Yeah, it's supposed to be that way... and it's not just an LTD thing. Several of my hard tail 24.75" guitars are like that, as are most older Gibsons I believe.
My (Made in Indonesia -2020) LTD EC-256 looks, feels and sounds incredible especially considering its price point. Mind you, I did upgrade the bridge humbucker to Seymour Duncan Invader. The neck PU remains original as I actually like the way it sounds. It inspires me to play more than any other guitar I have owned.
@@nuclearguitar779 It sounds pretty decent when split, but nothing special. I have since installed the Invader on my American Strat which unlike the LTD, has a 500K pot in the bridge and now the Invader truly shines. The difference is like night and day. I loved my LTD, but sold it in order to recoup some of the cash I spent on the Strat. ZERO regrets! It feels, sounds and plays like a wet dream.
Tuning stability issues are almost always caused by friction at the nut, aggravated by the break angle strings make to reach the tuners (that's why the G string is the worst, being bent often). Filing the slots to the proper width and lubricating them solves almost everything. String trees, when present, are the second most frequent culprit. Locking tuners don't really do anything for stability. Keeping windings around the peg to a minimum and stretching them together with the rest of the strings by using the tuning keys to do so will eliminate that source of instability. In the end, all locking tuners really do is save a couple of minutes when restringing.
All very good points. One more thing that I do at setup is to file (and polish) a very small "side relief" widening of the nut slot at the headstock side of the nut where there is a "side break-angle" to the tuning posts, especially at the D and G string slots. I have found, over the years, that where the string exits the back side of the nut and forms a "side break angle" on the strings of most 3 x 3 headstock guitars, especially Gibson pattern instruments, that is where the most string binding actually occurs, along with the requisite issues caused by the string wanting to catch there. By relieving that area a small amount in the direction of the string post, and then judiciously polishing all of the nut slots with fine abrasive, that I have never had to use any type of lubricant to solve the dreaded "pinging" since I started cutting and finishing a nut in this manner. It takes a little extra time during the nut making or nut adjusting process, but I feel it is well worth it for me to do it this way, and it makes players that have had these issues very happy campers. Hope this helps someone out there in guitar tech land. ;-) Peace.
I bought my ltd ec256 about 9-10 years ago. I have never had any issues with it at all. I figured out to do the set-up myself and dialed it in the way i feel it to be the most comfortable. It plays great, sounds great and only thing wrong with it now is thetoggle switch needs to be flipped a few times before it pick anything up. That Should be an easy fix
90% of all tuning stabillity issues on these budget L/P style guitars are caused by the nut. Usually it´s a cheap af plastic nut, which hasn´t been filed down properly. It´s an easy fix, get a Graphtech TUSQ nut, they´re relatively cheap and used on high-end guitars. It´s baffles me, that guitar companies are too cheap to use proper nuts on their budget guitars, as if the price would be driven too much up, by simply adding a 15-20 $ nut. Of course, mini-locking tuners do help with tuning stabillity. P.S. The bridge is supposed to be angled like this.
@@danielseaburg9763 people call everything that's under 1000 a budget products it's so fucking annoying. "Top 10 noob guitars!" Number 1. X guitar ONLY 749,99$
@@Ottophil That's how it always goes, mainstream bands and popular guitar players are lucky there able to go to any companies custom shop and have a guitar built exactly how they want it. the average person with a regular income doesn't have the luxury to be able to flop down cash for a custom shop all the time, so alot of times we have to take guitars as is because who's gonna tell the suits and ties to stop cutting corners. it's not the people that build the guitar is at fault, they only do whatever the Execs want, but ESP isn't the only one guilty of cheating the customer, Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, PRS, they all do that. whatever they think will keep the cost down, that's what they'll do and they get away with that, because in some ways we the public allows it. hell Gibson for example purposely cheaps out on there lower priced Gibson's, they do it alot. the Les Paul Studio used to be a really good guitar for the money, especially the late 90's and early 2000 models, but after awhile the quality started going down on them. now they really only focus on there core models, everything else just gets shuffled around.
Thank you! Great video. I also learned something new about my guitar. I purchased my used EC-256 about a year ago and never realized that the tone knob was also a coil tap/single coil switch. Definitely going to take advantage of it now. haha
I bought one of these 2 months ago in transparent purple burst. I love the damn thing. For $500 it seems excellent. Mine has no tuning stability issues
@@fazzi4924 I ended up taking a chance on a black partscaster with a purple pickguard that turned out to be a 2004 fender made in mexico neck and a 2006 mim body with so.e seymour duncan single coil sized humbuckers and the original fender single coil in the middle. It has sperzel locking tuners as well. I paid 200 for a frankenstrat of fender and very high quality "body" parts and a hardshell roadrunner case. I couldn't be happier.
