Getting to know the ESP LTD MH-100QMNT and the Line 6 Pod HD Desktop

ESP LTD MH-100MQNT

Finally sat down last night (er, early this morning) to restring and setup the new-to-me ESP LTD MH-100QMNT guitar (which isn’t made anymore; the lowest end offering they have now in the MH line is the 200-series).

Picture of a red guitar, tools and cleaners, and a Line 6 POD HD Pro, before cleaning, polishing, and putting new strings on the guitar
Before.

I haven’t owned a “Tune-O-Matic” guitar before, so I watched a quick YouTube video on how to change the strings. (Easy.) That video producer recommends Dunlop Fretboard 65 Ultimate Lemon Oil for the fretboard (but not for maple fretboards), but not having any of that, I just kinda scrubbed away the grunge with the fretboard conditioner that came in the D'Addario Accessories Instrument Care Kit I got a few months ago (which also comes with a cleaner, wax, and detailer for the body, the mat I put the guitar on to protect the body, the neck support, etc). The MusicNomad string changing kit is still proving its value.

It cleaned up nicely:

Picture of a red guitar, tools and cleaners, and a Line 6 POD HD Pro, after cleaning, polishing, and putting new strings on the guitar
After.

A couple of tiny imperfections in the finish on the back; wondering if something like this red paint pen will do a decent enough job of touching it up to be not noticeable from 6' away?
 
Edit: The red paint pen was way too bright, but putting a base layer using the blue paint pen, and then adding the red on top of that, is “good enough” for now. (I got a quote from a local guitar paint shop for fixing a similar blemish on a blue Jackson and the cost to repair was more than I paid for the guitar, so...)
Chip in the finish, before and after “fixing“ with paint pens
Chip in the finish, before and after “fixing“ with paint pens

After the paint dried you really have to look to see the repair. (If I’d had glasses on and/or my illuminated magnifying lens handy, I might have done an even better job...)

Touch-up paint repair to guitar after drying
Touch-up paint repair to guitar after drying

Went with Ernie Ball “Classic” strings this time, .009-.042 this time, because AI told me that’s what ESP shipped it with, but now that I’ve found the manual and read it, for “6-str guitar with non-trem,” it’s actually .010–.046. Sigh. Shouldn’t make too much of a difference. (The newer version of this guitar, the -200, ships with D'Addario XL110 (.010/.013/.017/.026/.036/.046) strings.)


Now, I had kinda lusted after a new ($549) (or at least newer; $349 typically, used) MH-200QM NT, but comparing the specs with the MH-100QMNT, looks like the difference is the mahogany (-200) vs. basswood (-100) body (both have quilted maple top, “see thru black cherry” finish), and the fingerboard (rosewood with standard centered dot inlays plus a model number inset on the 100; roasted jatoba with edge bar inlays and the model number on the truss rod cover on the 200). Both have a Thin-U maple neck, the same ESP LH-150N and -150B pickups, both are string thru with TOM bridges, both are 24 XJ fret, 25.5" scale, LTD non-locking tuners, 42mm nut ... Suddenly II don't see any huge reason to lust after the -200 now. The MH-1000 Evertune (active Fishman pickups, neck-through-body), on the other hand... ($1,599 MSRP. Sigh.)

Line 6 POD HD Desktop

Meanwhile, I finally sat down and started playing around with the (also new to me) POD HD Desktop. First using the tuner to setup the guitar, and then finally setting up some basic presets (a “clean” one that’s just the “Brit J-800” (Marshall), and another that’s the same amp with the “Heavy Distortion” effects pedal in the signal chain. I have a lot more to learn with this device.


Videos (POD HD Bean 101):
Although, I may not use it much longer; I really like the drum machine in the NUX MG-101, and am thinking the MG-300 mk II might be a better rig for home / most lessons / etc. But I digress.

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