ESP/LTD/E-II/Edwards Guitar Discussion 

The E-II rebranding of the old ESP Standard Series, is one of the dumbest marketing decisions ever. Imaging Fender rebranding their USA production models as ''F-I'' or something!

My guess is that people had a hard time justifying buying anything more expensive than ESP Standard series because of how good they are and more high end ESPs were underselling. So by leaving the ESP branding for the more high end models only and rebranding the Standard to E-ll they are pushing people more towards the higher end models. E-lls are great and people are gonna buy them anyway. But they need to reinforce the sales of the upper range guitars. IMO. This is what you do if one of your products is selling "too well" and the other one "not well enough". As a guitar player I'd sure love to get the E-ll and have ESP logo there. Because that's what it is. But I'm not mad at them. Also I think the E-ll logo looks nice. Haha. End of essay. :D Cheers from Sweden.

Damn I flinched when that headstock almost banged the door @8:13 lol

Nice info on the Edwards guitars. I know In Flames played those back in the day also!

This is a really informative video, and I'm hugely jealous of your collection. I played the £4k ESP arrow at a guitar festival and it was a real revelation - like all of a sudden you realise how a guitar is meant to feel. You're saying the LTD-1000 Arrow plays very similarly? Exciting, as I've made an order for one now!

Great video and an impressive collection! Just a minor correction: The white Alexi Laiho ESP you showed is not a custom shop guitar. Its serial number begins with 'SS,' indicating that it's made in ESP Standard factory(Standard Series or Signature Series, now called E-II begins with "ES"). Keep up the good work!

Awesome video, thank you! I really want the pinky Alexi guitar. Be safe and take care

Thanks for this video! My Edwards guitars are the nicest I've ever owned and as you mentioned, the artist series Edwards are especially good. I have an E-FR-130GT and an artist series E-HOMR-II (Hitsugi)

Thank you for sharing your expertise and your amazing collection of instruments. STOP doubting the value of your opinions. They are based on your personal experiences. Those top end ESPs are way out of my price range...but KUDOS to you.

Thank you for the detailed review a also bought an alexi edwards and was first irritated by getting the info that its assembled in china in parts but… you are right they are great of good quality sincerely I don‘t have an ESP so have no comparison .Thumbs up 👍Keep on !

Great video man I’m in the market for and E2 wish I could afford an ESP but the E-2 look pretty dope

I have a edwards horizon 3 and a Ltd deluxe that I sold and I wish I didn’t. I love both guitars.

So i have a question about the differences on an LTD alexi 600 vs the ESP alexi. I have the alexi 600 yellow edges from 2008 i think. According to the specs it looks very much the same in terms of materials and hardware. Exept the pickup with gainboost and tuners everything is the same. What is really the difference? What justify the prisbump? You can easly upgrade to the right tuners and pickup to get the same specs for the price of a few hundred dollars and with basic guitar skills you can do the fretwork and settings without to much effort? Is there anything else that is different exept where it is assembled? Loving my alexi 600 that i got for about 300$ in close to mint condition last year.I have been thinking about upgrading the pickup to the signature one, but kind of like the HZ that is original 😂

Man I’d say out of the many videos I’ve watched after seeing this you’re in the top 10 options I’d trust on the subject, that being said you think a new old B stock Ltd greeny would be worth the 1500$ they’re asking

I have 3 Edwards Alexi SV's and I love them and agree they are above ltd best guitars I've owned for me play great sound great feel great I want to get more of them.

However, the LTDs made in Korea I have (ALX-600, MH-1000) are not as good as the made in Indonesia (MH-401). They had some issues on finish and fret job. I don't know if the MH-401 was just luck, but it`s still a reason why I would look for an Indonesian LTD first. E-II (or ex ESP Standard) are really worth the price. Really good quality guitars. I don`t need a higher level.

I’m usually a schecter guy, but I bought my first Korean made ec1000 and love it. I’m thinking about getting the arrow 1000, just a little worried about the quality since it’s now made in Indonesia.

