The ESP LTD EC-256 offers players professional-grade features at an accessible price point, making it a strong choice for beginners and experienced guitarists alike. Built with a solid mahogany body and a three-piece mahogany neck, the guitar delivers warm, resonant tone with excellent sustain. Its set-neck construction ensures stability, improves resonance transfer between the neck and body, and provides easier access to higher frets. The 24.75" scale length makes it comfortable to play, especially for those who prefer slightly looser string tension for bending and vibrato.The EC-256 is designed with playability in mind. The thin U-shaped neck profile provides a fast, comfortable grip suitable for a wide range of playing styles, while the rosewood fingerboard with 22 extra-jumbo frets makes both rhythm and lead work smooth and effortless. Binding on the body, neck, and headstock not only enhances durability but also gives the guitar a clean, refined look. The 350mm fingerboard radius strikes a balance between comfort for chord playing and ease for fast, technical passages, appealing to versatile musicians who need a guitar that can adapt to many genres.For electronics, the EC-256 is equipped with ESP's LH-150 humbuckers in both the bridge and neck positions, now with sleek matte black covers. These pickups deliver a powerful, balanced tone that suits everything from classic rock and blues to heavier modern styles. A push-pull tone knob adds coil-splitting functionality, offering single-coil clarity when needed, greatly expanding tonal options without extra hardware. Combined with a TOM bridge and tailpiece for solid tuning stability and sustain, the EC-256 is a reliable instrument that offers performance and features beyond its price class.
The ESP LTD EC-256 offers players professional-grade features at an accessible price point, making it a strong choice for beginners and experienced guitarists alike. Built with a solid mahogany body and a three-piece mahogany neck, the guitar delivers warm, resonant tone with excellent sustain. Its set-neck construction ensures stability, improves resonance transfer between the neck and body, and provides easier access to higher frets. The 24.75" scale length makes it comfortable to play, especially for those who prefer slightly looser string tension for bending and vibrato.The EC-256 is designed with playability in mind. The thin U-shaped neck profile provides a fast, comfortable grip suitable for a wide range of playing styles, while the rosewood fingerboard with 22 extra-jumbo frets makes both rhythm and lead work smooth and effortless. Binding on the body, neck, and headstock not only enhances durability but also gives the guitar a clean, refined look. The 350mm fingerboard radius strikes a balance between comfort for chord playing and ease for fast, technical passages, appealing to versatile musicians who need a guitar that can adapt to many genres.For electronics, the EC-256 is equipped with ESP's LH-150 humbuckers in both the bridge and neck positions, now with sleek matte black covers. These pickups deliver a powerful, balanced tone that suits everything from classic rock and blues to heavier modern styles. A push-pull tone knob adds coil-splitting functionality, offering single-coil clarity when needed, greatly expanding tonal options without extra hardware. Combined with a TOM bridge and tailpiece for solid tuning stability and sustain, the EC-256 is a reliable instrument that offers performance and features beyond its price class.
ESP Ltd EC-256 Electric Guitar - Candy Apple Red Satin
The ESP LTD EC-256 offers players professional-grade features at an accessible price point, making it a strong choice for beginners and experienced guitarists alike. Built with a solid mahogany body and a three-piece mahogany neck, the guitar delivers warm, resonant tone with excellent sustain. Its set-neck construction ensures stability, improves resonance transfer between the neck and body, and provides easier access to higher frets. The 24.75" scale length makes it comfortable to play, especially for those who prefer slightly looser string tension for bending and vibrato.The EC-256 is designed with playability in mind. The thin U-shaped neck profile provides a fast, comfortable grip suitable for a wide range of playing styles, while the rosewood fingerboard with 22 extra-jumbo frets makes both rhythm and lead work smooth and effortless. Binding on the body, neck, and headstock not only enhances durability but also gives the guitar a clean, refined look. The 350mm fingerboard radius strikes a balance between comfort for chord playing and ease for fast, technical passages, appealing to versatile musicians who need a guitar that can adapt to many genres.For electronics, the EC-256 is equipped with ESP's LH-150 humbuckers in both the bridge and neck positions, now with sleek matte black covers. These pickups deliver a powerful, balanced tone that suits everything from classic rock and blues to heavier modern styles. A push-pull tone knob adds coil-splitting functionality, offering single-coil clarity when needed, greatly expanding tonal options without extra hardware. Combined with a TOM bridge and tailpiece for solid tuning stability and sustain, the EC-256 is a reliable instrument that offers performance and features beyond its price class.
