# ESP/LTD EC-401 vs. EC-1000 what's the difference in quality?



## that short guy (Jan 12, 2014)

Just like the title says. is there really that big of a difference in them if any? what are the differences. the reason I'm asking is I really hate massive amounts of abalone on the 1000's but the 401's don't have it and to my eye are almost identical spec wise. so help me out let me know if it's worth putting up with the abalone and getting the 1000 or if the 401 is going to be just as good (if not better because it doesn't have the stupid abalone lol)

thanks guys


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## oversteve (Jan 12, 2014)

You'd better get ec-1000 without abalone, there are some, vintage black for example, or used archtop ec-400 if yo can find it

I had an archtop 400, that was made in Korea (just as all the deluxe series) and I didn't have chance to try the 401 which is essentially the same but made in China or Indonesia. First of all the Korean ones are considered to be of better craftsmanship, but overall MIK 400 and 1000 series are both equally nicely done. In terms of wood both feel the same, but there is slight difference in terms of hardware. On 1k series there are locking tuners, at first they used more expensive sperzel or schaller but since 2009 they were changed to cheaper Korean made ESP branded ones, they are still nice and still locking but of course not as good as the privious ones, on 400 series there are MIK Grovers. On 1k series the bridge is Tonepros, again at first it was made in Japan by Gotoh but now it it is manufactured by Sung Il in Korea, the 400 have cheaper MIK bridges that are made by Sung Il as well, again they are not bad by any chance and since they are not heavily abused as trems they are good to go.


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## that short guy (Jan 12, 2014)

thanks for the reply man I messed up and forgot to mention that i'm talking about the ec-1000fr and ec-401fr. Sorry about that lack of sleep is starting to get to me lol.


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## oversteve (Jan 12, 2014)

Well, I'm 99% sure that 401 has FR 1000 Special with zinc saddles and 1000 has FR 1000 with steel saddles, I think that only reason is good enough to go for the 1000 if you're going to abuse the trem. Or you can get Schecter Blackjack Solo as alternative, in many aspects it is similar to 1k series LTD, has a nice trem and no abalone


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## SandyRavage (Jan 12, 2014)

I'm just gonna throw int out there that the attention to detail between the 400 and 1000 series is night and day, and the same difference between 1000 and a standard series.


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## that short guy (Jan 12, 2014)

oversteve said:


> Well, I'm 99% sure that 401 has FR 1000 Special with zinc saddles and 1000 has FR 1000 with steel saddles, I think that only reason is good enough to go for the 1000 if you're going to abuse the trem. Or you can get Schecter Blackjack Solo as alternative, in many aspects it is similar to 1k series LTD, has a nice trem and no abalone



I wouldn't say I abuse the trem by any means, the worst thing I do to it is Flutter. and is you're talking about the Blackjack sls model with a trem, I hate black guitars so with that and the in lay that i'm not to crazy about it not too high on my list of guitars to aquire. however they they do have the DCGL special hellraiser solo with a sustainiac but I'm not to crazy about the solo's offset body. if one of the new Solo II models has a trem i'll probably be all over it



SandyRavage said:


> I'm just gonna throw int out there that the attention to detail between the 400 and 1000 series is night and day, and the same difference between 1000 and a standard series.



could you be a little more specific please?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 12, 2014)

The SLS guitars have dot inlays and also come in blue, or if you can find limited edition versions, red or purple. 

Also, get the EC-1000FR. Better quality overall and a way better trem.


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## that short guy (Jan 12, 2014)

I didn't know they switched it to the dots and had the blue option I know awhile back when I checked shecter's website it said it was only in black with the skull. But I agree I would prefer the ltd for a few reason


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## oversteve (Jan 12, 2014)

SandyRavage said:


> I'm just gonna throw int out there that the attention to detail between the 400 and 1000 series is night and day, and the same difference between 1000 and a standard series.



Won't agree with that, the build quality of Korean made 400 and 1k is on par (don't know for Chinese and Indo though), can't say about the wood, both seem to be ok, but the main and obvious difference is hardware


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## madrigal77 (Jan 12, 2014)

I'd go with the 400 over the 1000. The 1000 is a bit better, but I just couldn't deal with that abalone. Abalone on guitars should be nuked from orbit because that's the only way to be sure.

If you're willing to go with a TOM instead of a Floyd, you have more non abalone options. The FT EC1000 CTM's are quite nice, or if you want 24 frets, there's the Vintage Black EC1000.


