Thoughts on the old EC-300's and EC-400's

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Thoughts on the old EC-300's and EC-400's
The beveled, flat top models. How well do they compare to the modern day EC-401's? I feel I may be beating a dead horse, but I'm trying to decide between one of the two. The EC-401 is the better looking one (Especially with the 2 new bluebursts coming out), but from what I'm reading, the older Korean models may be better in terms of quality. Anyone mind shining some light on the ordeal? EDIT: Also, what about the 90's Custom shop eclipses and MA's that usually pop up on eBay, how are they? I know this should probably be on the ESP board, not the LTD boards, but this thread focuses more on the LTD's.
Nitrobattery

I've worked in several music stores over the years that have been ESP dealers, have owned a ton of ESP and LTD guitars, and have been the guy that pulls them out of the box when they arrive. The quality of the LTD stuff has always been awesome...it's just how it's stored that makes a world of difference. I don't think people realize that if a music store leaves a new guitar on a shelf for 6 months under less than ideal conditions (lack or abundance of humidity) or it sits in a warehouse for god knows how long (guitar center/musician's friend) you're going to get sharp fret ends, twisted necks etc etc. I can attest that when they first arrive to their new destination from the factory....they're slammin guitars. The Korean ones were great, but so are a lot of the newer models. Just buy from a local mom and pop shop that doesn't have one in stock. They'll order one up straight from the distributor that hasn't been tucked away for ages.

NeedsMoreBlueBell

I've worked in several music stores over the years that have been ESP dealers, have owned a ton of ESP and LTD guitars, and have been the guy that pulls them out of the box when they arrive. The quality of the LTD stuff has always been awesome...it's just how it's stored that makes a world of difference. I don't think people realize that if a music store leaves a new guitar on a shelf for 6 months under less than ideal conditions (lack or abundance of humidity) or it sits in a warehouse for god knows how long (guitar center/musician's friend) you're going to get sharp fret ends, twisted necks etc etc. I can attest that when they first arrive to their new destination from the factory....they're slammin guitars. The Korean ones were great, but so are a lot of the newer models. Just buy from a local mom and pop shop that doesn't have one in stock. They'll order one up straight from the distributor that hasn't been tucked away for ages.

I do see what you're going at, but the nearest ESP/LTD dealer from me is quite a distance away (about 2-3 hours).

Also, the main thing I want to know if its worth saving the $200-300 to buy the older 300 or 400 korean series LTDs over the newer 401 indo series LTD's.

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