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Average Price: $250
Budget/Beginner
$400
$1001+
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Description
The ESP LTD EX-50 BLK is a solid body electric guitar that combines classic design with modern performance features, making it an excellent choice for both aspiring musicians and seasoned players. Known for its aggressive body shape, this guitar is crafted to deliver a commanding presence on stage. Its contoured basswood body provides a balanced tonal foundation, while the bolt-on maple neck offers durability and a smooth playing experience. The rosewood fingerboard with 22 extra-jumbo frets ensures effortless playability, allowing for intricate solos and chord progressions with ease.
Equipped with ESP-designed LH-150 humbucking pickups, the EX-50 delivers high-output sound perfect for genres ranging from rock to metal. These pickups are adept at handling high-gain settings, offering a powerful and articulate tone. The guitar's three-way toggle switch, along with individual volume controls and a master tone knob, provides versatile tonal shaping options.
Whether you're practicing at home, jamming with friends, or performing live, the ESP LTD EX-50 BLK is engineered to handle it all. It stands out not only for its performance but also its striking design, making it a worthy addition to any guitarist's arsenal.
Key Features:
- Solid basswood body with a distinctive, aggressive shape
- Bolt-on maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard
- 22 extra-jumbo frets for enhanced playability
- ESP-designed LH-150 humbucking pickups for high-output sound
- Three-way toggle switch with individual volume controls and a master tone knob
- Chrome hardware and a TOM bridge with a stop tailpiece for stability
Product specs
| Brand | ESP LTD |
| Model | EX-50 |
| Finish | Black, Black Cherry Metallic, Metallic Silver, Snow White, Titanium |
| Year | 2003 - 2017 |
| Made In | Indonesia |
| Categories | Solid Body Electric Guitars |
| Body Shape | X-Style |
| Body Type | Solid Body |
| Bridge/Tailpiece Type | Stop-Bar |
| Color Family | Black, Red, Silver, White |
| Finish Features | Matching Headstock |
| Finish Style | Gloss, Metallic |
| Fretboard Material | Rosewood |
| Neck Construction | Bolt-On |
| Neck Material | Maple |
| Number of Frets | 22 |
| Number of Strings | 6-String |
| Offset Body | Offset Body |
| Pickup Configuration | HH |
| Right / Left Handed | Right Handed |
| Scale Length | 24.75" |
FAQs
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What is the neck profile like on the ESP LTD EX-50 BLK?
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The ESP LTD EX-50 BLK features a comfortable, thin U-shaped neck profile, making it suitable for fast playing and easy access to all 22 frets, ideal for both beginners and experienced players.
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What kind of tones can I expect from the pickups in the ESP LTD EX-50 BLK?
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The ESP LTD EX-50 BLK is equipped with dual humbucking pickups, offering a powerful and versatile sound, suitable for genres like rock and metal with a focus on delivering clear, high-gain tones.
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Is the ESP LTD EX-50 BLK suitable for beginners?
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Yes, the ESP LTD EX-50 BLK is a great choice for beginners due to its user-friendly neck profile, solid build quality, and versatile sound, making it an accessible option for those starting their guitar journey.
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What is the body shape of the ESP LTD EX-50 BLK?
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The ESP LTD EX-50 BLK features an X-style body shape, which not only provides a distinctive look but also offers excellent balance and playability, especially for standing performances.
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Does the ESP LTD EX-50 BLK have a bolt-on neck construction?
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Yes, the ESP LTD EX-50 BLK features a bolt-on neck construction, which contributes to its bright tone and allows for easier neck adjustments and repairs if needed.
