NAMM 2010: New ESP-LTD models
Here’s a little peek at some new ESP/LTD models for 2010. There’s a lot of cool stuff here (including the incorporation of the Xtone line into the LTD range) but for me the ultra mega standout is the ST-203FR S-style axe with distressed finish, bridge humbucker and Floyd Rose. I’m also pretty psyched about the 7-string MH-417 and the EC-1000 in Silver Sunburst. Here’s info from ESP/LTD.
LTD Deluxe
ESP is showing six new models in the LTD Deluxe line, and we have some seriously cool guitars this year. The LTD EC-1000 is being offered in 2010 with two new finishes: Silver Sunburst (SSB) and Metallic Gold (MGO). The guitars offer a comfortable single-cutaway mahogany body, and mahogany neck. The SSB model offers a 24-fret ebony fingerboard and EMG 81 (bridge) and EMG 60 (neck) active pickups, while the MGO model has a rosewood fingerboard and Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups.
More major updates to the LTD Deluxe line also include completely redesigned versions of the H-1001 and the new H-1001FR. The new models now incorporate ESP’s “F Series” headstock style, and the guitars’ binding is now black with abalone purfling. The new H-1001 is available in Black (BLK), as well as See-Through Black Cherry (STBC) with flamed maple top. The H-1001FR, available in See-Through Black Cherry over quilted maple, includes a Floyd Rose original style double-locking tremolo. Rounding out the updates to the LTD Deluxe line is a new finish for the MH-1000NT, now offered in See-Through Blue (STB).
LTD Standard
The latest range of new LTD Standard Series models includes the 300 Series, which all use a neck-through-body or set neck design. New models include the FX-360, the H-351NT, the H-351FR, the MH-327, and the Viper-300M. The FX-360 adds EMG active pickups and a new Padauk Brown Satin (PBS) finish. The new H-351FR, available in Black (BLK) and Snow White (SW) finishes, changes the former H-Series design to LTD’s F-Style headstock, includes a Floyd Rose Special double-locking tremolo, EMG active pickups, black pearl binding (Snow White model); white pearl binding (Black model). The LTD line also expands with the H-351NT, a guitar with setthrough construction that comes in See-Through Black Cherry (STBC) and See-Thru Black (STBLK) over its flamed maple top. It offers black binding with abalone purfling. The new Viper-300M comes in a Vintage Brown Satin (VBS) finish with black nickel hardware, rosewood fingerboard, and EMG pickups.
A special new model in the LTD Standard Line is the MH-327. This unique guitar offers 27 frets, with a neck-thru-body design. A Floyd Rose Special double-locking tremolo is included as well as Seymour Duncan Hot Rail and Custom 5 pickups w/push-pull coil tap. Two finishes are available: Black (w/ White Pearl binding) and See-Through Red (STR) w/ White binding on a flamed maple top. Both models offer a mahogany body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard.
A new 7-string LTD model is being added to the LTD line at Winter NAMM 2010. The MH-417 has a 25.5” scale mahogany body with a black satin finish. A maple neck, 24- fret rosewood fingerboard, Grover tuners, Earvana nut, TOM bridge with string thrubody design, and EMG active pickups complete this powerful guitar.
Supplementing the ESP line at NAMM 2010 are the new ST-203 and ST-203FR guitars. These classic-shaped models both have distressed finishes: the ST-203 offers a Three-Tone Sunburst (3TB) finish and rosewood fingerboard with three single-coil pickups, while the ST-203FR comes in Black (BLK) with maple fingerboard, as well as a Floyd Rose Special double-locking tremolo, and one humbucker and two single-coil pickups.
Also new at NAMM, the LTD EC-256, an affordable set-neck single-cutaway guitar that’s been a popular seller in the ESP line, now comes in a new Aged Vintage Gold (AVG) distressed finish. (For my review of the EC-256, CLICK HERE)
Xtone: Now Part of LTD!
We have some cool news about our Xtone line: we’ve merged these killer hollow- and semi-hollow bodied into the LTD line, so they’ll be even easier to find at ESP dealers. We also have a new model for you to salivate over: the LTD Xtone PD-1 Paramount Deluxe is a solid-body guitar that offers high-performance components such as EMG 81/60 pickups, a Set-Thru neck joint for ultimate access, a TonePros TOM bridge w/ string-thru-body design, black binding, abalone purfling, pearloid/abalone inlays, and a 24-fret neck. Three finishes are available: Black (BLK), Pearl White (PW) and See-Through Black Cherry (STBC) on a flamed maple top.
