and then PRS showed up on my radar. I did some research and decided to play both. I have an Epiphone Les Paul so I thought I would prefer the Gibson. I played this guitar first and the Les Paul just didn't feel right after that. I bought this one a couple weeks later. After having it for an extended period (12 hours) I started thinking about selling my Strat and buying a Silver Sky. This guitar just felt so good I didn't want anything else. The neck feel is fantastic. The tone options are amazing The color is sooooooo much more vibrant in person than in pictures It is sitting in the rack in the other room while I type this and I wish I was playing it right now. It was totally worth every penny and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a true quality instrument.Jay P

A lot of the reviews posted here are for Strats, so I'm not sure what's going on. Anyway, I bought the red sparkle Squier Bullet Tele. The finish is gorgeous and that's what prompted me to do a spontaneous purchase. I have only experienced owning USA Teles, but I've played some Squiers that really impressed me. This one? Not so much. I don't detect any finish on the back of the neck although I'm sure it has a sealer of some sort. The body finish is nice, but the bridge hardware is cheaply made and I'll be replacing that for sure. Same goes for the tuners. I'm pretty sure it has some high frets because it goes dead starting at the 10th fret, but some of that was back bow. I loosened the truss and got rid if it, but now when I sight down the neck the forward bow is pretty obvious. I don't notice the frets being sharp on the ends. It now plays plays pretty good after sitting long enough for the truss Rod to settle, but I may need to tighten it just a little to get rid of some of the forward bow. The neck has a very comfortable profile. The body is thinner than my American Teles, but it doesn't bother me – in fact it's lighter which I enjoy. The body is Poplar and that's fine by me. I may leave the back of the neck alone for now because it actually feels pretty good, aesthetics are certainly lacking, but the body makes up for that. I'm sure with a little patience and help from my friends I'll have a nice instrument. All the basics are there. As is, it's not all that great, but still better than my first electric guitar! -!an old Kalamazoo single pickup thing with a bolt on neck back in the mid sixties. Like the title says, this thing has potential. I probably couldn't buy a finished body for what I paid.Ronnie

I bought my black metallic Squier Bullet eight years ago when GC was having a Columbus Day sale. I was looking for a guitar to which I could permanently mount my Roland GR-33 guitar synth's GK2a pickup. Previously I had the pickup mounted on my '96 Strat, and I didn't like this fit because I couldn't close my Strat's case with the pickup installed. I have a gig bag for this Squier, and it fits fine in the bag with pickup installed. Anyway, about the guitar. Right out of the box, it played great, requiring only a minimal amount of action adjustment. I was surprised at how good the pickups sounded, it being a Bullet and all. But the humbucker sounds especially nice when playing the guitar through my Marshall. The neck pickup has a decent sound, but not quite up to the snuff of a good alnico pickup. Still, for what the guitar cost, I really can't complain. If I want to, at some later date, I can always change out the neck pickup to a better alnico model. One thing I especially like about this black Bullet is its looks. The photos here at GC don't show it off all that well, but the guitar body's finish is metallic and the pickguard is a heavy metal flake. It looks spectacular under the lights. And the black hardware does a great job of completing that black look. The Bullet's body is thinner than a typical Strat or Squier Affinity or Classic Vibe body. The result is a light weight guitar, but there is no sacrifice in tone.Michael

