ESP LTD EC-258 - Black Satin

This is seriously an awesome guitar, not just for the price but in general. Right out of the box I switched the strings to Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottoms (orange pack) and raised the action of the lowest string a touch, and the playability of this axe is insane. The neck is super comfortable and glides really well despite being wider than most, and I love the massive frets. It also stays in tune with little to no issue (much better than my Jackson 7 string), and I play it in drop E for hours at a time. I do wish the pickups were a little clearer but it's nothing I haven't been able to work out in my simulator. I'll probably change them out eventually but honestly they aren't cheap sounding or overly muddy, I just want a particular sound. I've run this guitar through multiple sims from clean to grimy to djent and it really sounds amazing in all cases! The coil splitting is also a pretty cool feature if you're into that. I really can't stress enough how playable this guitar is. It's may look and sound like a beast, but it plays like a dream. The set neck really gives it a high-end feel, and the inlays also add a great aesthetic and look amazing in person. The weight distribution isn't bad at all either. Obviously the body is a little chonky but it doesn't ruin the balance with a strap. I Unfortunately I don't have a good video, but the pictures you see of this guitar on the internet just don't do it justice at all. The striping around the body and head are one of my favorite visual touches on the guitar, and it really pops against the satin black finish. When it comes to "bang for your buck", the EC-258 is a heavyweight and I highly recommend it. It's insane that ESP has hardly marketed this guitar at all. Pretty much all sources of information regarding it are from independent buyers like myself and people on YouTube. I hope to post a solid review in the new few weeks to show some of the details no one ever really mentions. Huge shoutout to GearTree for shipping it out so fast! I was nervous about having a guitar shipped but it arrived in perfect condition and was on my porch in 4 days. I'm extremely happy with this axe and I'm glad you had it available and were able to supply it in such a timely manner. If you're curious about 8 strings and want to get something that is relatively affordable and still a quality instrument, I highly recommend the ESP LTD EC-258. If ESP went with a set of active factory pickups, I could easily see this being a $1000 guitar.

If you're making the jump from a standard 6 string to this, I highly recommend starting by going to a 7 string first because the fretboard will throw you off with it's thickness due to the extra 2 lower strings. Working your way up to an 8 rather than diving right in will help you appreciate this kind of guitar more & will definitely help you progress as a guitar player. The tone of this guitar is amazing though.

It did arrive o. Time and in tact however I will say it’s not packed for shipping. It’s literally shipped in its own esp box so I could easily get damaged by normal shipping conditions, but mine was fine. It doesn’t seem like they spent a lot of time setting it up but it’s playable out of the box with some slight tuneing of course. It doesn’t buzz or rattle anywhere and the pickups sound good. They can very easily make a heavily distorted tone which I enjoy, but they can be dialed back to be clean with plenty of volume still so it would work for most music, but it’s definitely geared twords metal. The toggle switch doesn’t operate the way the ec 256s do it’s actually a kind of kill switch set up like the buttons on bucket heads Les Paul. I really like it. It allows a kind of electronic wammy bar (sort of) and bucket head style play with the right application. The neck is thick but it doesn’t take a lot of adjustment to play if you are used to different kinds of stringed things. I’m not unhappy with the guitar or what I paid for it.

I don’t know how to play an 8 string guitar but I will commit to learning because I love this ESP LTD.👍

The guitar looks great and the pickups sound decent, but even after replacing the tuners with locking tuners and putting on higher gauge strings, the bottom two strings just do not stay in tune. Most of my time playing this guitar has been spent staring at a tuner. Not only that, the pitch swings so high on attack that it's hard to know where to tune the strings to get them to sound in tune with the other strings. It's really frustrating and kind of defeats the purpose of the extra strings on the guitar. Accurate intonation on the F# string is impossible and intonation itself is a chore across the board because some absolute rocket scientist decided the bridge should use Phillips head screws instead of hex sockets, so stripping the screws to get it properly intonated is all but impossible to avoid. I got this guitar used for $450 and with the money I saved I am having a friend with a CNC router replace the stock bridge with an Evertune. I wouldn't recommend getting this guitar at all if you can't make a similar change.

Bottom Line - great guitar for the price. You can probably plug it in and play a gig the day you get it. Now. For the things you should know: - pickups are pretty muddy. But should be able to be swapped for different soap bars rather easily (ex. active Fishman Modern Fluence) - strings that are stock are too light if you want to tune to Drop E or lower. You’ll want a .080 if you’re planning on playing Sleep Token covers. You will also need to get tapered strings, as the stock tuners can’t handle any non-tapered string over around .074 - Tuners are pretty much trash. They hold a string in there, but tuning stability, ratio, and overall feel is junk. Get some locking tuners with a better ratio. 18:1 is what I’d recommend - nut isn’t the best. Not needed for a day 1 replacement, but you’ll be happier if you do. - the scale is on the shorter side for an 8 string at 26.5. Great if you’re a 6 string player looking to go lower with limited change in playability. But a bit floppy if you’re accustomed to 28” scale baritones. Even with an .080 for the lowest string, it’s not the tightest D#. Overall, 4/5. With about $300-400 in upgrades, you’ll have a guitar that looks, feels, and sounds like a much more expensive one.

For not being a fanned fret guitar, this guitar has a really good feel and tension ratio. Might recommend a different set of strings that go lighter on the top end and maybe beef up the low end ( probably .009-.080)… I think Ernie ball makes a set like this. Other than that, you can maybe replace the machine heads with locking tuners (gotoh makes a set that will swap in place using the same screw holes)… and you may at least feel like swapping the bridge pickup eventually (Elysian and Seymour Duncan make good soap bar pickups that will fit). But, the overall look, feel and sound are very good for the price. It is a good match for my satin black Charvel. An 8-string Les Paul style is pretty badass looking, so if you don’t want a super strat and want something that has good feel and can be improved upon for a low price point. Get this.

its amazing even for a single scale it isnt too muddy

I like the guitar. Have to get heaviest strings for the bottom 2 so it can sound like music and not just buzzing. The guitar was really well wrapped up but the headstock was not. I found the chip in the box.

This thing is very cool. I have the top 6 tuned e standard g b e a d g b e. The guitar itself is very heavy and the neck is quite thick. The strings are closer together but not terribly so. I haven't gotten any extended play time yet. For the price, seems well worth it!