More more photos, go here!
REVIEW: ESP LTD EC-256 AHB
Aah, the relicing issue. Not since ‘tone is in the fingers’ has a topic generated such heated debate on guitar forums, in guitar stores and in dimly lit bars after gigs. Whether you like the idea of buying a brand-new bashed up guitar or you think it’s an abomination and an affront to real vintage guitars everywhere, everyone’s got an opinion. One way to look at it is: whether you’re into the look or not, a pre-aged guitar by its very nature has a few features that should make it a little nicer to play in some respects than a pristine off-the-shelfer.
FIGHT THE SIGNS OF AGEING
ESP has had a few goes at offering aged finishes at various price points, including the James Hetfield Iron Cross and Truckster models (the latter of which was available in ESP and LTD versions), the George Lynch’s GL-56 and, most recently, the LTD EC-256 AHB. Based on the company’s Eclipse model, this relatively inexpensive axe is of the classic twin humbucker, set neck, mahogany body variety. It’s given ESP’s own distinctive touches, of course, including subtle curving of the top (instead of all-out carving), a volume-volume-tone control layout, and a sharp cutaway which seems to say “Some of this guitar is traditional, but your grandad never would have played this back in the day.”
The first thing to look at on a guitar like this is the relicing. Does it look authentic like a real beaten up guitar that’s been mishandled or loved on stages up and down the country? Nope. The sanding marks are pretty obvious, and the tri of dings on the treble side of the lower bout look quite contrived. Some rough sanding marks on the headstock look more like scratches from an unfriendly gig bag than a few decades of knocks from a succession of feisty roadies. But that’s all somewhat beside the point, because after a few years of regular use the ‘shininess’ of these manufactured blemishes is likely to be dulled by and intermingled with real-life ones, and it will truly become the dinged up but well-loved instrument that it was designed to look like. The most important thing about the EC-256 for me was that the back of the neck felt comfortably aged and friction-free, which made for a very pleasant playing experience. It’s also worth noting that the thin finish of the top allows the sound to breathe, opening up the treble and adding a little depth to the guitar’s amplified tone.
SO LET’S PLUG IT IN
The EC-256 sounds best with mild overdrive playing relatively dark music (Tool fans take note). It doesn’t seem to want to be a high gain screamer, although the natural tone seems to work really well with lowered tunings. It’s just that the guitar’s natural character is best represented by more subtle distortion levels. There’s a coil split on the tone control which extends the guitar’s personality and adds versatility while maintaining the guitar’s own character. Again, the neck pickup in single coil mode doesn’t really like to be distorted: it’s more at home with some light bluesy overdrive. If you dig the visual vibe and the way it plays but you need gutsier tones, a pickup upgrade might be in order.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Despite the aggressiveness of the cutway, which suggested a heavier musical orientation, I don’t think this is a guitar for those who play blazing solos over metal riffs. It’s much more at home with crunchy rhythm sounds and bluesy double stops. Whether you like the relicing or not is up to you but this is a guitar that will find its fans for what it is, rather than what it tries to be.
NEWS: ESP and LTD release James Hetfield Truckster in black
Thanks to Sjusovaren on Twitter for pointing out that the ESP and LTD James Hetfield Truckster is soon to be made available in black. I think this is a great move because as much as I like the Truckster, in my mind it’s kinda associated with Metallica’s St Anger era, which is… not my favourite. So for me this new colour scheme gives the guitar a new lease on life and links it more with Death Magnetic (which, despite the controversial mastering debacle, is still a far superior record to anything else they’ve done over the last – gulp – 20 years or so). James has already been using this guitar on tour so it’s cool to see it being made available for everyone.
From the ESP website:
AVAILABLE FALL 2009:
The new James Hetfield Truckster… now in black!
You ever notice that anything thatʼs cool is often made even cooler by making it more black? So, it should be no surprise that the James Hetfield Truckster is now for the first time being offered in a finish other than aged primer gray. And what color would that be? Black, of course!
Other than its new, even more menacing look, the new black Truckster offers the same high-performance feel and sound as was specified by James himself. Available in both ESP and LTD versions, the Truckster offers a set-neck design with a single-cutaway body at a comfortable 24.75” scale. The guitar has a mahogany body with maple top, a mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, and a 42mm bone nut on its thin u shaped neck. You get 22 XJ frets, satin chrome hardware, Sperzel locking tuners, Tonepros locking TOM and Tail, and EMG 81 (bridge) and 60 (neck) active pickups. The ESP version of the Truckster also includes Schaller straplocks.