The ESP LTD EC-256 offers players professional-grade features at an accessible price point, making it a strong choice for beginners and experienced guitarists alike. Built with a solid mahogany body and a three-piece mahogany neck, the guitar delivers warm, resonant tone with excellent sustain. Its set-neck construction ensures stability, improves resonance transfer between the neck and body, and provides easier access to higher frets. The 24.75" scale length makes it comfortable to play, especially for those who prefer slightly looser string tension for bending and vibrato.The EC-256 is designed with playability in mind. The thin U-shaped neck profile provides a fast, comfortable grip suitable for a wide range of playing styles, while the rosewood fingerboard with 22 extra-jumbo frets makes both rhythm and lead work smooth and effortless. Binding on the body, neck, and headstock not only enhances durability but also gives the guitar a clean, refined look. The 350mm fingerboard radius strikes a balance between comfort for chord playing and ease for fast, technical passages, appealing to versatile musicians who need a guitar that can adapt to many genres.For electronics, the EC-256 is equipped with ESP's LH-150 humbuckers in both the bridge and neck positions, now with sleek matte black covers. These pickups deliver a powerful, balanced tone that suits everything from classic rock and blues to heavier modern styles. A push-pull tone knob adds coil-splitting functionality, offering single-coil clarity when needed, greatly expanding tonal options without extra hardware. Combined with a TOM bridge and tailpiece for solid tuning stability and sustain, the EC-256 is a reliable instrument that offers performance and features beyond its price class.
in 12 offers
last seen 15 May 2026
The lowest price we last saw for ESP Ltd EC-256 Electric Guitar - Candy Apple Red Satin was $833.16 at MusicStoreLive.com, compared across 11 retailers (last seen 15 May 2026). Prices may have changed since.
The all-time low we recorded was $660.78 on 9 May 2026.
Prices last updated 15 May 2026.
Last updated at 15/05/2026 03:05:41
ESP LTD EC-256 Guitar, Roasted Jatoba Fretboard, Candy Apple Red Satin
ESP LTD EC-256 Guitar Candy Apple Red Satin
Delivery $312.96
ESP LTD EC-256 Electric Guitar - Candy Apple Red Satin
Free delivery
ESP LTD EC-256 Electric Guitar in Candy Apple Red Satin
Delivery between Mon – Wed $20
ESP LTD EC-256 Eclipse Electric Guitar Candy Apple Red Satin
Free delivery between 19–29 May
ESP LTD EC-256 Electric Guitar - Candy Apple Red Satin
Free delivery
ESP LTD EC-256 - CANDY APPLE RED SATIN
Delivery between 20–29 May $18.74
ESP LTD EC-256 Eclipse Electric Guitar (Candy Apple Red Satin)
Delivery $17
ESP LTD EC-256 Eclipse Electric Guitar (Candy Apple Red Satin)
Delivery $17
LTD EC-256 Candy Apple Red Satin
Delivery between 19–25 May $145.70
originally posted on zzounds.com
Sound:The sound quality of the guitar out of the box can pretty much be described as adequate. It sounded good with overdrive or distortion. It holds a tune well and the split coil is nice in concept. If I'm honest, I think the stock pickups really let this guitar down. They just don't have any range and the split coil feature didn't make much of a difference in tone. I upgraded the pickups in the guitar to EMG 57/66 pickups and this thing came alive. Now I can dial in any tone.Features:The neck on this guitar does have a glossy finish on it, which I know a lot of guitarists don't love. However, for me, the neck is the most comfortable guitar neck I've ever played. Again, the pickups are *fine* if you like throwing distortion on the guitar. It chugs out of the ... MoreSound:The sound quality of the guitar out of the box can pretty