ESP Horizon setup problems, possible neck issue?

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    shakeESP
    Ok, I've had my ESP Horizon NT-II for a good two and a half years now. In this time that I have owned it, it has had more setups than I care to remember. The guitar has never left the country or been subject to extreme temperature changes. In it's current state, it has been setup with higher action with normal, to get rid of the buzzing and choking around the fretboard. This means it is rather unpleasant to play and I'm pretty concerned about this and have thought "Hey, this isn't normal, you could pick up a cheap guitar off the shelf and it would probably play smoother than this" which really isn't right. A friend of mine suggested that perhaps the neck could have warped very slightly, causing these setup issues, which would really make sense if it were true. I have tried to fill out a form to send to ESPs customer support, but the submission link is broken, therefore it is impossible to send anything to them, which sucks. I just want to know what anyone here thinks, and if this were a problem with the guitar (non-user inflicted of course, this guitar has never seen a gig), would this be covered under the lifetime warranty? Cheers, -Chris
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    svt4cobra6
    svt4cobra6 wrote

    Yep I think ESP sells so many guitars they really do not have customer service in place to respond to all issues in a timely manner. Could be a few things but first look down the neck and see if you can see any bowing. There should be a very slight bow which you can see by pressing down on the first and last fret (low e string), and take a feeler gauge and measure the distance between the 7th fret and the string, should be very close, around .01-.015 inches. If the string is hitting the truss rod should be adjusted(this is the setup) or is greater (too much bow) also truss rod adjustment required. You can also push the string down at each fret and note the space between the string and the next fret (example push down low e at first fret, look at space between string and second fret). This space should stay the same as you go up the neck, push down string at second fret and look at space between third fret and string. I have an mh400 that has been set up a few times and the action is about average and this space is not uniform through out the neck. I think if it were it would have great action!

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      Pushead
      Pushead wrote

      It seems more likely that the guitar needs to have the frets leveled. When you've "had this guitar setup", was it ever done by a professional? Most professional luthiers I've dealt with will do a rough evaluation of the guitar for free. They will be able to determine if the neck is "warped" or more likely needs the truss rod adjusted, and if the nut or frets need work.

      If it needs something serious, that's when you can contact your dealer (or ESP) about warranty claims.

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