ESP Guitars

About ESP Guitars

Japanese guitar maker ESP, short for Electric Sound Products, opened in 1975 as a small shop that made and sold replacement guitar parts. It only took a year for owner Hisatake Shibuya to decide that he wanted to start creating his own guitars, and by the 1980s, the company was selling high-quality handmade guitars to some of the highest-profile rock musicians in the United States.

Today, ESP is probably best known for its Signature series, which features beautiful guitars that were originally custom-made for popular rock and metal musicians but are also available to the public. The series got its start in 1986 when George Lynch of the American heavy metal band Dokken walked into an ESP shop in Tokyo. When Lynch discovered that the company made custom guitars, he decided to design his own...

Lynch’s guitar became the Kamikaze, a yellow, red, black, and beige beauty. Comprised of a maple body and neck with an ebony fingerboard, the Kamikaze features Gotoh tuners, a Floyd Rose Original bridge, and Seymour Duncan Screamin’ Demon and ESP SS-120 pickups. Lynch Signature guitars grew to include other models, such as the M-1 Tiger, the Sunburst Tiger, Skulls & Snakes, the GL-200MT, the GL-256, and the GL-56.

Although Lynch’s guitar was the first, the guitars created for Kirk Hammett of Metallica are considered the crème-de-la-crème of ESP’s Signature series. Hammett’s KH-2 model, featuring EMG active pickups, Gotoh tuners, and a Floyd Rose Original bridge, was one of the first ESP guitars to be mass-produced.

Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom has five Signature guitars that bear his name. All feature a Flying V body style. His Alexi-Scythe features Gotoh tuners, a Floyd Rose Original bridge, and EMG HZ F-H2 pickups with a MM-04 on-off boost switch. Laiho’s Alexi-600-Blacky and Alexi-600-Scythe models feature Grover tuners, a Floyd Rose 1000 Series bridge, and EMG HZ F-H2 pickups. And his Alexi-200 features ESP tuners, a Floyd Rose Special bridge, and ESP LH-301 pickups.

Even the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood has his own custom ESP Signatures, which strongly resemble the Fender Telecaster. Each is made with an alder body and a bolt-on neck and features Gotoh tuners. Finishes range from sunburst with a maple neck to black or red with a rosewood fingerboard.

In addition to its Signature and custom-made guitars, ESP also produces Standard, LTD, and Xtone guitars. Unlike the Signature series, LTDs are mass-produced in a factory and therefore more affordable. ESP’s LTD guitars are offered in three lines—standard, deluxe, and graphic. Guitars in the Xtone series have semi-hollow bodies and two humbucker pickups, except for the PA-1 semi-acoustic model, which uses an internal B-Band Electret Film Transducer pick-up.

About our sources | Got something to add?

▼ Continue reading

Post an Event

Upcoming Events

See all 38 Guitars events


Interviews & Articles

An Interview with Vintage Guitar Restorer and Historian Richard Johnston

I started playing guitar when I was pretty young and bought my first guitar when I was 10 or 11. Like a lot of peop… [more]

An Interview With Vintage Guitar Collector Clay Harrell

I grew up in upstate New York in Rochester, and started playing guitar when I was about 10 years old. We had this p… [more]

An Interview With Vintage Guitar Collector and Author George Gruhn

I started out primarily as a collector and the business aspect of it evolved over time, almost by accident. I didn’… [more]



Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Vintage Guitars Info

Vintage Guitars Info

This great reference site features detailed sections for vintage guitar makers including Gibson, Fender, Martin, Gr… [read review or visit site]

The Les Paul Forum

The Les Paul Forum

If you're into Gibson's Les Paul models, or even curious, this is your site. Chock full of useful reference data, p… [read review or visit site]

Vintageguitars.org.uk

Vintageguitars.org.uk

Want to see all the old brochures and ads for your favorite vintage axe? Check out this great site, which showcases… [read review or visit site]

Museum of Musical Instruments

Museum of Musical Instruments

If vintage guitars could talk... they'd be digging this site. With its many themed collections and exhibitions, it'… [read review or visit site]


Got a site to suggest? Let us know.




Clubs & Associations: Guitars


Discussion Forums: Guitars


Other Great Reference Sites: Guitars

Are we missing one? Tell us.