much be described as adequate. It sounded good with overdrive or distortion. It holds a tune well and the split coil is nice in concept. If I'm honest, I think the stock pickups really let this guitar down. They just don't have any range and the split coil feature didn't make much of a difference in tone. I upgraded the pickups in the guitar to EMG 57/66 pickups and this thing came alive. Now I can dial in any tone.Features:The neck on this guitar does have a glossy finish on it, which I know a lot of guitarists don't love. However, for me, the neck is the most comfortable guitar neck I've ever played. Again, the pickups are *fine* if you like throwing distortion on the guitar. It chugs out of the box like a monster, but I found that clean tones let me down. There's really not much versatility. The tuners have held up well. My guitar has been babied so it still looks brand new. I oil the fretboard and polish the finish every few months and everything on the guitar is still beautiful.Ease of Use:I really got this guitar because of how it looks. Never played an EC-256FM before. I'd only ever seen other versions of the guitar in stores, but never picked it up and played it. I had every intention of replacing the pickups if I didn't love the stock ones. I own a PRS Standard 24(with a Seymour Duncan 59 in the bridge and a JB in the neck), Squire Bullet Strat, and a cheap Epiphone Les Paul and this guitar is by far the most versatile and most comfortable of my guitars to play.Quality:This guitar has been solid. No electronic, tuner or other hardware issues. I don't think I've ever dropped this guy. I travel with an extremely padded soft case and when it's at home, it hangs off the wall in my bedroom. I never have had to worry about this guitar not doing what it needs to do.Value:I'm not going to lie. You can probably find a guitar that you like better at this price point, but you are going to be splitting hairs really. At this price point, I've found you can get some amazing guitars that might just need a little bit of love to turn them into high-end-sounding beasts. This guitar is no exception. All said, I've got probably 900 dollars in this guitar. For a guitar that looks beautiful to me and makes me want to play it constantly, sounds like I want it to sound and do it on a fretboard that is a joy to play, I would say money well spent. When I record at a friend's house, we ignore his Gibson SG Standard and his Les Paul Standard and just use my ESP. Not bad for a guitar that's a quarter of the price out of the box(with an extra 260 bucks on the pickups).Manufacturer Support:Never dealt with ESP. This is the only ESP product I've ever owned and I would buy again based off of my experience with this guitar.The Wow Factor:I love this guitar. It's been my workhorse for a year and a half now and I really don't have any major needs to upgrade. If you decide to buy this guitar, give the pickups a try before you immediately replace them. You might like the stock pickups better than I did. Everything else about this guitar was great. Nothing flashy. Just a good solid guitar for the price you are paying and it's not the same guitar everyone else is playing.Overall:I bought this guitar coming up on 2 years ago now. When I received the guitar, I was a little disappointed at how dark the see-through purple was. It's grown on me though, and now I think I prefer the darker purple. It's a pretty guitar and it's the most comfortable guitar to play that I've ever played. I'm not a guy who just goes around playing guitars a lot in stores, but this is my 5th guitar and it's my favorite. It didn't sound as good out of the box as my PRS Standard 24, but it looks just as awesome and the neck is super comfortable to me.