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## SandyRavage (Jan 12, 2014)

What it boils down to is details. If your not concerned maybe the 400 is good enough, most people won't feel or hear the difference but to me the quality of wood, hardware, etc. makes it worth the cost.


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## feraledge (Jan 12, 2014)

No one is going to fault you for not living with abalone. I'm going for the dark horse in this race, 400 series and then upgrade the Floyd with the extra cash. Pay attention on eBay, I scored a mint black OFR on there for $70 recently. 
The flamed top on the EC 1000 FR looks amazing, but abalone is as abalone does. In your position what I suggested is probably what I'd do.


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## that short guy (Jan 13, 2014)

If I can afford it I might try to get them both and A/B them and and then see which one I like better.


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## feraledge (Jan 13, 2014)

If you can afford both, why not just get an ESP Eclipse FR? The difference between the 400 and 1000 series is mainly hardware and some construction. The difference between LTD and ESP (or EII) is massive.


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## glp1996 (Jan 13, 2014)

IMO, the 401s are half as good as the 1000s and then the ESPs are quite a bit better than the 1000s. 401s have poor fretwork from my experience with the one I have. But when it comes to the Schecter SLS, it is very close to the quality of the ESP EIIs, and I like the body shape better because I feel it is a little more balanced, IMO.


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## davedeath (Jan 13, 2014)

glp1996 said:


> IMO, the 401s are half as good as the 1000s and then the ESPs are quite a bit better than the 1000s. 401s have poor fretwork from my experience with the one I have. But when it comes to the Schecter SLS, it is very close to the quality of the ESP EIIs, and I like the body shape better because I feel it is a little more balanced, IMO.



Aren't ltd 1000/600's and Schecter SLS made in the same factory?....


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## that short guy (Jan 13, 2014)

feraledge said:


> If you can afford both, why not just get an ESP Eclipse FR? The difference between the 400 and 1000 series is mainly hardware and some construction. The difference between LTD and ESP (or EII) is massive.


 
If i remember right it was 22 frets and black. I've tried but can't get on board with guitars that don't have 24 (started out with them and can't really feel comfortable on a guitar that doesn't have 24) and for the exception of the wierd black finish Mayones puts on they gothic Regius model I can't stand plain black/white guitars, so it unfortunately had 2 hick ups I couldn't get over.


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## feraledge (Jan 13, 2014)

Not sure if this is coming to the US or not yet, but it might kind of kill some hiccups that you have. 25.5" scale, 24 frets, OFR, and, the best perk IMO, maple neck. 
I believe this model has been out as part of the non-US standard series ESP line for some time now. Might have a few trickling about on eBay.

Edit: Aren't all the 401 FRs black or white? I think MF/GC had a limited run of a STBC or something like that, but maybe I'm wrong there too?


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## feraledge (Jan 13, 2014)

glp1996 said:


> IMO, the 401s are half as good as the 1000s and then the ESPs are quite a bit better than the 1000s. 401s have poor fretwork from my experience with the one I have. But when it comes to the Schecter SLS, it is very close to the quality of the ESP EIIs, and I like the body shape better because I feel it is a little more balanced, IMO.



I have to disagree on the quality difference between the 400 series and the 1000 series based on my experience. Obviously opinions are as individual as the guitars each of us has tried, but I've usually gone 400 series over 1000 series because I'd rather avoid the abalone and the price is pretty comparable after upgrading the bridge to Tonepros and tuners to Sperzels (on hardtails, obviously). BUT I've never owned a Chinese LTD. Korean, Indonesian, and most recently a Vietnamese models, but I've only played Chinese versions at GC. Rarely have I had fret issues with these guitars like I have seen with some other companies, nor have I personally noticed a difference with the fret work between the 400s and 1000s. 200s to 400s seems to be the biggest hurdle in quality. 
Always the rule of thumb with ESP: older LTDs are better, but if you can go with a Standard, go with a Standard. 

That said, I got a long way with only 400 series LTDs for a long time with touring and recording. They get the job done.


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## that short guy (Jan 13, 2014)

feraledge said:


> Not sure if this is coming to the US or not yet, but it might kind of kill some hiccups that you have. 25.5" scale, 24 frets, OFR, and, the best perk IMO, maple neck.
> I believe this model has been out as part of the non-US standard series ESP line for some time now. Might have a few trickling about on eBay.
> 
> Edit: Aren't all the 401 FRs black or white? I think MF/GC had a limited run of a STBC or something like that, but maybe I'm wrong there too?



