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ESP Stef-T7B
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body
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Playability
82
Sound
77
Build
77
Value
64
Score
79
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Playability
80
Sound
79
Build
75
Value
63
Score
78
FIND IT ON:
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ESP Stef-T7B vs KH-2 Neck Thru Body

Reasons to Get
ESP Stef-T7B over KH-2 Neck Thru Body

Pickup Mods
Multi-Voicing vs None
Changes the voice (tones or gain) of the pickups
Strings
7 vs 6
Allows you to play lower notes
Pickups
HHX vs HH
High output warm tones without a neck pickup
Locking Tuners
Yes vs None
Easier to change strings
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.787'' (20mm) vs 0.748'' (19mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.866'' (22mm) vs 0.827'' (21mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.85'' (47mm) vs 1.654'' (42mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Bridge
Fixed vs Floyd Rose
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
27'' (685.8mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Value Score
64 vs 63
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body over Stef-T7B

Release Year
2018 vs 2008
From a more recent year
Nut Material
Locking vs Graphite
Best tuning stability for intense tremolo usage
Strings
6 vs 7
Narrower neck and fewer strings to change
Volume Knobs
2 vs 1
More volume control
Pickups
HH vs HHX
High output without hum
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.748'' (19mm) vs 0.787'' (20mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.827'' (21mm) vs 0.866'' (22mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm) vs 1.85'' (47mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Bridge
Floyd Rose vs Fixed
Allows intense vibratos and techniques like Dive Bombs
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 27'' (685.8mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone

Other Key Differences
ESP Stef-T7B vs KH-2 Neck Thru Body

Bridge Pickup
Fishman Fluence SRC Signature vs EMG KH Bone Breaker Limited Edition
Different Bridge Pickup
Fretboard Wood
Ebony vs Rosewood
Different Fretboard Wood
Headstock
7 vs R6
Different Headstock
Nut Material
Graphite vs Locking
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
ESP Stef-T7B vs KH-2 Neck Thru Body

Body Wood
Alder
Same Body Wood
Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
Tone Knobs
1
Same tone control
Number of Frets
24
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Active
More output
Neck Profile Type
U
Comfortable neck with more grip
Neck Joint
Neck-Through
Stronger neck and easier access to upper frets
Type of Frets
XL Jumbo
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Neck-Through Build
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Weight Relief
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

ESP Stef-T7B Prices

SET PRICE ALERT

ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body Prices

SET PRICE ALERT

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the ESP Stef-T7B is probably the better product overall with its final score of 79 compared to the ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body's 78 score, although not by a lot.

The ESP Stef-T7B wins when it comes to playability, build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body has the upper hand when it comes to sound.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the ESP Stef-T7B is the better choice.

The ESP Stef-T7B meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body meets only 4. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

ESP Stef-T7B
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale

New Player Friendliness

ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body
  • Comfortable shape
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners
  • Easy-to-use bridge

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

ESP Stef-T7B Overview

  • From ESP's 2008 Signature series
  • Stephen Carpenter Signature
  • Made in Japan
  • 7 strings
  • 27"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Alder body
  • 3pc Maple neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman Fluence SRC Signature (Humbucker/Active)
  • Middle pickup: Fishman Fluence SRC Signature (Humbucker/Active)
  • Neck pickup: (/)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Tonepros Locking TOM bridge
  • Thin U Neck-Through neck
  • 24 XL Jumbo frets
  • Sperzel Locking tuners
  • Compare Specs >

ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body Overview

  • From ESP's 2018 Signature series
  • Kirk Hammett Signature
  • Made in Japan
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Alder body
  • 3pc Maple neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: EMG KH Bone Breaker Limited Edition (Humbucker/Active)
  • Neck pickup: EMG KH Bone Breaker Limited Edition (Humbucker/Active)
  • 2 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Floyd Rose Original bridge
  • Extra Thin U Neck-Through neck
  • 24 XL Jumbo frets
  • Gotoh tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in Both

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple
Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.

Woods Used in the ESP Stef-T7B

Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony

Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.

Woods Used in the ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body

Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Winner: Tie.

Pickup Configuration

The ESP Stef-T7B has an HHX configuration while the ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body has HH pickups.

HHX means there's no pickup in the neck position. It's a rare pickup combination. It gives you high output with a warm tone for hard rock with a bit more versatility than single-pickup guitars. You'll have to be careful not to set the middle pickup too high if you want to avoid hitting it with your pick.

On the other hand, Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

Pickups Quality

Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.

You can purchase similar pickups to the ESP Stef-T7B's and use them on any guitar:

Both use Active pickups. These pickups use an additional 9v battery to be able to increase their output for high gain tones. This is why they're popular among heavy metal guitarists. Their disadvantage is that you need batteries for the pickups, so you'll need to spend money on batteries and time swapping them. Also, the clean tones aren't as clean as other pickups because they'll have really hot output.

Winner: Tie.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.

Only the ESP Stef-T7B comes with some kind of pickup modification: Multi-Voicing.

Multi-Voicing means the pickups come with multiple ''voices'', which means they can change the tone and gain by a simple switch or knob. Piezo, Fishman and similar are considered multi-voicing pickups.