originally posted on zzounds.com
Overall:$499! I swear Indonesia is making the best guitars these days, especially for the money. I've had $3-$4,000 gibsons and this has far better action than any guitar I've ever had. (Playing since 1963...) Pickups aren't bad so far, but I'll be trying them with the band tonight so we'll see about that. Great looking, not too heavy, great nek and love the extra jumbo frets.The few downsides. Tiny bit of fret sprout, easily fixed. Really weird thing? The Bridge volume is the closest to the neck and the neck volume is the one in the middle! WTF???? How counterintuitive is that??? The selector switch was installed so that it moved at an angle, 5 minutes and now it goes up and down. I couldn't recommend this more highly. If you're thinking, "This can't be any good, ... MoreOverall:$499! I swear Indonesia is making the best guitars these days, especially for the money. I've had $3-$4,000 gibsons and this has far better action than any guitar I've ever had. (Playing since 1963...) Pickups aren't bad so far, but I'll be trying them with the band tonight so we'll see about that. Great looking, not too heavy, great nek and love the extra jumbo frets.The few downsides. Tiny bit of fret sprout, easily fixed. Really weird thing? The Bridge volume is the closest to the neck and the neck volume is the one in the middle! WTF???? How counterintuitive is that??? The selector switch was installed so that it moved at an angle, 5 minutes and now it goes up and down. I couldn't recommend this more highly. If you're thinking, "This can't be any good, it's too cheap!" Ignore that thought and get one before ESP figures it out and raises the price!!!
originally posted on musiciansfriend.com
Been playing this guitar for about two weeks straight since it arrived. Came in 3 day shipping, package was safe no damage. Guitar out of the box was clean, low action, and tuned to Eb which ironically the tuning it will stay in. Only had one high fret on the 15th fret, after a spot fret level and crown and polish, it plays very nice. Neck and bridge pickups sound good for being stock Ltd. Only think that's giving me a hard time is the stock esp tuners, they take a bit for them to turn and change pitch, may change those out but I'll give it time I did change the strings out for some power slinky's. Guitar had good cleans and good crunch and the split coil is effective. Great guitar for the price.
| Orientation | Right Handed |
| Number of Strings | 6 |
| Body Shape | LTD Eclipse EC-256 |
| Body Finish | Satin |
| Neck Material | 3-piece Mahogany |
ESP LTD EC-256 Guitar, Roasted Jatoba Fretboard, Candy Apple Red Satin
ESP LTD EC-256 Guitar Candy Apple Red Satin
Delivery $312.96
ESP LTD EC-256 Electric Guitar - Candy Apple Red Satin
Free delivery
ESP LTD EC-256 Electric Guitar in Candy Apple Red Satin
Delivery between Mon – Wed $20
ESP LTD EC-256 Eclipse Electric Guitar Candy Apple Red Satin
Free delivery between 19–29 May
Sound:The sound quality of the guitar out of the box can pretty much be described as adequate. It sounded good with overdrive or distortion. It holds a tune well and the split coil is nice in concept. If I'm honest, I think the stock pickups really let this guitar down. They just don't have any range and the split coil feature didn't make much of a difference in tone. I upgraded the pickups in the guitar to EMG 57/66 pickups and this thing came alive. Now I can dial in any tone.Features:The neck on this guitar does have a glossy finish on it, which I know a lot of guitarists don't love. However, for me, the neck is the most comfortable guitar neck I've ever played. Again, the pickups are *fine* if you like throwing distortion on the guitar. It chugs out of the ... MoreSound:The sound quality of the guitar out of the box can pretty much be described as adequate. It sounded good with overdrive or distortion. It holds a tune well and the split coil is nice in concept. If I'm honest, I think the stock pickups really let this guitar down. They just don't have any range and the split coil feature didn't make much of a difference in tone. I upgraded the pickups in the guitar to EMG 57/66 pickups and this thing came alive. Now I can dial in any tone.Features:The neck on this guitar does have a glossy finish on it, which I know a lot of guitarists don't love. However, for me, the neck is the most comfortable guitar neck I've ever played. Again, the pickups are *fine* if you like throwing distortion on the guitar. It chugs out of the box like a monster, but I found that clean tones let me down. There's really not much