# ESP LTD Viper-407!



## Dionysian (Dec 15, 2009)

Ok, so I've been saving up for my first 7 for a while, and I've decided to go for a serious guitar instead of buying a pile of junk and getting a bad experience with 7's out of it. 

My original plan was to buy a Schecter C-7 Blackjack ATX or have my local dealer bring home a demo model from a Guitar .. is it called a mess? (sorry, english is not my main language )
Agile is not relevant, since i won't have guarantee

However i just saw that another not-as-local (3 hours of travel, including a 1½ hour long ferry trip) store has a couple demo-version ESP LTD Viper-407 for sale. at half price. around $600. 

normally i'd hit it. but i don't really know much about ESP 7-strings, so i have a couple of questions:
how is the neck? i generally don't like wide necks on ibanez guitars, it feels weak when the string spacing is so wide. 
does it have neck dive? my EX-260 has a fuckton (sorry for the swearing, but i just love that word!) of it, and i dont want that.
will the 25" scale mess up the low B?

and another question: i generally tend to think that SG's are butt-ugly, but the 7-string neck kinda makes up for it i think. also the viper shape makes it bearable. but will i be able to live with a shape that i dont like too much?

hope this made sense and that you can answer my questions. : D


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## XeoFLCL (Dec 15, 2009)

They have alot of neck dive unfortunately. I've heard the 407 also has alot of problems (as in they sound dead? I've heard this from 2 people who have owned one and I've even seen a topic here where someone says this.. I'd have to look for it), Hopefully the 417 fixed these problems, so I'd doublecheck if it's a 407 or a 417.

In the end though, I'd aim for that Blackjack ATX.


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## Dionysian (Dec 15, 2009)

XeoFLCL said:


> They have alot of neck dive unfortunately. I've heard the 407 also has alot of problems (as in they sound dead? I've heard this from 2 people who have owned one and I've even seen a topic here where someone says this.. I'd have to look for it), Hopefully the 417 fixed these problems, so I'd doublecheck if it's a 407 or a 417.
> 
> In the end though, I'd aim for that Blackjack ATX.



I read a review where a guy said he changed the pickups, and then everything sounded good. so it must just be the 81-7 that is horrible. i would get blackouts anyway i think. 

my main problem is that my finances are pretty tight, so when this guitar, which seems like a rather decent axe, appears at half price it comes as no less than a blessing to me. 
and couldnt you just move the strap button for better balance?


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## XeoFLCL (Dec 15, 2009)

Hey you never know. It might be the pickups, I don't think any of those people swapped them at all and kept them stock. anyways yeah chances are moving the strap buttons would balance it out, so I'd say try it at least and see if it plays well, because pickups and balancing issues can always be fixed. The 407 might be the cheaper option (assuming thats not 600 USD) and for all we know it's a great playing guitar


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## Dionysian (Dec 15, 2009)

XeoFLCL said:


> Hey you never know. It might be the pickups, I don't think any of those people swapped them at all and kept them stock. anyways yeah chances are moving the strap buttons would balance it out, so I'd say try it at least and see if it plays well, because pickups and balancing issues can always be fixed. The 407 might be the cheaper option (assuming thats not 600 USD) and for all we know it's a great playing guitar



my plan is to go there as soon as possible (it's the capital city of Denmark, so i go there occasionally) and check it out. if they're sold by then, thats just too bad. if they are good, ill buy one  there are 2, if i forgot to mention that 

its 600 USD yes. normally the guitar costs 1152 USD, but the offer is like 585 USD. which is why i think it's quite OSM


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## XeoFLCL (Dec 15, 2009)

The 417 goes for 650 new. You might be a little better just jumping up to that model as it's said to solve alot of problems that the 407 had, along with giving it more intonation space (the TOM is at slightly more of an angle than the 407's, but honestly it prolly makes no real noticable difference)

Also, have you considered the Ibanez S7320? they have mediocre stock pickups, but the trems on them are amazing. Or are you aiming for fixed bridges only?