I got the EC -257 and the Viper - 201B , both are good guitars and after you upgrade the nut, locking tuners and the pots these guitars are even greater with the stock pickups. Looking forward to get my hands on something off their 1000 series.
Bought this guitar about 3 months ago. The first problem i noticed is death notes on 18 fret. After i set my guitar up, unfortunately, the problem didn't go. These death notes are not critical, cuz these notes do sound when you just push the string harder, but there is no way this string will sound when you have to shred, legato etc. The second problem is a nut. My strings just don't sit in the nut properly. This problem appeared after i changed the strings for the very first time on this guitar. Unfortunately, there is no guitar tech in my city to solve these problems, so i have to live with it. In general, the sound is good, the quality is good, it stays in tune well and those pick-ups are good for my needs.
Sounds awesome dude, that plug in sounds great very surprised. Nice guitar, been using Using Esp Ltd guitars for years they are always good even the Chinese ones. Dig your channel man. Keep Shredding ...
I own an all, matte black 256, with dark gray binding on the body and headstock. Also, the fretboard is super dark. Stock, it sounded just fine. I did swap out the bridge pickup for a Duncan custom. Which didn't really need to be done, but I like that pickup, so it made sense. And the tuning stability is fine. It's actually way more stable than my other guitars, that include a prs mcarty, a charvel pro mod, and a les Paul custom. And yes, my ltd 256 is the most stable. Lol. Best part is, I bought it used for $220. 😎😎😎
I have the same finish model that you have, the pickups in it are fine, but awhile back I threw a SD Invader in the bridge and I absolutely love this guitar! So smooth and sounds brutal
Wow, I had no idea the bridge was SUPPOSED to be set like that. I have no idea why this guitar was marked as B stock when I bought it then! 🤔 Thanks for tuning in, let me know what you'd like to see next on the channel!! 👇
@@DarrenWaters75 nope, just a necessary design put into effect to allow better playability, i shouldn't assume, but I doubt Gibson has a patent on the use of angles to compensate for things like string pitch. lol
I just got this 🎸 guitar in lemon drop and I can tell you it is better than ANY Epiphone or other Les Paul guitar!! Just way surpasses them ALL 👍 love this vid!
I really wanted something like Jimmy Pages Les Paul burst top so I bought a cherry burst Esp Ltd 256. It was on sale from Guitar Center for like 250$ or something like that. I loved it as soon as I saw it. The beautiful figured wood grain and Cherry Burst finish were amazing looking. It was a great little guitar but the fact it wasnt a Gibson was just eating away at me. I wanted the "real deal" so I decided to get a Gibson Les Paul for around 1,000$. It was such a let down. Its frets were just super flat and tiny. Came with finish flaws even. It was cool looking but in the end... I sent the Gibson Les Paul back for a refund and kept the LTD 265. I love it and its one of my main guitars to mess around on. I dont feel guilty playing the heck out of it like some of my older or more expensive guitars. I think Im going to get some Guitar Fetish Alnico V PAF style humbuckers for it for like 60$. For the price this guitar cannot be beat.
A tight nut will give you stability issues (pun intended) regardless of the hardware you're running. You should always tune up, because what happens is that if you tune down the nut might pinch the string and as you play the tension will release, making your notes flat. It's kind of understandable manufacturers cheap out on the nut, because that's easy to modify / replace.
Just about EVERY guitar you buy needs the nut inspected for size, and depth (3rd Fret Rule). On the LTD, careful adjustment of the tension screws at the end of the tuners is important to do.
Bought a 256 a few years back and I love it kinda using it as a custom project so far iv changed to pickups and knobs and I’m now looking to add a kill switch and some lock-in Grover tuners
I just bought this guitar in Cobalt Blue after watching this review, I wanted a second guitar and this seems to tick a lot of boxes, I'm super excited to get it. I let my sons choose the colour so hopefully they'll want to start playing in the near future. Great review also
@@TaylorDanley ive had it now for 3 days and the quality of this guitar has amazed me, its even staying in tune for me, I'm finding it hard to find any faults with it, if I had to be super picky I'd say change the pick-ups but they're really not that bad for stock pick-ups, this guitar punches well above its weight
I got one of these for 300 bucks new, replaced the nut and put a string butler and Babicz bridge on it. Totally a new machine but stock is still quite quite awesome.
I've never had luck with off brand locking tuners on Amazon. I just bite the bullet now and spend for high quality tuning machines. I really like the thin U neck profile on eclipses. Put a tusq XL nut on that guitar to fix your tuning stability problem.