There are some see thru red ones with a flamed maple vaneer floating around that I'm trying to get my hands on

as far as the EII goes I actually prefer the all mahogany and 24.75'' scale but believe me it was on my list just not at the top


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## Kymgaze (Jan 14, 2014)

that short guy said:


> There are some see thru red ones with a flamed maple vaneer floating around that I'm trying to get my hands on
> 
> as far as the EII goes I actually prefer the all mahogany and 24.75'' scale but believe me it was on my list just not at the top



I own a EC-401VF in STBC, and would vouch that is quality is on par if not higher then a 1000 series EC. Not to mention its a bit thicker (Although not FT). I would 110% get 2 EC-401's instead of 1 EC-1000. The JB and '59 in it make it sound absolutely amazing. Although I have wanted a EC-1000CTM in Snow White for a long time, but thats irrelevant haha. 

I have a PB 401 series which is pretty bad compared to a H1001 that I played, but my EC is pretty amazing, especially for the price. Highly recommended. But as stated, if you can afford multiple models, why not just get ESP?


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## that short guy (Jan 14, 2014)

Kymgaze said:


> I own a EC-401VF in STBC, and would vouch that is quality is on par if not higher then a 1000 series EC. Not to mention its a bit thicker (Although not FT). I would 110% get 2 EC-401's instead of 1 EC-1000. The JB and '59 in it make it sound absolutely amazing. Although I have wanted a EC-1000CTM in Snow White for a long time, but thats irrelevant haha.
> 
> I have a PB 401 series which is pretty bad compared to a H1001 that I played, but my EC is pretty amazing, especially for the price. Highly recommended. But as stated, if you can afford multiple models, why not just get ESP?


 
Same reason as before, there isn't a 24 fret, 24.75" scale, floyd equipped Eclipse that isn't black in the ESP line


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## Kymgaze (Jan 14, 2014)

that short guy said:


> Same reason as before, there isn't a 24 fret, 24.75" scale, floyd equipped Eclipse that isn't black in the ESP line



I dont see why you would sacrifice such an amazing guitar because of 2 frets. Surely with a Floyd you can just raise the note to what would be the 24th anyway. 

Either way that is what you want so, are you stuck on an Eclipse? A Horizon with a FR would be a much worthier investment. Its everything you need and much more playable then an Eclipse with a Floyd. They dont feel right in my opinion. Maybe if you want something so specific you should stop looking at ESP and maybe go for something like a Schecter or Custom Order like Blackat. With everything you want it seems the only way to go is custom shop which is pretty damn expensive.


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## that short guy (Jan 14, 2014)

Kymgaze said:


> I dont see why you would sacrifice such an amazing guitar because of 2 frets. Surely with a Floyd you can just raise the note to what would be the 24th anyway.
> 
> Either way that is what you want so, are you stuck on an Eclipse? A Horizon with a FR would be a much worthier investment. Its everything you need and much more playable then an Eclipse with a Floyd. They dont feel right in my opinion. Maybe if you want something so specific you should stop looking at ESP and maybe go for something like a Schecter or Custom Order like Blackat. With everything you want it seems the only way to go is custom shop which is pretty damn expensive.



Lol the 22 thing is just because the guitar I started out on had 24 and every guitar I've ever played with 22 didn't feel right. i've got a few strat shaped guitars so the while the horizon is awesome i'm just trying to get a singlecut that meets my specs. if Schecter comes out with a Solo II with a fr i'll be all over it


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## Mike (Jan 14, 2014)

I've owned multiple EC-500's, 400's, 1000's and briefly an eclipse. If you can find the older 500 series, they're way better than the 400 in terms of quality and just rock solid feel. The 1000's are the top of the line ltd for the EC's and they have always felt like it to me. I'm pretty sure they use a lot better wood selections in the 1000 series. All of my 400 and 500's have been really heavy. The eclipse beats all, but it better for a $1000 difference lol. If you've got the cash though, get an ec-1000 over a 400.


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## Garnoch (Jan 14, 2014)

davedeath said:


> Aren't ltd 1000/600's and Schecter SLS made in the same factory?....



Hmm, I'd like to know the answer to that too. I have a South Korean Schecter Hellraiser Extreme and a South Korean LTD JH-600EC and both are surprisingly on par with my ESP.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 14, 2014)

They are, I believe. Both World Music.


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