I would first like to begin with- I normally would be giving a 5 star rating of this unit/Squier, as I have typically never had problems prior to the recent/earlier this year upset regarding shipping containers/etc being paused/sitting in the ocean/etc, delaying container delivery. PLEASE READ ON FOR FULL EXPLANATION. Two imperative points- 1. The fret ends were so sharp, when I say it was not playable (both sides/neck in its entirety), I mean, it was not playable (THE DATE OF INSPECTION WAS EARLIER THIS YEAR, AND I IMMEDIATELY ASSOCIATED THE FRET ENDS PROBLEM BEING DUE TO THE SHIPS BEING DELAYED/SITTING IN THE OCEAN/ETC- It looked to me like maybe between March and July of this year, although, I couldn't quite make out the stamped month). As well, the serial # of the guitar, of course, was of this year/'22. I maintain/work on most all my guitars, and I normally would've tightened up the fret ends myself, however, there was a hairline crack on the red sparkle finish at the bass side neck joint (which i just couldn't accept, visually), as well as a small tooling gash along the top edge of the headstock. The replacement/reordered guitar arrives tomorrow. 2. THE NEWER UNITS (AS, ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS A 2022-BUILT UNIT) ARE TOP-MOUNT/STRING THROUGH THE BACK OF THE BRIDGE, NOT "STRING-THRU" as the description indicates (and, with Squier bridge mounting, these are 5-screw mount plates, which, if ever you want to upgrade your hardware, particularly, w/the bridge, you must find an aftermarket unit that is "string through the back", along w/the correct string spacing (with Squier, they're 54mm, typically), and you'll typically need to redrill given it's rare to find plates that have Squier mounting dimensions that provided string through the back holes. I'm upgrading to a Babicz, given the results found. Also, there are two string trees (the second being a tree for both the D and G strings), and it looks great, actually, with both. Overall, I was impressed with the finish, as it was nearly flawless (aside from the hairline finish crack mentioned previously). The fretwire/fretwork, felt great….I found maybe two or so "slight" dead spots, which weren't enough of a "ping", or string buzz to be of concern, or critiquing the fretwork negatively. Rather, I was impressed with the fretwork. As well, it's important to note that the mounting of the bridge, along with the neck positioning/etc, was spot-on. No misalignment of the bridge mount/etc (and the same goes for the nut spacing). I've always been impressed with what Fender/Squier/Jackson are putting out. The quality is typically quite high…as for this unit, the quality is high, but the results of the environmental dilemma with either being stuck in a container offshore, or, sitting in a facility for weeks/months/etc, have had quite the impact on this guitar. As an important example, I had purchased a Bullet Tele last year (the unit in Burst color offered here through MF), and it was/is flawless, and I completely upgraded every part. As I own approx'ly 53 guitars ranging primarily from ESP to Jackson (some of which in the better than $2K range), I love to take what's titled as a "beginner" guitar, and totally hotrod it with high end parts (such is the case w/this guitar). As mentioned above, I've reordered the guitar, as MusiciansFriend provided me a generous discount (without having to ask) to accommodate me. Upgrades- 1. Babicz Full Contact Tele "Ashtray" bridge Gold, 2. Genuine Fender Gold control plate, 3. Fender Infinity Gold strap locks, 4. Gold input jack Ferrule, 5. Custom built Gold Sparkle w/star cut-outs Tele pickguard, 6. Philadelphia Luthier Tools "Fat" neck plate/Gold w/gold neck mounting screws, 7. Earvana compensated nut (Ivory), 8. Philadelphia Luthier Tools Gold string trees, 9. Fender locking tuners, Gold, 10. EMG T-52 set (black), or, EMG T-set, Red., 11. EMG Gold Telecaster knobs. 12. Powder coated Red pickguard screws, 13. Gold pickup mounting screws. Beginner guitar?……no more (ha).Dave

I am both surprised and please with this guitar I purchased this guitar at GC Nashville after returning a Gibson Les Paul Classic that I bought online. (lesson learned, don't buy from GC online.) The staff there were great and had no issues with me returning a $2200 guitar that I bought online. Even more supportive in helping me pick out a much less expensive guitar. Great people. This Epiphone is awesome. The fit and finish are great. The action is low and no buzz. The tone is great and It is lighter and easier to handle than the Gibson . The best part is it cost a third of the one I returned. I really wanted a Gibson but I am so glad I picked up this Epiphone. A word of caution. I looked at and played several guitars at GC before choosing this one. I even played a couple of other Epiphone Les Paul Customs. No two were the same. One had razors for frets, one had an action you could drive a truck under and this one was just right. Go in an play them before buying.Mike

