ESP

This is an 80s, I believe, strat by ESP made in Japan. maple neck rosewood board, 22 fret neck 2pc ash body vintage style trem 3 awesome single coils 1 vol, 2 tone, 5 way switch. this one's in a sunburst finish. It's pretty much an exact strat, just made by another company other than Fender. UTILIZATION Like a strat, it's very ergonomic with the body contours. Minus the bolt on neck with a huge hump, if you can get over that then upper fret access isn't too difficult however for most players it's a bit of a burden. Though everybody that has played strats is probably used to it. The neck is also very nice. I'd say it's quite similar to any standard AM strat from fender. C compound radius-type. Comfortable to play. The trem is decent as well though I don't use it often, I would recommend using it for just slight vibrato, nothing crazy. SOUNDS The sounds are quite decent. Most ESP strat owners I've found don't really change the pickups, they keep it old school and stick with what came in the guitar. No, they're not noiseless but neither are fender AM strats on certain models. But they sound quite good on clean. You get the typical twangy and glassy cleans with the 2 and 4 positions. Again they're not noiseless so you do have to compensate if you were to kick your amp into overdrive. Everything is old school with this guitar, you have to settle with the noise and play through it or work with it somehow. But this is 2012. Noiseless pickups have come a long way and I am a big user of noiseless single coils so I do believe that one doesn't have to compromise anymore with the 60hz hum and can be satisfied with noiseless pickups that sound just as great as regular single coils. Thus the rating. OVERALL OPINION Great guitar. A perfect strat for half the price of an American Fender. I would definitely go for one of these over an american fender anyday. The build quality is on par, the pickups are too. The hardware is also decent though I don't use the trem a lot myself and if I were I would just use it for slight vibrato to avoid detuning the guitar. It doesn't have locking tuners so you can't do crazy on it. It's your typical traditional strat at half the price. Not much to complain about!

As a seven string player, I've been waiting quite awhile for ESP to finally release a seven string version of their Horizon guitars with a floyd rose. They've made hard tails before, but the floyded one was what I truly wanted. The guitar features an alder body, a maple neck-thru design with an ebony fretboard, 24 extra jumbo frets, offset block inlays with binding, an original floyd rose, two humbuckers, one volume, one tone and a three way switch. UTILIZATION The guitar had some amazing fretwork. You normally don't see this kind of fretwork unless you're working on higher quality guitars. The ends were perfectly beveled, and the frets were absolutely straight, so you could get some real nice action on this. The binding was also done super clean. The inlays work was top notch with very little filler, too. I can't say enough about this guitar. The bridge on this is probably the best non-Ibanez floyd out there, so no issues there. The access to the higher frets was nice, the back of the neck was painted (a bit of a minus), but it wasn't a super thick neck (a plus). SOUNDS The guitar had EMG 707s installed in it. These can get some very polarizing opinions. Some say that they have a single coil like quality to them, and they kinda do. They have this interesting grind to them that places them, tonally, between the 81 and the 85. There is an EMG 81-7 that you can try, but I don't really recommend it unless you're going for a bright tone. The 707s do a decent job. The cleans are kinda bland, but the rest of the stuff is cool. I recommend trying out the 18v mod if you're looking for some more dynamics. If you're a metal player, you might like the standard 9v that they do. OVERALL OPINION The guitar is one of my favorite seven string guitars, and I can't say enough about it. I much prefer it to some of my other seven string guitars I own, and I'd put it up against anything, as long as I don't have to play too much lower gain stuff. The pickups in this kinda force it into the whole metal genre, which might not be a good thing for those jazz players out there.

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.

This model has actually been available over in Europe for a bit now, but it's finally arrived on US shores. The guitar is like a standard Horizon, but you have a few extra frets. If you've ever seen the Kiko sig, or a Caparison Horus, you'll know exactly what this guitar is like. The guitar features an alder body, a maple neck-thru design with an ebony fretboard, dot inlays with an ESP logo at the 12th fret, scalloped frets from 12 to 27, binding, an original floyd rose bridge, jumbo fretwire, HS configuration with one volume, one tone and a three way switch. UTILIZATION The craftsmanship on these ESP Standard series is pretty awesome for what you're getting. The frets were perfectly level. I was able to get some super sick action, even on the 12'' radius that this thing has. The ends were also beveled nicely so they don't slice your hand every time you play it. Access to the higher frets is a breeze thanks to the neck-thru design. You might have to think a little bit when trying to get to the higher frets as the extra ones might throw you off for a second, but with practice, it should become natural when it comes to reaching that 24th fret. SOUNDS The guitar has a Seymour Duncan Custom 5 in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in the neck. The Custom 5 is a great pickup. It has a nice bottom end, which is needed for this guitar, but it also has some aggression. However, don't think this is just a metal pickup. It can do cleans and midgain tones with ease. That's one of the benefits of the Alnico V magnet that they installed in this. The Duncan Hotrails is a pretty thick and powerful sounding pickup, but since it's moved back slightly, it's a bit cleaner sounding than what people are used to. That's something to keep in mind. The volume difference is also greater, so that's something else to keep in mind. Great pickups, overall. OVERALL OPINION I've been waiting for a guitar like this to hit the production market for quite awhile. While there are other brands out there that offer 27 frets, they're not exactly what I'm looking for. This has everything I'm looking for and without the crazy expensive price tag that some of the other 27 fret guitars have. If you happen to want to expand your range, take a look at this.