Top eBay Auctions  Help | Get weekly ESP Guitars email

Sorted by        
Esp Jh-3 Eclipse James Hetfield Metallica Rare$2,512 Ends in 19 hours 35 bids 61 watchers
Esp James Hetfield Grynch Ltd Guitar$1,345 Ends in 17 hours 25 bids 35 watchers
Esp Edwards E-sa-118lt Cherry Long N-tenon/duncan W/hc$958.00 Ends in 5 hours 2 bids 15 watchers
Esp George Lynch Skulls And Snake Strat Head 1990! Buy it Now$905.00 Ends in 18 hours 13 bids 14 watchers
Esp Gus G W/hard Case Made In Japan Floyd Rose Great$676.66 Ends Thursday 13 bids 25 watchers
Esp Custom M1 Tiger George Lynch $610.00 Ends in 11 hours 5 bids 32 watchers
Esp Ltd Deluxe Ec-1000 Electric Guitar $.99 No Reserve$510.00 Ends in 19 hours 12 bids 59 watchers
Esp Custom Strat Guitar$499.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 40 watchers
Esp Ltd Explorer Japan Lawsuit Mx130 Gibson Shaped$465.00 Ends Thursday 4 bids 25 watchers
Jim Surles Custom Guitar, "esp Horizon" Style Body L@@k$455.00 Ends in 22 hours 6 bids 18 watchers
Esp Ltd B-155 ~~~ 5-string Bass W/vintage Sunburst!!$400.00 Ends in 17 hours 4 bids 2 watchers
Ltd By Esp Kh602 Used With Case$371.00 Ends in 1 hour 7 bids 24 watchers
Mint Esp M-ii Standard Maple Fretboard Buy it Now$355.00 Ends Friday 5 bids 9 watchers
New Ltd Alexi 200 Lefty Electric Guitar White V Esp$349.00 Ends Wednesday 13 bids 10 watchers
Esp Japan J-four Custom Jazz Bass - Ash Body, Pj Pickup$305.00 Ends Wednesday 2 bids 30 watchers
Esp Ltd Ec-redburn Eclipse Ec500 Ec401 Ec1000 Les Paul$301.00 Ends in 21 hours 13 bids 49 watchers
Esp Ltd Sa2 Richie Sambora Electric Guitar Bon Jovi$300.00 Ends in 13 hours 1 bid 7 watchers
09 Esp Ltd Ec Les Paul Style Guitar Aged Vintage Burst$299.00 Ends in 20 hours 1 bid 24 watchers
Esp Vb - 400 Baritone Guitar With Yamaha Bag - Cool !$279.00 Ends in 23 hours 1 bid 19 watchers
Esp Ltd Ex-100 Explorer W/abalone Dot ,emg 81 & 85,case$275.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 10 watchers
Esp M1 Electric Guitar!!! Rare? Standard? Custom? 1989?$275.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 30 watchers
Esp Ltd Ec1000 Deluxe Emerald Green$255.00 Ends Monday 13 bids 56 watchers
For Sale Esp/ltd Kh-202 $237.50 Ends in 1 hour 2 bids 8 watchers
2006 Esp Ltd Viper-400 Viper 400 Electric Guitar$233.49 Ends in 22 hours 17 bids 37 watchers
Rare 1983-4 Esp Electric Guitar One Of The First In Usa$224.50 Ends Wednesday 10 bids 24 watchers
Esp Ltd Ec-256 Electric Guitar - Black$205.50 Ends in 1 hour 7 bids 24 watchers
Esp Ltd Explorer Metalica$202.50 Ends Friday 2 bids 14 watchers
Esp Ltd B-155 Bass Guitar 5-string/see Thru Black$202.50 Ends Wednesday 2 bids 2 watchers
Esp M-ii Ntb Urban Camo Used$202.50 Ends Friday 2 bids 22 watchers
Vintage Esp Navigator Guitar Mij 1980!!$179.50 Ends Monday 2 bids 49 watchers
Esp 400 Series (strat) Vintage Electric Guitar 80's!!!$177.50 Ends Tuesday 4 bids 55 watchers
Used Esp-ltd Vb-200 Baritone 6 String W/hard Case$162.50 Ends in 13 hours 3 bids 55 watchers
Kmag~unfinished Guitar~esp/ltd Style With Maple Neck$159.99 Ends in 1 hour 1 bid 1 watcher
Esp Ltd Viper 301 Guitar - Emg Pickups - Black Finish$155.49 Ends Wednesday 3 bids 17 watchers
Esp Ltd Kh 202 Kirk Hammett Signature Guitar$151.50 Ends Tuesday 5 bids 18 watchers
?? Esp Ltd F-200 Electric Guitar W/ Gig Bag Floyd Rose ??$142.50 Ends Sunday 11 bids 30 watchers
Esp Ec-400-vf 2008 W/case Buy it Now$113.50 Ends in 22 hours 10 bids 28 watchers
2006 Esp Ltd Viper-400 Viper 400 Electric Guitar$100.00 Ends in 20 hours 19 bids 49 watchers
Esp Precision Bass Custom Paint And Extras !!!!!$100.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 25 watchers
Esp Viper 1000 Ltd Deluxe Electric Guitar - Near Mint$100.00 Ends Thursday 1 bid 10 watchers
Esp Ltd C-305 5-string Bass Guitar W/ Case$100.00 Ends Monday 7 bids 18 watchers
Esp Ltd B-304 Flame Top Electric Bass Guitar B304 B 304$91.00 Ends in 23 hours 10 bids 48 watchers
Esp Vintage Plus Maple Guitar W/hsc Mij $89.00 Ends Friday 5 bids 36 watchers
Esp Ltd Ec-100qm Electric Guitar With Gig Bag N$88.00 Ends Monday 15 bids 17 watchers
Ltd (esp) Mh-103qm W/floyd Rose (new)$81.00 Ends in 19 hours 13 bids 18 watchers
Esp Hardshell Case For Viper, Or Sg, Excellent! Nr!$77.00 Ends in 20 hours 13 bids 8 watchers
Esp Viper 300 Guitar Project Just Needs Pickups $1 Nr$76.00 Ends Sunday 10 bids 43 watchers
Esp Ltd Viper 100 Fm Electric Guitar W/ Gig Bag$56.00 Ends in 3 hours 13 bids 20 watchers
Esp Ltd F-100 Electric Guitar F100 F-100fm Vintage$52.99 Ends in 22 hours 6 bids 24 watchers
Esp Ltd Electric Guitar Black No Reserve!$51.00 Ends Monday 10 bids 31 watchers
Esp Ltd B-304 Flame Top Electric Bass Guitar B304 B 304$50.00 Ends in 23 hours 9 bids 34 watchers
Esp Ltd F-100 Electric Guitar F100 F-100fm Vintage$48.00 Ends Sunday 11 bids 6 watchers
Esp Ltd M-50 Electric Guitar$42.00 Ends Monday 3 bids 12 watchers

»» Get our weekly ESP Guitars email
Right now on eBay

Guitars

See also

Tools