versatility. The tuners have held up well. My guitar has been babied so it still looks brand new. I oil the fretboard and polish the finish every few months and everything on the guitar is still beautiful.Ease of Use:I really got this guitar because of how it looks. Never played an EC-256FM before. I'd only ever seen other versions of the guitar in stores, but never picked it up and played it. I had every intention of replacing the pickups if I didn't love the stock ones. I own a PRS Standard 24(with a Seymour Duncan 59 in the bridge and a JB in the neck), Squire Bullet Strat, and a cheap Epiphone Les Paul and this guitar is by far the most versatile and most comfortable of my guitars to play.Quality:This guitar has been solid. No electronic, tuner or other hardware issues. I don't think I've ever dropped this guy. I travel with an extremely padded soft case and when it's at home, it hangs off the wall in my bedroom. I never have had to worry about this guitar not doing what it needs to do.Value:I'm not going to lie. You can probably find a guitar that you like better at this price point, but you are going to be splitting hairs really. At this price point, I've found you can get some amazing guitars that might just need a little bit of love to turn them into high-end-sounding beasts. This guitar is no exception. All said, I've got probably 900 dollars in this guitar. For a guitar that looks beautiful to me and makes me want to play it constantly, sounds like I want it to sound and do it on a fretboard that is a joy to play, I would say money well spent. When I record at a friend's house, we ignore his Gibson SG Standard and his Les Paul Standard and just use my ESP. Not bad for a guitar that's a quarter of the price out of the box(with an extra 260 bucks on the pickups).Manufacturer Support:Never dealt with ESP. This is the only ESP product I've ever owned and I would buy again based off of my experience with this guitar.The Wow Factor:I love this guitar. It's been my workhorse for a year and a half now and I really don't have any major needs to upgrade. If you decide to buy this guitar, give the pickups a try before you immediately replace them. You might like the stock pickups better than I did. Everything else about this guitar was great. Nothing flashy. Just a good solid guitar for the price you are paying and it's not the same guitar everyone else is playing.Overall:I bought this guitar coming up on 2 years ago now. When I received the guitar, I was a little disappointed at how dark the see-through purple was. It's grown on me though, and now I think I prefer the darker purple. It's a pretty guitar and it's the most comfortable guitar to play that I've ever played. I'm not a guy who just goes around playing guitars a lot in stores, but this is my 5th guitar and it's my favorite. It didn't sound as good out of the box as my PRS Standard 24, but it looks just as awesome and the neck is super comfortable to me.
Overall:$499! I swear Indonesia is making the best guitars these days, especially for the money. I've had $3-$4,000 gibsons and this has far better action than any guitar I've ever had. (Playing since 1963...) Pickups aren't bad so far, but I'll be trying them with the band tonight so we'll see about that. Great looking, not too heavy, great nek and love the extra jumbo frets.The few downsides. Tiny bit of fret sprout, easily fixed. Really weird thing? The Bridge volume is the closest to the neck and the neck volume is the one in the middle! WTF???? How counterintuitive is that??? The selector switch was installed so that it moved at an angle, 5 minutes and now it goes up and down. I couldn't recommend this more highly. If you're thinking, "This can't be any good, ... MoreOverall:$499! I swear Indonesia is making the best guitars these days, especially for the money. I've had $3-$4,000 gibsons and this has far better action than any guitar I've ever had. (Playing since 1963...) Pickups aren't bad so far, but I'll be trying them with the band tonight so we'll see about that. Great looking, not too heavy, great nek and love the extra jumbo frets.The few downsides. Tiny bit of fret sprout, easily fixed. Really weird thing? The Bridge volume is the closest to the neck and the neck volume is the one in the middle! WTF???? How counterintuitive is that??? The selector switch was installed so that it moved at an angle, 5 minutes and now it goes up and down. I couldn't recommend this more highly. If you're thinking, "This can't be any good, it's too cheap!" Ignore that thought and get one before ESP figures it out and raises the price!!!