You also get the same distressed finish that gives the guitar a look and feel like itʼs been worked in over years of playing. And, like we may have mentioned earlier, it looks even cooler with a bad-ass black finish. Check out the new black Truckster at your ESP/LTD dealer in Fall 2009!
NEWS: New ESP LTD models
Here are a few new ESP LTDs to check out. I’m especially interested in the Floyd Rose-equipped LEC-1000FRSTBLK. All listed prices are in Australian dollars, so US readers, please don’t freak out!
LEC-1000FRSTBLK
Set-Neck, 24.75” Scale, Mahogany Body , Flamed Maple Top, Mahogany Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, Locking Nut, 42mm Neck Width, Thin U Neck Contour, 24 XJ Frets, Black Nickel Hardware, ESP Tuners, Floyd Rose 1000 Series, EMG 81 (B) / 60 (N), Active p.u. Finish: STBL
Set-Neck, 24.75” Scale, Mahogany Body, Flamed Maple Top, Mahogany Neck , Rosewood Fingerboard, 42mm Earvana Compensated Nut, Thin U Neck Contour, 24 XJ Frets, Black Nickel Hardware, ESP Locking Tuners, Tonepros Locking TOM & Tail, EMG 81 (B) / 60 (N) Active p.u.
LH-1001STP
Set-Thru, 25.5” Scale, Mahogany Body, Flamed Maple Top, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 42mm Earvana Compensated Nut, Thin U Neck Contour, 24 XJ Frets, Black Nickel Hardware, ESP Locking Tuners, Tonepros Locking TOM, Seymour Duncan Custom-5 (B) / Jazz (N) p.u. w/ 5-way Ultra SwitchLFX-401SMNS
Set-Neck, 24.75” Scale, Mahogany Body, Spalted Maple Top, 5 Pc Mahogany-Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 42mm Earvana Compensated Nut, Thin U Neck Contour, 22 XJ Frets, Black Nickel Hardware, Grover Tuners, TOM Bridge & Tail, EMG 81 (B) / 60 (N) Active p.u, Natural Spalted Maple finish
Set-Thru, 25.5” Scale, Mahogany Body, Mahogany Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 42mm Earvana Compensated Nut, Thin U Neck Contour, 24 XJ Frets, Black Nickel, Hardware, Grover Tuners, TOM Bridge, EMG 81 (B&N) Active p.u.
LF-54BLKS
Bolt-On, 34” Scale, Basswood Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 40mm Standard Nut, Thin U Neck Contour, 24 XJ Frets, Chrome Hardware, ESP Tuners, ESP DB-4 Bridge, ESP SB-4 p.u. w/ ESP ATB-1 Active Tone Boost, Finish: Black Satin
MUSIKMESSE 2009: New LTD models
Here are some more sweet ESP/LTD models unveiled at MusikMesse. While ESP does a great line of vintage-inspired designs, there’s nothing particularly old school about these new models.
First up are LTD Okkultist and LTD Shadow models for the Guitarists of Dimmu Borgir.
ESP says: Taking the darkness of black metal to profound new depths, the guitarists of Dimmu Borgir join the legendary ranks of ESP artists with their new ESP Signature Series models: Silenoz’s Okkultist and Galder’s Shadow. These guitars scream with metal attitude, equally good at shining in the spotlight or dwelling in the deepest of shadows.
Next is the LTD FL-600 Bass from Frédéric LeClercq of DragonForce.
ESP says: As the thunder that holds down the bottom end of DragonForce, Fred LeClercq is a force to be reckoned with on his own. His innovative bass playing spans the realm from ultra smooth to chainsaw harsh, and his new ESP Signature Series LTD FL-600 bass allows him to combine melody, power, and speed into an unmistakable sound.
Then there’s the monstrous LTD Hex-7 from Nergal of Behemoth, which I wrote about here.
ESP says: If you like your blackened death metal extra dark, there’s no better place to turn than Behemoth. Their founder and frontman Nergal has designed his ESP Signature Series LTD Hex-7 to be about as extreme as a guitar can be.
Finally there are three new Graphic Series Models.