Videos
Artyom Reborn
ESP LTD EX 50 BLK - Demo Guitar
ESP LTD EX 50 BLK - Demo Guitar
Artyom Reborn
DOES IT SUCK | ESP LTD EX-50 | EXPLORER STYLE GUITAR REVIEW #RJSCAVE #REVIEW #ESP #LTD #DOESITSUCK
RJ's Cave
Reviews
PROS
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Comfortable neck for both sitting and standing play
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Decently high output pickups ideal for rock and metal
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Affordable option for beginners and metal enthusiasts
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Versatile sound with modifications, especially with pickup changes
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Aggressive and raw tone with aftermarket pickups
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Close to achieving classic metal tones with proper setup
CONS
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Pronounced neck dive affects playability when standing
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Stock pickups can sound harsh for non-metal genres
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about LTD EX-50.
Setup and maintenance
Features and functionality
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Users appreciate the Explorer body style for its comfort and unique look.
Source
User experience
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Feedback emphasizes the importance of finding a reputable guitar tech, as experiences with some shops, including Guitar Center, have been negative.
Source -
The guitar is reported to be front-heavy, similar to an SG, which may affect balance when standing.
Source -
A user has reported long-term satisfaction since 2008, indicating durability and lasting appeal for Metallica fans.
Source
Mods and upgrades
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Owners have upgraded pickups to EMG for enhanced sound, suggesting this as a viable mod for metal enthusiasts.
Source
Critic Reviews
4.5 out of 5
Based on 5 Reviews and 16 Ratings
1451
Perfect entry level guitar for the aspiring metal musician. Heavy riffs and an even heavier body.
Not to take away from my use of the word perfect in the review summary, but the EX-50 (or any other guitar in ESP's XX-50 line of guitars) is anything but a perfect guitar. Far from it in fact, because it doesn't have to be. If anything, the flaws in this guitar are motivation enough to practice and get better at playing the instrument to reach a level in which buying a more expensive and higher quality guitar would have more of a reason behind it other than "just because." That being said, the list of flaws is a rather short but severe one. The first problem for me would have to be the sheer amount of neck dive that this thing has when trying to play it standing up, so much so that I find myself having to rest the region of my picking arm that is just below my elbow on the main "wing" of the guitar just to keep it level while playing, which is fine for parts of a song that mostly consist of chugging on a single string or chord and picking out arpeggios or single notes, all done with 100% downpicking. But as soon as you have to let go of the neck to change chords and start strumming without palm muting, say for example, the chorus of One by Metallica, playing at the correct tempo becomes impossible, at least for a newbie like me. The only other major issue I have with the guitar is the pickups. As expected, a cheap entry level guitar isn't going to come with higher quality third party pickups, and the ones that came with the EX-50 were in house (generic brand if you will) ESP LH-150 humbuckers that sound great when playing both high gain and clean channels, but can come off as a bit too harsh when playing genres that use less amounts of distortion than heavy metal does, like punk and grunge for example. This is largely due to the loud nature of the humbucker itself, but it is also abundantly clear that they were designed with high gain heavy metal in mind.
But at the end of the day, the EX-50 is at its core a beginner's metal guitar, and the perfect instrument for the James Hetfield wannabes of the world, like yours truly.
1869
have you tried lowering the pick up so its further from the strings if its too harsh?
5340
hey man put the strap over the body. Tip from an explorer enthusiast. helps reduce neck dive holds it against your waist.
232
85
Good Value!!!
Its my first guitar, bought by my owwn money. Such a nice guitar for the price! after a while i changed the pick ups, to a single black winter humbucker in the bridge, with a volume nob only...so its purely aggressive and raw! good choice for a beginner and more experienced players with a tight budget.
197
Very good
It has an incredible sound when I use my amplifier with metal equalization, it's quite close to sounding like the Kill 'Em All.
This review has been translated automatically into English. See original
Artist usage
Add artist
Anil Öztas used an ESP LTD EX-50 from 2018 to 2019. The guitar was later passed on to Konrad Schmidt, lead guitarist of SUKI, as documented on Konrad Schmidt's BackstagePRO page
This guitar was given to J in a competition he won through Dominate Hair in late 2016. This guitar initially had a custom skull wrap on the top and was used in promo shots upon receiving this guitar.
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use LTD EX-50, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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