• Better than the similar, cheaper Prophecy SG EX!

  
  As reviewed by Ryan A. on 11/27/2010

  For awhile, I was pretty bent on getting the Epiphone Prophecy SG EX, which has similar specs to the ESP Viper Standard, but costs much less. I loved everything about the Epi except for the fact that the headstock made the guitar feel a little unbalanced and the satin neck left a rubber-like residue on my hands. I walked into a guitar shop (more of a hole in the wall) that carries ESP, and they had this guy in stock. I asked to play it through a Marshall amp (can't recall the exact model name), cranked it, and was blown away by the tone, sustain, and playability. In fact, I can access the high frets with less effort on the Viper than on the Prophecy SG. Yeah, you can get the Epi Prophecy SG EX for under $700, but this guy costs less than most Gibsons, yet runs circles around all of the the SGs, Les Pauls, and Flying Vs that I've played. Thanks, ESP! I'll be getting this tool of destruction when I get the money.

  3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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• New Review -- Extremely High Quality Guitar

  
  As reviewed by drew on 6/13/2009

  First off, the stats on this guitar are slightly incorrect. The guitar is matte black satin, not camo as displayed. The fretboard features traditional ESP flag inlays, not the standard dots as pictured. Lastly, the locking tuners are actually Gotoh, not Sperzel as advertised. Just to clarify I special ordered this from my local GC and picked it up yesterday (06.12.09). Overall I was actually much happier than I thought I'd be thanks to the numerous surprises. Now for the guitar itself: its a beautiful piece of work. The craftsmanship is second to none. I own and have played some extremely high end custom guitars, and this 2009 ESP Viper Standard is right up there with them. Great pickups (although I'll probably end up swapping out the neck for an EMG 60), seriously endless sustain. Even unplugged a note will ring seemingly forever and you can feel the vibration all the way through the guitar. The lock in tuners work well without any problems, and the tuning knobs and other hardware are really slick looking black chrome. There really aren't any major faults I think of, maybe just that the guitar looks kind of plain. If you like that sort of thing (like myself), then this guitar is just about perfect. The pickups, as stated in various other online reviews, are very bright when played clean, but if you're buying EMG's you're probably not expecting Les Paul-like clean tones. You can always fiddle with the settings on your amp and pedal set up to get some awesome clean tones as well. All in all, this is a great guitar that showcases some superior Japanese craftsmanship. I would highly recommend it to anyone considering, if you have the cash to spare of course. Great for metal, hard rock, or anything that can use a little more oomph courtesy of the EMGs. That said, this guitar isn't a one trick pony and can easily be set up to play any kind of music that you're looking for. HIGHLY recommended.

  17 of 18 people found this review helpful.
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• Worth every penny...

  
  As reviewed by J-DUB on 12/7/2009

  This guitar is a must for any professional level player. There is a question as to whether of not this guitar is worth the difference in price between this model and the LTD series Vipers. The answer is a yes. This guitar is far superior in every aspect. I have owned 2 LTD's and I sold them as soon as I got this baby. The balance is perfect, unlike the severely neck-heavy LTD's. The sound is insane. Great crunch and screaming leads. This is a terrific guitar at a terrific price.

  6 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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