ESP LTD MT-130, Snow White

The ESP LTD MT-130 Snow White is a versatile, modern electric guitar designed for players who want fast playability, flexible tones and unmistakable ESP styling at an accessible price.

Its lightweight basswood body is paired with a bolt-on maple neck, comfortable Thin U profile and 24 extra-jumbo frets. The full 25.5-inch scale provides a clear, responsive string feel that works equally well for powerful rhythm playing, expressive lead techniques and lower tunings.

An HSH pickup configuration combines two ESP Designed LH-100 humbuckers with an LS-100M middle single coil. Controlled by a five-way selector, this layout provides powerful rock and metal sounds alongside brighter clean, alternative and blues-inspired tones.

Finished in crisp Snow White with chrome hardware and a responsive tremolo bridge, the MT-130 is an excellent first electric guitar, dependable rehearsal instrument or versatile addition to an established collection.

At A Glance

Feature	Details
Brand	ESP LTD
Model	MT-130
Finish	Snow White
Instrument Type	Solid-body electric guitar
Condition	Brand New
Body Style	Modern double cutaway
Construction	Bolt-on
Body Material	Basswood
Neck Material	Maple
Scale Length	25.5 inches
Pickup Configuration	HSH
Pickups	ESP Designed LH-100 and LS-100M
Bridge	Tremolo
Main Appeal	Fast playability with wide tonal versatility
Best For	Rock, metal, blues, alternative, indie and general-purpose playing
Skill Level	Beginner, intermediate and advanced

Condition Overview

Brand New Condition

This ESP LTD MT-130 Snow White is offered in brand new condition and has not been previously owned.

Every new instrument is inspected by the Fair Deal Music team before dispatch to ensure that its electronics, hardware and general playability meet our standards.

What’s Included?

• ESP LTD MT-130 Snow White electric guitar

• No case or gig bag is included

Fair Deal Quality Control Assessment

Before dispatch, our team checks the guitar’s three pickups, volume and tone controls, five-way selector, output socket, tuning machines, tremolo bridge, neck, frets and general playability.

The electronics are tested in every pickup position, and the instrument is checked for stable tuning and consistent performance across the fingerboard.

Service and Setup Work Performed

The guitar receives a general inspection, tuning check and playability assessment before leaving Fair Deal Music.

Individual setup preferences vary according to playing style, preferred string height, string gauge and tuning.

Why Choose the ESP LTD MT-130?

Modern ESP Double-Cutaway Design

The MT-130 uses a streamlined double-cutaway body designed for comfort and straightforward access to the upper frets.

Its sculpted outline feels familiar to players who enjoy modern performance guitars, while the pointed ESP headstock gives it a sharper and more distinctive appearance.

The body shape works comfortably during seated practice and standing performance.

Lightweight Basswood Body

Basswood provides a balanced tonal foundation with a strong midrange and controlled high frequencies.

Its relatively lightweight character helps keep the MT-130 comfortable during longer lessons, practice sessions, rehearsals and live performances.

The balanced response also works particularly well with the guitar’s HSH pickup configuration, allowing both the humbuckers and middle single coil to retain their individual characteristics.

Bolt-On Maple Neck

The maple neck is attached to the body using bolt-on construction.

This contributes to the guitar’s immediate attack and clear response, helping individual notes remain defined during fast passages, chord work and distorted rhythm playing.

Bolt-on construction is widely used across versatile modern electric guitars because it provides a familiar feel and a direct, responsive playing character.

Comfortable Thin U Profile

ESP’s Thin U neck profile provides a streamlined playing experience without becoming excessively narrow.

It is comfortable for:

• Open and barre chords

• Power chords

• Fast position changes

• Scale practice

• Lead guitar techniques

• String bends and vibrato

• Extended practice sessions

The profile gives newer players a manageable neck while offering enough speed for more experienced guitarists.

25.5-Inch Scale Length

The MT-130 uses a full 25.5-inch scale, creating a firm and responsive string feel.

This helps clean notes remain articulate and keeps rhythm parts controlled when using overdrive or distortion. The longer scale can also support improved definition when using reduced tunings.