This is my second 6 string electric, and I couldn't be HAPPIER with it! My first guitar is an entry level Epiphone SG Special that was a couple hundred bucks back in the day. It got the job done…good frets, good tune, good everything. I recently decided to step it up and get a "mid-range" guitar but still not break the bank with an Epiphone. And I'm not calling Epiphone cheap…they are just more in my price range when compared to Gibsons. Stepping it up is the right description for this guitar!! It is AMAZING! The feel, the tone, the look! It sounds great and feels good in the hands too. I especially love the Silverburst color!! The main reason I wanted this specific guitar. It's Adam Jones from TooL color scheme finish but on an epiphone! They are coming out with his own model of epiphone, but I'm impatient lol. Looks are important to picking out a guitar as much as sound! The inlays on the fretboard look beautiful. The pick guard and finish are beautiful, the trim/binding around the guitar… this guitar has reignited my passion for playing! As of this writing, I have no complaints! Excellent guitar!Matt

I purchased this guitar because a Les Paul was missing from my gear arsenal and I didn't want to drop three grand on a Gibson. I played a wall model at a local GC store and decided to buy, but requested a factory new model sent to me, because the wall model I played had some nicks in the fretboard, a sketchy 3 way switch and had worn strings and the intonation was way off above the 14th fret. I paid for next day air shipping to expedite the process because I tend to want the things I pay for fairly quickly. The shipping tag originated from the same city I live in, meaning they had a factory new either in the warehouse or at the neighboring store about 20 miles away. So I essentially paid 42$ for expedited shipping and could had likely gotten it same day if I asked the right questions I suppose. Shame on me. The next business day my guitar is delivered to my residence, I open it and immediately inspected it for possible shipping damage or factory flaws. It arrives with a broken 3 way switch, all strings tuned nearly 2 steps flat and also needed to make a truss rod adjustment to straighten the neck. Completely unacceptable that these issues left both the factory and GC's "quality control" in the condition it did. Luckily I work at a local small box music store and worked with our own luthier after hours to set it up and correct the problems. All that said, this guitar is absolutely fantastic. It plays and sounds very good and even though the stock pickups aren't top tier, they are excellent performers at a very reasonable price point. Monster value in this guitar. If you can acquire one some where other than Guitar Center, do it. If you do purchase from guitar center, make absolutely certain to have it looked at by a professional before accepting it. 5 stars for the guitar and it's value. 1 star for guitar centers lack of QC shipping items.Dan

besides the weird booming sound coming from the amp when strumming, and the guitar constantly being out of tune. i would suggest this to a friend when starting out. however if you have more prior experience, get a better guitar and amp than this one. other than that, the price is somewhat equal to the quality of the guitar.thao

…so I purchased this as an alternative to my acoustic guitar. The 1st thing I noticed is how light it was. The maple neck was a different feel and gave me more accessibility to the frets. Once I got the guitar in tune I was surprised how nice it sounds. The amp is not the best, but if you don't have one, you won't notice. Overall I like this guitar. Thank you Fender for making an affordable electric guitar. I would get this again for a beginner. As I progress, this guitar is pushing me to upgrade to another Fender. It's that good. I have a lot of fun with this G-tar.No name

I have always been pleasantly surprised at the quality of these cheaper Squier Affinity and other similarly priced Squier guitars. I have played Squiers for decades, including jazz basses, Teles, and of course this Stratocaster. It plays as well as a guitar can play. It looks absolutely gorgeous. It sounds like any much higher priced Strats and the humbucker is a great go-to for playing leads without having to have a pedal boost or having to go to the amp controls for boost. It set up as well as any Fender I have worked on and I have worked on quite a few over the years. I would not hesitate to use this guitar on any stage or in any studio production. The frets needed no top or side dressing and no leveling.bobvarns

Overall: I was excited to receive this guitar as it was on back order I got the black and yellow bumblebee. After receiving it I made some adjustments to the tremolo and found that the spring cavity was bare wood / looked like it was chisel out with a screwdriver and it was not routed or CNC'd flat. Worse than that the wood under the Floyd rose was cracked and the finish was cracked as well. Basswood is a very light and soft wood so I am guessing the trem was pushed back during shipment or during setup at the factory and not seen by the staff as it is only visible when you remove the Floyd. I am a woodworker and beginning luthier so I corrected these issues myself and reinforced the thin section under the bridge with a custom fitted piece of maple and routed out the trem cavity so it is flat and sprayed the trem pocket with flat black paint looks like it should have when it left the factory now. I know I probably should have sent it back but overall I really like the guitar and I think Eddie would approve of my work.Douglas

