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4 Review (s) -
6 Rating (s)
ESP LTD ST203FR Electric GuitarThe awesome distressed look of the ST203FR is worn like a champ. From the first time you pick up this guitar you will notice that it feels broken in like your favorite pair of sneakers. The antique look is only the begining, ESP's ST203FR Features an alder body with 1-piece maple neck and ESP's LH-150 humbucker paired with two screaming LS-120 single coils. The FR stands for Floyd Rose which offers you access to incredible playing expression.
ESP LTD ST203FR Features
- Alder Body with 1-piece Maple Neck
- Nickel Hardware and ESP Tuners
- LH-150 Humbucker and Two LS-120 single coils
- Floyd Rose Special Bridge
ESP LTD ST203FR Electric Guitar Specifications
- Construction: Bolt-On
- Scale Length: 25.5 inches
- Body: Alder
- Neck: 1-piece Maple
- Nut: 42mm Standard Nut
- Neck Contour: Thin U
- Frets: 22 XJ Frets
- Hardware: Nickel
- Tuners: ESP Tuners
- Bridge: Floyd Rose Special Bridge
- Bridge Pickup: ESP LH-150 Humbucker
- Neck and Middle Pickups: LS-120 Single Coils
- Optional Case: #ESP
CSTFF
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John anderson from Nazareth, PA
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| Playability and Feel |
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| The "Roadworn" Fender should have built! |
| Quality |
| Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? |
| For a mass produced guitar costing around $400, I think the quality of this thing is excellent. I haven't removed the neck to check the neck/body pocket fit (a critical point) and there is a visible space between the sides of the neck and the body, but that is pretty much on par with most guitars in this price range. (Real high end guitars will usually have a fit so tight you can lift the body off the floor holding only the neck even with the neck bolts removed - you don't get that on a $400 mass produced instrument regardless of who makes it!). One small gripe that another reviewer noted was the stock 5-way switch - it is definitely a little on the tall side, but that'll be swapped out for a Fender Super Switch in my case. The stocker functions just fine - no scratchy sounds or anything, just feels a bit cheap. |
| Reliability |
| How has it stood up over time? |
| I haven't had it long enough to know this, but the it feels sturdy in your hands. The tuners have a quality feel and I would expect this guitar to be as durable as any other guitar of this kind regardless of price or country of origin. |
| Overall |
| Your general opinion of this product. |
| I was excited about this guitar the moment I laid eyes on it. I had piced up a Maple necked Fender Roadworn because I truly like the look and feel of a worn guitar (but am way too anal to ever let anything I own get that banged up). The Fender had a 9.5" radius, vintage tremolo, and a subpar bridge pickup for what I do so it just had the right looks but not the right feel. This thing is right on the money! The radius feels about 10 - 12" so fretting out hasn't been an issue at all even on wild bends. The Floyd is adequate (I don't get hung up on "must have an Original"). The neck profile is closest to a strat, but a shad slimmer than my American Deluxe or Mexican _ It actually gradually slims as you go up (i.e.thinner at the 12th fret than at the 3rd fret? |
| Playability and Feel |
| How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? |
| The guitar feels solid and plays very well. Mine had no high frets or any fretboard issues and again, once I got my setup on it, it felt like an old friend. |
| Tone |
| Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? |
| Tone is basically typical strat with a super hot bridge pickup. It is definitely on the bright side and a bit thin - again, this is a common byproduct of a maple neck and a Floyd bridge. Get a big block for the floyd and it'll warm right up. |
| Finish |
| How did the stain or paint job look? |
| The relic job is not the best. Fender's Roadworns were done a bit better, but it's not terrible and a little sandpaper takes care of this problem. The missing finish areas have some real straigh lines indicating it was done via machine (particularly on the body egge behind the bridge) but again, it's an easy fix. They did put a flat clear over the whole thing after "relicing" the finish so you have to get through that to get to the paint. The fingerboard wear isn't in an accurate position as it's between the strings (not directly under them) but a dremel with a small wire wheel and a low setting fixes that right up. (Don't dig into the wood! - just remove the stain finish!) There is no relicing done on the pickguard, pickups, knobs, or hardware. A little scothbrite on the pickguard give it a suitable work look though. |
| Action |
| How was the action out of the box? |
| As is always the case, the guitar needed attention out of the box. The truss adjustment was spot on so all this one needed was the action lowered at the bridge. The main plate on the bridge now sits parallel with the body on both sides with half of the plate thickness above the body. I always "block" floating tremolos before I even bother playing the guitar (except for my Edge Zero Ibanez's). Once setup, this guitar could has great action - well below 2.5mm at the 12th fret and has very little buzz (it comes with .009 - .042 strings which helps). It can definitely shred. |
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