Dude I got an awesome esp Ltd ec - 1000fr qm Violet shadow deluxe with emg 60n and emg 81b on sale from sweetwater for $949 now they are $1149 but still worth it because it’s a monster and in my opinion it plays better than anything in its price range and it plays better than most Lp’s at the $2500 - $3000 ... it’s super fast and the frets were superb , beautiful binding , beautiful finish , and I was really surprised it had the action I wanted being right out the box it was ready to play besides being slightly out of tune so yeah don’t let morons fool you it’s nothing wrong with an Ltd especially the 1000 series just give one a try ... thanks ... GOD BLESS !!!

pretty sure anything all the 1000 series guitars are korean made if im not mistaken , and also if you do buy a LTD deluxe it certainly does not mean you will get a quality instrument , i just bought a TE1000 deluxe got it home unboxed it and the 23/24th frets were badly gouged and damaged (like the actual fret board itself) , the frets were extremely dirty , needless to say it went straight back into the box and straight back to my local shop the next day... now im stuck waiting on a new one to come in and out the price of the guitar . hopefully the new one is 100 percent perfect

Here's the thing. I believe the ESP Arrows are hand made. They are going for around $3500. The E-ll is not hand made. Going for $2500. I, personally, don't want any handmade guitars. Handmade means every one will be slightly different. That means you go play one at your local store and you like it. You then order one and the neck may feel slightly different. At least with the machine made E-ll, you can really expect to get the same feel.

You can’t go wrong guys.

22:26 - heart attack

ESP has raised the bar on the LTD line, i just got my Arrow 1000 in the violet andromada color shit paint last week, i would find it hard to justify the jump in price to the E-II line. This arrow is that good right out of the box. i did have it pleked. it even has the stainless frets. hardly what i would call a entry lvl guitar. I can say it wont be my last ESP.

Thanks for the video i have a jackson custom soloist ; seymour duncan, ebony, neck thru body, floyd rose etc price aprox 4000$ My Another guitar is Edwards e-cy 165 -ctm Fully same the my jackson. Edwards extreme quality, seymour duncan, floyd rose, ebony fingerboard, neck thru body and only 1600$ Like a joke

Hi! I'm planning to buy either an Edwards Alexi or an E-II arrow from Japan via shipping. How are the neck profiles? I have an EII M 7 NT and the neck is quite thick. We don't have access to LTDs here and If I'm going to order one from the US, the price would be almost the same as an E-II. Lol. Would love to hear your thoughts about it. Thanks!

On the head : ESP Signature Limited Moises Custom model !

I've got a 1996 esp custom. A guy down on his luck was trying to sell it to a pawn shop. They tryed to give him $150.00 for it I seen it was a Koran arrow custom so I gladly gave him $300.00 for it because he had kids in his car . Then I went back to his house and gave him $300.00 more. Yea it needs work but a few new things. New paint and I'll have better then a ell anyday. I bought some guyker locking tuners emg 81 and 85 sanded it down . I'm thanking of making it a wireless system installed no cord's. I'm leaving the maple neck and just clear coat it. The body's going candy apple red metallic with gold micro seaqunce beeds . The head I'm leaving it black that way I don't destroy the Numbers . I'm a car painter so I don't have to worry how good someone else will do what I want. I'll post it t soon okay

Hi, I just want you to ask your opinion about 3 guitars. You clearly play Alexi's and Arrows thus you can produce a more accurate Opinion. Between Esp Ltd Arrow 1000, Edwards Scythe, Edwards Pink Sawtooth and new Esp Ltd Ripped Alexi, which one do you think is more value for money and can reproduce the plain but all around sound? (Big Alexi Fan btw)

When you get over some arrow I have a ESP viper standard camo 2005, and I want to change it because I realized that I want to have very vertical mast to touch standing 🤣🤣

Edwards bodies where only at the very early beginning made in china and then finished in japan...i think now they are 100percent japan made with slightly less high spec hardware and lacquer

awesome vid Moises. always enjoy esp content. ever try PRS Core stuff? both jp esp and prs usa stuff is awesome and just top stuff. prs for trad, esp for metal lol. Top brands imo. How light is your Arrow 7? Mine was hilariously light, was like woooaah! haha. oh and you finally owned the white scythe? lets race to see who gets one of those stunning ESP USA VIIs first!! cheers

Awesome video man

Nice video. I got a question for you. Should I go for an LTD arrow NT at 1000$ or e-II arrow NT at 2000$ ?

Hi man, first of all thanks for the great video and all the useful comparisons. It’s clear you’re a big fan of COB and here is my question: I want to buy a brand new guitar and the choice is between the LTD Alexi 600 greeny and the Edwards E-AL-166 greeny...yep, basically the same model, but since the price it’s not so different I would like to know what would you suggest and what would you buy...thanks a lot for your kindness and keep making videos🤘🏼

Im in between arrow Ltd 1000 and eII and kinda leaning towards Ltd cause it’s made from mahogany and eII is made from alder. Am I in wrong here?!? Awesome vid btw 🤘😎

Can you please help me with your opinion about the guitar comparison for Esp Ltd Arrow 1000 and Edwards Scythe?

