View other reviews for this product:
tjon901 « The Classic Eclipse »
Published on 07/25/11 at 09:25The 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.
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.