Tell me about the ESP Viper...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bob Savage
  • Start date Start date
Anything below the 301 series really starts to get cheap IMO. Bolt on necks, basswood body's, poor pups, lack of inlays etc.
 
Cool... so anything above 300 is good? Is there a newer model that replaced the 301?
 
Bob Savage":1oai1iol said:
Cool... so anything above 300 is good? Is there a newer model that replaced the 301?
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Yup 401 is the new 301. All mahogany w/ actives. The 1000 model is nice, has Seymours too.
 
D-Rock":267d9dhb said:
Anything below the 301 series really starts to get cheap IMO. Bolt on necks, basswood body's, poor pups, lack of inlays etc.
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Yo D-rock, some serious Deftones love in yer siggy eh?? :thumbsup: :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock:
 
The lineage of the LTD Viper goes:

early 00's -viper 300
Dot inlays instead of flags, came in black and see thru red, emg hz h1's

02-03 -viper 301
Same as the 300 but with flag inlays. Came in black, see thru red, brown sunburst and white, emg hz h1's. the ltd logo changed during the 301's time of production

04-09 - viper 400
Same as the 301 but with emg 81/81 setup, earvana nuts and Grover tuners. I think at some point with these years, the pickups changed to the 81/85 setup

09-10 - viper 401
Same as the 400 but came in see thru finishes with flamed veneer tops.

11-12 - viper 300M or 300fm
Pretty much like the 400 but without Grover's or an earvana nut.

300, 301 and 400 were made in Korea. 401's are made in Indonesia, newer 300m and 300fm are made in china.

Early 100 series with the old script logo were made in Korea at a couple different factories.

Over the last few years 50, 100, 200, 256 have been made in china. Body woods have been mahogany, basswood and agathis, depending on model and year.

There have also been the 1000 series, those have remained steady spec wise for the most part over the years, but feature different finishes.

Also, across the board in the 400, 401 and 1000 series the sunburst models came with Duncan's.

IMO the ones to get are the made in Korea 300, 301 and 400 models.

If you prefer bolt ons, the early script logo 100 series made in the world instruments factory in Korea are pretty sweet.

Also, the years I gave may be fudged a bit, give or take a year.

The viper doesn't seem to get much love anymore. With esp's new lineup, vipers are only low end models, nothing made in Korea anymore
 
nwright":2a10vtmz said:
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.
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That's badass. Do they make an EC or Les Paul type model that's 25.5" scale?
 
I had a black 301 that I upgraded with white EMGs. It sounded insanely chunky and awesome and stayed in tune very well even during a lot of onstage abuse. The only thing I didn't like was the unbalanced feel. It was very neck-heavy and on the early 301s, the strap button was on the back of the horn and not on the tip. I relocated it to the tip which helped a lot, but I always had to hold the neck up. I ended up selling it but I wouldn't hesitate to grab another.
I didn't think it was anything like an SG sound or feel-wise. SGs have that thin, almost plastic feel to them and they are resonant and light, whereas the Viper was a heavy chunk machine and felt a lot more sturdy and "put together".
 
I really want to put a ceramic high output pup in the bridge of my 301. I still have the passive EMGs in there and although they are very low noise and have decent tone and dynamics, they just don't offer the clarity, response and punch that I'm used to with the 81 that I use now.
I think I'm either going with a D-activator, 500T, Distortion or 81/85 combo. I don't want to stray too far from the 81 sound, since my amps are mostly dialed in for that eq curve and output level. I hate changing settings and levels when I change guitars.
 
I'll probably go full fanboi and get the Arcane Phil X pickups. Yeah.
 
D-Rock":1ckeldw9 said:
I really want to put a ceramic high output pup in the bridge of my 301. I still have the passive EMGs in there and although they are very low noise and have decent tone and dynamics, they just don't offer the clarity, response and punch that I'm used to with the 81 that I use now.
I think I'm either going with a D-activator, 500T, Distortion or 81/85 combo. I don't want to stray too far from the 81 sound, since my amps are mostly dialed in for that eq curve and output level. I hate changing settings and levels when I change guitars.
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If you want the 81 sound but want a more passive feel and more beef, SERIOUSLY check out the EMG 57.

here's my black ESP with the 57 now...
emg57viper.jpg


and here's a comparison clip of EMG's in Vipers...

In the mix:
First clip is the 81
second is the 85
third is the 57

solo'd
first is the 85
second is the 81
third is the 57

 
The Viper is the ultimate rock machine! I absolute love my standard series. 24 frets and a Gibby scale length, so cool. I can't comment on the LTD's, but the ESP Vipers are amazing.

As far as the strap button, just move it. It's super easy and makes all the difference. Also, leather straps help.

Here is a vid review I did not long after buying mine.

 
Had a 301 w flags years ago solid rock guitar played really well.
 
I have a viper standard I freekin love it my #1 for the last few years...gotta move the strap button though..
 
I had a 400. Great player, and neck heavy. I had to put the strap button on the tip of the horn - challenging...
 
Thanks nwright, that 57 sounds a lot like the HZ-1 in my Viper now. Looser, warmer than the 81. I did like the 85 though. Sounds a little wider than the 81 and had a bump in the mids. But just as tight and clear. I like the 81 in my EC, but I kind of want to stay passive in the Viper but want to add clarity and some output at the same time.
 
D-Rock":22ldftbw said:
Thanks nwright, that 57 sounds a lot like the HZ-1 in my Viper now. Looser, warmer than the 81. I did like the 85 though. Sounds a little wider than the 81 and had a bump in the mids. But just as tight and clear. I like the 81 in my EC, but I kind of want to stay passive in the Viper but want to add clarity and some output at the same time.
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I've had JB's, Duncan Distortions, Anderson H3's, L500XL's, X2N's and more in mine.

I'm a JB fan, so I liked it the most, aside from the Anderson. The Anderson killed...the JB was REALLY close, though.
 
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