It seems that every other James Hetfield guitar is an Explorer. So when it isnt an Explorer you get something different. This time it was time for something different. This is the James Hetfield Truckster guitar. It is based off the ESP Eclipse model but isnt as classy as the old JH-3. This is the ESP version so it is made in Japan and has Custom Shop level fit and finish. It looks exactly like the LTD version but if you pick them both off the rack and play them you will feel a difference in factory setup. This guitar has the typical Hetfield sound and modifications. The guitar has a mahogany body and neck with a rosewood fretboard. The frets are 22 xtra jumbo ESP frets. It has dual EMG pickups with an 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck Hetfields traditional setup. It has tone pros locking bridge system also. The pickup selector is down by the rest of the controls and takes the place of one of the tone controls. The upper pickup selector does not do anything. The paint job is a unique relic finish that doesnt look real at all. You can feel the transitions between colors on the body. That is kind of cool. UTILIZATION Back when these were new all the other ESP guitars came with Earvana compensated nuts but this one didnt and I thought that was strange. This guitar has a pretty traditional feel. The neck is pretty big for an ESP and it is nice and wide. Having the pickup selector down by the rest of the controls are cool but leaving a useless one in the traditional spot is silly. Just get rid of it. Since this guitar has active EMG's they need batteries to operate. ESP is smart and provides a battery compartment so you can quickly change batteries without having to open up the entire guitar. SOUNDS The sound on this guitar is classic metal with the classic EMG set in the guitar. It will be interesting to see if future models have the new EMG HET SET Hetfields signature pickups. They are quite different sounding. They have a lot more high end bite but are not as thick sounding overall. The pickups in this guitar like I said are classic. The 81 in the bridge is the benchmark for metal pickups. The 81 gives you great high end crunch and clarity even in the lowest of tunings. With the 81 harmonics pop right out and you get a nice searing high end tone. This high end is what keeps the sound nice and clear. The 60 in the neck is a pretty much neck only pickup. It is not super high output and is best used for clean tones. In the neck position I personally prefer an 85. The 85 has about the same output as the 81 and I think it is better for dirty solos in the neck position than the 60 is. If you prefer the idea of an 85 in the neck it is easy to swap out EMG's and try what you like since they use solderless connections now. OVERALL OPINION This guitar is alright if you are a Hetfield fan. The paint job is pretty distinctive and some people may not like it. It is also instantly recognizable to anyone who knows Metallica. I personally would just take a normal Eclipse or EC1000 over this guitar. They have pretty much the same specs and hardware but with a more traditional paint job. If you are a big Hetfield fan and are looking for one of the guitars he plays most nowadays this is one of them along with the Snakebyte.

