Fender HM Strat Vs. ESP LTD Mirage Deluxe 87 shootout
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- Our Video Guy makes a nostalgic return to the 80's in this in-depth review and studio recording session with a couple of great reissues of late 80's classic guitars - the Limited Edition Fender HM Strat and the ESP/LTD Mirage Deluxe 87. What's his verdict on the shootout? Let us know yours in the comments.
Check out the ESP LTD Mirage Deluxe 87: bit.ly/LTD-Mirage
and the Fender Limited Edition HM Strat: bit.ly/LTD-Mirage
Backing track in the studio session courtesy Richard W - / @richardw
The look of that LTD touches me in places.
Dirty places? 🤨
Superb review. I do believe you have done the best review of a guitar I have seen yet on RUclips. Looking forward to many more shoot outs. Loved it!!!
I just bought the Pink HM Strat! Such a cool looking axe! This'll make 3 HM Strats that I own!
That's exactly the kind of reviews I needed, honest, chill and straightforward! Totally helped me picking the LTD! Cherry on top, the Big Lebowski rocking some 80s vibes!
Great review! They're both capable of some great sounds. Hard choice for sure.
I have one of the new HM Strats, honestly I love it. Fantastic neck and the fit and finish are on par with or better than my RG550 Genesis. I did change the bridge for an OFR 1984 and I swapped the bridge pickup for a TB-4. It's probably my new favorite guitar and I'd love to get another.
I changed my pickup to the TB4 also, woke that guitar up. Been thinking of putting a OFR or Hot Rod Floyd Rose on it, did it fit no problem and did you pull the inserts or use the the ones in the body already? And also what nut size did you use?
But which neck is thinner? the RG550 or the HM strat? as the measurament show that is not so thin..slightly thinner than the Nuno N24/N4 guitar
That LTD '87 has been on my radar since it was announced, but I went with the HM Strat. Seriously, the HM is a great guitar. I have a German Floyd in the wings for it, but the stock pickups may stay for a while (the FR Special is doing fine atm). No real need to replace them, anytime soon. I have a few Japanese Charvel Model series guitars and basses, and the HM's quality seems to be straight up on par with them (and I've let USA guitars go, in favor of the MIJs).
I bought the HM knowing the trem was going to be replaced, and had zero reservations of ultimately owning a 24 fret Japanese Strat, with a German Floyd. It's a few more hundy well spent, IMO.
This is my favorite review on RUclips for either of these guitars! Mirage definitely seems like a better value. Awesome playing btw!
I am surprised to hear the Fender stock pickups sound better than the SDs...at least for me.
Fenders been making pickups for over 70 years, so they know what they’re doing. Sure, Fender isn’t known for it’s humbuckers, but they most certainly employ some knowledgeable pickup designers.
I don't like the 17" radius and the FR special makes it a deal breaker for me. I'll go Ltd....
Most underrated guitar ever was the original HM Strat
That strat can deliver outstanding sounds
Awesome shoot out, i went for the Pink Strat :-) Love it, its an amazing guitar, so so tempted to get the ESP Mirage 87 as well though :-) Dont think my wife would be to keen though :-)
Great review and after seeing this I bought the ltd right away! But I will say, I'm gassing for the hm strat now too. But besides that, you have great hair man! Any suggestions you got for keeping my mane as nice as yours??
Metal Dudes, thank you! And now that I've stopped laughing, I think the only advice I could give is what my barber told me back in the 70s: Brush it once in the morning and don't touch it again all day. Still got hair after 62 years. Also, buy the HM Strat!
Great playing ! Amazing style and tone...you made those guitars sing. Keep on rockin’
I remember playing an original ESP Mirage at the music store back in the 80's and really loving it but could not afford it. This new 87 Mirage has the same feeling neck, and is one of my favored guitars to play, it just plays amazing!. As for the Fender, it is disappointing that for the price of 1,199.00 they couldn't put name brand pickups beyond the Fender generics, or anything but the entry level Floyd Rose special. Although, the one thing the Fender HM has done that has peaked my interest in trying, is the 17 radius neck. (I like flat necks)
Great review and great review
2 guitars I want
What backing track it was?
Cool review. I expected to prefer the LTD, but the Fender sounded better in the head-to-head shootout in the end. The LTD looks much better though.
I'm late to the party, but the hm reissue is not an improvement in any way over the originals. My 89 has a dimarzio super 3 in the bridge, stock, and its worlds better than the newer ones. The kahler spyder is also way better than a floyd special and the original has tbx tone controls versus the normal ones on the reissue. Still a cool guitar, but a shadow of the original. Not an Ltd fan, but it's already spec'd better with the 2 seymours so it's a no brainer.