Renowned UK-based artist Mister Sam has once again created the ultimate hybrid of man and machine with his custom artwork on the new limited edition Clockwork Zombie Graphic Series guitars for LTD. The EC-CZII, EX-CZII, and Viper-CZII combine skeletal remains with metal cogs, flywheels, and gears on these sinister and unique instruments.
Kudos to Jon from Guitar Noize for bringing this to my attention via this article.
CLICK HERE to see ESP guitars on eBay.
FEATURE: Cool guitars they don’t make anymore
Welcome to the first of an ongoing series on I Heart Guitar, where I look at discontinued guitar models from various corners of the guitar world. Sometimes I’ll focus on specific brands or even specific model types, and other times I’ll look at broader families of guitar. Other times will be a bit like this one: a few interesting discontinued guitars with no particular link to each other. Let me know if you’d like me to write about one of your favourites, and if you happen to own one of these guitars don’t be shy about posting about it in the comment section.
Gibson M-III
Cool guitars they don’t make any more 2
Cool guitars they don’t make any more 3
Cool guitars they don’t make any more 4
NEWS: ESP unveils Nergal ESP
According to Riot Act, Behemoth main man Nergal and ESP have teamed up to create the LTD HEX-7, a thoroughly bitchen 7-string V.
Nergal says “When ESP approached me about building my signature model, I was stoked! I’ve always been a fan of their instruments and I’m very grateful for giving me an opportunity to envision my idea of what a perfect 7 string guitar for extreme metal should look like! I already can’t wait to test this beast on our upcoming US summer tour with SLAYER and MARILYN MANSON!”
Nergal recently auctioned his very first Ibanez 7-string, a very beaten-up and well-loved RG7620, on eBay.
Behemoth has selected Colin Richardson (Machine Head, Slipknot, Napalm Death, Carcass) to mix their new album which is due later in the year. The CD is being now recorded in Radio Gdansk in Poland with Behemoth, Daniel Bergstrand and Woytek, and Slawek Wieslawscy as producers. Nergal says “I’m beyond excited about this new album. It’s not just the finest piece of music we’ve ever made, but it’s also the most mature tunes we’ve created without compromising our sound. I’m stoked about Colin Richardson involvement in the mix of the record. We’ve tried to book him for our last album, ‘The Apostasy’, but due to busy schedule he wasn’t available then. His name needs no introduction. I have absolutely no doubts that Colin will deliver and I’m expecting the new album to have the sound that’s bigger than life!”
NAMM 2009: Schecter 8-string
This just landed in my inbox… now THAT’S the stuff. Want!!!
Ibanez RG2228
NEWS: Hetfield Iron Cross ESP
Word on the street (okay, the UK guitar magazine Total Guitar) is that ESP is working on a new signature model for Metallica’s James Hetfield, based on his customised 1973 ‘Iron Cross’ Gibson Les Paul. It will be officially unveiled at Winter NAMM 2009 in ESP and LTD versions.
No doubt this guitar will be based on ESP’s Eclipse model, because if it was a straight copy of the Les Paul, Gibson’s lawyers would be out for blood.
Earlier this year, there were rumours Hetfield was about to leave ESP in favour of Gibson, which would have been good news for anybody who wanted an authentic late 80s-early 90s-style Hetfield Explorer signature model. I’m not sure if that was all just talk – fans online have speculated that Gibson was unwilling to make a signature model for Hetfield, but that doesn’t really sound right to me. If they can make a Kiefer Sutherland model, I’m sure they would appreciate the dollar-spinning potential of an EMG-loaded, white Helftield Explorer.
CLICK HERE to buy Metallica’s Death Magnetic
CLICK THE IMAGE to buy the ESP LTD James Hetfield Truckster from Music123.
Hi! I'm Peter Hodgson. I write for Gibson.com, Australian Guitar, Australian Musician, Mixdown Magazine (including my instructional column, 'Unleash Your Inner Rock God,' which has been running since 2007), Blunt, Beat (including their weekly hard rock/metal column Crunch) and The Brag. And I'm Assistant Social Coordinator with Seymour Duncan.
I've been playing guitar since I was 8 years old, and I've been writing for magazines since I was 18. I've also worked as a guitar teacher (up to 50 students a week), a setup tech, a newspaper editor, and I've also dabbled in radio a little bit. I live in Melbourne, Australia, and my hobbies include drinking way too much coffee, and eating way too much Mexican food.
You can check out my guitar playing at Bandcamp or on YouTube, and feel free to email me at iheartguitarblog@gmail.com