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## cow 7 sig (Dec 15, 2009)

XeoFLCL said:


> They have alot of neck dive unfortunately. I've heard the 407 also has alot of problems (as in they sound dead? I've heard this from 2 people who have owned one and I've even seen a topic here where someone says this.. I'd have to look for it), Hopefully the 417 fixed these problems, so I'd doublecheck if it's a 407 or a 417.
> 
> In the end though, I'd aim for that Blackjack ATX.



i have both.neither fit the description you mention.neck dive ,hell yes but relocate the strap button and all good.
i am not a fan of the 81-7 so it came out of both my vipers and i put 707s in,but even with the 81-7 they never sounded dead or flat.very much the opposite.this is just my experience ofcourse


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## CrushingAnvil (Dec 15, 2009)

First of all; Welcome, My Danish brother! second, I played a Viper-407 about four years ago and it was a very nice guitar although two years after that I played the ESP Forrest standard 7 and that so far has been one of the biggest regrets of my life since it was priced so cheap....$2,199 NZD.

I think the viper looks like a very cool guitar and it's 25.5" scale should be very playable.

Go for it 



XeoFLCL said:


> The 417 goes for 650 new. You might be a little better just jumping up to that model as it's said to solve alot of problems that the 407 had, along with giving it more intonation space (the TOM is at slightly more of an angle than the 407's, but honestly it prolly makes no real noticable difference)
> 
> Also, have you considered the Ibanez S7320? they have mediocre stock pickups, but the trems on them are amazing. Or are you aiming for fixed bridges only?



The 407 was made in Korea up until a year or so ago, the 417 is made in Indonesia


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## XeoFLCL (Dec 15, 2009)

CrushingAnvil said:


> The 407 was made in Korea up until a year or so ago, the 417 is made in Indonesia


Ouch, didn't know about this.

Still, that doesn't immediately render the 417 worse.. though the 407 is going to be better in general QC wise


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## naavanka_ (Dec 16, 2009)

one of the worst thing in my viper imo was the neck profile, it felt like a box it looked and felt like this \__/ a lot thinner and with rounded corners though.
Other thing was the neck joint, my gawd was it hard to reach the upper frets.
The og 81-7 was not my cup of tea, either was the weight (4.2kg)
And last but not least the already said neckdive, can be fixd but didnt have the patience so it had to go.
Traded it for 607b, still have that one.
If you got the patience to do some work with the guitar, i say go for it.
If it wouldn dive so bad(or weight like hell), id get one again cuz it was so smooth to play when standing.


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## cow 7 sig (Dec 16, 2009)

see,all these issues people have with the viper,i dont.i did move the strap button and swapped out the 81-7 but i would still be happy with them stock as i am with the minor mods..i personally love the neck shape and dont have any trouble with upper fret access.i HATE HATE the 6 string viper and SG,just cant stand the look of them, but as a 7 string its fucking killer looking


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## Dionysian (Dec 17, 2009)

ok, so i guess this can all be summed up into this: i go to the store, i try the guitar. if i like how it feels, i buy it because it's a damn nice bargain. if i don't like it, i'll simply wait and order the schecter when i get the money. or one of those agile reaper 725 white .. droooool.


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## maximummetal288 (Dec 18, 2009)

I don't own a Viper 407 but I have played them at the store a few times and I'm a fan. The shape is so-so to me so I opted for the SC-607 but if the Viper 407 came along for the right price I'd get one. I guess I'm different than everyone here, I had the 707 in my H-307 that I sold and hated the sound but love the sound of the 81-7 in my SC-607 and SC-607B.

I don't think there is a single difference in the 407 vs. the 417 other than the 407 was made in Korea and the 417 is made in Indonesia. ESP just changed all the 400 series guitars to 401's so they could pretend like they didn't something new to them other than going from Korea to Indonesia. 

Anyway, if that thing goes for $1152 by you and you think your getting a deal then get it!


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## cow 7 sig (Dec 18, 2009)

I don't think there is a single difference in the 407 vs. the 417 other than the 407 was made in Korea and the 417 is made in Indonesia. ESP just changed all the 400 series guitars to 401's so they could pretend like they didn't something new to them other than going from Korea to Indonesia. [/QUOTE said:


> well,the other difference is that one is string through body and one is not.some people say that has an effect on tone and some do not


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## maximummetal288 (Dec 18, 2009)

cow 7 sig said:


> well,the other difference is that one is string through body and one is not.some people say that has an effect on tone and some do not


 
I think that's the ESP Viper 7 your thinking of, the LTD 417 version is the same as the LTD 407 version with the exception of where it's made. But your right, my guitars with a string thru body sound and play SOO much different than those without.


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## Dionysian (Dec 19, 2009)

maximummetal288 said:


> But your right, my guitars with a string thru body sound and play SOO much different than those without.



how so?


