Shop Keyboard Deals, Financing, and More

ESP LTD EC-257 - Black Satin

7-string Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, Mahogany Neck, Roasted Jatoba Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Black Satin
$599.00

Earn $30 back in Bonus Bucks OR pay $25/month with 24 month financing*

Backordered - More On The Way!

We expect more from ESP in just a few weeks. Order today to reserve yours now, risk-free.

Notify me when in stock
Add to Cart
Notify me about deals

Ask An Expert

Our expertly trained Sales Engineers are ready to help!

What is a Sales Engineer?
Sweetwater Gear Exchange

Have one to sell?
Check out Sweetwater's Gear Exchange!
Learn More

Most Popular Accessories & Related Items

ESP LTD EC-257 - Black Satin
Backordered - More On The Way! Notify me
$599.00
Add to Cart
Add to list
Back to navigation

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

Get to know them!

A High-performance Rock-ready Guitar

The ESP LTD EC-257 is an extended-range guitar with musical tone and aggressive style. Its mahogany body is loaded with warmth and resonance, while its single-cutaway shape supplies you with classic looks and great feel. A pair of ESP Designed humbucking pickups provides a great foundation for a wide variety of styles. A roasted jatoba-capped mahogany neck provides fluid playability, making your rapid-fire runs feel effortless. Beyond that, the LTD EC-257's set-neck design gives you sustain for days. Complete with an eye-grabbing satin finish and attractive black hardware, the LTD EC-257 is a high-performance rock-ready instrument.

ESP's Eclipse body style blends classic looks with modern performance

Nothing screams hard rock like ESP's timeless Eclipse body style. The extra mass of this single-cutaway design gives the LTD EC-257 truly epic sustain, whereas its slightly arched top provides you with comfortable hand positioning, no matter your picking style. Add to that a super-sharp cutaway, which gives you open access to the LTD EC-257's upper frets, and you're totally ready to shred.

Set-neck construction delivers sustain and articulation

The set-in mahogany neck on the ESP LTD EC-257 provides a more solid connection to the body than you get with a bolt-on neck design. That means better vibrational transfer from the neck to the body, which results in faster attack and longer-lasting sustain. The guitarists at Sweetwater love set-neck guitars. Plug in the LTD EC-257, turn your amplifier up, and you'll see why.

ESP LTD — a huge value with ESP quality

ESP LTD guitars were created to bring a more affordable version of the classic designs and quality of ESP guitars to a new market. The entire ESP LTD line of instruments features premium tonewoods, quality pickups, and solid hardware for a lifetime of use. An exacting eye for detail and quality means that every instrument is ready to rock when it leaves the factory. An impressive list of signature guitars by some of today's biggest guitar heroes shows the popularity and respect held by ESP LTD. If you're looking for the perfect rock or metal guitar, then you need to check out ESP LTD guitars.

ESP LTD EC-257 Features:

  • Classic-looking 7-string guitar with exceptional sustain and aggressive tone
  • Mahogany body is loaded with warmth and resonance
  • 3-piece mahogany neck with smooth-playing roasted jatoba fingerboard
  • Dual ESP humbucking pickups yield wide-ranging tone
  • TOM bridge/tailpiece give you dependable tuning stability and intonation
  • Set-neck construction ensures long-lasting sustain and excellent articulation
  • Eye-grabbing satin finish and attractive black hardware

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

Additional Media

Warranty Info

Sweetwater's FREE 2-Year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty

Extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

  • Save money with FREE parts and labor
  • Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time
  • Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department
Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage

Free 2-year Warranty

Sweetwater's 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ Warranty gives you extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage
Tools Icon

Save money with free parts & labor!

Fast Icon

Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time.

Award Icon

Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department.

Back to navigation

Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 7
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape Eclipse
  • Body Material Mahogany
  • Body Finish Satin Polyurethane
  • Color Black
  • Neck
  • Neck Material Mahogany
  • Neck Shape Thin U
  • Neck Joint Set Neck
  • Radius 15.74"
  • Fingerboard Material Roasted Jatoba
  • Fingerboard Inlay Pearloid Flags
  • Number of Frets 22, Extra Jumbo
  • Scale Length 25.5"
  • Nut Width 1.889"
  • Nut Material Molded
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Tune-O-Matic Bridge with Stopbar Tailpiece
  • Tuners LTD
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup ESP LH-150N Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup ESP LH-150B Humbucker
  • Controls 2 x volume, 1 x tone
  • Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings D'Addario, .010-.059
  • Case/Gig Bag Sold Separately
  • Manufacturer Part Number: LEC257BLKS

What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?

Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

Back to navigation

Customer Reviews

Write your review
Rated 4.5/5

ESP=modern Gibson

I almost gave it 4* stars only because the trust rod was loose and needed some tightening and the neck was slightly bowing inward but the trust rod tightening fixed that. Other than that issue this guitar is f**cking beautiful, the satin black finish was flawless and ive always dreamed of getting a Gibson LesPaul gothic but it was pricey and only available in 24.75in scale and Gibson LesPauls don't really have a 7 string options, and ive recently purchased a old ESP EC-50 and man that guitar is great for the $$ compared to a Epiphone equal. So, i found the ESP ec-257 and i must say my dream guitar search is over classic looks but modern with 7 strings with a 25.5in scale, i couldnt be happier, i did install locking tuners and waiting to get a SD SH6 in the bridge and its done with mods for good. this is an ESP hidden gem IMO.
Rated 5/5

Absolutely love this guitar!

Wonderful 7-string with incredible tone at an affordable price! I did have one question, though. I know the fingerboard is Jatoba, but is it unfinished? I've had it long enough that it needs oil, but I wasn't able to find if the fretboard had a finish on it, which is important for the Jatoba!
Rated 5/5

Love this guitar

1st 7 string - I love it! Versatile guitar, great tone, easy learning curve! I originally wanted a 256, but they were out of stock. I am happy I decided to get the 257. Would 100% recommend.
Sweetwater order experience is amazing. Quick service and very well packaged. I appreciated the fact I was able to call and talk to a sales engineer, as well as picking which guitar I liked the best (there were 4 to choose from when I ordered).
Rated 5/5

Fantastic!

Guitar showed up in perfect shape, and sounds great. Shipping was fast, as always. SW doesn't disappoint.
Music background: Psyclon Nine, The Culling, Dawn of Ashes, Urilia, Myparasites
Rated 4/5

Great basic 7-string.

I've had this guitar for about a year now. This is my first 7 string and I wanted to start off with something basic but good quality. This guitar delivers on all fronts. The pickups are coil-tapped, which was a nice surprise, and the pickups themselves sound decent through most amps. I will eventually replace them with something a little more high-end.

Build-wise, the guitar is great quality. The finish is durable, the neck is comfortable for how wide it is, and the fretwork needed no touching up like many guitars in this price point do. The controls are simple and effective. My only real complaint is the tuners: they're terrible. They not only feel cheap but in use they have way too much play, and they often creak while tuning. I'll be replacing them.

Playing the guitar is fine; the neck is very flat with a nearly 16" radius. This makes for easy speedy single-note runs. Surprisingly, my boomer bends are just fine on a neck like this. The back of the neck is finished in the same satin as the rest of the guitar and feels comfortable in the hand.

I would buy this guitar again. It's a good quality 7-string platform and can easily be improved with some better pickups and tuners.
Close Close $2,000 Pick Your PRS Giveaway -- input your email address below to enter or click here to learn more.

See giveaway details & rules or check out our past winners!

Success!

Your email, has been entered to win this giveaway. Good Luck!