Been playing this guitar for about two weeks straight since it arrived. Came in 3 day shipping, package was safe no damage. Guitar out of the box was clean, low action, and tuned to Eb which ironically the tuning it will stay in. Only had one high fret on the 15th fret, after a spot fret level and crown and polish, it plays very nice. Neck and bridge pickups sound good for being stock Ltd. Only think that's giving me a hard time is the stock esp tuners, they take a bit for them to turn and change pitch, may change those out but I'll give it time I did change the strings out for some power slinky's. Guitar had good cleans and good crunch and the split coil is effective. Great guitar for the price.
Overall:In a YouTube review of this guitar, there was one guy that said he didn't understand why any experienced and knowledgable guitar player would want THIS guitar over something more high-end (i.e., a "real" Eclipse), because of the differing body design features. I, myself, am not anything of a virtuoso player, nor do I have the fattest wallet at the moment, which is why I settled on something more in the midrange for my first relatively decent guitar. I've been playing for years, writing songs on "piece of crap" guitars, and it didn't matter to me that my instrument was nothing to show off when that's all that I was using it for (i.e., to write songs). Before I am an instrumentalist, I am a vocalist and songwriter... but I digress. Anyhow, coming from someone ... MoreOverall:In a YouTube review of this guitar, there was one guy that said he didn't understand why any experienced and knowledgable guitar player would want THIS guitar over something more high-end (i.e., a "real" Eclipse), because of the differing body design features. I, myself, am not anything of a virtuoso player, nor do I have the fattest wallet at the moment, which is why I settled on something more in the midrange for my first relatively decent guitar. I've been playing for years, writing songs on "piece of crap" guitars, and it didn't matter to me that my instrument was nothing to show off when that's all that I was using it for (i.e., to write songs). Before I am an instrumentalist, I am a vocalist and songwriter... but I digress. Anyhow, coming from someone that has a limited span of what truly "decent" is in this department, I, personally, found this guitar to be worth the price. I am not the most knowledgable about guitars, no, but I know what feels right to me as a player. This one is pretty nice. The body is lightweight and thin without feeling or looking cheap or flimsy, and the playability is fantastic. There is little strain on your fingering hand due to how easy it is to press the strings down, unlike on cheaper guitars. Had I learned to play on this one, I would have been totally spoiled! Maybe like that guy with the YouTube review. Haha. The sound is nice and crisp... and the color is beautiful. I went with the Cobalt Blue, because it matches with my room. I have no complaints about it, under the circumstances. It is everything that I needed it to be. The available payment plan was the cherry on top. Just two more payments! Thanks, zZounds!Note: I was required to rate "Manufacturer Support" when I submitted this review, even though I never made any direct contact with the manufacturer. I couldn't give it less than 5 stars when there was never a problem with it. *shrug*
Overall:Even better than expected. I own Fenders and Epiphones but I cannot believe how much fun this guitar is. The fretboard radius is perfect. I received it, tuned it up, plugged it in and played for an hour and a half before I knew it. I am an old guy, but I haven’t felt so good playing a guitar and I own ten. I would definitely recommend this guitar. And I have to mention it is a gorgeous instrument. I purchased the black and gold model. It is a pleasure to behold. Thanks to ESP and especially to zZounds for the purchase plan. I am one satisfied customer. This is my second purchase from them.
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.
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.
