[mulletman]

Product:
I'm unsure of the year of this guitar.... it was the predecessor to the current Viper 400 model. It is an ESP LTD Viper 301 in white, with black hardware. Korean made.

Price:
$250 used. It came with a model-specific ESP hardshell case. To be fair, it has a few cosmetic blemishes. I would expect that a better condition example would cost more.

Experience:
I have been playing guitar for close to 5 years, and bass for about a year and a half before that. I play mostly electrics, but some acoustic work. I play mostly metal and punk, with occasional excursions into other genres. Well known influences would include Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, NOFX, Bad Religion..... I use this guitar in conjunction with a Marshall MG30DFX solid-state amp, with no pedals, currently. I have a Digitech RP200, but it is currently out of service, and when used, was generally mostly used for the tuning function. I have yet to have any performance experience with this guitar.

Features:
This guitar currently has a pair of EMG passives. An H4 in the neck position, and an H4A at the bridge. It came stock with a pair of H1's, (the original EMG passives) but I managed to get a good deal on the new set of pickups. They are significantly higher output than the originals, and are the same set that come in the Epi Zakk Wylde LP. Controls consist of one volume, one tone, and a three-way switch. Rosewood fingerboard, mahogany body, and I'm unsure of the wood used for the neck. Set neck design. 24.75 scale, with 24 frets. Everything other than the pickups is stock.

Sound:
Although the tone is probably hampered by my crappy Marshall.... I believe it has a solid sound for most metal, punk, and hard rock. It has reasonably good sustain. You can make the pinch harmonics sing, and the pickups produce a nice distortion sound. The neck pickup can get a bit muddled at times, especially while overdriven. The bridge H4A is at it's best while using distortion. Many people complain about the clean tone of EMGs, and I will not disagree. The cleans could definitely be better, as the bridge pickup sounds a bit brittle and harsh while clean. The neck pickup is definitely the choice for any clean tones. Overall though, I'm happy with sound. My previous guitar was an Ibanez with a Seymour Duncan Invader at the bridge. I'd say that the EMGs surpass the Duncan in all areas except for the clean tone, which is very close. The EMGs are a bit hotter than the Duncan was.

Playability:
This guitar is reasonably light, but not excessively. The action was very low when I received the guitar, and it needed no setup. The fretwork seems to be well-executed, although not perfect. The neck is slim and comfortable, although I'm not the biggest fan of the glossy type finish on the back of the neck. It needed a good cleaning when I got it, but other than that, playability is excellent. Access to the upper frets is basically uninhibited.

Reliability:
I have not had any reliability issues whatsoever. I've not needed to use any customer service, or even call the guy I bought it from. It holds it's tuning very well. I threw it in the back of my truck, and drove across the desert from Prescott AZ to Palm Springs. After riding in the back of a truck for 5 hours while cooking in the sun, it then sat in a hot car for a day. It was then put into an air conditioned apartment, and when I pulled it out, it was still in tune.

Other:
Not a whole lot else to say here... I like the way it looks. The vintage white finish with the black hardware looks very nice. The flag inlays that ESP does are growing on me.... Like I said before, it has a few blemishes, but I'm very happy with it.

Overall:
Overall, I'd say that what it does, it does very well. If you're looking for beautiful and classic clean tones, look elsewhere. If you're looking for single-coil clean brightness, look elsewhere. If you play overdriven a lot, or play metal, this guitar will work very well for you. That being said, With a better amp, and a better guitar player, I'm confident that it would shine in a variety of styles.