Most of the ESP guitars you see nowadays have LTD on the headstock. This means that they are not made in Japan. If you find an ESP that actually says ESP on the headstock that means its made in Japan and has custom shop level quality. This is a fully branded esp model. There are LTD models that look just like this but this is the real McCoy. This guitar has a mahogany body and mahogany neck with an rosewood fretboard and 22 jumbo frets. It has ESP's traditional flag inlays. It has bone nut up top and a tune-o-matic bridge at the bottom. Older models have the Earvana compensated nut but I think ESP stopped doing this. The tuners are a set of Gotoh Magnum locking tuners, LTD versions have ESP locking tuners. There are two EMG pickups in this guitar. There is an 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck. This is the pickup set that James Hetfield used for most of his career. The controls are simple with a volume knob for each pickup and a master tone. UTILIZATION The fit and finish on all ESP guitars is pretty good but these high end fully ESP branded guitars have custom shop level fit and finish. There are no flaws anywhere to be found. The fretwork is just about perfect out of the box. The neck is pretty thin and the jumbo frets make playing very easy. The locking tuners are great and give you great tuning stability. With the active EMG pickups you need a battery to operate them so ESP provides you a separate battery compartment so you can change the batter without having to open up the entire guitar. SOUNDS The EMG pickups in this guitar give it the classic metal tone. People have been using EMG's for decades to get the metal tone everyone knows. EMG's will turn any guitar into a metal monster. The 81 gives you great metal tones while the 60 can do great clean tones. EMG's are some of the best active high output pickups you can get for metal. Since they are active they need a 9v battery to work. The 81 in the bridge is a classic setup for metal. The 81 gives you great high end crunch and clarity even in the lowest of tunings. With the 81 harmonics pop right out and you get a nice searing high end tone. This high end is what keeps the sound nice and clear. The 60 in the neck is a pretty much neck only pickup. It is not super high output and is best used for clean tones. In the neck position I personally prefer an 85. The 85 has about the same output as the 81 and I think it is better for dirty solos in the neck position than the 60 is. With EMG's quick connect system swapping out their pickups takes secconds because there is no soldering involved. If you want more of an organic or passive sound you can do the 18 volt mod which runs the pickups off of 2 9v batteries. This gives you more headroom overall and a more organic tone. OVERALL OPINION This is not really a guitar I would recommend to most people. I know some people who will only play ESP's and think every LTD is a piece of trash but this isnt true. A nice high end LTD ESP guitar will be just as good as an ESP like this but cost half as much. If you are looking at a guitar like this I would recommend checking out the ESP LTD EC1000. It is a very similar guitar but costs about half as much and the quality is there. Most ESP artists actually play LTD guitars so the the fit and finish is there on the high end LTD models. If you will only play an ESP and are looking for a single cut with EMG's this is a great choice.

Kiko Loureiro is one sick player, and his guitar happens to be one of my favorite guitars that ESP has ever made. It's based off of a Horizon, but it also has features from the MX, such as 27 frets. That might seem excessive to some people, but the 27 frets make this thing really easy to reach the upper frets on this thing. The guitar features a mahogany body with a figured maple top, a neck-thru maple neck with an ebony fretboard, 27 extra jumbo frets with 12-27 scalloped, a signature mark at the 24th fret, binding, an original floyd rose, HS configuration, one volume, one tone w/ coil split and a three way switch. UTILIZATION The flame on these guitars is pretty cool. It's not the most extreme flame you've ever seen, but it's still a nice and showy flame. The construction on this guitar is truly top notch. The frets were absolutely perfect in every possible way. They were nicely rounded off, had a great bevel and were super shiny. The guitar has a scalloped fretboard half way up the neck, and this allows for some super insane vibrato. The coolest thing about this guitar is that it has 27 frets. This means you can reach the 24th fret without any issue, although the 27th fret is a bit cramped. SOUNDS The guitar has Seymour Duncan pickups installed in it. In the bridge is a Custom 5. This is a Custom with an Alnico V magnet installed in it. It gives it a bit of a more organic feel to it. It works quite nice with this wood combo, and while I normally prefer the original Custom, it fit perfectly. The Hot Rails in the neck is great, especially with it being pushed back like it is. It means that you get more clarity and less of that annoying mud that can sometimes result. The guitar also has a coil split feature, and this is pretty cool for clean tones and such. I was able to get a real sick clean tone with the neck split. OVERALL OPINION These are super hard to find here in the states, but if you find one, grab it immediately. They're amazing guitars for those of you who like to play leads. Nearly everything about this thing is perfect, and playing the scalloped fretboard made me remember how much I love scallops. Definitely a buy.

The ESP Horizon series is an arched top version of the M body, and they're usually neck-thru. However, there are so many different variations that have occurred throughout the years that it's kind of hard to compare one guitar to another without knowing the total specs. The one I'm referring to is actually a bolt-on model. It contains a swamp ash body, maple neck with an ebony fretboard, 24 extra jumbo frets, a slanted neck single-coil sized humbucker, a regular humbucker in the bridge, a floyd rose synclair bridge, one volume, one tone and a three way switch. UTILIZATION This guitar is older, so there are a few flaws that I found. The neck joint itself was nice, but some of the frets were a bit uneven. I found this out when I started really slamming the action. This could have been due to wear since the guitar is so old, so it's hard to say that's ESP's fault. The binding was nicely done, and the fret edges weren't sharp at all. The guitar came with one of those old ESP Synclair floyds. These are great floyds, but they have a tendency to not come with bars. The bars aren't interchangeable with the current floyds, so that can be a big downer if you are missing one. You also cannot drop in an OFR without some slight routing. SOUNDS The guitar sounded great, although it was a touch bright. A lot of that has to do with the swamp ash body coupled with the ebony fretboard. Swamp ash has pretty hyped bass and treble. You need to select a proper pickup to really match with this, and the JB that was in the bridge was a bit too bright for this guitar. I think a Custom would have been a better match. The neck was a slanted single coil humbucker Hot Rails pickup. This delivered some great lead tones that were super smooth and fat. The clean tones weren't the best, but it's workable. If you replace the standard 3 way switch with one that'll split the inner coils of both pickups, you'll get an awesome single coil-esque tone. OVERALL OPINION If you can find an older Horizon, I highly recommend picking one up. They're well built guitars, and they play fantastic. Keep in mind that a lot of them came with the old ESP Synclair bridge. If it has that bridge, be sure it has all the pieces and isn't missing anything. These bridges are getting more and more rare, as are parts for them. If you decide to drop in an OFR, understand that it may require some slight routing to get it to fit perfectly.

