ESP LTD Vulture Black Satin James Hetfield Signature
Signature guitar in set-neck design with EMG JH "Het" pickup set and TonePros hardware
Signature guitar in the design of the Metallica riffsmith
With the ESP LTD Vulture Black Satin James Hetfield Signature guitar, ESP presents the latest creation of the Metallica riffsmith, who has been relying on ESP guitars since 1988 and can look back on a series of extremely successful instruments since then. With the body shape designed by Hetfield himself, the LTD Vulture sets new standards in terms of metal looks and stage presence, while the typical all-mahogany construction and the EMG JH "Het" pickup set promise the typical Metallica sound.
The ESP LTD Vulture Black Satin designed by James Hetfield convinces with first-class playing characteristics and the unmistakable Metallica sound.
The glued "Thin U" mahogany neck of the LTD Vulture is easy to play up to the highest registers.
Mahogany and ebony for the fat punch
For the construction of the LTD Vulture, Papa Het wanted proven ingredients in the form of mahogany for the body and the glued neck, so that the electric guitar comes up with a rich and powerful punch in the sound pattern. Ebony is also used for the 22-fret fingerboard, where the Vulture logo marks the 12th fret. Last but not least, the slim "Thin and neck profile makes every even tricky high-speed riffs go out of the fingers as if by itself.
The active humbuckers of the EMG "Het" set have their own volume controls and deliver the unmistakable sound of the Metallica riff master.
EMG "Het" Set Pickups
The electrical tone conversion of the LTD Vulture is handled by the proven EMG JH "Het" set, which the Californian pickup specialists at EMG developed together with James Hetfield to uniquely combine the clarity of active pickups with the organic dynamics of passive units. Here, the EMG JH-B bridge pickup, reinforced with ceramic steel magnets, stands for the typical Hetfield sound, perfectly staging high-speed riffs with crisp Attack and precise focus on mids and highs. The JH-N neck pickup, on the other hand, delivers a transparent sound for sparkling clean sounds and singing leads thanks to its ceramic magnets. The pickup LTD James Hetfield Vulture are also controlled by a 3-way switch and its own volume control.
LTD Locking Tuners keep the ESP LTD Vulture James Hetfield Signature guitar securely in the correct tuning.
High-quality and reliable hardware
Last but not least, high-quality hardware that also completes professional shows and recording sessions with unlimited reliability rounds out the features of the ESP LTD Vulture Black Satin. A Tune-O-Matic variant from TonePros is used as the bridge, which can be locked on its pins and thus contributes to the excellent sound characteristics of the ESP LTD Vulture. Generous adjustment options also guarantee precise setting of intonation and string action. On the strikingly designed Vulture headstock, moreover, LTD Locking tuners not only guarantee precise tuning, but also significantly simplify string changes.
Rated "Good" by DelamarESP LTD Vulture James Hetfield Signature download test report
Excerpt: Well, sure, the ESP LTD Vulture James Hetfield Signature is at home in heavy metal. The striking look - this time in a particularly jagged V-shape - the feel and, last but not least, the sound speak a clear language. A mahogany body and three-piece neck meet an ebony fretboard and low-noise EMG pickups for high-gain to the max. So guitarists who love the Metallica sound will get their money's worth.
Well, I'm fan of radical shape design. Also, I'm owner of Gibson Explorer and Dean ML for long years. For a long time I was looking for a model that is very similar to the described guitars, and I found it in the Snakebite model. As I was unable to find the white Explorer, this white Snakebite was a hit right in the middle! The guitar “sits” very nicely on my thighs as I sit and play, but it also behaves just fine as I stand and play, it’s nicely balanced. The finish is very good, not quite like the original Gibson, but the price is definitely lower. The aggressive shape of the guitar, as well as the look of the headstocks, encourages its owner to invent new riffs and roar chords from some hot "tubes". Compared to the original, it gives a slightly "smaller bite" and the sound is a bit darker, IMHO it is probably a matter of resonance due to the different quality of the wood, but that is not always so noticeable. Built-in Tonepros hardware is a guarantee that the tone will be transmitted to the pickups and amplifier. The switch is in a much better place than with the Explorer, and just two volume and tone controls are really enough for that kind of music. I know this guitar is meant more for rhythm guitar player than for lead players but maybe it would be good if the neck has 24 jumbo frets instead of 22, maybe some other model, though I doubt it (JH isn't a lead player). The price may not be for beginners and occasional non-commercial musicians, but I don't think it's worth buying some cheap guitars that will later stand in some dark corner of the room. Snakebite always invites you to take it in hand and try some riff, trust me.
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(This review is from the same product in color Snow White)
This is by far the best instrument I have ever bought. This sounds so amazing and feels so light, it has amazing tone and sounds so like Metallica with the Het Set. The strings are so nice on the fingers and the frets are in pristine condition. The switch feels great and the even the one that does nothing ;) The finish is superb and looks really good (Binding, Inlay etc). The pickups came in good condition with a few finger marks on it and the covers on the new pickups had been taken off.
The guitar arrived here in the UK from Germany with no damage and no marks or scratches. Which is unusual because most of things I order from Germany are damaged or scratched. The guitar was well packaged with 2 boxes. and stuffed to stop it rattling around on the journey. The delivery was quick from Germany to UK literally a 2 day wait.
Overall I recommend this entirely as it's such a perfect guitar for metal and clean. It will support anything you want to play. I do recommend buying strap locks as I did as the strap holders are not that good if you have a cheap strap ;)
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This is a guitar for James Hetfield fans. Well not only them, but its distinct design is a fan status statement. The guitar has the build quality of the other LTD Eclipse guitars in this price range, and LTD makes very good quality instruments. The JH pickups sound great.. If you like active pickups to begin with. Price / performance is great if compared to the 1000 series, however I also own a 401 series Eclipse also korean made and I have to say there is no difference in craftsmanship between the two, and the 401 is 30% cheaper. Overall I am happy with this guitar.
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