Hope you enjoy these Brutally Honest Gear Reviews. :) We have T-shirts: my-store-11499138.creator-spr... Check out all my lesson vids at: www.the-art-of-guitar.com Patreon: / theartofguitar Thanks!!!
"I was a little disappointed that it had active pickups." If you are a Metallica fan and buy a Metallica signature model, it's going to come with EMG active pickups. They've been playing them since 1987.
Exactly what I was saying as I was watching. And Mike is a pretty big fan of theirs, so I was shocking when he busted that out. But whatever….it’s all good. 👍🏻
Agreed. Anyone who plays guitar and knows guitar and music knows Metallica and metal in general needs EMG’s. Was definitely disappointed that someone with his knowledge didn’t know that before picking up the guitar.
I a couple of years after the Kirk Hammett Gibson / Epiphone signatures with more classic specs come out somebody’s gonna reply “uUuHh Well actually several of the Epiphone and Gibson Kirk models have PAF’S” to this comment
Kirk's touring version of this guitar is amazing. The pickups are custom painted along with the body so that the poster of the White Zombie movie covers the pickups also. It's also a neck through construction as opposed to the bolt on from LTD and it is a gorgeous guitar
Agreed! I paid a pretty penny for the VIP experience a few years ago and got to hold and play a few of their real guitars, including that one and the ESP Snakebyte you can see in my pic (my absolute fav)
I had an ESP KH-2 back in 1998. I sold it in 2008. I really loved the active pickups. But as I've gotten older, I've gone back to passive pickups. The preamp booster in the actives makes them less expressive than passives.
I love that you played To Live Is To Die.. of course, Hetfield has written many beautiful clean riffs over the years, but that particular one is my personal favourite - very nice to play as well!
Mike creates his content in the middle of the night. He's a true musician. I love his channel! If I could play as well as he does.....I would do the same thing. Because I'm just so sick of working a day job. I'm 55. I've been working my job for a loooonng time!!! I'm so tired. I can't wait to retire so I could just play and play and play! Practice makes perfect. THE ART OF GUITAR RULES
I have 2 jobs... I can't afford a guitar like that, I live in a third world country, I am a bilingual dentist (so I work at a corporate office for a global company and then go to my dental office on my free time) and it is either house payments or high end guitars, someday I shall pay off my house and play all day long
The sound effects are perfect ive been enjoying your gear review vids and this takes the video from causal to like actually rather funny in relatable ways and it just makes the review feel better as a whole
I saw one used for $800ish on MF, but…… I just couldn’t spring for it. I really love the Ouija guitar more, but of course we are talking a big price difference if you find one of those. After watching this review I’m kinda regretting not getting it lol…. Especially when you said it feels and plays like a 3K guitar.
Really enjoy these reviews! Sort of technical, but not too deep. Plus the fact you come at it from a "players" perspective, so that is a refreshing point of view!!! 🤘
I bought my first signature series Mick Thomson Jackson last year, sounds great but playing standing up is a bit challenging. A flying V shape is easier for my wrist to hold the neck.
First off, thanks for your review, Mike! So glad you got it!...As for my review, remember this: IT'S A KIRK HAMMET SIGNATURE GUITAR!...I have this axe and it's incredible! Don't let the 'LTD' fool you. Craftsmanship is flawless! The neck is a bolt-on neck and its fast, slim-tapered. It has a volute so the headstock is re-enforced. I have no issues with the 12th fret bat-it's so kool. The pearloid spider inlays are a great idea. The only adjustment issue I had is getting use to the upside down keys and the 24 fret neck. 2 additional frets make a difference but still NO neck dive. The 1 thing I'd change is the battery access. It should be a clip-install where the battery is attached to the lid and you just place it inside instead of messing with screws. The case is designed as a headstone so I love the graphics. It has a large storage compartment. This axe comes with 3 different allen wrenches-1 for the truss rod & 2 for the Floyd Rose. Also, the trem arm can be tightened down quickly where it joins the trem so no allen screws to adjust like on a normal Floyd Rose...Bottom line: If you want this but a little hesitant GET IT! It's going up slowly in price. I paid $999 in 2017 and now it's $1599. IMO, use Energizer batteries-no leaking, corroding and they last. Also, don't let the Floyd Rose scare you. YOU CAN DO IT!
I have this guitar and I love it too! Personnally I like the reverse headstock, it is kind of a reminder for not tuning it there while there is the locking nut, I find it helpfull
Great review!!Love your channel brother!! I have the kh602 .Love it!!Have the Ltd snakebyte which is my absolute favorite guitar. The "hetset" sound so much better than Kirk's but I still love them both. Thinking of puttinga hetset in the 602.or Fishman. .I love those pickup so much. Always look forward to new vidz from you. You are an awesome player 🤘
Glad to see that the quality is still good with those. I have LTD EX-400 that was made like 15 years ago still in Korea. I've read quite a lot of stuff regarding nowadays LTD quality control but I am glad to see that especially playability wise they don't seem to have dropped a bit.
