ESP Eclipse-I CTM

The ESP Eclipse is a classic design. It takes the recognizable single cut shape and puts a more modern metal spin on it. The CTM has less of a modern spin, it has more of an old school design. The CTM means it has a thicker body with double binding and less body bevels. This model is closer to a Les Paul than most other Eclipse models. The hardware on this model is top notch like you would expect on any made in Japan ESP. Up top you get locking tuners on the headstock and a nice tune-o-matic bridge at the bottom. The body and neck are mahogany with a set neck construction. The fretboard is ebony with 22 jumbo frets and the ESP flag inlays. The pickups are a set of active EMG's. You get the 60 in the neck and the 81 in the bridge this is the old James Hetfield set from before he got his signature set of pickups. You get the classic control layout with a volume and tone for each pickup and a 3 way toggle.

UTILIZATION

These guitars have more of the classic feel due to their bigger bodies and less bevels. Other Eclipse models have 24 frets which require more beveling but with the 22 on this guitar you can easily reach them without the extra cutaways. The body is thicker and you can feel it. It has no tummy cut so you can feel the guitar when you play it, it doesnt disappear. The locking tuners lock everything down. Every guitar should come with locking tuners nowadays. Since the pickups are active ESP includes a battery compartment for them so you can change the battery without having to open up the entire guitar.

SOUNDS

The 81 and 60 are a classic EMG setup and pretty much everything has been said about them already. They are as versatile as a set of active EMG's can get. The 81 has a classic metal sound. It has a great high end crunch so it retains clarity whatever you are playing and through whatever you are playing. The 60 in the neck is EMG's classic neck and clean pickup. It does not have much output but this makes it great for clean passages and neck position playing. This is the traditional shortcoming for most EMG pickups so having an EMG that is good at this in your guitar is a nice trade off to the heavy bridge pickup.

OVERALL OPINION

Now that there is an LTD EC CTM model this model is pretty much not needed anymore. If someone came into my shop asking for a CTM I would point them to the LTD model. Having played both models the differences in feel are barely there and they have identical hardware and electronics. The LTD version is about half as much when it comes to price. With a good setup they will play the same. If you are looking for an ESP that has more of that classic look and feel the CTM models are what you should look for.

ESP is a Japanese guitar maker that many people know. People often call LTD guitars ESP's, this is like calling an Epiphone a Gibson. ESP guitars that say ESP on the headstock are super high quality compared to their LTD counterparts. These older Eclipse models are real gems compared to the newer ones. These older Eclipse designs are closer to that of a Les Paul. For the newer models they gave them 24 frets and a thinner body. These guitar have a full thickness body and dual tone and volume controls. This guitar has a mahogany body with a maple top in a brilliant white finish. The body and neck are fully bound. The neck is mahogany also with an ebony fretboard with 22 jumbo frets. The inlays are ESP's traditional flag design. All the hardware on the guitar is top notch. The tuners up top are Gotoh locking tuners and the bridge is locking also. The pickups are dual EMG's. It has the old Hetfield set with an 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck with dual tone and dual volume knobs switched with a 3-way.

UTILIZATION

Being closer to the traditional Les Paul Design these guitars retain more of the Les Paul playability which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. The body joins the neck at the traditional place. On the newer ones there is a larger cutaway so you can reach the 24 frets that the newer ones have. Since this guitar only has 22 frets you do not need the bigger cutaway. The locking tuners it has is something every guitar should have. The locking bridge is also a nice touch. When changing strings on a guitar with a tune-o-matic your bridge can fall off and it is easy to put it back on backwards ruining your intonation. You will have to pay thousands and thousands of dollars to get a locking bridge and locking tuners on a Gibson. The EMG pickups are active so you will need a battery to run them but as long as you done leave your guitar plugged in 24/7 these batteries will last you years.

SOUNDS

WIth these EMG pickups this guitar is pretty much designed for metal. The 81 in the bridge is a classic metal pickup that has been used for many years on many albums by many artists. The 81 has a classic metal sound. It has a great high end crunch so it retains clarity whatever you are playing and through whatever you are playing. The 81's dont have a great amount of low end but the huge mahogany body helps even out the sound. The 60 in the neck is EMG's classic neck and clean pickup. It does not have much output but this makes it great for clean passages and neck position playing. This is the traditional shortcoming for most EMG pickups so having an EMG that is good at this in your guitar is a nice trade off to the heavy bridge pickup. You may not like it if you intend on playing high gain leads on the neck position. If you intend on playing high gain leads in the neck position you may want to swap in an EMG 85. The 85 has a really fat sound that works well for leads. It is also good in the bridge position too if you want a fatter tone. With EMG pickups they come with quick connect wiring so it is very easy to swap out pickups and you can see what you like best. If you remove the 60 and you still want a good clean tone you may want to do the 18v mod. This gives the pickups more headroom and more organic clean tones.

OVERALL OPINION

This guitar is a great alternative to a Gibson with EMG's. The quality on this guitar is top notch and the hardware is great. The locking tuners and bridge are something you wont find on any Gibson and it comes with EMG pickups from the factory. This guitar already has all the upgrades you could ever want. If you want these features you would end up playing thousands and thousands of dollars for a Gibson with them. You should check one of these out if you are looking for a metal LP and you can find one. They are getting pretty rare now.

Made in japan, please visit PSE for detailed specs ...
For a cooler look all the gold hardware has been replaced with chrome.

UTILIZATION

Profile of nice round despite a veneer a bit sticky.
Access to acute improvement, but I go as often that box so it suits me.
Light enough, it can be played for a long time standing without fatigue (2:30 / 3:00)
Re granted.

SOUNDS

Plugged into a 3 channel Dual Rectifier 4x12 cabinet and Standart.
With such a unique efffet Holly Grail reverb.
The G60 goes well with the dual cleans giving sounds quite warm and soft in the ensemblent.
The G81 and the way the Modern Mesa distortion gives a good fat and aggressive, slightly runny, I like.

OVERALL OPINION

Used for a year now, I do not regret my choice.
I tried all the ersatz form LP meets my criteria before and the one that suited me the most.
I hesitated between her and the same finish "Vintage" and an LP Gothic, but the availability of new / used (and prices) make me carry me on the ESP.
I would do my choice without hesitation, unless they have a higher budget permetre me to take a Gibson Les Paul Custom and equip it properly (hardware quality and G81/G60). So I like this configuration, it has become my main.