If you're shopping for an Alexi Laiho signature and you've found yourself staring at both the Ripped and the Hexed wondering what's actually different beyond the finish — you're asking the right question. ESP didn't just run the same guitar in two colorways. These are meaningfully different instruments, and buying the wrong one for your situation is an easy mistake to make when the spec sheets look similar at a glance.

Here's how we'd break it down for a customer at the counter.

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The Body Shape Question: V vs. Not-V

The most immediately obvious difference is the body. The ESP Alexi Laiho Ripped is a Sawtooth — ESP's take on the flying-V-derived silhouette that Alexi Laiho played live throughout his career. It's angular, dramatic, and purpose-built for standing up. If you've seen footage of Laiho performing, this is that guitar.

The Hexed uses a more conventional superstrat-style body — still aggressive-looking, still clearly a metal instrument, but dramatically more practical if you spend any significant time seated. In a studio context, that matters. Tracking guitar for hours at a time on a V-style instrument can get uncomfortable in ways that don't affect your performance until they do.

For home studio owners and producers who are capturing rhythm tracks, layering leads, or doing extended sessions: the Hexed is the more ergonomic choice, full stop. The Ripped is the guitar you buy because the shape is part of the point.

Where They Share DNA

Both instruments are built around the same fundamental platform — and it's a serious one. Neither of these is a licensed-name guitar with budget construction underneath.

• Construction: Neck-thru body on the Ripped (more on why that matters below)
• Scale: 25.5" (648mm) — full Fender-style scale, which gives the low end clarity and keeps the string tension consistent across tunings
• Fretboard: Ebony, scalloped from frets 19–24, with 24 extra-jumbo frets and glow-in-the-dark side markers
• Bridge: Floyd Rose Original double-locking tremolo — not a licensed copy, the actual Floyd Rose
• Tuners: Gotoh locking tuners
• Strings: Elixir Nanoweb Super Light gauge from the factory
• Case: Form-fit V-ALEXI case and Certificate of Authenticity included

The scalloped upper frets deserve a note if you haven't played a scalloped board before. From fret 19 up, the wood between the frets is routed out — your fingertip contacts the string without touching the fretboard itself. It allows for more expressive vibrato and bends with lighter pressure, which is central to Laiho's technique. It also requires some adjustment if you're coming from a conventional fingerboard, because light fretting pressure matters more. Too heavy-handed and you'll sharp every note.

The Ripped's Specific Construction: Neck-Thru Alder

The Ripped uses neck-thru construction — the maple neck runs continuously through the body, with alder wings joined on either side. This is relevant in the studio in a specific way: neck-thru instruments tend to have longer, more even sustain and a smoother high-fret feel than bolt-on designs. Notes in the upper register don't thin out the way they sometimes do on bolt-on instruments under heavy gain.

The body wood on the Ripped is alder — a choice that shows up throughout this instrument and contributes to its balanced, present tone. Alder records well: it's not hyped at either frequency extreme, which means it tends to sit in a dense mix without fighting for space.

The neck itself is a three-piece thin U-shape maple with a natural satin finish — the satin back is a practical detail that matters over a long session, since a gloss neck gets sticky as your hand warms up.

Pickups and the Active Boost Switch

The Ripped is equipped with an EMG HZ F-H2 passive humbucker in the bridge and an EMG HZ S2 passive stacked single coil in the neck. These are passive pickups — no battery required at baseline — which makes the electronics configuration here somewhat unusual for an ESP signature at this price point.

What changes the equation is the ESP MM-04 active boost circuit: a built-in preamp with an adjustable EQ and up to +18dB of clean gain boost available at the flip of a switch. You get passive operation by default, with the option to push the signal hard when you want it — without touching the amp. That's a genuine studio tool. If you're running direct through a preamp or an amp sim, the ability to send a hotter, shaped signal before it hits your interface gives you a different kind of control than a standard passive guitar.

It also means you can track with the boost engaged for one part and off for another without touching your interface gain, which keeps your signal chain consistent across a session.