Engineered Hardwood Fingerboard

The engineered hardwood fingerboard provides a smooth, consistent surface for chords, rhythm parts and lead playing.

Its dark appearance creates a strong contrast against the Snow White body while complementing the chrome hardware and black pickup components.

24 Extra-Jumbo Frets

The MT-130 features 24 extra-jumbo frets, providing a full two-octave range on every string.

This gives lead players access to higher notes than a traditional 21- or 22-fret guitar.

The larger fret dimensions support:

• A relatively light fretting touch

• Smooth string bends

• Controlled vibrato

• Fast lead passages

• Tapping

• Upper-register soloing

The 350mm fingerboard radius provides a modern playing surface suited to both rhythm and lead techniques.

Versatile HSH Pickup Configuration

The MT-130 uses an HSH pickup layout consisting of:

• ESP Designed LH-100N neck humbucker

• ESP Designed LS-100M middle single coil

• ESP Designed LH-100B bridge humbucker

This configuration combines the power and low-noise performance of humbuckers with the brighter response of a traditional middle single coil.

LH-100B Bridge Humbucker

The bridge humbucker delivers a focused sound with a clear attack and enough output for overdriven and distorted playing.

It works particularly well for:

• Power chords

• Palm-muted riffs

• Rock and metal rhythm playing

• Punk and alternative guitar

• Artificial harmonics

• Focused lead tones

Its position close to the bridge gives it the definition required for precise rhythm work.

LS-100M Middle Single Coil

The middle pickup provides a brighter and more open response than the two humbuckers.

It is useful for:

• Clean rhythm parts

• Blues-inspired playing

• Indie and alternative sounds

• Funk-style chord work

• Lower-gain overdrive

• Parts requiring greater note separation

The middle pickup gives the MT-130 tonal options that are not normally available from a conventional two-humbucker guitar.

LH-100N Neck Humbucker

The neck humbucker offers a warmer and smoother sound suited to:

• Clean chords

• Melodic lead playing

• Sustained solos

• Blues tones

• Fluid legato passages

• Warm rhythm sounds

• Detailed arpeggios

Its fuller response provides a useful contrast to the sharper bridge pickup.

Five-Way Pickup Selection

The five-way selector provides access to five useful pickup settings.

These range from the full neck humbucker through brighter combined and middle-pickup tones to the powerful bridge humbucker.

This makes it easy to move between warm clean sounds, balanced rhythm tones and aggressive distorted settings without changing guitars.

Simple Volume and Tone Controls

The MT-130 uses one master volume and one master tone control.

The volume adjusts the overall output of the selected pickup setting, while the tone control reduces high frequencies for a warmer and smoother response.

This uncomplicated control layout makes the guitar easy to understand while retaining enough flexibility for a wide range of sounds.

Responsive Tremolo Bridge

The tremolo bridge allows the player to introduce pitch movement and expressive vibrato effects.

It can be used for:

• Subtle chord shimmer

• Gentle pitch dips

• Lead-guitar vibrato

• Surf-inspired effects

• Expressive note movement

The bridge also provides adjustment for string height and intonation during setup.

Players who change string gauge or move to a substantially different tuning may require a bridge and spring adjustment to maintain the preferred playing feel.

Why Choose an HSH Electric Guitar?

An HSH guitar combines humbuckers in the neck and bridge positions with a single-coil pickup in the middle.

This provides a broad tonal range from one instrument.

The humbuckers deliver fuller, more powerful sounds with reduced unwanted noise, while the middle pickup offers a brighter and more open character.

An HSH guitar is particularly useful for players who enjoy several styles, including:

• Rock

• Metal

• Blues

• Indie

• Alternative

• Punk

• Pop

• Clean and ambient guitar

• General session work

For beginners, this versatility provides an opportunity to explore several types of electric-guitar tone before developing a preference for a particular pickup style.

Who Is It For?

Beginner Guitarists

The MT-130 is an excellent first electric guitar for players who want an instrument capable of covering several musical styles.

Its comfortable neck, versatile pickups and straightforward controls provide plenty of room for development.

Intermediate Players

Developing guitarists will appreciate the 24-fret range, HSH pickup system and tremolo bridge as they explore new techniques and sounds.

