ESP RZK-II Richard Z Kruspe Burnt

ESP RZK-II Richard Z Kruspe Burnt review

The ESP RZK-II Richard Z Kruspe Burnt is a Japan-made signature guitar for the Rammstein guitarist. Its listed design combines a single-cutaway body, a 25.5-inch scale, two Fishman Fluence humbuckers, and a Floyd Rose Original tremolo. That specification points to a guitar built around a fixed-feeling, substantial platform for high-energy playing, with a locking tremolo for pitch effects. There are no customer reviews in the supplied information, so this assessment is limited to the listed features and their practical implications.

Construction and key specifications

• Body: Alder, with a distressed and burnt finish listed.
• Neck: Maple, described in the detailed specifications as neck-through-body.
• Fingerboard: Conflicting entries list ebony and rosewood.
• Frets: 24 extra-jumbo frets.
• Scale length: 648 mm, or 25.5 inches.
• Pickups: Two Fishman Fluence Richard Z Set 6 BS humbuckers.
• Tremolo: Floyd Rose Original.
• Included: Case. No gig bag is listed.

The alder body and maple neck are familiar choices for an electric guitar, but the stated neck-through construction is a notable detail. In this layout, the neck extends through the body rather than joining it at a bolt-on connection. The supplied data does not describe the guitar's weight, neck dimensions beyond its profile, or setup, so those aspects cannot be assessed here.

The 648 mm scale is the standard 25.5-inch length. The 42 mm nut width is listed alongside a Thin U neck profile, giving shoppers useful dimensions to compare with an instrument they already know. The fingerboard radius is 305 mm, equivalent to about 12 inches. These measurements describe the geometry, but they cannot establish whether the neck will feel comfortable to a particular player.

With 24 extra-jumbo frets, the guitar offers two full octaves per string and a fretwire size intended to provide a tall contact surface under the fingers. No fret material or precise fret dimensions are specified. The listed fingerboard material is inconsistent, however, and the discrepancy matters to anyone choosing an instrument based on its wood specification.

Pickups and controls

The pickup set consists of two Fishman Fluence Richard Z humbuckers in a conventional HH layout. The supplied details identify a master volume control and a three-way toggle switch. They do not specify coil-splitting, alternate voicings, a push-pull control, or a battery compartment. Those features should not be assumed from the pickup name alone.

This is a relatively straightforward control arrangement: one volume knob and a selector for choosing between the two pickups or their combined position. The data does not give output levels, wiring diagrams, or tone-control options. Players who want to confirm the available sounds and switching behavior should check with ESP or the retailer before purchase.

Tremolo and hardware

The Floyd Rose Original tremolo is a central part of the specification. A double-locking tremolo is designed to support substantial pitch movement while helping the strings stay in tune, provided it is installed and adjusted correctly. It also brings a setup tradeoff: changing string gauges or tuning can require balancing the bridge again. The guitar is listed with Elixir Nanoweb Super Light strings, but the exact gauges are not supplied.

Gotoh machine heads and chrome hardware complete the listed hardware package. The case is included, a practical advantage for storage and transport, while a gig bag is explicitly not included. The product data does not identify the case type or its construction.

Specification conflicts to verify

The supplied specifications contain several direct conflicts. One entry says the top is absent, while another lists a maple top. The neck is identified simply as maple in one place and as neck-through-body maple in another. The fingerboard is described as both ebony and rosewood. The color appears once as distressed and elsewhere as distressed and burnt. These differences should be checked against the exact instrument being sold, rather than treated as interchangeable descriptions.

Verdict

On paper, the RZK-II Richard Z Kruspe Burnt has a clear performance-oriented specification: a long-scale single-cutaway design, neck-through construction as stated in the detailed listing, active-style Fishman Fluence humbuckers, and a Floyd Rose Original tremolo. It also includes a case and is marked as made in Japan. The asking price is listed as 7555, but no currency is provided, so value comparisons require confirmation of the market and currency.

The main buying concern is not a missing feature but uncertain product data. Confirm the fingerboard wood, top construction, neck construction, and exact finish with the seller before ordering. With no customer feedback available, there is no basis here for claims about sound, playability, tuning stability, or build quality in use.