The ESP Guitar Company

OK, so I've now owned this Desert Eagle for about 2 months and here is an honest review so please don't take it in a negative way and not post it as it could have useful information for anyone wanting to purchase this guitar.  First of all, I'm am the biggest Lynch fan, have been since the late 80's which I prefer his 80s style more over his newer Lynch Mob and recent finger picking style.  I made the purchase through an authorized online dealer which made me nervous as all I had were stock photos to look at. They said they were not going to set it up and send it to me as they got it from the factory which I was fine with since I prefer to do my own setups anyway.  Here are my pros and cons on this guitar...

Pros: Neck plays beautifully with its ebony fingerboard and stainless steel jumbo frets. The stainless steel screws on the Floyd rose is a big plus for me.  I love the graphics, although not exact to the ESP version, they still look very good and almost look painted on.  Although not a maple body, the alder body is a very good alternative.

Cons: Two big negatives in my book. First, the '78 model pickup is a great pickup if you are looking for that EVH tone, it is definitely not the tone of George Lynch so I had to swap it out for a Seymour Duncan Screamin' Demon trembucker.  Now it sounds proper like it should.  I thought about putting in the Xciter pickup but George used the Screamin' Demon more than any other pickup so I felt it was the right thing to do. Second, the strings did not line up with the original pickup poles. After careful inspection, I realized that the strings on the high E side were too close to the edge due to the neck not being lined up properly.  I had to loosen the neck up and carefully tighten it back up with proper alignment. Now the strings line up perfectly over the pickup poles. I think for the price of the guitar, although not the same as the ESP model, QC should have caught this and had it fixed before packaging. Not a big deal for someone that knows what to look for but could be difficult for a beginner to figure out.

With that being said, I've also upgraded the FR bridge with a 37mm FR fat brass block and noiseless springs as well as replaced the tuning pegs with Gotoh locking tuners.  This guitar is now probably the best playing guitar I own and I have quite a few. It is absolutely a joy to play and sounds and looks amazing, I haven't been able to stop playing it. 

If you are thinking about making the purchase, don't hesitate, just make sure to check the neck alignment when you get it.  Hope this helps someone.

JC