JP6 vs. LTD ESP EC 1000

[tm21]

Hey everyone,
I just wanted to get some opinions from you guys. How do you think the JP6 stacks up against the LTD-ESP EC 1000 with EMG 81/60 pickups. Are LTD necks similar to MM necks? The LTD is a lot cheaper, about half the price. I can't decide between a lightly used JP6 and a new LTD ESP EC 1000. Any suggestions? Thoughts? Opinions?

 

[Tung]

i used to be an EC1000 player. Both necks are flat radius and thin, but the feel is totally different IMO
JP6 is assymetrical, whereas the LTD is like a thin U.
I sold my EC1000 after I got my JP50, so there's my input.
You got to try both, really test drive it to decide.

 

[glockaxis]

If you are worried about price, try the JP50 which should be in the same ballpark as the Ltd series by ESP.

 

[Dizzy]

I've can't comment on the LTD, but I've got an ESP Eclipse II with dual EMG 81's - which will be a level up from the LTD.
There's no denying ESP's build & finish quality is top notch, but the JP and the Eclipse are like chalk and cheese.
Necks are completely different, ergonomics aren't even comparable (the Eclipse is a pig to play vs the super comfortable JP).

The only reason I've kept the ESP is because of sentimental reasons, plus it rocks tuned to Drop C (permanently), and it looks awesome.

But if I had to choose between the 2, it'd be a complete no brainer.

And remember, I'm comparing the real deal ESP, not LTD.

They are different beasts - and from the guitars offered by ESP/LTD, the Eclipse / EC#### variations are one of the least comparable to the JP.

I mean, think about it : Floating trem vs hardtail, forearm contour vs arch top, twin vs single cutaway, passives vs actives, lightweight vs boat anchor....... it goes on and on.

 

[bdtunn]

I actually bought a LTD EC-1000 two weeks ago. I wanted to get a 24 fret 24.75" scale for something different. I really do enjoy it. It's a different feeling guitar (from all my others) and sounds like a monster. But to be honest NOTHING compairs to the feel of the JP. My LTD has become my second go to guitar as it feels oh so good. But my main stay will be the JP as, well just play one and your mind will be made up.

 

[tm21]

thanks for the replies.

-i was just wondering what your thoughts were on the active pickups in the ec versus the passive pickups in the petrucci?

-whats the tone like on the jp6?

-how accessible are the higher frets on the jp6?

-does the pickup selector switch under the strings ever get in the way of picking or strumming?

-i own an axis super sport, and was wondering how the jp6 compared to that (is the neck similar?)

-the jp6 i would like to buy does not come with the piezo. is that a major loss?

I'm really torn with this decision and cant make up my mind. I love my axis so i definitely trust ernie ball, but the esp is cheaper. i can afford the jp6, but i dont know if its worth it. someone help me make this decision!!

 

[marduke]

thanks for the replies.

-i was just wondering what your thoughts were on the active pickups in the ec versus the passive pickups in the petrucci?

-whats the tone like on the jp6?

-how accessible are the higher frets on the jp6?

-does the pickup selector switch under the strings ever get in the way of picking or strumming?

-i own an axis super sport, and was wondering how the jp6 compared to that (is the neck similar?)

-the jp6 i would like to buy does not come with the piezo. is that a major loss?

I'm really torn with this decision and cant make up my mind. I love my axis so i definitely trust ernie ball, but the esp is cheaper. i can afford the jp6, but i dont know if its worth it. someone help me make this decision!!

I've not played a guitar with EMG's (active pickups) so i cant really comment on that aspect. But the tone of the JP6 is simply amazing! now there have been different pickups in the JP range since they were created and many people have differing opinions on the tonalities of the pickups. I have the D-sonic variant, and i LOVE it! it is my no 1 guitar, and the only way i think i could better it is to get a BFR version.
the higher frets are very accessible, i have no dramas getting the 24th frets.
The pickup switch was a concern for me too before i bought mine, but has not been a problem as of yet.. i may have changed my technique a bit to compensate, but it wasnt a major change as i dont remember making a change.
i also have an axis super sport, the necks are completely different, but, the guitars compliment each other surprisingly well, and i have no troubles going from the JP to the ASS.
i personally would never order a JP without the piezo, it is an invaluable tool which can add to your tonal options, i frequently use it blended with the magnetic pickups. plus if you ever need to use an acoustic sound in a song simply flick the switch and bam lovely acoustic sound.