I took a chance on one of these as a SDOTD, because I've been wanting to expand my options beyond my Stratocaster and since these get generally good reviews and since I could never dream of paying up for a genuine Les Paul, I figured it was a no-brainer. When the guitar arrived, I was a bit alarmed because the shipping box was pretty flattened, and while UPS was still there I opened it and found the inner original factory box beat up but OK. MF should really rethink it's packing priorities, but that's for another story. I took it out of the box and found it was pretty close to being in tune, and the set up was almost perfect - imagine that! This guitar is obviously made to surprisingly good quality standards, and I got the faded cherry which is pretty bright but ... MoreI took a chance on one of these as a SDOTD, because I've been wanting to expand my options beyond my Stratocaster and since these get generally good reviews and since I could never dream of paying up for a genuine Les Paul, I figured it was a no-brainer. When the guitar arrived, I was a bit alarmed because the shipping box was pretty flattened, and while UPS was still there I opened it and found the inner original factory box beat up but OK. MF should really rethink it's packing priorities, but that's for another story. I took it out of the box and found it was pretty close to being in tune, and the set up was almost perfect - imagine that! This guitar is obviously made to surprisingly good quality standards, and I got the faded cherry which is pretty bright but very attractive at the same time, with the nice curly maple top. The body is SOLID (no cavities other than for wiring and pots, etc.) so it's not light, but not quite as heavy as a Les Paul, so that's good. The neck is WONDERFUL, very slim and not much more of a handful than my Strat, although it has a slightly "U" profile, still very comfortable. Neck was arrow-straight, and after a quick string change (automatic with me, changed to .009's) and a slight re-tweeking of the intonation and bridge height, it played like a dream! I'm totally blown away by the way this guitar sustains, and the best part is that I played it for over an hour and it stayed IN TUNE throughout the many bends and power chords. I really had to remind myself that this guitar cost me less than 3 bills! The finish had only a very few little imperfections here and there, really had to look closely to find them, and the fret job was perfect, no sharp ends. Only negatives were the mahogany body had some dark streaking, and I really don't understand the backwards volume pot configuration w/ ESP(bridge is toward front, neck is in rear!) but that can be changed. All in all, a seriously good guitar, and should serve me well. GET ONE!
I can't believe Guitar Center runs sales on these for only $249. I had 23 guitars and sold off 8 of them. I actually had two EC-256's. I played several over time in the store, and had to agree that commonly the pickups are a little bit dark. Oddly enough the one I kept, the pickups were not dark at all. As a matter of fact they are very, very close to my LP with Gibson 490 pickups that are around $200 apiece. The split coil feature is great and produces some very nice tones. I have played guitars with split coil that was very weak. These still have a lot of body to them.The workmanship is superb. I would put it up against any guitar. I also have the ESP LTD-EC-1000ET that is over a grand, and what is my go to guitar? The 256. Set it up right with proper intonation ... MoreI can't believe Guitar Center runs sales on these for only $249. I had 23 guitars and sold off 8 of them. I actually had two EC-256's. I played several over time in the store, and had to agree that commonly the pickups are a little bit dark. Oddly enough the one I kept, the pickups were not dark at all. As a matter of fact they are very, very close to my LP with Gibson 490 pickups that are around $200 apiece. The split coil feature is great and produces some very nice tones. I have played guitars with split coil that was very weak. These still have a lot of body to them.The workmanship is superb. I would put it up against any guitar. I also have the ESP LTD-EC-1000ET that is over a grand, and what is my go to guitar? The 256. Set it up right with proper intonation etc. The feel of the guitar is the most amazing point. The thinner body is way lighter than an LP, and the problem with an LP with the tilted back headstock is dealt with on this guitar because they have a bulge in the wood on the back of the neck that does not get in the way of your playing.I have a 1966 Fender Telecaster that I bought brand new, and a bunch of other Fender guitars which I love, but this one as of late has been the one that I play most of the time.So if you have a chance play several of them and compare side by side to see if you can get one with non-dark pickups, or buy the guitar and replace the pickups, and you have a superb axe that I would put in front of most Les Pauls costing many times as much.
The fit and finish on this guitar is brilliant, the frets are well finished with no sharp edges or buzzing, the paint finish is very good with no loose fitting and the switch and controls are all solid in function. This guitar is better finished than some other guitars costing two or three times as much. The pickups are admittedly better suited to Metal and sound best with high gain amps. This is the best guitar I’ve bought in years, I wish I had discovered ESP Guitars sooner!
| Orientation | Right Handed |
| Number of Strings | 6 |
| Body Shape | LTD Eclipse EC-256 |
| Body Finish | Satin |
| Neck Material | 3-piece Mahogany |
