NGD : ESP E-II M-II NT

[GTR0B]

Hi all, I won the above guitar on eBay the other day. Can't wait to pick it up.

I've noticed it's got a gloss neck, I thought these were supposed to come with a satin neck?

Haven't paid for it yet and hoping to pick it up in person but it looks legit.

Maybe the initial run was gloss or a factory mistake? I dunno

Any light that can be shed on the situation would be largely appreciated djentleman, djentleladies and djentlewhateveryouarepeople

 

[bloodocean]

Hi all, I won the above guitar on eBay the other day. Can't wait to pick it up.

I've noticed it's got a gloss neck, I thought these were supposed to come with a satin neck?

Haven't paid for it yet and hoping to pick it up in person but it looks legit.

Maybe the initial run was gloss or a factory mistake? I dunno

Any light that can be shed on the situation would be largely appreciated djentleman, djentleladies and djentlewhateveryouarepeople

I think most if not all of the E-II’s come with gloss necks, not really thin “thin U” neck carves, 12” radius and nickel frets, which is a little behind the spec curve.

That being said they are generally fabulous guitars and I doubt you won’t love it anyways. They have a 90’s MIJ vibe and razor sharp precision, you can setup with absurdly low action and shred endlessly.

 

[Church2224]

Nice man I am envious! Those are awesome guitars for sure. I am looking at the same one. ESP E-IIs are my favorite production guitars because they are built well and have solid craftsman ship and are good workhorses

 

[Dekay82]

I'm typically an ebony guy, but also a sucker for greens. That maple board is off the chain with that flamey, green goodness. HNGD and shred that fucker well

 

[Millul]

Yeah these went from gloss to satin over the years - if you happen not liking how the gloss neck feels...DM me, might solve that burden

 

[NoodleFace]

That thing looks fuckin amazing

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

congrats! really want one of these.

yeah the first year or two had gloss necks on this model but now they ship with satin.

 

[Humbuck]

Cool guitar!

 

[DarrellM5]

Awesome score!!! I've had my E-II M-II NT for a month now and it's really amazing.

 

[marke]

That's so nice! I really want a maple fretboard ESP or LTD, but they just keep pushing Ebony

 

[Emperoff]

I think most if not all of the E-II’s come with gloss necks, not really thin “thin U” neck carves, 12” radius and nickel frets, which is a little behind the spec curve.

You forgot the stupidest inlay on earth

That being said they are generally fabulous guitars and I doubt you won’t love it anyways. They have a 90’s MIJ vibe and razor sharp precision, you can setup with absurdly low action and shred endlessly.

Yup. Even though ESP are amazing guitars, It's weird how Ltds are all geared up but ESPs have very conservative specs that usually don't quite match the guitar itself.

 

[GTR0B]

Thanks all, will post some pictures when I pick it up. Glad it's legit

 

[Dudley]

Congrats!

I owned one of these myself for a few years and just sold it last year - very slick guitar for the money.

For the first few years of production they came with gloss necks but they changed over to satin a few years ago, so it's likely that your guitar is just a few years old. Personally, I prefer gloss necks on ESP's, they feel great and don't get sticky easily.

 

[Emperoff]

Personally, I prefer gloss necks on ESP's, they feel great and don't get sticky easily.

Same here. Painted necks are only an issue with poorly finished guitars.

 

[JimF]

They have a 90’s MIJ vibe and razor sharp precision, you can setup with absurdly low action and shred endlessly.

That comment really piques my interest as that's exactly what I'm looking for at the moment! E-IIs are kinda rare in the UK, would I be able to get the general vibe of the neck shape if I tried an LTD? Or are they worlds apart?
OP - I've had these in my watch list for a while now. Stunning guitar, and even better with the gloss neck!

 

[GTR0B]

Congrats!

I owned one of these myself for a few years and just sold it last year - very slick guitar for the money.

For the first few years of production they came with gloss necks but they changed over to satin a few years ago, so it's likely that your guitar is just a few years old. Personally, I prefer gloss necks on ESP's, they feel great and don't get sticky easily.

Cheers dude, what was your opinion on the Aftermaths? I've found them to be great pickups but lack something compared to the other BKPs I've tried.

I'm desperate to try the Wes Hauch sig SD Jupiter set so I might drop a set of those in.

That comment really piques my interest as that's exactly what I'm looking for at the moment! E-IIs are kinda rare in the UK, would I be able to get the general vibe of the neck shape if I tried an LTD? Or are they worlds apart?
OP - I've had these in my watch list for a while now. Stunning guitar, and even better with the gloss neck!

Cheers fella, I played a satin neck one of these up at Peach Guitars and I was blown away. Action was literally a hair away from the frets and it played like butter.

I'm yet to own or play an LTD that has managed to feel like that, sure I've come close but no cigar.

I had a ESP Horizon (pre E-II) FR-II in that Aqua colour and although that was a great guitar, it didn't play like the E-II.

 

[JimF]

I get that playability wouldn't be as good, but would the neck shape be similar in your experience?

 

[GTR0B]

I get that playability wouldn't be as good, but would the neck shape be similar in your experience?

Ah my bad dude, you did say neck shape. I could be way off but I've found all of my LTDs and ESPs have come with a thin U style neck whereas the E-II felt way more comfortable like it was closer to a C shape.

I'll have more of an idea when I pick it up hopefully tomorrow. I'll try and grab some neck pictures for you. Whereabouts in the UK do you hail from roughly?

My favourite neck shape was on my Mayones which was like a D shape with a 16" radius fretboard. That was literally effortless

 

[Millul]

@JimF no, the necks are really quite different between the E-II M-II and the LTD M series: if memory serves me well, the latter have all Extra Thin U shape, with 43mm nut widths and 14" fretboard radius - think of it like a rounder, slightly fuller Ibanez RG neck (no 2x4 feel here).
The E-II M-II Thin U is noticeably thicker and rounder, as ESPlayer I'd say moving towards a C profile, but that feeling is also made more apparent by 12" radius and 42mm nut width.

The old ESP standard Thin U do falls pretty much "in between" feel wise

So, each one is pretty different, in my experience (I have 1 example from each).

 

[marke]

2 OS, 3 SS, 1 E-II and 10 LTD later all the neck profiles somehow managed to feel different. LTD Viper 1000 has the best so far, followed by the vastly different and varying OS's. Old Standard Series has been the worst, maybe unlucky. None of them are bad, all very good in fact, but IME modern LTD often beats Standard ESP in terms of playability.

Higher end ESPs have perfect fretwork unlike some LTDs so perhaps people value them higher. I like perfect fretwork, but LTDs' possible issues can be remedied by a luthier.