 

[B2D]

The EC1000 vs. the JP6

Apples vs. Oranges

They're not really comparable instruments at all... different woods, different necks/radii/frets, scale, controls, body style, etc.

 

[ShaneV]

thanks for the replies.

-i was just wondering what your thoughts were on the active pickups in the ec versus the passive pickups in the petrucci?

That's a matter of preference, but I'll say this: I never choose a guitar based on the pickups (they're easier to change than your socks) and my JP still has the stock pickups- my only guitar that does.

-whats the tone like on the jp6?

The JP is surprisingly versatile IMO. I have the second iteration (Air Norton and D Sonic) and I use it to play mostly hard rock to metal, but it can get some nice bluesy and jazzy sounds as well. The dual split coils mode sounds really nice clean and I actually prefer it to the sound of regular single coils for a lot of things.

-how accessible are the higher frets on the jp6?

Really accessible. The 24th fret is about as easy to get at as the 22nd is on a guitar like your Axis, and the 22nd is really no harder than the 12th, it's just like butter.

-does the pickup selector switch under the strings ever get in the way of picking or strumming?

For me it does. Not as much as it did when I first got the guitar, but it can still be annoying for me from time to time. Generally I'll knock it from the neck or middle positions into the bridge position more than anything else.

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-i own an axis super sport, and was wondering how the jp6 compared to that (is the neck similar?)

The neck is different in the same sense that a ferrari and a lamborghini are different, both are at the top of their game. The Axis is thicker and narrower across the fretboard. The JP is a very "shreddy" wide thin kind of shape.

-the jp6 i would like to buy does not come with the piezo. is that a major loss?

That depends on you really. None of my other guitars have a piezo and I don't like them any less for it, but the piezo on the JP is definitely really nice and extremely convincing. If your life is not feeling grossly empty without a piezo right now I wouldn't stress out too much about it.

I'm really torn with this decision and cant make up my mind. I love my axis so i definitely trust ernie ball, but the esp is cheaper. i can afford the jp6, but i dont know if its worth it. someone help me make this decision!!

The LTD is cheaper for a reason.

 

[azazael]

You cant really compare them. The only thing they have in common is they are guitars!

 

[ScoobySteve]

tm21, thanks for inquiring.

To give you my opinion, and I feel I have a valid one seeing that I've owned a JP coming from years of playing LP's exclusively.

Save up and buy the guitar you want, and it should be the JP.

This is your guitar, your instrument. Don't settle for something else because of price. If you bought one instrument over the other simply because of price then you've bought it for the wrong reasons. There are places where pricing compromising makes sense and is encouraged.

Instruments is not one of them. Especially if you are an invested player and are looking to take your playing further.

Get the JP, it's a phenomenal guitar. It's ergonomic heaven, with piezo its more versatile than it appears, and its flat out the most comfortable guitar to play with. I think the 25th I have now is comfortable, but we all know the JP wins that battle hands down.

Think no more about it. If you like the JP, go play one. If you love it, save and get one. There's no other way to do it.

Good luck.

 

[tm21]

hey everyone, thank you so much for all your comments and advice. you've definitely swayed me towards the jp6. i was looking online at some of the ball family reserve jp's and the finishes are gorgeous.

but how does the finished neck on the bfr compare to the unifinished neck of the regular jp6?

cosmetics aside, are there any other differences between the bfr and the jp6?

p.s. i would just go to a music store and try out both guitars, but sadly i live in a really small town and the guitar shop we have here does not sell any ebmm products and has a very limited selection in what they do offer. sorry for all the questions....

 

[roburado]

The BFR is a totally different guitar. The regular JP6 has a basswood body with maple neck and rosewood fretboard. The BFR has an alder body with maple top and a mahogany toneblock that runs from the neck pocket to the bridge. Also, the BFR has a mahogany neck, which is why the BFR neck is finished. Plus, the body and neck shape are different.

