ESP F-400FM Electric Guitar

June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor 


If you like playing that spooky kind of rock music, this is a guitar that will look the part. It has jagged, sharp looking edges, reminiscent of a medieval executioner’s axe. The ESP F-400FM retails for $999.00. The mahogany body with flame maple top is a dynamic combination of materials for the most reliable tones. The tribal tattoo-styled graphics on the neck are really unusual looking. This moderately priced guitar features details usually found only in top end guitars.

In this case, ESP really does not stand for “extra sensory perception”! Instead, it stands for “Electric Sound Products.” Well, I guess so! Some of the hardest rockers anywhere make make a lot of electric sound with ESP Products!

ESP was started in Japan in 1975 by Hisatake Shibuya. It was mainly a source for replacement guitar pieces in the beginning, but soon started producing guitars. In 1983, American guitarists discovered ESP as a source for parts. Before long, ESP was producing custom guitars for such artists as Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones and Bruce Kulick of KISS. They are now known as a producer of high quality guitars, and especially of signature models endorsed by well known rock musicians. ESP guitars are widely sought after for their heavy, crunchy tone.

Since so many rockers wanted ESP guitars, they came out with a lower cost line, known as the LTD line, which offers many of the same styles with a little less heft to the price tag.

Advantages: The ESP F-400FM electric guitar is certainly striking in appearance. The transparent black finish over the flame maple top reflects the light of the room, creating a variety of color appearances from purple to gray. And particularly good-looking and unusual are the inlays along the neck, which are in a tribal design.

The ESP F-400FM was obviously designed to play metal and rock, so it has a wide variety of sound possibilities. In fact, it really sounds even better than it looks. It comes with EMG 81 pickups as stock, and they are very good, high output pickups. It is a light weight guitar, as well. It has a fast, playable neck. The frets and strings are spaced just right for those fast licks.

Not really suited to beginners, this guitar sounds good both when played clean and with distortion. The clean sound is crisp and clear and not muffled. The F-400Fm is recommended for anyone with a little or a lot of experience. It can be played seated or standing. It has a good crunch when you run it through a tube amp. The set through neck gives it really good sustain, too.

Disadvantages: If you want a whammy bar, you will be disappointed to know that the ESP F-400FM electric guitar does not come with one. The extra shiny finish might be pretty prone to showing fingerprints and dust. Some people might not particularly like the look, particularly of the tribal graphics. That is certainly an individual matter.

The set through neck is great for sustain and sound, but if you have problems with it some day, it can be a bear to get fixed. Other than these small concerns, there are really very few critical things said about this tough looking rock guitar. Of course, it is always best to try out a guitar before you buy it if it is possibility at all. If you must buy a guitar from an online store, it ESP seems to be a pretty reliable brand.

Specs:

  • Mahogany body with flamed maple top
  • Set through neck construction
  • 3 piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard
  • 25.5 inch scale
  • Earvana compensated nut
  • 42 mm. width at nut
  • Extra thin U-shaped neck
  • Custom tribal design inlays
  • 24 extra jumbo frets
  • Black nickel hardware
  • Grover tuners
  • Tune-o-matic bridge with String-thru-body tailpiece
  • EMG 81 Active Set pickups
  • One volume control
  • One tone control
  • Toggle switch

Would you like to hear the ESP F400FM in drop C tuning and distorted? Here’s a sound bite you can listen to, along with instructions for recreating the same tone.

Here’s an article about ESP’s thirtieth anniversary in 2005. See the special logo they designed to commemorate the event.

This article is sort of off topic, and yet it might be of interest. It’s a business article describing website design, and the site they chose to analyze is the website of ESP guitars. It’s pretty interesting (though it doesn’t have a lot to do with guitars.)

Finally, here is a message board thread just dealing with the ESP-400FM. Check out the other threads and you might learn just what you need to know about ESP guitars.

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