ESP LTD EC-256 Electric Guitar Transparent Cobalt Blue

Looks beautiful, super lightweight, but that's about it. The pickups are only responsive, it seems, to extra noise and not my actual playing. They also have WAY too much midrange, and way too little highs and lows. The fretboard also is really thirsty and has bad buzz up near the body. I've had this guitar for about 2 years now, and I just got it fixed after playing my Strat for a while (the nut was broken). It's not a bad guitar, I'd say, but the pickups are awful, so I'd recommend a replacement of some sort.

This is an update to my previous review. I called customer support and they advised that I could have them work on my brand new guitar or return it. It didn't make sense for me to pay them to work on it so I returned it. Also, was told this is a common issue on this guitar.

The guitar sounds great and takes overdrive well. I am playing it through a fender mustang amp, which is a low end amp, and it still sounds good. The problem is that it won't stay in tune long enough to play more than one song. It seems like the tuners have some slop in them or something.

Purchased a "used" LTD EC-256 for my son from GC. Pics looked good, price was around $350. When I opened the box I was blown away at the craftsmanship and overall condition of the guitar. It looked more like a floor model or from the wall guitar rather than used. Hardly touched, no damage anywhere! The veneer they used on the top is a BEAUTIFUL quilted maple. The guitar felt solid, neck was nice and thin and over all setup and action was great for this price point. Felt like a guitar that would easily cost $1,000. Very happy with this purchase, would definitely buy again even at the "new" price.

IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT! It was on backorder. It took round-a-bout 5 months to get it in my eager hands. I bought the Purple Burst version. What their online photos do not properly convey is that the back and the neck are purple as well (how purple depends on each guitar-having seen two in person). The 1st appeared almost black in most lighting. The 2nd is defiantly purple but when photographed there is a color mismatch between the back and front that is NOT noticeable in person (see photos) This is my first Les Paul body style and my first guitar with split coil capability. The jumbo frets are awesome. I haven't been playing long (2-ish years). They cut down on my mis-fretting. The ease & sound of bending the strings + the sound of the pick-ups are more than I was expecting. The neck is super slim. I have size S/M woman hands. I love the size. There is not a lot of stretching to reach around for the low end strings. The neck also has a lovely coating that allows me to slide up and down easy without sticking- if you have played a matte coated neck, you know what I mean. The fret board and the inlays are leveled out very well but the fret board was a bit thirsty when I got it. A fret board oil & cloth buff were all it needed. The frets are very well placed & filed (no snags or fret spouts). The "Set-Up" was really good straight out of the box. The string height was set really well. Low enough (esp. at the nut) that It was not a finger killer to fret but there was no fret buzz at any frets when playing. The intonation was pretty spot on as well. Took slight adjustment when it got new strings (mostly at the Low E and A). The top pick-up was a touch high for my taste but if that is the worst I can say... The neck was straight and ready to play. The tuners work well and I love the keystone buttons on them that match the headstock style. It is heavier than I expected 7.5lbs- 8.4lbs. To sum things up, I cannot believe I got this beauty for this price point.

I bought this guitar at the end of March 2020 and I wanted the flat satin black with black hardware guitar. I did a bunch of research and I fell in love with this guitar. Unfortunatley due to COVID 19 they only had the white one available and the satin black one wasnt available until August. So after a few days of looking at the white with all of the black hardware I decided to order it. Man was I impressed with it when it showed up. Not only was it a sharp looking guitar it played amazingly! Ive been playing it for almost 6 months now and I am about ready to order the same guitar but in Satin Black now that its available. I have my LTD EC-256 and an Ibanez RG-3 and a custom made fender strat and I ALWAYS pick up my EC-256 first! Well worth the money and I cant wait to get my black one!