Alright, very helpful video indeed. So you say that even the ESP Alexi models have a bigger body than the Edwards Alexi?

Can the Edwards Alexi fit in a Jackson case? I dont want to pay $300 for the Alexi case.

how does the monarchy go?

whic one is the best e-ii arrow nebula burst fishman p.u or e-ii alexi laiho ripped ?

Sell me your white Alexi 😂 Been looking for exactly this Version for years. Now since the Hexed and Ripped came Out, it's basically Impossible to find a White Scythe Version. I bought the LTD Greeny now. Someday i will buy the "real" ESP Hexed. Been wanting an Alexi Signature Version basically since i started playing guitar 8 or 10 years ago.

楽器が好きな貴方を尊敬します。 babymetalを選んでくれて有り難う😊

I am a big fan of Alexi and want to buy a sig alexi guitar but If I am real big fan I don't think I need to buy edwards I just learn about them a few days ago and still cant understand why they made alexi guitars , What guitar do you recommend for a fan like me :) I want any Alexi guitar ?

Do the edwards have poly finishes? Or do they use nitro?

Hey dude, looking to buy an edwards, but My fav is the white AL-128, 2nd fav is the pinky AL-166, I am leaning towards 166 because of the extra features, what do you think about the 128 vs 166??

Hello, I'm totally agree with you and thanks for this Video ! Edwards guitar are really good, I have E AL 166 Pink sawtooth and Blacky guitar and they are really awesome, a little bit better than my E-II Wild Scythe and really better than my LTD blacky (i'm going to sell my LTD since i've purchase edwards blacky) ^^ and neck from LTD really sticky, a little bit for E-II but not with Edwards and ESP STD ^^ I've 2 ESP SV STD from 2009, one white with black pinstrapes and the another black with white pinstrapes and they are monstrous ! Next step will be custom shop ESP Katana ;) I've just a little problem with pearloid inlay on my Edwards blacky on fret 17 19 and 24 : it's missing pearloid and it's completed by something black By my experience : ESP > Edwards > E-II >>> LTD

You just need a USA now : )

I have the same esp original arrow and a esp kh 2 the kh 2 is used and the arrow is brand new the arrow plays so much better I think I just need to get the kh 2 frets crowned but the esp original arrow is the easiest guitar I have ever played

Great video! Do anyone know if it's possible to order new Edwards guitars?

Maaaaaaaan everytime u were swinging that Alexi EII with red bevels around and the headstock was mere centimetres away from the door behind him i would cringe and cover my eyes 😳😳😳🤦‍♂️

Why don't you just use black nail polish on the chips

a $1000 LTD Alexi 600 😂 good one!

E-II, edwards and old ss series esp are made in Shandong, China. Japan factory only do pick-up mounting and QC. You can never see E-II wood job in any esp factory tour.

Brother, the Alexi Leiho in your hand is not a custom shop, it's a standard, which is now known as E II

What sound this guitars???!!!!!

#Anyone have songbook of children Of Bodom - Blooddrunk and Are you dead yet(play it like it is Guitar) please

i find so weird that even some big artist got "LTD" model and not ESP Look at Nergal from Behemoth, he got his own custom shop with the ESP logo but barrely play them, you always see him with LTD one i wonder if those are actual ESP but with LTD logo just to "promote them" and be like "look even big artist uses LTD" I just wish ESP werent so pretentious about their name, they could slap "ESP" branding even on their entry line, it wouldnt matter and people would be even more happy about it, like all the other brands, it doesnt harm the brand in any way, if it did, Ibanez or Jackson would rename their entry model then...

You want to sell that E-ll Arrow for $1500? I'll buy it.

would you like to sell the esp alexi?

Esp, e-ii, ltd dlx, ltd, edwards..too much separation.

You look like shawn from the good doctor

Eres más coleccionista que guitarrista, no es por hatear. Y se salva la ESP de laiho, porque las demás son horribles.

Yep total Jackson copies and ripoffs. E-II is the lamest thing to put on a head stock and pay high dollar for that. I tried to like esp/ltd I tried 3 of them, sticking with Jackson for sure.

Less talky more playey