Rock and Metal Players

The bridge humbucker provides the punch and definition required for powerful rhythm guitar and lead work.

Blues and Alternative Guitarists

The neck humbucker and middle single coil provide warmer, brighter and more dynamic options for clean and lower-gain playing.

Lead Guitarists

The Thin U neck, modern fingerboard radius and 24 extra-jumbo frets support bends, vibrato, tapping and upper-register soloing.

Recording Musicians

Five pickup settings provide several useful tonal layers for rhythm, clean and lead recording.

Players Seeking a Versatile Second Guitar

The MT-130 is also a practical option for experienced musicians who need an affordable HSH instrument for rehearsals, alternative tunings or home recording.

Sound and Playing Character

The MT-130 has a clear and immediate response with a strong midrange and plenty of tonal flexibility.

Bridge Pickup Sound

The bridge humbucker provides:

• Defined rhythm attack

• Powerful distorted chords

• Clear palm-muted notes

• Strong harmonic response

• Focused rock and metal lead tones

Middle Pickup Sound

The middle single coil offers:

• Bright clean tones

• Clear chord separation

• Responsive blues sounds

• Lighter rhythm textures

• Defined lower-gain overdrive

Neck Pickup Sound

The neck humbucker produces:

• Warm clean chords

• Smooth sustained leads

• Full melodic lines

• Rounded rhythm sounds

• Fluid legato tones

Combined Pickup Settings

The in-between selector positions combine pickup characteristics for brighter and more detailed rhythm sounds.

These settings are especially useful for clean playing, layered studio parts and sections where a full humbucker sound would be too heavy.

Snow White Finish

The Snow White finish gives the MT-130 a clean, bold appearance that contrasts strongly with its dark fingerboard and black pickup components.

Chrome tuning machines, bridge hardware and control knobs add a classic visual accent.

The result is a versatile modern guitar that looks equally suitable for rock, metal, alternative and pop performance.

Technical Specifications

Specification	Details
Manufacturer	ESP LTD
Model	MT-130
Orientation	Right-handed
Instrument Type	Solid-body electric guitar
Finish	Snow White
Body Shape	Modern double cutaway
Construction	Bolt-on
Scale Length	25.5 inches / approximately 648mm
Body Material	Basswood
Neck Material	Maple
Neck Profile	Thin U
Fingerboard Material	Engineered hardwood
Fingerboard Radius	350mm
Number of Frets	24
Fret Type	Extra jumbo
Nut Width	42mm
Nut Type	Moulded
Neck Pickup	ESP Designed LH-100N humbucker
Middle Pickup	ESP Designed LS-100M single coil
Bridge Pickup	ESP Designed LH-100B humbucker
Pickup Configuration	HSH
Pickup Type	Passive
Controls	Master volume and master tone
Pickup Selector	Five-way blade switch
Bridge	Tremolo
Tuning Machines	LTD
Hardware Colour	Chrome
Strap Buttons	Standard
Case or Gig Bag	Not included

Power Requirements

The ESP Designed pickups are passive and do not require a battery or external power supply.

ESP LTD MT-130 Compared with Other Electric Guitars

Compared with a Dual-Humbucker Guitar

A traditional dual-humbucker guitar provides powerful neck and bridge sounds but does not include a dedicated middle single coil.

The MT-130’s HSH layout adds brighter clean and lower-gain tones while retaining strong humbucker performance.

Compared with an SSS-Style Guitar

An SSS guitar provides three bright and dynamic single-coil sounds.

The MT-130 offers more output and a fuller response from its neck and bridge humbuckers, making it more naturally suited to hard rock and metal while retaining useful single-coil character from the middle pickup.

Compared with the ESP LTD EC-256

The EC-256 uses mahogany set-neck construction, a shorter 24.75-inch scale and two humbuckers.

The MT-130 has a lighter basswood body, bolt-on maple neck, longer scale and HSH pickup system.

The EC-256 offers a warmer traditional single-cut response, while the MT-130 provides a brighter, faster and more versatile modern playing experience.

