ESP F-50 Guitar Review

The ESP brand offers a legitimately wide selection of guitars for the beginning musician or guitarist on a low budget. Though some efforts are made to cut production cost, they keep some of the essential features that have been associated with ESP's high standard of quality. One of these is the ESP F-50 electric guitar. In this article, I'll take a close look at it to see where in the spectrum this instrument falls.

Features: The body of the ESP F-50, on the newer version, is made of basswood. They used to be made of agathis, but economically basswood is of similar quality and a lower price. It still provides decent tone and sustain. The best way to describe the body style is that it's a little like a Stratocaster, but has cuts in some places of the body to give it several sharp, curved angles. There are two finishes available, including cherry red and black. At first glance, one can definitely see that this guitar is geared toward metal players. The neck of the ESP F-50 is bolted onto the body, and made of maple wood. It has a dark rosewood fretboard with twenty four jumbo frets and pearloid dot inlays. The hardware on the ESP F-50 is a mixed bag. I'd expect it to be a tremolo bridge with a whammy bar, but it is actually in the Tune-O-Matic style. It, and the tuning heads, are black chrome on both finishes. Electronically, the ESP F-50 has two ESP brand LH-150 humbuckinng pickups, one volume and one tone control knob, and a three way pickup selector switch.

Playability: Despite its very economically conscious build, the ESP F-50 does have several playability advantages. The basswood body is contoured well and light, which means it's easy to play in any situation. Also, the jumbo frets on the neck allow for more give in complicated chords and soloing, and are an uncommon feature in guitars in this price range. And, finally, the cutaways are very deep, which makes up for the bolted on neck when considering high fret access.

Sound: A long-time guitarist with an ear for tone may find the ESP F-50's humbuckers a little underwhelming. They aren't active which means quieter distortion, and they don't sound particularly pure on the clean end. But, honestly, any beginning or intermediate musician will be well satisfied. The ESP F-50 can still shred.

Overall: The ESP F-50 is among the best guitars designed specifically for hard rock and metal in its price range. It has the right looks, a good feel, and a sound that fits the bill for nearly any song with distortion. You can find the ESP F-50 in music stores for about $260.