I can't find any for my Squire as my tuners aren't bad but not great either. They also like to snap my strings yet I find no sharp edges. The ones I am looking for are 10mm peg holes and look like this - i.imgur.com/ElaD6xU.png
@@generalawareness101 look into hipshot with their UMP mounting system. No extra holes and if you move on from the squire you can go back to stock and keep your tuners. Just making sure you measure your peg hole, some squires are not 10mm sized.
@@williamheitl8941 Yep, removed them and measured but hipshot is hideously expensive and I honestly think are over priced. I was hoping for something less expensive.
@@generalawareness101 I paid $51 for my latest set of hipshots. Expensive, but well worth the price. I recently bought some sperzels for my eclipse and they were around $55 as well. I have seen grovers on ebay for around $45 if that is tolerable. Good tuning machines are just pricey. I am a firm believer in good tuners and a tusq XL nut. All my guitars stay in tune. Think of the time and effort you have put into your tuner issue. I'm sure you can find some good used or new hipshot/grover/sperzel tuners on Reverb or eBay for a price your willing to pay.
@@williamheitl8941 I slapped a TusqXL on my axe and it was the best damn thing I have ever done. Have a link to Hipshot for $51 that would fit? I want to keep this guitar as original as I can so no drilling.
Any experience playing with fuzz? For this price it's def one im considering just curious if you or anyone seeing this has played some doom/stoner metal on it and how it sounded? The clean sound is incredible 👍 Great review, very thorough.
Got one from GC at $249 four years ago . . . no case . . . Indonesian made . . . the neck pickup was all askew, but only took a look inside and a sharp chisel to clean up the cavity and, BUENO . . . probably why it was priced, new, $200 off (or $300 off depending on finish). I am American-Made only . . . but I wanted to try the flat fret board and humbuckers . . . the first electric guitar I ever played on, borrowed, was a 60's Gold Top Les Paul, and it was incredible. It is very fine quality . . . mine is about 3 years older than yours so actually has the Rosewood fret board . . . yours, probably not. Not in the spec sheet anyway. People have mixed feelings about the humbuckers . . . personally, I'm a long way off from discerning base ESP's from the mixed bag from Gibson versus high dollar Pearly Gates . . . Those Indonesians are really making fine guitars . . . PRS, CORT, . . . the list goes on and on. Word is ESP opened up a luthier school in Japan, and all employees at their factories have to go there first before going on the production line.
I must have watched this video 100 times in the past few months but finally got my hands on a second hand one of these for £150. I think it's awesome and really nice to play. The tuning stability doesn't seem that great compared to my other guitars so i'm thinking about a nut replacement at some point. Awesome video man!
I have two gibsons. One is a traditional and the other is the Bill Kelliher’s signature Halcyon and both have the worst tuning stability. The halcyon has quality of life upgrades like a chambered body and coil splitting but it’s not worth the cost. I’ve owned a LTD EC-1000 deluxe and it didn’t compare at all. Much better Les Paul than a Gibson will ever be. It’s what a les Paul today should be. I ended up trading it for an Orange head but would get another one if I had the opportunity. Honestly, today I’m trying to sell my Halcyon to fund a purchase of the Dustie Waring PRS. Don’t waste your money on a gibson. The one thing they ARE good at is resell value. Someone can always sell a gibson for the same price as they bought if they bought it used.
Those Eclipses are awesome guitars, especially for the price. I had a hard time deciding between that and my Wolf WLP 750 for a while, but ultimately went with the Wolf. I feel like I wouldn't have been disappointed with either choice. I think the thing that pushed me to get the Wolf was the inclusion of Grover tuners. The other cool thing is that All In One Guitars will email you when you order one asking for setup preferences, so they sent it to me set up, perfectly in tune and in the tuning I wanted along with the proper string gauge. Having my Wolf for roughly the same time you've had your EC 256, I'm really happy with my purchase and have found that the Wolf is a real work horse
The first thing I do with any guitar I get is lube the nut !!!!!! Most of the time (most of the time) todays $30 tuners will keep most guitars in tune. A tube of nut lube is cheap and will last a very long time and regardless of how good your machine heads are , without a free nut your guitar will not stay in tune. I just bought basically a brand new one used for $300 and it is a very nice guitar, I practically feel guilty for the deal I got. I highly recommend this guitar ! 🎸🤟🍻
I have a 2013 EC256. Stock it is an awesome guitar. I really like the pickups. I put a Seymour Duncan JB and 59 in it and changed out the tuners and it kicks the shit out of a Gibson. I also have two EC1000's and a GH200. All three guitars are awesome. Every guitar you purchase has issues from the factory. Once you get rid of those issues, you have a fine instrument. I'd rather purchase a lost cost guitar with issues over a guitar that costs you a ton of cash and still have those issues.
