ESP LTD EC-1000 Burled Poplar Blue Natural Fade

Out of the box, the EC-1000 strikes with the quality of the finish. The fretwork, the body and neck binding, the factory setup (a very low action) are really impressive, considering the price. I had an EC-256 and the finish was correct but far from perfect. This EC-1000 comes from the Korean factories, you definitely notice the difference. The tuners feel sturdy and are very precise. The guitar stays in tune.
The sound is fantastic. The EMG pickups are of course very punchy, but the sustain is also very good. The satin finish gives the neck a very comfortable feeling as well. I've alternated my Gibson LP Tribute and the EC-1000, apart from the fact that the pickups are very different, from a lutherie quality perspective I would say that in terms of finish and feel, the Ltd EC-100 is as good, if not better than a Gibson Studio/Tribute.

Really happy with this guitar. Finish, bindings etc are flawless. The binding colour is more orange than the yellow in the product pictures. I prefer the orange. It’s a really effortless guitar to play. Neck is quick, but feels substantial. Guitar is noticeably lighter than other Les Paul types that I’ve previously played.

Arrived in perfect condition needing only a little tuning. As it has the Evertune bridge there are limitations to how high the string action can be, but this is not a problem unless you play very hard and want no acoustic string noise. The guitar comes with nines. Take care if you want lower tuning than E standard that the string gauges and tunings you want to use are appropriate for this guitar. The Evertune website has a calculator that tells you what tension bridge you will need. Higher / lower tension bridges can be ordered from Evertune.
The guitar looks great, feels great and sounds great. The Seymour Duncan pickups offer a great sound for distortion and a nice change form the EMGs that I had in my EC 401.