Is this electric guitar any good?

it looks good, ibanez? limited edition how much?

 

just clicked the link $550 ? I dont know what its been through though.

 

do that, you never know with used guitars.

 

ok found your model Here are some reviews...

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/ESP/LTD+M-400/10/1

 

First of all, what kind of music are you looking to play? ESP guitars are awesome, but I'd definitely recommend having someone who has experience try it out first, just to make sure there are no issues that are not immediately apparent by looking at it. I would also recommend trying it out through an amp to make sure the pickups, etc. work properly.

 

ebay is loaded with ESP guitars...new and used your bound to get a deal there. I bought a few there when I used to play and they worked fine (I haven't played in over 5 years but I used to a lot)

 

I teach guitar for a living, as well as perform, write, and record. So take what I say with a bit of confidence. I highly recommend spending no more than $150 on your first guitar, and make it an acoustic. You can get very decent, WAY better than I started on, cheap acoustics nowadays. Overseas manufacturing has become much more consistent.

Ventura and Stagg are a couple cheap brands you can check out. The key is to spend as little as you can without sacrificing too much. Whatever you get now will eventually be replaced by something expensive so may as well aim low. That or you might find it collecting dust in a year or so. Either way less now is more for later.

If you can find something local see if the teacher will check it out for you. Any guitar, especially cheaper ones, should at least be checked for intonation, action, and neck relief if possible. Feel free to bug me with any questions.

 

Don't overthnk it then! Just go for it and have some fun along the way. Btw I don't suggest acoustics for the technique side, with enough repitition it won't matter. To me it's more for portability and not having to buy an amp and pedals too soon. But again don't worry! Sounds like you're in a fortunate position, so just get ready to enjoy.

 

though the guitar may be just fine, I would not recommend getting a guitar with a floyd rose bridge and locking nut. at least not for your first guitar.
they're pretty complex, and if you're just starting out, you want to focus on playing. not struggling with tuning and hardware.
(supposedly if you have a professional set it up right, it won't give you any trouble. but in my personal opinion, I would find another guitar.)

I've been playing for nearly 15 years, and every one of my guitars has a fixed bridge (no whammy). But I'm an absolute stickler for tuning, and whammy bars in my experience have been a major source of tuning instability.
Plus I guess I just never got into them. for my personal style, I achieve tremolo different ways.

There are of course people who do really cool things with whammy bars.
floyd rose's are mostly used in Metal (dive bomb sounds, etc).
"regular" tremolo bridges are used more by blues and rock players.

If you think you'd like a whammy bar, you could go with a "regular" tremolo bridge. commonly found on stratocasters. tuning still won't be as stable as with a fixed bridge, but I think it'd be much easier to work with than a floyd rose.

I've never owned one, but a friend of mine couldn't play his guitar for quite some time because he couldn't get it to a pro to fix his FR bridge.
another friend likes his floyd rose just fine, but he's also a 40 year old metal head who's been playing for much longer than I have.

excuse me for rambling, but I just want you to know a little bit about it before spending that much money on it.
I play the same style of music you're into, and I would absolutely recommend getting either a fixed bridge guitar, or a guitar with a fender style tremolo if you want one. also keep in mind that you can get a fender style tremolo, try it out, and if you like it, then great! if you don't for whatever reason, you can "block" it and turn it into a fixed bridge.
but whatever you do, don't get a guitar with a floyd rose bridge when you're just starting out. it's meant for aggressive whammying (lol) and could be a tuning nightmare.

anyways, just my 2 cents.
I would recommend trying out some mexican stratocasters.
(play a few of them because some of them can be quite good)
or just go to the guitar store and try everything within your price range, and see what feels good to you.

If you've got a little DIY spirit, you can build one of these awesome stratocaster kits.
http://www.carvinguitars.com/kits/

it's an american made guitar, built to your liking, for 400-500 bucks.
I've built two of them, and ordered a third directly from the company.
they've been my main axe's for about 7 years. really great guitars.
just gotta finish the wood (I use gun stock oil), bolt it together, and make some minor adjustments. any guitar tech (or a friend) can help you out with the final set up if you need it, but their instructions are pretty good.

however for a first guitar, that may be more hassle than you want.
I'd grab a cheaper axe from guitar center, and if you stick with it, this is a good american made option for down the road.

 

P.S. that was a good suggestion about the acoustic. It'll make your fingers strong, and they're fun to play. but if you've got your heart set on an electric then go for it! they're both fun to play, both have their own purposes, and like almy said, you can get good acoustics pretty cheap these days. leaps and bounds better than what I started on.

start with whichever you want, and if you stick with it, you'll probably want the other eventually.

P.P.S. I'd probably buy new from a store if I were you. it's less likely to have any kind of issues which will eventually come up if you play often. plus, I've sold an amp on craigslist before and in all honesty, I got more money than it was probably worth.

 

And this is why I'm a drummer... No complicated chords and solos to learn.

 

just about 100 pieces to lug around to gigs

haha just teasing. I like playing drums too, but I don't play often enough so I get winded. lol