Just picked up a used one this weekend for £200. 2019 Indo made. I reckon once I put a tusq nut and locking tuners on it, it'll be sweet. Might swap the 3 way switch as well as that feels a bit cheap.
I’ve been wanting a singlecut for a while, and I’ve been eyeing this one the most because of the tonal options and the price, plus that guitar just looks sexy asf
@TaylorDanley I have a doubt why ec256 white is having different pickups and the guitar you are playing is having different pickups. Even they are same models and I checked official website also they mentioned that in both the ec256 they used LH 150 pickups. But it looks different in both modes. Please help because I'm planning to buy this one 🙏🏻
I bought one semi-unused for $200 and didn't expect much. Plugged it in and I have to admit...it ain't horrible. I opened up the nut slots as well. Its my couch guitar...although its only flaw is the "plastic" sound when I play acoustically!
I love my EC 256 but do have issues with it not being able to stay in tune and was considering up grading the tuning heads. Maybe I might try the fix you did to see if that helps.
@@benallmark9671 Still need to get my hands on some files. I tried with sandpaper and possibly it improved a little but didn't want to keep going with that as it wasn't going so well.
Adjusting the screws holding the tuner keys helps, little slot screws on the end (not into the wood) . . . not the greatest tuners but you can make them work. And, they are chromed steel, not cheap plastic like many expensive guitars . . . If you love the guitar, upgrade the tuners . . . why not?
Tuning stability almost always comes from a correctly cut nut. Locking tuners don’t actually affect tuning stability except in maybe dive bombing and, even then, the nut will contribute more in that situation. Great job on the review. If you can find an early 2000’s version of this guitar, grab it! 😁
Hoonestly, I really like the pickups. I think since most of my guitars are more metal riff machines, it's just nice to have something a little less aggressive!
Ummm... dude..... the bridge is supposed to be angled. Its for intonation purposes. Every LP style of guitar on the planet is like this. Dont worry, its a common rookie mistake LOL
I've had mine for almost 2 years. I'm a Lefty and after playing for 30 years, this is the first guitar that I ever bought online, without playing it first....I was super nervous. It's good!.....a solid guitar, with a huge variety of tones. I had the same issue with tuning stability, and I chalked it up to the sideways break angle of the strings through the nut. I figured this caused a difference in the string tension above and below the nut. I opened up the exit to the D and G, and I lube the nut with graphite when I change strings. So yeah, I've got a blue lefty, running through a pretty inexpensive Zoom G3Xn.....and it sounds great....for NOT a helluva lot of money!
Got the see thru black LTD256fm (only one available) for $357.99 brand new from musiciansfriend. Happy. It isn't a guitar that will blow anyone away (the newer 256s have Jatoba fingerboards instead of rosewood now 😔) but it is a solid built good playing guitar.
I'm having the same guitar when recording in cubase with clean tone ( heaven sent ) the output is not good it's slightly adding distortion to the tone I'm not getting the output clean as I wanted can you please help me with that?
Last week I purchased a brand new LTD EC407, the 7 string version of the one you reviewed but the 400s series. It is a sick guitar, I am really happy with it so far, time will say
the 256 are underrated guitars. i had one of the first gen vintage black ones. i swapped the pickups for emgs, and installed some hipshot tuners. it was an incredible guitar. i sold it and now have an ec1000 with evertune. i loved it. i am kicking myself for selling it.
@@TaylorDanley lol it's not even the one that got away. I just liked it a lot. I never played it though. I think I played for two shows and then it just sat in it's case in my studio.
I'm debating on the EC-1000 evertune or piezo or the fishman fluence. I just can't decide. The thing I don't like about the Evertune I'm looking at is it has Seymore Duncans but no Coil Tap. Yes I could swap out the pickups but I just want to buy and play. I don't want to spend extra money on putting pickups in a guitar. I just can't decide which EC-1000. 😅
You can use it there.. probably what it's meant for. I like either that or just normal wood furniture polish on my fretboard to keep the wood conditioned. It helps!
Darren Stroud of Power Tribe rocks this model like no other! This guitar is so much more comfortable than a Les Paul Standard, thanks to the belly cut.
This one is Indonesia.. I have a viper 256 that is made in vietnam. Honestly, I've heard Indoensia is better, but I really don't think it matters because at the end of the day they are all going to go through the same QC process. If one origin country wasn't cutting it, I'm sure ESP/LTD would fix the problem or stop manufacturing there.
@@TaylorDanley I agree, overall I think these are great value for the price, especially if you find one on the used market in great shape (like the one you picked up)! Thanks for the feedback!