I own fender hm strat limited edition which i love... but this is how shoutout is done \m/ subscribed
Thank you1!
What'd the deal with the radius lenghth? Regarding bending for example, is a long radius better? Thanks.
great review.both sounded great(i liked a little bit more the esp) but i personally i am not gonna buy any of these guitars.if i had to choose one i would go esp.if it had 24 frets i would already have order it.
on the other side i believe fender missed a big chance with these guitars.at that price it should have 1000 floyd rose and brandname pickups.if it had it would be great and i think they would have sell out pretty quick.
Great review, Larry. I’ve been debating between these two guitars. I haven’t been able to put my hands on either to get a personal feel. What are your thoughts about the pickups? The Seymour Duncan’s sounded a little smoother, which has me leaning toward the LTD. But I also wonder about the neck feel. The shorter 25.1 scale on the Fender and the neck sounds like it would be easier to play. Thanks.
I like the rounder sound of the Duncans, also. The Fender pickups were a bit more aggressive, which will have appeal for some players.
LTD is better
@@ghyslainouellet8841 yes
Don't know if you have decided yet but the neck on the HM Strat is superb. It has the best neck feel out of any guitar I have owned. The pickups are noisier than Duncan's but if you already play tight it is not noticeable to me. Both are good but price wise I would look to get either under 1K
Its really just preference, get both ,😆 I just don't like those colors 😕 but they can be had in many colors. Nice review 👌.
So many used HM Strata to be had.
I have this pink fender hm strat.i put some dinarzio pickups in it and an original floyd rose with a brass block.Huge difference what an Awesome guitar.
@juna wood i bought the parts used,eBay and reverb. Spent about 300
@@patpolowyk6434 like he said $1500 total. Fender should have put quality parts into it to begin with.
@@RsSquier51 That likely would've pushed the new price point to $1500 or above. Would you have purchased one at that price? Pickups I would've left alone (Fender single coils shouldn't need upgrading anyway in most cases), but it should have at least a 1000 series Floyd, I agree. The Shawbucker might be a little underpowered for this guitar (PAF style), and they did put a new bucker in this model (whatever the HM bucker is?).
Hello...this mirage or the custom 87? the difference is non recessed floyd rose and neck thru...any advice?
Both are amazing. Honestly I'd just bring it down to if you want a neck pickup and more tonal variety and the neck. M1 custom neck is also better than the Mirage Deluxe in my opinion. Other than that, Amazing! I have both.
LTD MIRAGE DELUXE '87 white color???????
LTD hands down
11:29 whats the songs name?
There is a link in the description above to the backing track we used.
You going to review the Kramer Snake Sabo?
Both of them ..
Remember 10-15 years ago when we said 'I"ll never pay 1k for guitar made in Indonesia'....
I'am indonesian,so many international guitar brand that produce they product in my country,like ibanez,prs se,epiphone,chapman guitar,squier by fender,and many more,the quality is so good,and adforable price
You misunderstood...guitar people had that consensus because at the time it was fairly well agreed upon that the caliber and quality of what you would get there was poorer than Korea or especially Japan made instruments.
@juna wood WOW! That's what you read into his comment? Believe his was referencing quality from back then.
The fender specs are terrible IMO compared to the ltd and for the price of it. Major fail fender IMO.
I agree fender is simply cashing in on this pink monstrosity but Ltd has the worst resale value.
This a Japanese made fender over the Indonesia-made LTd.. I’ll take this Fender..
@@jeremiah7773 Indonesia is making some great guitars at the moment and with ESPs quality standards even for the LTD range is second to none. Honestly I'd have to play them to make a decision but on paper the LTD gets my vote.
@@jeremiah7773 its made in korea
The specs are not “terrible” by any stretch. But if you don’t like Fender, there is probably little I can do to convince you otherwise. That said, Fender almost ALWAYS uses Fender parts (pickups, tuners, bridges) on even their most expensive USA-made guitars- and the two I’ve owned are excellent in tone and quality! So, quality should be no different on the HM, especially since it’s made in Japan. Also, It might seem minor, but the Fender HM having Gotoh tuners is a great spec, although I’ve never had any problems with Fender tuners.
As far as Fender pickups are concerned, they sound excellent. And why shouldn’t they, given that Fender has been making pickups for over 70 years? Lastly, the HM is more versatile than the LTD, as it can sound like an actual Strat in the middle, neck, and split bridge positions. IMO the only weakness of the HM is the FR special. As far as cost, you might think the Fender is a bad deal, but at $1200, it’s priced exactly the same as Fender’s lowest priced USA-series guitars. And if a person ever buys one of these guitars and decides to sell one day, the Japanese Fender will always retain far more value than any LTD, not to mention it will be easier to find serious buyers.
