ESP E-II Arrow | Fishman Fluence Moderns | Unsponsored Review | Full Mix Metal Demo
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- čas přidán 31. 07. 2024
- ESP E-II Arrow (with Fishman Fluence Modern Pickups) unsponsored review and full mix demo. An excellent stage guitar, this instrument is ready to rock. Timestamps for specific parts of the review below.
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Intro and quick verdict
00:00 Intro
00:19 Quick verdict
Full mix demo
00:33 Bridge pickup rhythm w/ palm mutes
00:48 Bridge lead
01:00 Bridge steady thrash
01:07 Bridge palm mute lead
01:13 Bridge guitar solo
01:19 Bridge harmony
01:26 Neck clean arpeggio
01:28 Bridge song chorus
01:40 Bridge tremolo picking
01:47 Neck cleans
01:59 Bridge droning chords over neck cleans
02:12 Reprise
Comfort and playability
02:28 Body bevels
02:41 Painted neck
02:46 Painted vs. unpainted necks
03:01 Neck profile
03:10 Easy to pick up and play
03:22 Fretboard radius
03:33 Pick up and play for thrash or metal
03:44 Ebony fretboard and nickel silver frets
04:00 25.5 Scale length vs. 24.75
04:26 Neck joint
04:41 Rear strap button location
Sound
05:01 EMG 81 were stock
05:17 Fishman Fluence Modern
05:22 Neck position has been decent at best
Cons
05:36 Painted neck could be subjective
05:44 Locking nut popping sound
05:58 Guitar hasn’t let me down ft. cat tail
06:08 Pickup selector switch is small and difficult to hit quickly
06:13 Headstock and trem spring sympathetic vibrations
Verdict
06:35 Would I recommend this
06:51 Used might be best since new can be pricey
06:56 Tip if you’re not used to pointy guitars
07:17 Go for it
07:35 Like, comment, and subscribe!
One of the best things about this guitar is how easy it is to pick up and start playing without too much warming up. The fretboard radius isn't too thin and the neck isn't too thin or thick and fits into the hand nicely. That plus the striking presence that a flying V has make this an excellent choice for a stage guitar.
Unfortunately directly contradicting this is an issue that may only be with my own guitar. The locking nut makes an odd popping sound if you roughly use the Floyd. This hasn't affected tuning stability but is still not ideal to hear. If it weren't for this then I'd fully recommend this as a live show guitar as it's been consistently stable over the 8 years I've owned it.
The body has reasonably deep bevels on both front and back and is comfortable as far as Vs go. The neck is painted with the same gloss finish as the body, so this could be a deterrent if you prefer unfinished necks. Even though I prefer the unfinished feel, this hasn't been that big of a deal and the instrument is still fun to play.
The stock pickups it came with were two EMG 81s. The 81 sounds great in the bridge but awful in the neck. I replaced these with the Fishman Fluence modern set and they sound good. You can hear a comparison in the metal pickup shootout video on my channel here: • Metal Pickup Shootout!...
When it comes to pickup selection, the 3 way switch is small and out of the way. I can't recommend this guitar if you do many fast pickup changes as the switch is just too small and oddly placed to be reliably found and toggled, especially in a live situation. This guitar was meant to be ripped full speed ahead on the bridge pickup.
The rear strap button is closer to the bridge than the newer models, where it's located a bit higher up the upper horn. I've tried the balance on both and they're identical. I noticed no difference. I don't notice the strap button on my leg while playing sitting down as well.
Overall this is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a flying V guitar. It has a good combination of looks, comfort, stability, and tone. New ones these days are on the expensive side so a used one could be the way to go granted it doesn’t have the same locking nut issue mine has developed.
Are there any points I missed? Do you have any more questions? Let me know in the comments down below! - Hudba
thanks for the review, very interesting, I really like this guitar design, too bad it doesn't have the stainless steel frets though
Thanks! It would have been perfect but at least the nickel silver they used is really high quality
I recently got this guitar. A b-stock model as it has some inperfections on the wood near the nut. Crazy for this price bracket, but it's what it is. Mine came with EMG 81 and 85 though, not double 81 as you mentioned, but mine is also newer revision and it has the belt bolt near the horn instead. Anyway, overall great guitar with a couple of things that needs to be considered. I actually prefer EMGs to be honest, they are my jam. I have 3 guitars with Fishman and 2 with EMGs and they just speak to me. Don't murder me yet, sometimes you just want the vanilla ice cream flavor and other days the strawberry instead.
Good find! B-stocks are great since the audience won't see these little blemishes anyway. Hey if the EMGs better suit your needs, power to you! I'd say they're not my favorite but they're amazing at what they do and in the hands of a skilled player, like you! If I was stuck on a desert island studio with them, I wouldn't complain
nice, I also prefer the EMG sound, the Fishman's sound good but they kind of lack something for my tastes, I hope I can get one of these Arrows soon too
Hey man I am looking to score one of these. I was wondering which year this guitar is made because it has a belly cut which I have never seen and the strap button is in the extra cut in the wing which was changed in the later production models.
It's a 2015 model and it came with two EMG 81 stock. I've tried newer models where the strap button is in the new place and it basically didn't matter. Good luck on the hunt
@@HighZ thank you so much :)
IMHO the Fishmans sound better than the stock EMGs. I replaced the stock EMGs on my ESP Babymetal Arrow-7 with EMG 57-7 (bridge) and EMG 60-7 (neck) - they sound so good and articulate with the alder body and maple neck 😎
Oh man I'm jealous, the Baby metal ESP is a sweet guitar! Great choices