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King Loudness « Cool take on the LP »
Published on 10/09/11 at 07:18The 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.
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.