I confess. I am a total geek and probably considered an addict when it comes to guitar customization. I find the utmost joy in customizing guitars, no matter the price tag. Customizations are not cheap. However, that should not stop us from getting guitars that doesn't come with a hefty price just for the sake of modification.
What if you are one of those who likes guitars to be of non-conventional shapes but yet a quality instrument? The first one that were to pop up in my head are the LTD F series. They don't cause a bomb and are a joy to play with. So far, among all the lower end LTDs that I have tried, they all seemed to have pretty good QC and are a joy to play with off the shop.
What makes this guitar a nice foundation for modifying is that it spots a tune-o-matic bridge which in my opinion is by itself a pretty solid bridge. However, if you aren't too happy with the stock bridge, it is always very easy to switch over to a Gotoh one, which is well known to be solidly build. At the same time, there is less hassle of having to drill bigger holes for the Gotoh stud anchors.
The Tuning pegs that comes with the guitar is pretty decent but I still would prefer a set of Gotohs to go along with it. The 42mm nut can be easily converted to one made of either bone or graphite. My personal preference however would be to go with Brass for that brighter bell like response for the open strings.
The only thing that are bad in the whole equation are the stock pickups that come along with the guitar. They are muddy and noisy, when clean or driven. However, in my opinion, pickups should be the least of your worries as they are easily changeable and usually does great wonders to your tone after swapping. My suggestion will always be Dimarzios or Seymour Duncans in this case. However, if you want to save some money, you can always head over to Guitar Fetish and get yourself a pair of their in house pickups which in my honest opinion fares pretty well, comparing to higher end pickups.
The neck of the guitar is somewhat a smaller and flatter version of a C shape neck but still fat by ESP thin U standards. However, the neck is well finish and is baby butt smooth. For players who aren't too fond of the fatness of C shape necks, the neck is of course can be easily sand down with a palm sander. That being said, the neck isn't Les-Paul fat but more of Squier Fat.
I was able to push the action to 1.5mm measuring at 12th fret without the need to further file down the frets. This to me is already an amazing for guitars of this price range. Usually, I have to settle for 2mm, which is already high by my standards. However, for players who prefer that sick 1mm action, it can be easily rectified by filing down the frets from the 13th fret onwards. This is also commonly known as compound radius.
The guitar also sports a basswood body, which is once again not common for brands such as ESP (LTDS) or Ibanez. Usually, guitars of this price range sports an Agathis body. I personally have nothing against Aghatis body but I do however prefer the neutral mid bass dominant tone of the Basswood.
Do take consideration of this guitar as your starting or project base guitar when you have something in mind. The quality of this guitar isn't one to disappoint.
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