Compared with a Fixed-Bridge Guitar

A fixed bridge offers straightforward restringing and makes frequent tuning changes easier.

The MT-130’s tremolo bridge adds expressive pitch effects for players who want more movement and flexibility from sustained notes and chords.

Compared with a Floyd Rose-Equipped Guitar

A double-locking Floyd Rose system supports more extreme pitch effects but requires more involved restringing and setup work.

The MT-130’s conventional tremolo is simpler to understand and maintain, making it more approachable for developing players.

Pairs Perfectly With

The ESP LTD MT-130 works particularly well with:

• Practice and modelling amplifiers

• Rock and metal guitar amplifiers

• Overdrive and distortion pedals

• Delay and reverb effects

• Wah pedals

• Multi-effects processors

• Audio interfaces

• Headphone practice systems

• Medium guitar picks

• Suitable universal electric-guitar cases

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the ESP LTD MT-130 suitable for beginners?

Yes. Its comfortable neck, straightforward controls and versatile pickup configuration make it an excellent choice for new electric-guitar players.

Is the MT-130 suitable for metal?

Yes. The bridge humbucker provides the output and definition required for rock, hard rock and metal rhythm or lead playing.

Can it produce clean sounds?

Yes. The neck humbucker provides warm cleans, while the middle pickup and combined settings offer brighter sounds with excellent chord definition.

What does HSH mean?

HSH refers to the pickup configuration: humbucker in the neck position, single coil in the middle and humbucker at the bridge.

Does the MT-130 require a battery?

No. All three pickups are passive.

Does the guitar have 24 frets?

Yes. The 24-fret neck provides a full two-octave range on each string.

Can the tremolo be used for dive bombs?

The bridge is designed for conventional tremolo effects such as pitch dips and vibrato. Players wanting frequent extreme dive bombs may prefer a guitar with a double-locking tremolo system.

Is it suitable for lower tunings?

Yes. Its 25.5-inch scale can provide good definition in reduced tunings.

A heavier string gauge and suitable setup may be required when tuning substantially below standard pitch.

What is the benefit of the middle single-coil pickup?

The middle pickup provides a brighter and more open response than the two humbuckers, making it useful for clean rhythm, blues, indie and lower-gain sounds.

Is this guitar only intended for rock and metal?

No. Its five pickup settings also provide useful tones for blues, pop, indie, alternative and clean ambient playing.

Fair Deal Music Verdict

★★★★★ 5/5

The ESP LTD MT-130 Snow White is a highly versatile and approachable electric guitar that offers excellent value for beginners and developing players.

Its Thin U maple neck and 24 extra-jumbo frets provide comfortable, modern playability, while the HSH pickup system covers everything from bright clean rhythm sounds to powerful distorted rock and metal tones. The tremolo bridge adds further creative flexibility without the complexity of a double-locking system.

With its bold Snow White finish, lightweight construction and wide tonal range, the MT-130 is an excellent first guitar and a practical choice for experienced players seeking an affordable, adaptable instrument.

Why Buy From Fair Deal Music?

Choosing Fair Deal Music means buying from a passionate team of musicians who genuinely understand the products we sell. Whether you're purchasing your first instrument, upgrading your current setup or searching for something special, we're here to help you make the right choice with friendly advice and expert support.

When you shop with Fair Deal Music, you can buy with confidence thanks to:

• Expert advice from knowledgeable musicians

• Carefully checked new, used, pre-owned and ex-display equipment

• Competitive prices on leading music brands

• Secure UK-wide delivery

• Flexible finance options available, subject to status

• Friendly support before and after your purchase

• A trusted independent UK music retailer with decades of experience

Trade In. Trade Up. Save More.

Thinking about upgrading? Your next piece of gear could cost less than you think. We're always happy to consider part exchanges and trade-ins on a wide range of musical instruments and equipment.

Whether you're looking to upgrade your guitar, keyboard, amplifier, drum kit or studio gear, your existing equipment could help reduce the cost of your next purchase.

Simply get in touch with our team for a no-obligation valuation, and we'll be happy to discuss the options available. It's an easy way to unlock the value of the gear you no longer use while making your next instrument even more affordable.