This guitar has my favorite neck. The fretwork is amazing and the neck plays itself. This surprised me coming from fat Les Paul necks. Super easy to play, which, in turn, makes you sound better. I was very impressed with the sound and the functionality of the electronics. I’m a big Van Halen fan but don’t play a whole lot of it and this guitar sounds great for all kinds of other stuff, so long as you’re playing hard rock/early metal. Cleans up great with the volume knob but let’s be real – with no neck pickup, cleans aren’t really what you’re going for. Out of the box, was not intimated at all and there were a couple of paint dings and imperfections. Floyd also didn’t hold tune super well but with a solid setup and lubing up the fine tuners, it plays and sounds great. I had one of these a couple of years back and sold it foolishly to fund other purchases but hear I am, back again after purchasing again. It really is an awesome guitar and I am partial to the b/w color scheme with the Strat-style input jack. My Les Paul Custom is better quality but this guitar honestly sounds as good or better for a third of the price. And this guitar makes you a better player and you realize how amazing of a guitarist Eddie was considering how basic and simple this guitar is. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.Arpeggio5150

Eddie inspired so many folks to pick up the guitar. This is my second EVH model and I am amazed by this guitar every time I play it. This model was on my bucket list of guitars and when it went on sale at Adorama, I had to snap it up. It came perfectly setup from the EVH factory and the only thing needed to be done was to tune it properly. The D-Tuna is great to switch to drop D tunings. The Frankenstrat plays like a dream. The fretboard is like butter and the the action is ideal for playing hard rock and metal. The pickup gives you an excellent approximation of Eddie's brown sound. I am ecstatic with my purchase and this guitar is the perfect homage to the master. RIP Eddie!Tomas

Sound: A sign of a good electric guitar is how well it sounds unplugged. This 1000BV is loud, full, and sustains very well before it's even plugged in. I bought the 1000BV with EMG pickups. Most people associate EMG with metal, and yes it goes a long way in that genre but they are equally adept and great sounding for blues, jazz, rock, and clean tones. I am very happy with the tonal versatility of this guitar. Cleans are clear and full, heavy drive has the chunk you want, and in between they just growl like they should. Features: I appreciate the locking tuners and Tone Pros bridge. The tuners are ESP branded but are smooth and seem to stay in tune quite well. The TOM bridge was easy to adjust and lock back into place.Active pickups are a matter of taste. I chose EMG because I like the sound they give, and I already have another guitar with the Duncan JB's. Ease of Use: The guitar came out of the box set up perfectly to ESP specs. Having said that, ESP thinks low action is 2mm at the 12th fret for low E, and 1.5mm on the high. This is way too high for my tastes. Adjusting the truss rod, string height, and intonation was a breeze. In a world filled with Floyd Rose, you lose appreciation for how easy a TOM bridge is to work with!The neck is definitely thinner than a Les Paul, but not super thin like a Jackson or Ibanez neck. It is similar to the PRS Wide Thin carve. Very playable if shredding or legato is your thing, and equally comfortable with the thumb over style. The neck finish is matte and feels as smooth as an unpainted neck. Moving up and down the fretboard is comfortable and easy. Quality: The quality of this instrument is superb. I have gone over it with a fine tooth comb and cannot find even the slightest imperfection in fit and finish. If you were to hand this to me blindfolded, I would easily believe it to be a guitar costing twice the price. It was that good. Fret work was spectacular and on par with my American PRS CE-24. Rolled off edges, no burrs or sprouts, smooth all the way up and down the neck. Value: This guitar is a tremendous value. For a list price of $899 you get every penny worth and more. I would put this up against any American made instrument costing 2 or 3 times more. High quality name brand components installed on a beautifully constructed instrument are what this guitar is about. Manufacturer Support: I have not had to deal with ESP directly yet, but they did suspend my account from their support forum for no known reason lol That's why everyone has more than one email right 🙂 The Wow Factor: It's an unassuming looking guitar that would fit on stage playing metal or smooth jazz. It sounds amazing clean or dirty and is a great alternative for someone who loves the traditional look of a single cutaway guitar but desires a more playable neck and less heft. Overall: I had been eyeing this guitar for quite awhile. I admit that when I found out production of the 1000 series moved from Korea to Indonesia I was very disappointed. The internet is full of horror stories about instrument quality dropping after models start getting produced in different countries, especially after having a great reputation for quality at the previous factory. I wavered back and forth and had second thoughts even after ordering. Thankfully zZounds has a great return policy so I took a chance.I AM SO GLAD I DID!!!!!!!If you are looking for a solid body single cut guitar you HAVE to give the EC-1000 a look. For half the money of most other domestic single cutaways you get a great playing and great looking guitar that is just a joy to play. Build quality is absolutely top notch and on par with or better than some of the best domestic instruments I've owned over 4 decades of playing.Allan

