Tell me about the ESP Viper...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bob Savage
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Bob Savage

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I was at Fryette a few years back and Pat Lachman was playing one and it sounded great and now Phil X has me wanting one of these. What are the different models and differences between each? Anybody here have one? How do you like it, particularly compared to an SG?
 
At first it felt a little strange,i play Les Pauls %90 of the time, it's a good sounding guitar but it lacks balance,the off the
rack Vipers,I have a custom shop now and i love it,however it doesn't get played much.
If it comes with EMG's get rid of them,they seem to bright,i use active in most everything i own but with that
guitar i use M/C AFWAYU pups and it roars.
When i mentioned it felt strange i was talking about the upper horn hitting my ribcage,it lays different.
 
I have a buddy who absolutely loves his. I think its the very model Phil X plays (mahogany body). Sounds incredible too.
 
i didnt like the balance of the ones i played years ago, but i was playing out a lot, and didnt want to drill a hole in an expensive guitar to change the strap position. i would rather have a used sg, i find them cheap all the time, U.S. made gibbo, and i drill a hole in the top horn to move the strap and the balance is much better..
 
Thanks guys. I think Phil uses the 301, made in Korea. Not sure what wood it's made of. I'd have no problem drilling it...
 
I just got my hands on one this week. It's a Standard Series Viper. Very nicely made, great neck and fretwork.
As a long time SG player, I'm not completely comfortable with it yet. It sits against my body differently and it seems to have even more neck-dive.
 
All their stuff can be neck heavy, so make sure it will hang, if you wanna play with a strap.
 
I have one with Seymour Duncan jazz pups. Picked it up for 2 bills a few months go. I drilled a hole in the horn and moved the strap button and now it's perfectly balanced. Unwearable before.
 
I have a 301 like Phil's...the olympic white.

I also have a sunburst 301, a Max Cavalera sig Viper, 2 LTD Viper 100's and 3 ESP custom guitars standards from the 90's (bolt-ons).

the 301's are a killer deal used.

Mahog body and neck on those. Stock pickups were EMG HZ H1's.

EDIT

A lot of people complain of balance issues, but I've never had a problem with mine. I use some old Kepur straps, though, which tend to hold a guitar in place better than a regular nylon strap.
 
sah5150":1mmr386w said:
Fanboi!!!!

Steve
Click to expand...

No doubt about it. Once I get one I'm going to see if I can get Phil to play it for a couple weeks cuz I need some mojo on it.
 
nwright":26nzaxeh said:
the 301's are a killer deal used.

Mahog body and neck on those. Stock pickups were EMG HZ H1's.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think I want one. I'll swap the pickups out... fanboi must use what Phil uses.
 
here's mine:
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and the rest of mine:
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I have a couple more that are taken apart and getting made over.
 
Nice! I've been wanting an SG for years but just never got around to getting one but after hearing Pat and Phil rip through the Viper, it may be just what the doctor ordered. It could never be my main axe because without a trem I'm lost since I have only 7 licks and need to make squeals and such inbetween, but I think it would be a great axe for recording.
 
I have the Korean 301 too, been my number one for years. (Been leaning towards my Korean EC-501 more latley though)

The key with the Viper is to get one with the strap pin mounted on the upper horn tip.
There will be no balance issues then. Mine is perfect. Nice weight to it to.
 
If I get one that doesn't have the strap pin in the right place I'll just drill a new hole. Heck, I've carved a forearm relief into a $2500 Vigier, this is nothing.
 
To me, the Viper is much more relatable to an LP due to the size and body woods "generally" used.

It's thicker than an SG, and the body is a bit bigger. SG's feel like toys to me, and TBH I hate the way they look...But the Viper is just different enough that I love it. It's become "my" guitar and I obsess over them.

TO get the best of both worlds, check out the ESP Japan Original Series Viper FR-L. Bolt on goodness (I'm a bolt-on guy), mahog body, 25.5" scale (vs. the regular 24.75" scale), built in ESP's custom shop.

vp_l_fr_dcar.jpg


To get one imported would be around 2500-4K I think?

I like my 90's era ESP's the best because they most closely resemble the Japanese Original Series ESP's, which IMO are the "real deal as close to production models you get" from ESP Japan.
 
Absolutely Nwright! I'm with ya!
They have that nice thick slab at the bottom sag of the body countour which makes them sound really thick without being dark. They just flat out rip. They also don't really have anything in common with SG's other than the dual horns.
Great collection by the way. I would love another Viper, just gotta find the right one. I love that Cavalara. Totally wicked.
 
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