3 bad EC500s

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max_power
I ordered an red EC-500 online before Christmas and it was beautiful. but it had wiring issues. they sent a replacement. It had a big dent (I assume from shipping) they sent a third guitar, and it seems to have some wiring issues, although not as bad as the first one. but it has a number of "fit & finish" flaws. crappy binding on one side of the headstock, spots in the binding around the body and what appears to be a chip in the point of the headstock that was there before the guitar was varnished. Am I crazy to assume that I can get a well built guitar with working electronics from the LTD line? Im almost starting to feel like an asshole sending back guitar after guitar to this place, and Its been over a month and I still dont have a guitar I consider to be worth keeping.
ESPimperium

Wiring issues are nothing, cosmetic issues are worth something.

If your first one was OK, you should have just gone to a tech and put up the £30-50 for him to look at it and fix any minor things if you arnt too good with a soldering iron yourslef.

If it was me id have kept it and fixed it as i am good with a soldering iron and know the EMG wiring well.

Id say send it back again, dont feel like a duche, you deserve to have the axe good to go id say.

max_power

Can I assume that the deluxe line would have a higher quality control coming off the line than the 500 series?

I might step it up if I thought it would make a big difference in the qualit I was getting, but I don't like how they look as much.

ESPimperium

I have a EC-1000VHB and a EC-500 OW and the 1K is much higher in quality, but id look at the EC-1000VB if i were you, and dont think it looks "poorer" in the looks department, in person it looks jaw dropping imo.

njrusmc

Wiring issues take 5 minutes to correct. I just got a new MH400NT, wiring was fine, but I resoldered it up anyway with thicker gauge wires, an 18V mod, and shrink wrap tubing around the joints for extra protection. Still sounds good, but dont let wiring issues scare you away.

Butch

well i got and still have horrible incurable buzz with the H500 i ordered over xmas!!!!!!

ufkc ufkc ufkc ufkc ufkc~~!

TheDevilHimself

It's because you are late. All the good LTDs have been bought up by board members. Obviously! :-)

TRB

You shouldn't have to pay out of your own pocket to fix something that should of been done right in the first place.

I guess thats the problem with buying online, you can't test out the guitar before hand to make sure everything is ok.

metaball

You shouldn't have to pay out of your own pocket to fix something that should of been done right in the first place.

I guess thats the problem with buying online, you can't test out the guitar before hand to make sure everything is ok.

i just picked up a red EC-500 with bunk wiring as well. the thing looks & plays beautifully but the pickup switch is glitchy. upper & lower pickups work separately but wont work together unless i hold the switch just so. i'll pop the thing open & yank out my soldering iron when i have time & i have friends i can call if i cant fix the thing myself, but it is a pain in the ass to buy somthing new with these kinds of problems. your US inspectors are slacking, step up the quality control ESP!!

sp1ke

what exactly were the wiring issues?

max_power

when i switch the p/u selector to bridge postion, most of the time it takes a long time to get a signal from the pickup, sometimes I cant get any sound at all. sometimes unplugging and re-plugging the cord helps.

also, If I have the volume up on both pickups and I'm in the middle position, if i turn the volume down on either pickup I lose all sound.

sp1ke

wow, that's fucked up... usually ltd's quality control is pretty good...

max_power

I just decided this morning to send all the 500 series back and coughed up a little extra cash, now I've got a see thru green deluxe model on the way.

OutlawTorn

i checked my local dealer.....they have a cherry EC-500....the nut is lifting off the neck...they've had the guitar for about a month

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espdood

I'm not too suprised with some of the recent Korean imports from the LTD. I had ordered 2 high end LTD (Alexi Laiho and the EC-1000VB) and they both were cosmetically flawed and returned both. Other people that have bought LTD's on this board don't seem to have a problem, so it must be the luck of the draw.

njrusmc

I prefer to buy from DCGL because they inspect the guitar once when they receive it from the factory, then again before it gets shipped. My guitar came in 100% condition along with other cool free stuff. Not trying to advertise for them here, so I will be general: Try to order from a shop rather than a warehouse-dealer like MF, ZZ sounds, or AMS. This way you are guaranteed that a professional looked the guitar over and set it up how you specified.

I bought an MH 400 NT from DCGL less than a month ago and there are no issues. I re-did the wiring, as I said in this post earlier, but that was mainly out of an internal desire rather than correcting a problem.

metaball

Other people that have bought LTD's on this board don't seem to have a problem, so it must be the luck of the draw.

that appears to be the case. i have a buddy that worked for Fender out in Corona, Ca. if you got one of his it prolly turned out ok, if you got the one built by the old lady who had never played guitar in her life who worked 2 booths down you were screwed.

guitarsatbmusic

if you got the one built by the old lady who had never played guitar in her life who worked 2 booths down you were screwed.
If you got one from that "old lady" it might be worth more than the one from your friend :)

metaball

You mean some old lady, like Abigail Ybarra?

the old lady he was talking about didnt speak english.

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