Where do I start? I love everything about this guitar and it is my favorite that I own. If you’re looking for something that sounds very sweet and beautiful clean, this is not the guitar for you. That’s not to say that you can clean it up a bit with maybe some stereo chorus reverb or delay but as this guitar stands on its own, it truly suits one purpose for me , it is true metal madness euphoria. Not only do the pick up scream but this guitar is not only beautiful but constructed perfectly. It is the best most comfortable neck I’ve ever played and it is rocksolid!!! The satin finish on the back of the neck makes it effortless to slide up and down. I’m typically not a fan of gold on guitars but with the black matte finish it actually is pretty sharp and not too Goddy in my opinion. I am mediately replace the strings on this guitar with some nice thick ones for drop C tuning. Even with the 24.75 scale it Plays drop tuning nicely without string floppige. As long as you have the right strings on this exit is no problem. This current model has the EMG pick ups. I am seriously considering getting another EC 1000 with the Pegasus sentiment pick up combo. It’s a little heavier than I thought it would be but in a good way. This guitar is perfectly balanced and the body is definitely thinner than a Les Paul. That’s one thing I didn’t like about Les Pauls is it was thick bulky heavy and a baseball bat neck. I honestly couldn’t be more pleased with this guitar. Love the EC 1000 and the great service I always get at American musical supply. I’ll be honest, i’ve went through about half a dozen brand new guitars and returned every single one of them except for this one. I believe I am pickier than most, if I spend $1000 on a guitar I want to fall in love with it and not settle. If you like playing James Taylor and Crosby stills and Nash I suggest you look elsewhere. If you want to rip some faces off get this guitar!!!!Brett m

I bought this LTD EC-1000 after playing it at the shop for over an hour. This guitar delivers in spades the metal tone I was looking for. (I tried against Duncan Seymour version) With the right setup, it will CHUG! The chugs that is produced is so satisfying and inspirational to downstroke riffs like Papa Het for hours. Action is set at 2mm low E and 1.5mm at high E. A bit higher than I am used to but easy to get used to. This guitar is a beauty and plays and sounds great! You can't go wrong!Kalyan R.

I have had this guitar for about a month now. From the first day, I have absolutely loved this guitar. The included Seymour Duncan pick ups sounds amazing and the push/pull function gives you a nice range of voices. Everything about the build of this guitar feels amazing. The neck and the frets are smooth and well cared for, the quality of the hardware is top shelf. If you want a Les Paul, just forget about Gibson. This is what you want, of course there are many versions of this guitar, Any one of the EC-1000's are great, but the finish on this one is pretty outstanding in person.Logan C

I got the natural black color. Its a really nice looking guitar. With a different name on the head stock it would cost thousands. Sounds great, you can play any type music on it. Perfect out of the box . No setup at all needed to be done. I saved almost 200.00 with a blemish model model that was basically perfect.Ltd

SUPERB guitar. It may be "entry level" but it's so well put together. Nothing about this feels cheap. Excellent finish to everything, no rough fret edges, no blemishes or chips in the finish, nice smooth neck, arrived with great low action, just needed a tune and it was ready to go. The V shape is SOOO comfortable to hold and play and come on, it LOOKS sick af. Sounds fantastic too, nice clean tone, meaty chug with distortion through my Katana and even my Fly 3 practice amp. What's really great about this guitar though is it makes you excited to pick it up and play it. It's an 80's shred beast all for under 300.MARK

