ltd ec 331 fr neck joint

Updated
ltd ec 331 fr neck joint

I've been wanting this guitar since I read it's review in guitar player magazine a couple months back, my only concern is access to the upper frets.i have an epiphone les paul and I have trouble reaching anything above the 18th fret, I dont have issues with any of my strat style guitars so I'm wondering how it compares to the les paul, is the neck joint on the 331 thinner?

jt76

Yes the neck joint is thinner.

the 331 is a thinner than body than gib and epi les pauls,  this allows a lot better upper fret access.  Also the horn is cut out a bit on the back, this also helps with upper fret access.   I find Gib and Epi les Pauls unpleasant on the upper frets, but I own two ltd ec256's and an eclipse 2 that have the same body cut as the model you are looking an and have never found them to be uncomfortable.   The neck still has a full heal, so they not quite as accessable as they would be on an esp or ibanez strat type where the heal is clipped.  I would say they are more comparable to the access on a fender strat in my opinion.   Keep in mind the fret board is the les paul scale so there is less space between the frets, especially  on those upper frets,  at first this can slow you down quite a bit if you are used to the longer strat type neck scale.  

david s.

Thanks, do you know if all the ltd ec's have the same neck? The local music store owner came to see my band and told me he had an ec in stock, he's a drummer so he didn't know the exact model but I'll check it out if it's the same.

jt76

all the necks are the same, the craftsmanship varies for model to model,  but they are the same shape and fret size.   

the neck is similar to a gibson 60's neck - the thin gibson neck.   actually a bit thinner I think.  They are very comfortable if you like thin necks with large frets.

There is an eclipse full thickness that is going to be more like a gibson in weight and lack of fret access but they are not common.  Not certain but 

I don't think they make a full thickness LTD - I think its only the actual ESP model.     I would recommend trying out the ec that the local guy has.

jt76

I just looked at you profile and see that you have a MH50,  The neck should feel very close to that,  it will have the same frets.  Fret access should be way better the epiphone but might not be quite as good as the mh.  Most of my guitars have the same heal as the Mh and I personally don't notice a difference when I play the eclipse, except for the scale length of the neck.   

david s.

That really helps, I was going to buy the 331 two weeks ago but couldn't find one local so I got the mh50 because I had to buy something!  It's a great guitar for the money and if the eclipses are similar then I'll definitely check them out

david s.

I just checked out the used ec 401 at the local shop, I found it more than acceptable so I will be saving my gig money for the ec 331 fr , can't wait! Thanks for your input. 

Samer

Bit late to the party, but I did a review/overview of this guitar for my YouTube channel. I have owned this guitar and used for studio and live. 

 

 

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