The Finish: Purple Fade Satin with Ripped Pinstripes

The Purple Fade Satin with Ripped Pinstripes finish on the Ripped is not a background detail — it's the whole visual identity of the instrument. Alexi Laiho's guitar aesthetic was always deliberately over the top, and this guitar doesn't walk that back. If you're recording video content, streaming sessions, or doing anything where the instrument is visible, this guitar makes a statement in frame.

The satin topcoat keeps the appearance matte and avoids the light-flare issues that high-gloss finishes can create under studio or stage lighting — a small but real practical consideration.

The Honest Trade-Off

Here's where we'd tell you to think carefully. The Ripped is a $6,669 instrument. At that price, you're buying a professional-grade signature guitar with genuine craftsmanship, real hardware, and a specific visual and sonic identity. That's a legitimate purchase for the right player.

But if your primary use case is studio work — laying down tracks, producing, or practicing seated — the Sawtooth body will fight you. It's not comfortable on your lap for extended seated playing, and no amount of tone or build quality fixes that ergonomic reality. In that case, the Hexed's body shape serves you better, and the construction quality is comparable enough that you're not giving up much in the trade.

If, on the other hand, you play standing up most of the time, you want the most visually faithful version of Alexi's guitar, or the neck-thru construction and specific pickup/boost configuration are part of your decision — the Ripped is the one to buy. It's not a compromise instrument. It's an unambiguous pro-grade piece with a clear point of view.

Who Should Buy the Ripped

• Players who perform standing up and want the Sawtooth V silhouette as part of their identity
• Studio guitarists who want to exploit the active boost circuit for direct-in or amp-sim recording with flexible gain staging
• Alexi Laiho fans who want the most faithful version of his live instrument
• Anyone who wants the neck-thru sustain profile for long upper-register lead work

Who Should Buy the Hexed Instead

• Players who do most of their playing seated — in the studio or at home — where a V-style body gets impractical quickly
• Anyone for whom the body shape is secondary to the pickups, hardware, and playability
• Players who want the Alexi signature platform but find the Sawtooth shape polarizing for their context

Our Take

The Ripped is the guitar for players who want the complete Alexi Laiho experience — shape, finish, boost circuit, neck-thru construction, and all. If any one of those elements is why you're interested, the Ripped delivers. If you're primarily drawn to the specs and the Laiho signature DNA but the body shape works against your actual playing situation, the Hexed is the smarter buy and you won't feel like you've settled.

Both are serious instruments. Neither one is a casual purchase at this price point, and neither one is overpriced for what it is. The decision comes down to how and where you play.

View the ESP Alexi Laiho Ripped Guitar Purple Faded Pinstripes Product Page

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between the ESP Alexi Laiho Ripped and the Hexed?

The most significant difference is the body shape. The Ripped uses a Sawtooth flying-V-derived silhouette — the shape Alexi Laiho played live — while the Hexed uses a more conventional superstrat-style body. The Ripped also features neck-thru construction and a different pickup and electronics configuration, including the ESP MM-04 active boost circuit with up to +18dB of gain boost.

Is the scalloped fretboard on the Ripped hard to play if I haven't used one before?

There's a real adjustment period. The scalloping runs from frets 19–24, meaning your fingertips contact only the strings in that range — not the wood underneath. Lighter fretting pressure is essential, because pressing too hard will push notes sharp. Most players adapt within a few sessions, but it's worth knowing before you commit to the instrument.

How does the ESP MM-04 boost circuit affect studio recording?

The MM-04 is a built-in active preamp that can add up to +18dB of shaped boost on demand, independently of the passive HZ pickups. In a studio context, this lets you push more signal into your interface, preamp, or amp sim without adjusting your gain staging — useful for differentiating rhythm and lead tones in a session, or for driving a direct signal harder without a pedal in the chain.

Is the Floyd Rose Original on the Ripped the actual Floyd Rose, or a licensed version?

It's a genuine Floyd Rose Original double-locking tremolo — not a licensed copy. At the Ripped's price point, that's expected, but it's worth confirming because many instruments at lower price points use licensed versions that behave differently under heavy use and are harder to find exact replacement parts for.