ESP Eclipse-II

all of my friends play. A couple even made it. (can't say who)So for years i've fiddled around, play the odd fill in role when someone pulled a no-show but i'm a hacker none the least. I play everthing but i am a huge fan of Dimebag, Mustaine and Zack Wylde. I broke my back a few years ago and during recovery i was going insane not being able to get around. So to make a long story short I bought a Jackson DK2FS and Spider2. After becoming a now mediocre hacker it was time to upgrade my axe.

I wanted to buy a Jackson USA but to no availe. there were none around so I checked out esp. I purchased a ESP std eclipse. I paid 2k cdn funds at axe music in edmonton alberta.

this guitar is flawless. end of story.

A month after bringing my baby home it needed a serious truss rod adjustment but this is to be expected with the extreme dry climate in alberta. I knew this would happen but i had to write something.

mahogany body / quilted maple top
3pc mahagony set neck
emg81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck
gotoh tune-o-matic w/ stop tail peice
spregel locking tuners
whole thing is bound
incredible finish

bottom line: I'll always love jackson 'cause she was my first but i always reach for the esp. At least i'm not cheating on my wife.

All jokes aside i believe ESP got it right when they perfected the "les paul". The ESP STD. ECLIPSE is simply amazing and 1/2 the price of real les paul.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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.

The Japanese made ESP Eclipse II is a take on the Gibson LP, in short. It's basically got all the similar features to the classic singlecut, but changes up a few things to make it truly brought into the modern age. It features a mahogany body and neck, a maple top, a rosewood or ebony fretboard with 22 frets (mine has ebony, which harks back to the Les Paul Custom) a TonePros bridge/tune-o-matic, a set of Gotoh tuners, and an EMG 81/60 active pickup set wired to a pair of volume controls and a master tone control. Basically it's a Les Paul, but brought into the modern age with an active pickup setup and upgraded hardware... perfect for today's modern metal warriors.

UTILIZATION

The ESP Eclipse II is significantly more ergonomic than the LP in my stable. It feels lighter and a bit thinner than a conventional LP. The back has a nice Strat style contour so that it doesn't dig into the ribs/chest, which is definitely a great feature. However, despite the reduced weight/thickness, it has just as thick a tone as my Gibson and definitely stands toe to toe when playing great hard rock and metal riffs.

Getting a good sound out of this guitar is fairly simple. I've always been a little bit iffy on EMG pickups, but they work extremely well in this guitar. The tones are fairly standard mahogany on maple fare. Very thick and punchy, but with a singing articulation that cuts through a band mix with a vengeance. They are hotter than the '57 Classics in my main Paul and certainly compress easier than either those or the Duncans/DiMarzios/Suhrs that I'm accustomed to. That being said, for modern hard rock/metal riffs and select lead work, the EMGs in this guitar do an excellent job.

SOUNDS

I've tried this guitar mainly through my current rig of a Hughes and Kettner Switchblade head and a 2x12 with V30s. It's definitely a bit of an adjustment for me, being that I've generally stuck to passive lower output pickups for the majority of my guitars.

The clean tones are fairly thick and full, especially a bit of compression added. It's surprisingly punchy and the tones have a gutsy quality that is surprisingly "real" sounding. I've sometimes equated active pickup tones to being like using a modeler - they often sound too perfect and not real enough. However this ESP has a very convincing clean tone that has a certain amount of gain and compression. The neck pickup has a quality that works suitably for blues or funk tones. The center position (both pickups on) also does a reasonable facsimile of a Telecaster, which is fairly cool. The bridge pickup has a nice funk and classic rock tone.

Shifting to some higher gain textures, the guitar really starts to come alive. This particular instrument lives for dropped D or low tuning. There is a certain clarity when playing modern riffs that my Gibson doesn't quite match. It's a bit compressed for my liking when playing through some of the heavier gain tones but the trade off for the clarity is one that I am willing to deal with. I've tried another Eclipse with Gibson pickups and that made it sound a lot more like a traditional LP type sounding guitar - the EMGs make this one seem more modern and crunchy.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the ESP Eclipse II is a great modern take on the classic Gibson LP. The EMG pickup set is certainly well suited to this guitar and given ESP's general demographic, it's a fitting guess that most people love that combination. The craftsmanship is top notch as well, and for $1,650 new it's definitely a decent value for the cash. If you want a modern take on the LP that combines everything good about the LP with a crushing active pickup voicing, give the ESP Eclipse II a try.

The Eclipse has been ESP's standby single cut guitar for many years. This is a full ESP branded ESP so it is made in Japan with top construction and top specs. This guitar is pretty simple when it comes to specs. It is a classic design. This guitar has a mahogany body and mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard and 22 jumbo frets. It has ESP's traditional flag inlays. It has the Earvana compensated nut up top and a tune-o-matic bridge at the bottom. 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 guitar has the traditional Les Paul control layout with a volume and tone knob for each pickup and a 3 way switch on the upper horn.

UTILIZATION

The playability and build qualify on ESP guitars are top notch. These guitars are made in Japan right next to whatever ESP Custom Shop guitars you see. This guitar is a dream to play. The Ebony fretboard is super smooth and your fingers just glide over it. The frets are big and the radius is pretty flat so you can really bend notes without fretting out. The neck is thin too so this helps playability. The body is thinner than a normal Les Paul so it is more comfortable and lighter so you can play it longer. The Earvana compensated nut helps intonation all across the neck so you sound even more in tune.

SOUNDS

With the thinner body and EMG pickups this guitar sounds slightly brighter than a normal Les Paul. The 81 and 60 combination of EMG's is a classic set and gives you the best of both worlds. 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.

OVERALL OPINION

These guitars have long been discontinued and are getting harder and harder to find. People who have them want to keep on to them because they are so good and so well made. With the Gotoh hardward and the EMG pickups this guitar came ready to rock from the factory. You dont really have to upgrade anything. If you are looking for a good single cut ESP guitar that comes with EMG pickups and has top of the line build quality this was one of the best they ever put out.