ESP LTD Stephen Carpenter SC-608B Baritone Electric Guitar, 8-String (with Case)
Get down and dirty with this Stephen Carpenter signature 8-string baritone guitar. Access a number of tones thanks to the active Fishman Fluence SRC pickups.
Overall User Ratings (based on 3 ratings)
Submitted June 2, 2024 by Mercy Cofield in Anchorage, AK
"LTD SC-608B"
Verified Purchaser
zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.
This guitar is worth the money. Plan on getting it setup right when you get it. The nut slots will need filing for sure. The nut intonation was off but after I filed the slots and set up the guitar it is perfect. The stock strings were heavy for me. With the 27” scale tuned a half step down 9s feel great! I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the “neck” pickup in the middle position but it doesn’t affect my playing at all. The SC Fishman Fluence Pickups are very smooth and are also another great this guitar brings to the table. Both modern and passive voices are unique and useful. I really enjoy the passive voicing. The neck pickup clean in passive voicing is smooth. The bridge is super solid and the string through the body make for a resonant yet tight sound. The guitar feels solid and hefty. Neck is perfect! At first I was a bit thrown off having strings closer together than what I am used to, but it’s grown on me a lot. I also went from 6 to 8 strings. Figured getting a 7 didn’t make sense. The neck is thin, but not too thin, and very evenly playable. I did not expect such comfort! My only qualms - and I’m not factoring into my score of the guitar - the low f# tuner doesn’t fit the huge .080 string so I have to take a bit of wrapping off but it doesn’t cause any problems. The tuners and output jack feel cheap and I will be replacing them. The reason I’m not factoring that stuff into my score is this guitar is of surprising quality for being an LTD. I have bad bad experiences with 4 LTD guitars that were more or less lemons. I did not get a lemon with this SC608B. It is worth every penny! I may change that pickups to Lundgren M8s but for now the Fluence set is great!Oh yeahhh and it comes with a nice form fit hard case. Can’t beat it.
Sound
This guitar sounds and feels like a $2500 instrument. It is responsive and resonant. The frets are perfect. I was able to set it up and it plays like a tuned up sports car. Smooth and fast. Action is low without buzz.
Features
I was disappointed the fluence pickups were only setup to change voicings and didn’t include the HF Tilt. But not a big deal! The hardware that matters the most is super nice. What is most important is the guitar feels solid and sounds full.
Ease of Use
There was a bit of a learning curve for me, going from only playing six strings for 23 years. But this 8 string guitar feels better than any 7 string I have played. It took me time to get used to the strings being closer together but it doesn’t bug me at all a month into playing it.
Quality
The guitar feels like a well made instrument and I’m sure it will for a long time.
Value
Absolutely worth the money, honestly it would be perfect if the frets were stainless steel and the tuners were hipshot. But that stuff doesn’t matter much.
Manufacturer Support
I have not.
The Wow Factor
The red sparkle with the matching headstock is so beautiful. I really do enjoy just sitting and looking at it.
Musical Background:
Playing actively for 23 years. Pro musician and guitar tech. Fender certified guitar tech.
Musical Style:
Metal, death metal, hardcore. Heavy chuggy music.
4 of 4 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted July 18, 2020 by a customer from gmail.com
"Mega solid guitar!"
The LTD SC-608B is an absolute BEAST for the money! Rock solid build, great tonal options (the middle pickup sounds good but would probably be better with a normal neck position, but that’s to SC’s specifications) holds tuning great and has an awesome neck (not too thick but not too thin). Paint job looks great, the pics really don’t do it justice. Only gripe is that this thing is HEAVY (like physically not chug chug)
4 of 4 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted November 18, 2018 by Yang G in SAVANNAH, GA
"Great instrument!"
Verified Purchaser
zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.
Beautiful looking. Sounds loud and huge with it self. Quite easy to play even with my small hands. However, fret edges are rough, the set up out of the box is bad. I'm not enjoying the pickups, way too many output and the neck pickup is way too mid-rangy and attack heavy because of the location. It is heavy (physically). For $1199, the fret works are unacceptable, other than that it really is a great instrument!
Musical Background:
8 years electric guitar player (non-professional)
Musical Style:
all kinds of metal
8 of 8 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Please wait.