NGD - and it's going back! LTD MH-1000 Baritone

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Bardagh

Bardagh

Well-known member
I decided to pick up one of these new as I got burned buying a used baritone earlier this year. I need a baritone as I hate the compromises (and modifications like altering the nut) that come into play to try and get a normal scale length guitar playing down in B and not being a mess. Ordered from Sweetwater and got it in this morning...

First bad thing I noticed is the finish is kind of shoddy around the binding on the top of the body. It just looks kind of messy and inconsistent. If it was on the backside or something not a big deal, but honestly I am surprised this didn't end up as a B-stock guitar. I have bought B-stock LTD's before and couldn't even figure out why they were B-stock.

The big problem though is the whole thing buzzes like crazy even with more relief and higher action. I have no idea what the deal is really. There are some high frets that show up with a fret rocker for sure but it buzzes horribly everywhere. I can't see how this is something being caused by a few high frets. A setup is one thing, but I do not at all accept that a new guitar that costs over $1k should require a total fret level and crown to be playable. In this case, I suspect even after getting the works, this guitar would be a buzzing mess.

I've bought lots of Korean guitars over the years and some have been great, but WMI Korea is definitely making some dogs and ESP is letting them out. :doh:
 
Just a few examples of the finishing issues - not major, but as I said, I’ve bought B-stocks in the past that had less obvious flaws.
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Because of end grain near the binding not every guitar is going to come off the line looking perfect. Maybe okay for $300-$400, but at 1K that one should have been listed as a factory second. No excuse for the high frets and buzzing though.

Are you going to have another one sent to you, or look for something else?
 
If I ever have money again, i'm definitely going to have to get an extended range guitar of some kind to do death metal on, and I am dreading it

Because most of the baritones and 7 strings I play that aren't MIJ, germany, or US have the same sort of set up problems @Bardagh got
 
MadAsAHatter said:
Because of end grain near the binding not every guitar is going to come off the line looking perfect. Maybe okay for $300-$400, but at 1K that one should have been listed as a factory second. No excuse for the high frets and buzzing though.

Are you going to have another one sent to you, or look for something else?
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If it played and sounded great I would get over the finishing flaws pretty easily - I tend to bang up my guitars anyway.

I don't know, they only have a couple others of these right now and I don't like how their fretboards look. Jackson has a line of baritones that are just coming out that I like some aspects of, but they're Indonesian made guitars and they cost $1500-1600 and I have a lot of trouble with that lol. The only other thing I like the look of is the LTD Black Metal Phoenix 7 string.

Or I could have Warmoth build me a baritone conversion neck for about $400 and I could slap that on one of my partscasters - but then I have to wait a long time.
 
I definitely feel like WMI is overextending themself lately. I have a bunch from them over the last 5 years or so, and were all flawless until this year. It probably doesn't help that so many brands jump back and forth between them and Cort so often.
 
Bardagh said:
I decided to pick up one of these new as I got burned buying a used baritone earlier this year. I need a baritone as I hate the compromises (and modifications like altering the nut) that come into play to try and get a normal scale length guitar playing down in B and not being a mess. Ordered from Sweetwater and got it in this morning...

First bad thing I noticed is the finish is kind of shoddy around the binding on the top of the body. It just looks kind of messy and inconsistent. If it was on the backside or something not a big deal, but honestly I am surprised this didn't end up as a B-stock guitar. I have bought B-stock LTD's before and couldn't even figure out why they were B-stock.

The big problem though is the whole thing buzzes like crazy even with more relief and higher action. I have no idea what the deal is really. There are some high frets that show up with a fret rocker for sure but it buzzes horribly everywhere. I can't see how this is something being caused by a few high frets. A setup is one thing, but I do not at all accept that a new guitar that costs over $1k should require a total fret level and crown to be playable. In this case, I suspect even after getting the works, this guitar would be a buzzing mess.

I've bought lots of Korean guitars over the years and some have been great, but WMI Korea is definitely making some dogs and ESP is letting them out. :doh:
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Indonesia too. I have a few Indonesian Ibanez and they're great guitars!
 
Surprising, I have generally found the fit and finish of motel 400 - 1000 level LTD guitars to be excellent. Perhaps a rare bad day at the factory.
 
angelspade said:
Surprising, I have generally found the fit and finish of motel 400 - 1000 level LTD guitars to be excellent. Perhaps a rare bad day at the factory.
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I’ve had quite a few of them over the years and generally found the same - I’ve even bought B-stock a couple times and they were great and I couldn’t even figure out why they were B-stock.

It became clear to me this one had already been returned by someone else. The little tool pack was missing (not that I need it) and someone had actually changed the strings and put a much lighter set on. It was supposed to have the D’addario baritone set that’s .013-.062 but that low B had the tension of a wet noodle. I eventually found a spare .062 gauge string from an Ernie Ball set I had and realized the one on the guitar was maybe a .052 gauge.

I cobbled together the correct set of strings and restrung it, which improved things but high frets are high frets and it has a lot of them (I counted 5). That is a total fret level and recrown. I could do it but fuck that, I could have just bought a used guitar for a lot less.
 
So I’m definitely not exchanging this for another of the same model. I’m looking at another LTD, the 7 string Horizon 3 model - but doesn’t this fretboard look a little funky? Not the little styrofoam specs on it but how it looks dried out or something right where the frets are?

IMG_4442.jpeg
 
What’s been anyone’s experience with import Jacksons recently? They have some new baritone 6 strings just hitting the market but I’m also looking at the Loomis SL7. I like that it actually has a little narrower nut than you usually see on 7’s.
 