Wanted to check out a flying V and a Floyd Rose on the cheap. The B-stock model was 2/3rd the cost. Took about an hour to set up. It ships with the strings loosened and that's a good thing. A few swipes on two or three fret ends and getting used to tuning and intonating the Floyd Rose was all it took to turn this into a growler. The strings themselves aren't bad, I replaced them a few weeks later once I learned the process of tuning it. Another thing to know if you practice while seated: Flying V shapes aren't easily playable sitting down without a strap. The frets are jumbos and I prefer them for bends without the Floyd Rose. While some will not like the pickups, they are hot and throaty enough for me. The rest of the guitar is superb quality for the price. I'm still trying to figure out why this is B-stock. I didn't even have to adjust the truss rod which is shocking at this price range.Cujo

I've wanted a guitar in this style but since I'm not a pro. using it to make a living I didn't mind it's price even though it cost more than the highly popular Air Guitar. I just love metal of most styles since I 1st heard Black Sabbath Paranoid followed by Uriah Heep when it just started selling in Canada anyway over 50 years ago. All great music whether it was British or American & now world wide. I can't check off the pickup question cause I had no amplifier at the time.zx12rgsxr

PMT service is fantastic, ordered it on a Sunday had it buy the Wednesday that week. Unpacked it gave it a quick tune and of I went started playing. This is my first fender and what can I say it's a lovely looking guitar, well finished and sounds great . There is a lot of variation you can get from switching between the different pickups which I love.John O.

The guitar came in faster than expected. The service at Sam Ash was excellent, and the salesman was very helpful with putting my order together. After unboxing, I looked the guitar over closely before plugging to my amp. The fit and finish was flawless. The neck relief, string action, and pickup height were spot on. Then I plugged in and cranked up. This guitar comes with Player Strat pickups, and Player Strat neck. And it flat out Rocks. Everyone says the Korean guitars are so good for the money. But these Mexican made Fenders are every bit as good. Personally, I'd rather have a guitar made in the American continent than one made in Asia. Good job Fender. And Kudos to Sam Ash.michael

This is the first Acoustic/electric that I have owned that I actually love playing. The action is great even with the large gauge acoustic strings on it. Comes with a very nice gig-bag/case. I love the way the neck and back of the guitar looks. I also love the Strat 5-way switch that selects the degree and type of acoustic sound. The only downside with this guitar is the cover that serves as a cover for the electronics and pick guard. It looks cheap, more like a decal than a cover. I think Fender can do better on this detail for the price of the guitar. However, if you can get past that then it is a fine playing and sounding guitar. I have owned several Acoustic and Acoustic/Electric guitars. The action on even high-priced acoustics was so terrible I just ended up selling them. I also do not like the large back ends of most acoustic and acoustic electric guitars, but this guitar is small and easy to play. I would give it an A-.Bill

The research I did on trying to learn more about this instrument via general internet, YouTube, assorted standard Music Company's like Sam Ash; Sweetwater; Guitar Center; Alamo; and other assorted Music Guitar critics provided a good array of opinions and product test results that produced a positive majority with impressive perspectives for the instrument I purchased. The Fender American Acoustasonic Stratocaster Acoustic-Electric Guitar Cocobolo I purchased from Sam Ash was not a disappointment. Aside from the 10 different options of Guitar unique sounds it provides from Acoustic and Electric mixes. The one-of-a-kind Cocobolo wood identifies a further fingerprint in supporting its own private one-of-a-kind signature sound with relationship to the Cocobolo wood unique to it alone. That just blows me away with how special the sound of specialty signature sound it produces with the ten different built in technical sounds the Fender Guitar company developed with this special edition. I feel overwhelmed in learning to continue how to play this guitar. It allows me so many more possibilities with playing soft country to hard rock a really strong guitar enjoyment experience.Guitar Enthusiast