Hetfield is back with the Explorers, but with a slight twist this time. James Hetfield is the frontman for the band Metallica. He is known for his Explorers and Les Paul shaped guitars. Playing with ESP mostly he has had dozens of signature models throughout the years. This is ESP's new James Hetfield Snakebyte model. This one is the full ESP version. There is an LTD version which is about 2000 dollars cheaper because it is not made in Japan. This guitar is made in Japan and has Custom Shop quality fit and finish. It has a Explorer shape but it is tweaked just enough so they dont get in trouble. Up top it has Sperzel locking tuners and a new sleek ESP logo. The neck is a beefy piece of mahogany with an ebony fretboard. It has standard dot inlays apart from a snake at the 12th fret. It has 22 jumbo frets The body is mahogany as well with set neck construction. The guitar comes stock with straplocks. It has a locking tune-o-matic bridge and tailpiece. The pickups are the formerly standard Hetfield set the 81 in the bridge and the 60 in the neck. The controls are simple with just a master volume and master tone knob with a 3 way. UTILIZATION Full branded ESP guitars have great fit and finish. This guitar plays very well. The Explorer shape is naturally a very comfortable guitar. Its shape lends it self to nice balance and provides good access to the upper frets. The jumbo frets and ebony fretboard let you get a nice smooth action and the locking tuners and locking bridge are something every guitar should have. The locking tuners keep you in tune and the locking bridge prevents the bridge from falling out during string changes and messing up your intonation. Factory straplocks are another great item. If you are gigging a guitar straplocks are a must. Nothing can kill a guitar faster than a strap coming undone. SOUNDS This guitar has the classic Hetfield set although there is a new Hetfield set out. This guitar has the active EMG 81 in the bridge and the 60 in the neck. The 81 in the bridge is a classic setup. It has a nice high gain crucnh to it and with a razor sharp top end. It has a bit of a scooped sound. The 60 in the neck compliments the 81 well. The 81 is kind of limited because it does not clean up well. It has so much output and top end even rolling off the volume it does not get a good clean tone. The 60 is all clean tone pretty much. It has a smoother tone and a lot less output than the 81 in the bridge. So with the 81 and the 60 you get the best of both high gain crunch and cool clean tones. It will be interesting to see if ESP decides to use Hetfields signature pickup set in the future. It is more expensive than the standard 81 and 60 but it is more accurate to what he is currently playing. OVERALL OPINION This guitar is for the person who will only play a super high quality guitar. I know some people who will not play LTD's even if they have the same exact specs. This guitar is nearly 2000 dollars more expensive than the LTD model that has the same specs and hardware. This might be worth it to some people to get the full Japanese build quality but I do not see a quality difference worth 2000 dollars. An LTD with a good setup will play just as well as most ESP guitars. If you are looking at this guitar I would recommend you try out the LTD first and see if you can save yourself a bunch of money.

