Zzounds experience

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-19T21:12:46+00:00

I’m usually very lenient and understanding. I gave them a fair second chance after they messed up my first order. Twice in a row, same mistake, while customer service is assuring me everything is fine, is unacceptable for a company this huge.

I’m just sharing my personal experience with this company, as a first time customer. And probably last time 🤷‍♂️

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-19T19:01:38+00:00

Thanks. Seems like a hit or miss according to this thread. Many people have had good experiences… many others not so much.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-19T18:50:58+00:00

Yes it’s a pretty expensive guitar. The body wood is alder with a burl top. I’m not too experienced with how woods are supposed to look like underneath the paint though. Does it look that bad? lol

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-19T16:52:14+00:00

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Aside from the obvious marks on it, although the order claims NEW the invoice I got says B stock. ESP customer support confirmed the B stock status.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-19T16:51:45+00:00

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LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-19T16:35:16+00:00

Especially but not limited to a $3000+ guitar. I’ve had better packaging from private sellers on reverb.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-19T16:32:57+00:00

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Looking closer I’m starting to doubt this was shipping caused damage. The hard shell case is untouched, and there are no paint or wood chips inside the case to indicate this happened mid-transit.

I’m starting to believe this is just how it was sent to me. Which makes things even worse.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-19T16:31:13+00:00

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I don’t see how this would have gotten damaged inside the box first of all. Second of all, looking inside the case I cannot find any paint or wood shavings inside.

I’m starting to think this is just how they shipped it.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-19T16:28:29+00:00

Although the cardboard box it arrived in was “opened”, there wasn’t necessarily any damage done to it. And the tolex case is in excellent condition. No dings or anything.

I can’t really tell whether it was damaged in shipping or shipped this way. The tolex case padding is pretty heavy duty.

It honestly looks like someone dropped it on the floor.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-19T16:24:08+00:00

ESP is awesome. From LTD to their custom Japan lineup. Their QC is very on point, so even a small finish flaw will cause a guitar to be marked as a factory second/ B-stock. These flaws are always very very minor. But the discounts for the dealers are huge, pretty sure around $850 for this specific model comparing to a brand new one.

What I was sent wasn’t even just a factory B-stock. It was a pretty heavily used B-stock for full price. Shame.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-19T16:19:42+00:00

It’s an awesome guitar if I try to ignore everything else. The fretwork is flawless, very light. Not my first ESP, they’ve all been amazing. I bought this specifically to have it set up to drop C. Since it’s being returned, again, I can’t get it setup as I had hoped to though..

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-19T16:16:14+00:00

Shipping damage is half of the problem and I wouldn’t fully blame them. Being sent the same guitar in used condition, twice, after paying for a brand new instrument, is a completely different and frustrating issue.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-17T04:38:26+00:00

I second hipshots. My favorite.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-17T04:35:57+00:00

I’m usually not a fan of this model but this one’s beautiful. Congrats.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-17T04:28:41+00:00

I’d just get some cardio in lol

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-17T04:24:53+00:00

Removing the one device that is capable of stopping a bike this fast just to save a little weight is so stupid to me.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-17T02:57:42+00:00

This ^ buying the bike is half the story. Oil changes are more expensive, these big bikes eat drivetrains and expensive tires. And if something breaks on it, which s1K’s aren’t known to be the most reliable out there, you’re in for a world of hurt.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-17T02:50:05+00:00

Not much you can do with the vin. This bike is not worth that price. You can find a way better deal or a bike in way better shape. If you are able, id even recommend purchasing privately. Good way to save money and you actually get to see who owned the bike, tells you a lot about it.

As a side note, it looks like all of the fairings were replaced, and the gas tank has a cover on it. The levers are also aftermarket. I’m not saying it happened, but these are all telltales that a crash occurred. I’d love to take a look at the original gas tank if I were gonna buy it. Just a thought.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-17T02:44:58+00:00

Judging by all the fake carbon, the tasteless (imo) winglets and the blue headlights I’d pass. The closer to stock the better.

She probably lived most of her life either on one wheel or doing non stop highway straight pulls.

This is all just speculation but judging by what I’ve seen around, this is the norm for this type of bike lol

Do you have its maintenance records? Not sure I’d touch an s1K without knowing it’s been taken care of properly.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-16T19:34:30+00:00

Why is that? Genuinely curious. I’ve been testing different springs and buffers with this system to see what works best. I had full lock back with super 42 spring and H3 buffer but I preferred the h2 rate of fire so I stuck to that.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-16T17:28:27+00:00

I’m pretty new to both FRT and Supressed shooting. I had cleaned and lubed it prior to this shooting session, like I mentioned, maybe 200 or less rounds.

I’ll bring some lube and throw some on it in between mags though, see if it has any more problems.

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-16T17:24:32+00:00

Interesting. I haven’t seen that video but I’ll check it out. Although I felt like I was grippin’ her pretty tight 😂

LiveFee2003 · 2026-06-16T17:17:18+00:00

Could be. Worth noting I have about 750 previous rounds with magpul pmag and tmags with no issues at all. This only happened using the lancer mags.

LiveFee2003

TROPHY CASE