Overall, I am very happy with this guitar. It exudes classic Fender looks and tone. The quality and craftsmanship are decent for the price point. I have a US Tele and, after putting some TLC into this player strat, it feels and plays almost as good as the Tele. I would give it five stars if it were not for fretwork that was needed. Body – The finish and surf pearl color are gorgeous. The wood grain is barely visible (raised) so I would not say the finish is flawless, but the grain is very subtle and adds character in my opinion. The routed cavities for the electronics (top) and the tremolo springs (back) are precisely cut and clean. The electronics cavity was even finished with black paint. Neck – The finish and appearance are great. However, all 22 frets had sprouted; some as much as 1/32". I can't say this is a craftsmanship issue as the frets were probably fine when it was assembled. It must have been a very high humidity environment, though. Nevertheless, after painstakingly filing and redressing all 44 fret ends it feels good. The frets themselves were well seated and leveled. The 3rd and 11th frets were a few thousands of an inch high, but not enough to cause any buzzing issues. The frets were well rounded and polished. Hardware – The tuners are just okay. One of them feels a little rough turning, and they seem to have a low turning ratio making it very touchy to dial in perfect pitch. The 2-point fulcrum tremolo bridge seems like a better design than the traditional (six screw) bridges, but I did not test it. I prefer to block them for more stable tuning, which worked great with this bridge. I have upgraded electronics I had planned to install in this guitar, but the stock pickups aren't bad. They are very quiet and have good tone – there is no rush to replace them. Setup was a breeze. Truss rod adjustment was smooth, nut slots were to spec, and intonation was perfect. The action needed adjustment since I blocked the tremolo, but that was easy.Dave S.

After months of searching for my next guitar I finally settled on the Ibanez Prestige AZ series. As a lifelong strat player, my goal was to find a guitar that married modern features with classic American Strat-like qualities. The obvious choice might be the modern Suhr series, but the pricing on those was too high for me to even entertain exploring. The Ibanez Prestige AZ2402 is the perfect rendition of the featuree I was looking for and after 3 weeks of playing, I could not be happier with this purchase. I was able to secure the guitar for a few hundred less than new, as it was labelled as "minor blemish" on the AMS site. I immediately jumped on it and am ecstatic that I did so. To this day 3 weeks later, I cannot tell what the "blemish" could be. This thing looks, feels, plays and sounds like a brand new guitar. Out of the box the guitar was set up and only just slightly flat of tune. To meet my preference, some minor adjustments were made to the neck and bridge, but the 20 minutes or so that it took to slap some fresh strings on and make the measurements was well worth it. I have even had to do this on product that was brand new before, so I could not even attribute this to the "minor blemish" label. Th pickups are amazing. The coil switch mechanisms are great for added versatility, but the standard humbuckers are excellent and the guitar should still be considered even if you do not plan to use the switching system. The neck is super creamy and clear as a bell, while the bridge is just hot enough for metal and crystal clear enough to jangle some clean chords. The bridge is very solid with comfortable saddles and screams top quality. Tuning stability has not been any sort of issue, even with the use of the bar. I am not an extreme whammy bar user, but I did do some tests on deep dives and the guitar tuning needed no adjustment afterwards. In fact, since I changed the strings and did the setup on the second day, the guitar has not gone out of tune at all. I will highlight that the neck is way thicker than what I was anticipating, but in a few hours I was right at home with the feel. I have played many wizard necks and it simply was not what I was looking for, being accustomed to chunkier modern strat necks. The AZ neck is big, chunkier than the strat but I am now in love with it and this guitar has become my go to #1. Definitely recommend even at the full new price. This same guitar made in the US with all the exact same appointments would cost in excess of 4K. Great Guitar!Ryan