ESP Stef-T7B pickups switch and push knobs diagram
ESP Stef-T7B's switch options
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body pickups switch and push knobs diagram
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body's switch options

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body.

Final Sound Quality Scores

ESP Stef-T7B
Pickups 85
Sustain 85
Versatility 59
Tuning Stability 80
Sound 77
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body
Pickups 85
Sustain 85
Versatility 61
Tuning Stability 85
Sound 79

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the ESP Stef-T7B compares to the ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Japan.

Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The ESP Stef-T7B has a Graphite nut. It's a self-lubricating material that will allow the strings to slide over the nut without a lot of friction. It's a good type of nut if you want to have better tuning stability than with plastic, although it's not as resistant as Bone or Tusq.

On the other hand, the ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body comes with a Locking nut. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.

Winner: ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

The ESP Stef-T7B's brige is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

On the other hand, the ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body's is a Floyd Rose. This is a double-locking bridge system that allows you to perform techniques like dive bombs and pinch harmonics. The locking nut allows your guitar to stay in tune even after the most intense tremolo usage. The disadvantage is that it takes more work to change the strings and set up everything correctly.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body.

Tuners

The ESP Stef-T7B has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.

Nevertheless, the ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body has a locking nut, so it should have even better tune stability and doesn't need locking tuners.

Winner: ESP Stef-T7B.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Neck-Through neck joint. This neck is a lot more resistant and lets builders give the neck joint a more comfortable shape for soloing at the upper frets. The disadvantage is that they're more expensive and that if you damage your neck, you can't simply replace it like with bolt-on necks.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
ESP Stef-T7B
  • Locking Tuners
  • Made in Japan
  • Expensive Wood
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Neck-Through Build
  • Multi-Voicing Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body
  • Made in Japan
  • Expensive Wood
  • Locking Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Neck-Through Build
  • Tremolo
  • Retainer Bar
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

ESP Stef-T7B
Quality of materials 56
Features 75
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 77
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body
Quality of materials 51
Features 75
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 75

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

ESP Stef-T7B Nut Width
ESP Stef-T7B Nut Width
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body Nut Width
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the ESP Stef-T7B has the wider nut with 47mm (1.85'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 5mm (0.196'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the ESP Stef-T7B, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

ESP Stef-T7B's Scale Length
ESP Stef-T7B's Scale Length
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body's Scale Length
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The ESP Stef-T7B has the longest scale: 27". The ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body is only 25.5" long. This is a 1.5'' (38.1mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

ESP Stef-T7B Neck Profile
ESP Stef-T7B's neck profile
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body Neck Profile
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the ESP Stef-T7B and the ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body have a U-shaped neck. This is also referred to as ''baseball neck'' because of its shape. It's usually thick, which is why some people with big hands like it. However, they can also be thin, similar to a C shape, but with more shoulders for a better grip.

Fretboard Radius

ESP Stef-T7B Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the ESP Stef-T7B and the ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

ESP Stef-T7B:
Big Hands
Small Hands
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

ESP Stef-T7B and ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body Frets Size
Both have a similar XL Jumbo fret size

Both have a XL Jumbo fret size. These are really tall frets made like this so you don't meet any resistance when playing techniques like vibrato, bending, tapping, etc. They should make the guitar easier to play, but you have to be careful not to get the notes out of pitch by pressing down too hard, which might happen since the fretboard will be too low to stop your hand.

Final Playability Scores

ESP Stef-T7B
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 90
Playability 82
ESP KH-2 Neck Thru Body
Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 90
Playability 80

Specs Side-by-Side

ESP Stef-T7B vs KH-2 Neck Thru Body
General ESP Stef-T7B KH-2 Neck Thru Body
Brand: ESP ESP
Year: 2008 2018
Configuration: HHX HH
Strings: 7 6
Made in: Japan Japan
Series: Signature Signature
Colors: Black Black, Purple
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Alder Alder
Bridge: Tonepros Locking TOM Floyd Rose Original
Neck
Neck Joint: Neck-Through Neck-Through
Tuners: Sperzel Locking Gotoh
Fretboard: Ebony Rosewood
Neck Material: 3pc Maple 3pc Maple
Decoration: Skulls
Scale Size: 27" 25.5"
Shape: Thin U Extra Thin U
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.787'' (20mm) - 12th Fret: 0.866'' (22mm) 1st Fret: 0.748'' (19mm) - 12th Fret: 0.827'' (21mm)
Frets: 24 XL Jumbo Nickel Silver 24 XL Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" 12"
Nut: Graphite Locking
Nut Width: 47mm (1.85'') 42mm (1.654'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Fishman Fluence SRC Signature (Humbucker / Active) EMG KH Bone Breaker Limited Edition (Humbucker / Active)
Middle Pickup: Fishman Fluence SRC Signature (Humbucker / Active)
Neck Pickup: EMG KH Bone Breaker Limited Edition (Humbucker / Active)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Dome Dome
Pickup Mods: Multi-Voicing None
Volume Controls: 1 2
Tone Controls: 1 1