(Originally written by bryanlooser/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Features: Made in Japan. 24 frets 3-piece maple body-through neck with slim C profile Ebony fretboard Alder body Original Floyd Rose tremolo Gotoh machine heads Volume control 3-way toggle switch Two EMG81 pickups Typical ESP high-class electronics and parts UTILIZATION Playability: All V-shaped guitars are difficult to play sitting down. But you'll quickly get used to it. I like playing it sitting down because it forces me to sit up straight so I don't get backaches after playing for hours! However it's more comfortable to play it standing because it's very well balanced and light. But it's heavy enough to produce a good sound with long sustain. The shape is very ergonomic and it adds to the playing comfort. Rather easy access to the upper frets if you don't have small hands... but you'll get used to it, and the neck is amazing. It's slim enough to allow fast playing but thick enough for easy chord playing. It's the ideal compromise and your hand will find the right position very naturally. The original Floyd Rose tremolo is a great feature: everyone knows it and I won't praise it more. Its factory adjustment is good and very reliable. The lack of a tone control is not a problem and you'll immediately find a good sound. If you buy this guitar, I think you know exactly what you'll use it for! SOUNDS I play rock and heavy metal so this guitar is perfect for my music style. The EMG81 pickups have their own personality and sound different from passive pickups. They sound very accurate and are great distorted. I have several tube amps: a Peavey Valveking and a small Ibanez Valbee. I also tested the guitar with a Rect-o-verb. The guitar sounds full and powerful with a long sustain in spite of the Floyd Rose. The neck pickup has more sustain and, depending on the volume control setting, you can get a natural compression. I like it very much. The clean sound can also be good and crystal-clear with adequate EQ settings on the amp, and if you turn down the guitar's volume control. In crunch mode the guitar is excellent and provides biting highs (with the bridge pickup) or a round sound (with the neck pickup). Don't try to get a jazz sound out of it because this guitar is simply not made for that I give it a 9 because sound is a matter of taste and perhaps you won't find it very versatile. But don't hesitate to change the settings of your amp, especially with active pickups! OVERALL OPINION I've been using it for over one year. I'm very satisfied it's a very good guitar and it looks beautiful. I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again especially for its neck and manufacturing quality. I previously played an Ibanez Prestige and a RR5 and I find this neck feels better than ultra slim ones... This guitar fulfills all my needs. However, I must repeat it: access to the upper frets is not easy and you'll have to practice a bit, unless you have very long hands. That's the main disadvantage of this guitar. Don't buy this guitar if you don't like the EMG sound. But in my opinion that sound is an additional asset of the guitar. As a summary, it's a very good instrument and I recommend it.

The LTD Deluxe is a guitar I happened to snag BRAND NEW for half off. This thing was the perfect upgrade, it literally improved my playing and inspiration as a musician getting a new axe that plays and sounds as beautifully as this one. UTILIZATION The sound is diverse in it's genre application. I've owned guitars that sound great for metal and not nearly as versatile. This thing can nail it all. Funk, blues, jams, heaviness. My leads have never sound more pure and true. SOUNDS I use the guitar both live (with a Fender Mustang amplifier) as well as for home recording. Never has my guitar work sounded as crisp and tasty as it has with this guitar, both in the studio and on the stage. This suits every style of music I tackle - funk, blues, jazz, flamenco, metal. From fluid, liquid leads with piercing mids to crushing, bass driven distortion to crisp, jagged leads, this thing nails it. OVERALL OPINION I gotta say this has been my absolute favorite guitar. (The transparent blue finish even matches my tattoo!) I've heard my playing get better just from owning this guitar - my tone is better due to the more versatile and nuanced electronics, and my dexterity has improved due to the silky smooth fretboard. Highly recommended axe for those tired of Fender and Gibson.

The ESP Eclipse 1 series CTM is a brilliant offering. I always found the eclipse guitars to be too edgy for my tastes. The coupling of a satin black finish, gold hardware, gold triple ply binding, and a Bigsby B7 tremolo make a very refined statement. Following the gibson les paul recipe, the eclipse comes with a mahogany body and maple cap, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard. Seymour duncan humbuckers (Sh1-n and Sh4) are wired into tone and volume controls with standard 3 way toggle. UTILIZATION The gotoh locking tuners provide excellent tuning stability to this instrument. The neck profile is a "thin U" shape that feels very distinct to ESP. The neck is very comfortable in the hands but can feel sticky at time and not entirely conducive to fast playing styles. The bigsby works not only looks great but manages to stay in tune with tactful use. SOUNDS I played the ESP Eclipse 1 CTM through a variety of Bogner amplifiers (Shiva, Uberchall, 101b, and GF45). Bogner 4x12 cab. No effects. The ESP sounds really great. The pickup are not overly powerful, so the guitar sits very well in a mid gain environment. The bridge pickup allows for some great bluesy solos. What I thought was going to be a guitar mostly suitable to aggressive style surprised me with a tame gentleness that made for a great blues/Rock focused axe. Going through almost the entire Bogner range of amplifiers, the guitar managed to keep up with every sound I went for. OVERALL OPINION The ESP Eclipse CTM 1 is a very pretty guitar to look at. You will feel confident playing it, but you might stumble around on the neck at first. The mildness of the pickups may disappoint those who want a more modern sound, but for those who were drawn to the guitar for it's sense of class and not by ESP's heritage of metal guitardom-- you may find this to be the perfect alternative to Gibson's Lp bodies. The guitar is not price competitive to Gibson but if you want something lighter, darker, and just plain different, this is definitely a viable solution.