Sound: The Hyperion pickups do a great job overall and offer up a nice array of different sounds for just about every style of music. When in HH mode it goes from blues to rock and beyond with no problem. When the DynaMix switch is engaged the guitar takes on a completely different characteristic from jangly to warm and has some great tonal options for clean and crunch. I like the versatility of this guitar. It takes a bit of time to get used to all the options and you’ll have to tweak your EQ here and there to avoid them sounding thin or shrill, but I think you'll be able to find quite a few useful tones with this guitar. Features: The Gotoh tuners are sturdy and stable. The ratio is great and they really smooth with no issues at all holding tune. I had never used them before and I had to YouTube how to unlock them lol, but they work great. I prefer locking tuners with the knob on the back, but that's just personal preference. The Gotoh bridge feels spectacular. The titanium saddles are so smooth, no more rubbing your palm raw over rough saddles or screws. I don't use a trem much these days but it does a good job staying in tune even with some dive bombs and flutters. The roasted maple neck is beautiful and has a great smooth feel on the back. The cutaway and contours are very comfortable and the recessed input jack is a thoughtful highlight. And yes, most wireless transmitters will fit. I could not get my Line 6 G10 transmitter to fit in the AZ Premium I had. The Prestige is not as deeply recessed and the transmitter fits just fine. This is my first go around with stainless steel frets but I do like the feel of them and they look good too. Ease of Use: It’s a fairly straightforward guitar to use and maintain. Nothing overly complicated here. Changing strings on a 2 point trem is a breeze compared to Floyd Rose or Edge terms and with the locking tuners you can get through the task in just a few minutes. All the back panels open easily for access to trem springs, input jack, and electronics. The exposed truss rod socket makes adjusting the neck a snap. The included multi-tool is really all you will ever need for quick changes. Quality: This is where everyone will say they have high end made in America PRS, or Custom Shop whatevers and this is just as good or better. They will say that for a good reason because it’s the truth. Fit and finish are spectacular. No gaps or wiggles to be found. Fret work and fingerboard are simply top notch. It feels like it’s been your guitar for years. Electronics are smooth and there is an overall premium feel to this instrument. The hype is real…. FujiGen makes great guitars. Value: Value is a subjective measure. This is an expensive guitar for sure but when compared to similar “modern player” guitars out there the 2402 sits right in the middle price-wise. I feel it’s well within reason for what you get and it’s a good value for your money. I’d rather get a painted body with stainless steel frets than a bookmatched top and standard frets. Manufacturer Support: Haven't needed it The Wow Factor: In my humble opinion the wow factor is somewhat unseen. The story behind the AZ series is quite novel in that Ibanez reached out and met with some of the best and brightest guitarists around today. Over a period of 2 or 3 years and through several prototypes they compiled all of those suggestions into this amazing series of instruments. If all the artists involved really feel that this is their ultimate guitar then that’s pretty wow in my book. Overall: OK first let’s talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room. That neck!!!! If you have done any research on the AZ series you already know it’s not a Wizard neck, but you may be surprised at how big it is. When I first grabbed it I was thinking I was going to return it, but after playing on it for a few days it felt like home. Like a lot of things about this guitar, the neck is a paradox. It shouldn’t feel this comfortable to someone who prefers Charvel and Jacksons, but it does. It doesn’t feel like a shred neck, but you can play that way remarkably well on it. It has its own unique shape like nothing I’ve played before. If I had to compare it to something I’d say somewhat resembles a Fender American Elite neck but more of a U shape with bigger shoulders. I can say that I don’t notice a huge change when going back and forth with my other guitars. It’s easy to transition between them without a lot of readjustment time to ‘get the feel’. I’ve seen a lot of forum posts asking about how the AZ Prestige stacks up to other instruments. Here’s my opinion. I own a Charvel Pro Mod DK24 HSS with the roasted neck and I really like that guitar a lot. The 2402 is a little lighter and sleeker and has a higher quality feel. I think the Hyperions as humbuckers are more versatile than the Full Shred. The 2402 neck is thicker and feels a little wider vs the DK which is more like a very thin Strat neck. I also briefly owned the Premium version of this guiAllan

So many professional guitar players choose this Ibanez Prestige AZ2402 and when you get your hands on one you know exactly why. Where to start?!? First off the Japanese craftsmanship on these guitars a second to none! Perfect execution in every way! Neck, body, frets, tremolo everything just fits together in joyful harmony to make for an awesome axe that practically plays itself. Stainless steel frets will last a life-time and pickups offer a wide array of tone arsenal. If you need just one axe in your collection i would recommend this for sure. Its worthy of calling it your #1 if you are a shredder, prog, or jazz player. This guitar is for everyone!usbzoso