This guitar sounds freakin amazing! Love the zombie graphic, I also would prefer a darker wood for it, I just think it looks better and I totally agree with the spider fret markers. I do like the pointy headstock, not particularly fussed which way they face but I think downwards looks pretty cool. That case haha, yeah the back design all over would have been better. There's always a good reason to get a new guitar haha. I think I'd like to have either a Ltd, ESP, Charvel or an Ibanez next.
Thank you for doing this review. I've had the same guitar for over 30 years and not too long ago was looking into getting something new, hoping it might inspire me to play more. This was a strong contender for me. I ended up not getting anything, but this review reassures me it's a good choice.
I'm amazed at those pickups, actually. Active pups always turned me off, but those sound excellent even through my tablet speakers. Had a few chances, years ago, to play a friend's cheaper import Hammett LTD. It was honestly one of the most playable guitars I'd ever tried, even with the cheaper appointments and fit/finish issues like somewhat ragged fret ends.
Cool design. I always loved the all black ESP that has the “hot” sticker, and loved the Egypt themed mummy guitar he had. This one is cool too. The case is also cool, but agree a little over the top for that guitar. If it were a ESP custom shop guitar that Hammett actually played then it would fit.
No offense, but you really should have known it had EMGs in them. Both James and Kirk have their own signature sets that are always pre-installed in their signature guitars.
I have the LTD KH Demonology which is like 95% the same guitar. It doesn't matter where the tuners are. You setup it up once and the thing never goes out of tune. This thing is awesome. Once in a while I use one or two of the fine tuners. Mine came with the same case and it's great.
I will say, even though the LTD I own is one of the cheapest guitars I own (and that they sell EC-10) I still love how it sounds, the frets were nice, the black satin finish was good, I did have to adjust the action (it was fine, but I prefer the strings closer to the fretboard) I did go to my local GC and play the more expensive EC-256 and I fell in love with it.
The guitar sounds amazing. The one thing I noticed is how the neck pickup sounds kinda like what most middle pickups do and the middle pickup sounds like a more soupy bridge
I kinda like the ergonomics of reverse headstocks, looking just at it. The high E string deals with less tension meaning it's less likely to snap. The E string won't rumble as much due to the longer distance. It's kinda similar to how multiscale guitars handle bigger string gauges
Honestly your love for that Jackson X series soloists you've had got me to buy one, well a X series dinky with active pickups and a hard tail but my first Jackson. It's really a fantastic instrument, going to probably throw a set of EMG's in there and put a graphtech tusq nut on there since the factory one is plastic. But it's currently the guitar I play the most. I also am really in love with those ESP/LTD MH-1000 deluxe guitars that had the abalone inlays and binding, can't get it out of my mind haha, will end up caving and finding one to buy.
I have a ESP Mustaine DV8 model and his LTD DV8SE and surprisingly, it's not too bad of a difference besides the cost. I really don't mind the LTD ESP compared to lower models from other manufacturers.
I love those monster movie Kirk graphics :) Kirk is one of my favourite guitarists and I'd love to own one of his signatures. I'm still only around a year into playing guitar but I REALLY need a Floyd Rose in my life, currently have the 2020 Epiphone SG 61 Standard which I love but I need some squeals :D
About the active pickups... if you actually take care about it (like buying long life battery and don't accidentally leave it plugged in when you decide to go to bed) the instrument may give a sound during live shows just like my 6 string cort bass which i have barely did any change on it and did two shows with it and it worked perfectly.
Own 2 ESP models. The ESP dv8 but swapped out the Duncan’s for emgs and a v-401 and love both. Although the ESP is alittle heavier then my Ltd. a look ways liked how they play and sound
This is becoming my favourite channel. Thanks for the great review! Couldn't believe how great the cleans sounded. What amp were you playing this through? Thanks!
I got this guitar in 2020 as a backup for my Carvin JB200. It came in with the action set way too high, the truss rod was too tight and needed some releif and the bridge was off kilter, higher at the 6th string and lowet at the 3rd. Easily fixed and now this thing plays fantastic. The fingerboard is made of 'pau ferro', which is a very hard wood similar in color to light rosewood but without the porosity of rosewood. Feels more slick, which I like.
When comes to guitars, I find myself struggling to find fault in what Hetfield and Hammet play. The only guitar I took issue with was the "Truckster" mini-LP that Hetfield played right after St. Anger came out. It was just too small, kind of neck-heavy, didn't sit well. I actually went back to an Explorer after that just because of the weight and control.