 

[mesavox]

The BFR is a totally different guitar. The regular JP6 has a basswood body with maple neck and rosewood fretboard. The BFR has an alder body with maple top and a mahogany toneblock that runs from the neck pocket to the bridge. Also, the BFR has a mahogany neck, which is why the BFR neck is finished. Plus, the body and neck shape are different.

I haven't played a regular JP6 in years... how different is it from the BFR? Keep in mind... I totally do not understand the C verses D verses U descriptions. They all look the same to me if you turn them all the same direction. LOL

As for the Eclipse... shorter scale... one HUGE difference. I DO NOT like the LP scale... Our other guitarist loves it. Something like that is totally a preference issue.

The LTD guitar that has the closest neck tot he BFR JP6 (that I know of as I've only payed a couple) is the MH-250QMNT. The backside of the neck is virtually identical in shape to my BFR. I REALLY liked it. The radius is a bit flatter on the LTD, and it's 42 instead of 43 mm at the nut. For it's price... one of the finest guitars I've played in that price range. I thought it played much better than the Eclipse with the Duncans I played that costs twice as much, and not just because of the scale length. It was just smoother and easier to deal with.

With that... still nothing like the JP6s I've played. The Music Mans just feel like a more solid instrument all across the board in my hands. A lot of it is preference. I don't know why ESP's LTDs are so nice in some models and not in others... that LTD I played blows away the white neck through Schecter with the Floyd.... and it costs quite a bit more too. Same parent company. Different factories I'd imagine. The nice thing about Music Mans... I know what factory every single one of them came from. That's one reason why there is always that niche for companies like Music Man, PRS, Suhr, Anderson, etc... the singular aspect of where they are built is one less thing to worry about when ordering one. I don't have to play each model to find out which one is made where, and which factories do a better job. That's why a JEM is going to feel like a top notch instrument, and an RG270 whatever isn't and why it's even going to feel so much better than another Japanese made RG570 or whatever.

It's not that these are things that equate to evil companies... it's just the difference in who they have to market to. That RG270 is a nicer guitar for beginners than anything I ever learned on in that price range that's for sure. It's just that niche based companies focus on that niche. MM makes high quality USA made instruments... Ibanez makes everything from low to high quality instruments made in various countries all around the world. But, they are owned by a conglomorate that makes that huge market base financially feasable.

 

[marduke]

The BFR is a totally different guitar. The regular JP6 has a basswood body with maple neck and rosewood fretboard. The BFR has an alder body with maple top and a mahogany toneblock that runs from the neck pocket to the bridge. Also, the BFR has a mahogany neck, which is why the BFR neck is finished. Plus, the body and neck shape are different.

from what i remember the BFR and normal JP have the same shape neck, well they felt the same when i played one, just the BFR 'felt' a little thicker probably due to the painted finish.

 

[Tung]

The necks are different, but the most radical difference is the scooped arm contour on the JP6, I love that, it radically improved my picking position, especially in high speed playing and playing live, I really feel the difference.

 

[bkrumme]

Like mentioned before, it's like comparing apples to oranges.

You need to get both guitars in the same room and go at it for a good hour comparing each one. Then decide on the one you like best. It might be the EC1000, but I doubt it.

 

[Brand X]

I've had some ESP's in the past (both ESP Kamikaze's etc as well as the Kramer ESP's)......I really like the GL56 and the Wicked Sensation 'Skulls and Snakes'....also - a friend of mine had two ESP Customs made specially for him....

I really cannot believe the cost of these guitars for what you actually get....

As far as build quality goes - you cannot go wrong with a Petrucci (or any other MMan)...when you pick up an EBMM - it feels like quality - pure and simple...

When I pick up (for example) ESP.....it really doesn't - I cannot tell the difference between a £500 LTD and a £1500 ESP.........neither feel particularly great.

That just my opinion obviously and one mans ceiling is another mans floor.........but for me - EBMM are just way past everything else out there as far as the overall feel of the instrument and the build / component quality.

I've had two JP's in the past and I would still have them as well as my Steve Morses if I wasn't making a conscious effort to try not to have sig models.....I've now got my two Floyd'y Silo's that I wouldn't trade for anything (aside from a Rosewood Axis!!!;o) ).....just the finest feeling guitars out there......