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## abysmalrites (Dec 20, 2009)

I played a Viper-7 at a local store. That neck was ridiculously wide, imo.


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## Dionysian (Dec 29, 2009)

hey guys. i just bought it yesterday, and im sitting with it in my lap right now.
its a very nice guitar i think, and for the price its unbeatable. its my first 7-string so i think that for the price, its great.

i think however that the bridge pickup sounds quite weird and dead, so i guess ill swap the pups out and maybe get a blackout some time in the future. the neck dive is apeshit insane, any tips on moving the strap? where to? i dont want to make more than one hole in the body


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## Loomer (Dec 29, 2009)

The neckdive issue is fixed with extreme ease! Just move the strap button up to the tip of the upper horn, and it balances perfectly. 

I had one of them once, and the neck is fantastic. I say buy it!


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## Empryrean (Dec 29, 2009)

Loomer said:


> The neckdive issue is fixed with extreme ease! Just move the strap button up to the tip of the upper horn, and it balances perfectly.
> 
> I had one of them once, and the neck is fantastic. I say buy it!



he bought it already


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## Loomer (Dec 29, 2009)

Oh damn, Ninja'd.

Anyway, like I said, just move the strap button to the tip of the upper horn. It helps also, if you put on straplocks immediately. 

In terms of the bridge pickup, you can easily make the pickups switch places. The 707 sounds a lot fuller, and it helped heaps when I switched their places. It is also extremely easy to do, since the pickups have the quickconnect system with the plugs and all.


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## Dionysian (Dec 29, 2009)

Loomer said:


> Oh damn, Ninja'd.
> 
> Anyway, like I said, just move the strap button to the tip of the upper horn. It helps also, if you put on straplocks immediately.
> 
> In terms of the bridge pickup, you can easily make the pickups switch places. The 707 sounds a lot fuller, and it helped heaps when I switched their places. It is also extremely easy to do, since the pickups have the quickconnect system with the plugs and all.



the tip of the upper horn. mkay, i was thinking of placing it at the neck joint, so thanks for saving me there.  pickups can be done without any soldering you say? 

considering i got it for less (25%) than a RG7321, it's pretty fucking decent. gonna have to get used to the new string now :b my 6-string ibby feels so TINY after playing around with the ESP. 

thanks for the advice everybody


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## Loomer (Dec 29, 2009)

Yeah, that's where I put it on mine, and it worked perfectly. 

And regarding the pickups; Just screw them out when you change strings, then you can see.


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## 22km Tombstone (Dec 29, 2009)

Eskil Rask said:


> the tip of the upper horn. mkay, i was thinking of placing it at the neck joint, so thanks for saving me there.  pickups can be done without any soldering you say?
> 
> considering i got it for less (25%) than a RG7321, it's pretty fucking decent. gonna have to get used to the new string now :b my 6-string ibby feels so TINY after playing around with the ESP.
> 
> thanks for the advice everybody



Man, that's a damn good deal! Nice score!


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## Dionysian (Dec 29, 2009)

22km Tombstone said:


> Man, that's a damn good deal! Nice score!



it's because they've had it hanging in the shop for a couple of years already, and a black 7-string with that shape is quite the niche item, and they have to refresh their stock, so they simply drop the price. 
however i can't return it (not that that is a problem since i can sell it used for more than what i bought it for)


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## 22km Tombstone (Dec 29, 2009)

Eskil Rask said:


> it's because they've had it hanging in the shop for a couple of years already, and a black 7-string with that shape is quite the niche item, and they have to refresh their stock, so they simply drop the price.
> however i can't return it (not that that is a problem since i can sell it used for more than what i bought it for)



Nice. 

Any pics?


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## Dionysian (Dec 29, 2009)

OK, here you go:

in all its glory!


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## 22km Tombstone (Dec 29, 2009)

Awesome pics man! Love the look of the viper as a 7.


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## Dionysian (Dec 29, 2009)

22km Tombstone said:


> Awesome pics man! Love the look of the viper as a 7.



to be honest i HATE SG's and Vipers more than any other guitar shape .. but viper 7's are somewhat different :b i think it has something to do with the neck size, looks more natural this way .. 

there are no major scratches on the guitar, only the occasional thing from a zipper or something. taken into consideration that it was made in 2006 and has been showcased and tried in afaik biggest guitar shop in denmark (Aage Jensen in Copenhagen) for ~2 years, it is insanely well kept.


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