Agree on the bat 12th fret confusion. I can only play guitars with basic fret markers. But otherwise I like the graphics/colors on this one. The Charvel Satchel guitars are my all time favorites. Great colors and basic fret markers.
I understand that LTD and ESP are like Epiphone and Gibson, but honestly, if I had one I wouldnt complain at all, it looks so cool. I was checking presets and taking notes for your subscribers live yesterday, I was going to record something today.. You know, I love finding sounds and presets that A) sound cool, B) sound identical to the original songs.
I got the same guitar here and it's my 80's metal guitar, love it! Understand the point with the guitar case but since I don't play live gigs anymore I prefer this case than my other ones, but yeah, that would get non-wanted attention for sure XD I think a lot of people are looking for them on the used market too
I have the ltd occult graphics one it came with a tombstone hard shell case. I would want an ouija board esp but they are so priced. Awesome white zombie graphic!
Hey man, great video. Have you ever tried “ebonizing” a finger board. It can be done by careful sanding, applying India ink, and sealing. The ink doesn’t effect the inlays and the result ends up looking like ebony. I can send you before and after photos of the results I got on my Jackson monarkh if you’re interested
I’m a beginner player and picked up kirk’s esp Ltd kh602. I love it..guitar center screwed up and give me the case for this guitar. I actually like it. Solid case.
I bought a old LTD from a thrift store in the middle of Missouri for $65. It was missing some string saddles off the old fender style tremelo so just went ahead and got a cheap Amazon Floyd rose copy and put a little shim in the neck pocket ......made the proper adjustments and then set the action and intonation . For less than $100 I have a guitar that is my favorite guitar to play ! I also own a Kramer Baretta ,Jackson dinky and another guitar I built from parts . All are great guitars but surprisingly the cheapest one by far is the best playing one of them all and it's an old Korean made LTD !
The one good thing about the reverse headstock is the lower strings are a little tighter and are stretched longer between the nut and tuners. This makes some difference in clarity and tuning on the low strings to my ears. I know on a jazzmaster the added space between the tremelo system and the jazzmaster bridge also keeps the strings taught for a greater distance. I hear a difference and improvement on the lower strings because of that. It also can change the feel and tightness of the low strings as well. It’s possible the Floyd locking nut nullifies any gain from the reverse headstock but generally the more of a string is stretched the better it stays in tune and sounds on the low strings similar to the added clarity you get from a longer scale length. I’m not saying it’s sounds identical to longer scale length but it’s just similar only to less effect. It’s hard to describe but to me I notice a slight difference in sound on the low strings because of the reverse headstock. It’s not a huge difference but a positive difference none the less.
I have the kh demonology and it’s awesome. Same case which I love, neck isn’t bolt on, and it has 2 volume knobs and one tone. Love all of it and it’s more or less the same guotar, my biggest problem is probably that the volume knob closest to the strings is a little too close and it makes it kinda hard to play muted high e riffs like the opening to wasted years.
The active pickups are one of those do you like flavor A or flavor B. What REALLY gets the X is when there isn't a quick change battery door. When I playing gigs with an active guitar I will at least test the battery before every gig when playing a string of shows or when the shows are intermittent I just change it before the show every time. Having to take screws out is bad enough but also knowing they are going to loosen up over time is worse...and there is always dropping them and...basically there needs to be a tool less way of doing it or I am gonna break out the router and add one!
I am like you with active pickups. I always fall asleep with my guitar in my lap, and forget to unplug it. I have an E-II Viper with the 57/66 emg's. I love the way it sounds, but will be putting passive's in it. I'm thinking a 498, cause I love the way my custom sounds.
I have the kh 202 left handed I got it Mainly so I could customize it to make it look like the white zombie. I bought the wrap got someone to put it on (I don’t trust myself with it) I installed the bone breaker pickups and it sounds pretty good
thats a sweet axe man, im also not a big fan of reverse headstocks preferring the explorer "hockey stick" headstock but this one is still very cool, its like a spear. speaking of white zombie (not the movie but the band), i needed a second bass and was lucky to find a charvel 850xl which is pretty much the bass used by sean yseult (i think she used a 3b) and i love that headstock. its like a jackson headstock but bigger so it looks like a freaking weapon.
Id have to agree with you on the neck pieces at the 12th fret. The Hetfield vulture is just as bad because the bird spans 3 fret spots. I put a slice of tape on the back of the neck to indicate the 12th from above. It works. Maybe use glow in the dark tape like the Black Metal dots.. I have that guitar too and it comes with NO markers on the board only on the neck dots.