Gotta give it to the LTD personally. HM sounds alright but the specs definitely don't match up, rather buy a vintage one, even with a kahler.
Does anyone know where the LTD is made?
@@swampwampus5328 WRONG, Korea, most LTD are indonesian but the premium models like the mirage is made in korea
Ltd lets go
Lol the LTD looks white next to the fender
Dude you rock
Is that Ltd for sale???
Ya it's 1660$ in Canada
im creaming in my pants just looking at that ltd, such an attractive guitar so neat and elegant
One of the few things I have disliked about ESP/LTD is that terrible 12th inlay model numbers they use. Why can't they display the model name or number on the headstock. Besides that it looks great, also a reversed headstock would look better.
Both are competitively priced idk you tell me. Awesome review esp nice stuff so is fender the seymour duncan alone beat out the fender. Ltd brand is not the best out there and neither Is fender .although they both turn out decent instruments time from time not one guitar is unbeatable by the other as far as craftsmanship Ive gotten bad neck pockets on both I'd have to choose the ltd for the wood combo ebony is nice and I like the finish better no way I'm paying fender 1199 for a trip back to the 80s though if price wasn't an issue these were like $300 range who would care about features as many would buy both. I mean 1000 bucks for a guitar is not gona happen for many they reissue stuff all the time in these cases the price is issue imo signature guitar territory syndrome without a sig what I'm sayin fender hm wasn't as famous as Hendrix both company's are Awesome not ripping them just not a rock star with there kinda cash besides everyone wants a turntable these days anyway
Duncan pickups are great but they are oversold on every dimension of guitar playing. On "pickups alone" is not a reason to buy a guitar unless they transform the sound, which these don't. Really if the price of the HM was equal to the LTD, HM hands down. The HM has a way better neck and the parts (other than pickups) are higher quality. Stays in tune, the bridge has some minor flaws but it is very responsive. HM wins this but at their respective prices it puts it close
@@calbar8793 shorter scale neck also the LTD brand is china made so that puts me on the fender
I have both the ESP LTD m1 and ESP LTD Mirage Deluxe. Both with out perform that fender HM. The Floyd Rose 1000s automatically make it a win over a Floyd Rose special too! Esp all day long, fender sucks!
The fact the hm strat has the fr special is such a let down.
It's not a toss up. The Fender uses cheaper wood, cheaper components, and doesn't go all the way. You'd be far better off just getting a HSS Player Strat or Performer. At, least you'd be getting a bridge that won't fail. There'a a reason they couldn't give those Fenders away in the 80s.
Not the reason you suggest however. They were late to the game and nobody was looking to Fender for shred machines (other than Greg Howe, lol). The original models had different trems than the reissue. Both the originals and these reissues are made in the Fujigen plant in Japan, so the build quality should be strong. Buy one used and upgrade the trem with the price difference. If you want true single coil tones in the mix, the HM Strat is a better choice IMO.
Well if you're comparing these new ones to the 88 and 89
Your dead wrong
Totally different guitars.
HM is more versatile sound on coils and has a way better neck and feel (this part is subjective but having owned standard Strats, Les Pauls, Jags, Duos, etc. - the HM has the best neck of the bunch). Pickups are inferior to the LTD Duncans but this is not a make or break. My problem is the price point of the HM for the reasons you mentioned. It is a really good guitar, but the price should be 775-900 range.
Do you know the actual difference between the Floyd 1000 and the Floyd Special? The Floyd Special has saddles that are made of a zinc alloy. And that's where the differences end. So, to say that the 1000 actually felt smoother.... Is a load of crap sir. The saddles on the Specials WILL wear out faster, but ALL of the other components are made of hardened steel. So when you use the whammy, there's no way you could possibly tell a difference
Well, we are all entitled to our opinions, and that's what any review is. Every contact and friction point on a floating trem system - plus the block - will have an affect on feel and sustain. I don't expect a lower priced trem to have exactly the same level of machining - especially on the blades - as a higher priced system. Nothing wrong with the Special - I've owned one - but what I feel is what I feel.
@@MooreMusicGuitars I know man. I didn't mean any disrespect, but the saddles are the only thing made of the zinc alloy
@@wally-001 This is Larry from my home account - I'm glad you pointed the similarities out! And I always want to hear other's opinions on my opinions. It makes me think about the way I present, and I learn things. We really appreciate you watching our channel, and please, continue to let us know what you think about our reviews. Thanks!
@@wally-001 nope, the block is zinc too
The sustainer block is zinc as well Instead of stainless steel like on the 1000 series or brass on the original Floyd's.This makes a huge difference in tone and sound.
I would go LTD, no question. 22 Frets rule ;-) a 24 fret Strat will never sound like a real Strat anyhow.
Pull off the plastic next time