Yep.
Bardagh said:
I decided to pick up one of these new as I got burned buying a used baritone earlier this year. I need a baritone as I hate the compromises (and modifications like altering the nut) that come into play to try and get a normal scale length guitar playing down in B and not being a mess. Ordered from Sweetwater and got it in this morning...

First bad thing I noticed is the finish is kind of shoddy around the binding on the top of the body. It just looks kind of messy and inconsistent. If it was on the backside or something not a big deal, but honestly I am surprised this didn't end up as a B-stock guitar. I have bought B-stock LTD's before and couldn't even figure out why they were B-stock.

The big problem though is the whole thing buzzes like crazy even with more relief and higher action. I have no idea what the deal is really. There are some high frets that show up with a fret rocker for sure but it buzzes horribly everywhere. I can't see how this is something being caused by a few high frets. A setup is one thing, but I do not at all accept that a new guitar that costs over $1k should require a total fret level and crown to be playable. In this case, I suspect even after getting the works, this guitar would be a buzzing mess.

I've bought lots of Korean guitars over the years and some have been great, but WMI Korea is definitely making some dogs and ESP is letting them out. :doh:
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I bought an LTD Lynch Desert Eagle a couple months ago that was dreadful. The Floyd fine tuners had half the travel it should have and were a bitch to turn. Even cleaning them up didn't help.. The bar wouldn't screw in right, and even tight it did this annoying clickity-clack.. Then, if that weren't bad, one of the 2 screws that held the nut to the neck turned freely, and the hole was drilled too big. Only one screw holding the nut on, It was a tuning nightmare and complete unuasable piece of shit.. One dive bomb and it was toast. Total garbage guitar.
 
Bardagh said:
What’s been anyone’s experience with import Jacksons recently? They have some new baritone 6 strings just hitting the market but I’m also looking at the Loomis SL7. I like that it actually has a little narrower nut than you usually see on 7’s.
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The Loomis will be Korea - they do all ash body guitars for Jackson and Charvel. All their new Pro Plus are Chinese. I'd look for an Ibanez Prestige or MIJ ESP. I can honestly say I've had ZERO issues with every Prestige I've owned, and the Edge trem blows away a Floyd 1000 any day of the week. I prefer them to the true German Floyd's, honestly. Even a Gotoh GE1996T is better. I'm done with 1000-series Floyd's. Even the 1500's on the USA American Series Jacksons. Turds. Get a Prestige and pickups to taste - you'll be a happy camper. Some earlier models come with Bare Knuckel pickups.

Or, look at Schecter. I've found their QC on Korean guitars superior to ESP. Don't ask me why, same factory. I think because they hit the USA and get inspected. Don't think ESP does that.
 
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napalmdeath said:
The Loomis will be Korea - they do all ash body guitars for Jackson and Charvel. All their new Pro Plus are Chinese. I'd look for an Ibanez Prestige or MIJ ESP.
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Yeah I would look at the Japanese stuff but I have never got along with Ibanez necks and ESP Japan isn’t really making anything extended range that I like the specs of. It’s also crazy some of the new E-II models are over $3k.

Obviously Korea can make very good guitars, I’ve had a number of them - but some manufacturers (Schecter IME) have always kept costs lower with looser QC so even their higher end Korean imports are more of a gamble. My guess things may be going more that direction due to the difficulties of keeping up with demand or to lower costs.

I’m not totally put off of stuff from Korea, it’s more a question of how much emphasis is the guitar company putting on QC from the WMI factory. I have no experience whatsoever with Jackson’s imports so I don’t know what the deal is with that reliability.
 
Hell that looks mint compared to the last LTD I tried to buy. Returned twice for the same guitar and all had issues. Wouldn't buy a new LTD again but there are some old gems out there.
 
Bardagh said:
Yeah I would look at the Japanese stuff but I have never got along with Ibanez necks and ESP Japan isn’t really making anything extended range that I like the specs of. It’s also crazy some of the new E-II models are over $3k.

Obviously Korea can make very good guitars, I’ve had a number of them - but some manufacturers (Schecter IME) have always kept costs lower with looser QC so even their higher end Korean imports are more of a gamble. My guess things may be going more that direction due to the difficulties of keeping up with demand or to lower costs.

I’m not totally put off of stuff from Korea, it’s more a question of how much emphasis is the guitar company putting on QC from the WMI factory. I have no experience whatsoever with Jackson’s imports so I don’t know what the deal is with that reliability.
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My last 3 Jackson are Cort Indonesia and great other than one of the tuners was kind of loose. They are X series, not pros though. I've seen models made by Samick, too. Not sure if it's a model to model thing on where they get built. You may want to check out FGN (FujiGen's own brand). I feel like I've seen the mystic or mythic model in a 7 with a 1996, iirc and were in the same range as a bunch of Korean built similar models, although bolt on.

I've also been wanting to check out Jackson's new baritone range :love: Looking at their website on the back of one of the headstocks it says KWJ as the beginning of the serial, so possibly Korea World Jackson would be my guess. I know there is another Korean manufacturer that starts with a W, but can't think of it off the top of my head at the moment. Still going to guess it's world.
 
Check out the ESP E-II Viper baritone. I have one I got used at GC for $1400, looked brand new when I got it. Love the thing and it’s my main guitar now. They discontinued them this year but I’m sure there’s still some around.

One thing to note is that it had neck dive, so I moved the strap button to the tip of the horn- problem solved.
 
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