# ESP Guitars' First-Ever US-Based Factory to Open in 2014



## Black Mamba (Nov 15, 2013)

Guitarworld.com said:


> ESP Guitars has announced its new North Hollywood, California, factory. It will be the company's first-ever US-based factory.
> 
> Opening in 2014, the factory will be producing a new line of ESP USA guitars. This new brand will be added to ESP&#8217;s existing worldwide brands, including ESP, LTD, and the new E-II series, coming in 2014.
> 
> ...


 
ESP Guitars' First-Ever US-Based Factory to Open in 2014 | Guitar World


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Nov 15, 2013)




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## Leuchty (Nov 15, 2013)

Very cool!


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## TemjinStrife (Nov 15, 2013)

So it's another brand to add to ESP, LTD, LTD Elite, E-II, Edwards, and the budget line whose name eludes me at the moment?


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## themike (Nov 15, 2013)

TemjinStrife said:


> So it's another brand to add to ESP, LTD, LTD Elite, E-II, Edwards, and the budget line whose name eludes me at the moment?


 
A good guitar is a good guitar. You can call it FartCity Guitars and if it is quality I'm all for it! 


*FartCity Guitars is a direct copyright and part of themike family of brands.


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## Valnob (Nov 15, 2013)

Nice


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## Church2224 (Nov 15, 2013)

I approve...oh, oh so much.

And did they Say E-IIs coming in 2014? America is getting them?!?!?!


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## xzyryabx (Nov 15, 2013)

TemjinStrife said:


> So it's another brand to add to ESP, LTD, LTD Elite, E-II, Edwards, and the budget line whose name eludes me at the moment?



My thoughts exactly....but hey it's made in 'murica so they've go to be better right?!
So to recap:
grassroots
edwards
LTD
LTD Elite
standard series
signature series
E-II
ESP USA
original series
navigator
custom shop

where does it end?!!!


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## Adam Of Angels (Nov 15, 2013)

So Japan changes the name of their standard ESP offerings to E-II Guitars, and American gets ESP? I don't get it, but this sounds super awesome to me


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## guitarfan85 (Nov 15, 2013)

...."and our USA models will start at $899 and go up to $2200!"

Haha I can see it now. Prices will soar.


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## sell2792 (Nov 15, 2013)

xzyryabx said:


> My thoughts exactly....but hey it's made in 'murica so they've go to be better right?!
> So to recap:
> grassroots
> edwards
> ...



Edwards is more or less, just about equivalent with LTD Elites and ESP standards.


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## MetalDaze (Nov 15, 2013)

USA ESPs? I'm interested.

Whatever they do, please don't call them "LTD Stars and Stripes"


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## Forkface (Nov 15, 2013)

well, good news I guess? 
Although i kinda doubt they will be better than japanese-made ESPs, but they will probably be more expensive.


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## Zado (Nov 15, 2013)

Didn't I exactly say "ESP will deliver"? Well,ESP has delivered


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## Adam Of Angels (Nov 15, 2013)

Forkface said:


> well, good news I guess?
> Although i kinda doubt they will be better than japanese-made ESPs, but they will probably be more expensive.




Maybe you're right, but I doubt they'll be any worse. All past ESP USA's are incredible, usually better than most of their Japanese counterparts. I guess we'll have to wait and see.


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## bouVIP (Nov 15, 2013)

Excitement level too high right now!!!!!


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## feraledge (Nov 15, 2013)

I'm pretty excited to see what comes out of this. The US Schecter stuff looks like a little different direction from all their standard production lines. It'd be cool to see ESP expand a little more.
I'm not holding my breath on that, but I'm definitely interested to see what they put out.
Wouldn't the 48th Street stuff from the 90s have been their first US factory though?


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## feraledge (Nov 15, 2013)

Fingers crossed for thinner neck bolt ons with cock stocks.


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## Zado (Nov 15, 2013)

Funny that no matter where ESPs will be produced next year,those will always be damn expensive where i live If USA made,possibly even more expensive than now. 

But I m very curious to see what they are planning...more esclusive horizon / eclipse / mirage models?


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## capoeiraesp (Nov 15, 2013)

More choice and competition in a growing market is good news to me! ESP quality is also pretty good


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## AkiraSpectrum (Nov 15, 2013)

Awesome! This sounds like it will be very very interesting.


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## bouVIP (Nov 15, 2013)

This is all I want for them to bring to the US so it can be a little cheaper than importing it in.


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## jl-austin (Nov 15, 2013)

ESA


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## xzyryabx (Nov 15, 2013)

feraledge said:


> Wouldn't the 48th Street stuff from the 90s have been their first US factory though?



They also had two custom shops in LA, but all three of those were considered custom shops. This seems to be a production factory only.


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## Metal-Box (Nov 15, 2013)

This could prove to very interesting. I'm sure US-made ESP guitars will probably be some of the best ones they make. Hopefully, they intend on offering affordable options as well. It would be great public relations, IMO.


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## Tugberk (Nov 16, 2013)

I hope they will reissue some models like Mavericks, M-II Deluxe in fancy colors as "USA Made". I'd like to see some rivals to the USA Soloist, USA BC Rich Gunslinger or any kind of 80's style USA superstrats in the market.


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## Andromalia (Nov 16, 2013)

You'll get black KH models.


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## fortisursus (Nov 16, 2013)

Please ESP DO NOT make all models black. Definitely interested though.


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## Purple Goldfish (Nov 16, 2013)

It's a long shot, but I'm holding out for more variety in their Lefty availibility. More 7 string lefties would be great.


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## ittoa666 (Nov 16, 2013)




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## DISTORT6 (Nov 17, 2013)

fortisursus said:


> Please ESP DO NOT make all models black. Definitely interested though.



ESP factory, *NOT* Ibanez factory!


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 17, 2013)

And we've come full circle.  

Gibson and Fender have done an amazing job showing that not only can American made guitars be priced competitively, but they can be solid at the same time. Throw in the fact that Japanese sourcing is skyrocketing in price. 

This is a great move for ESP, and personally I welcome it. I'm all for some USA built guitars.


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## snowblind56 (Nov 17, 2013)

Purple Goldfish said:


> It's a long shot, but I'm holding out for more variety in their Lefty availibility. More 7 string lefties would be great.





DISTORT6 said:


> ESP factory, *NOT* Ibanez factory!



No, along with black, the only other offerings will be see through black cherry and trans black.


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## Mike (Nov 17, 2013)

This is awesome news. I love the USA. I love ESP. I get both soon??!!!  I'm wondering based on whatever type of models and price points they offer if this will slowly start to eradicate LTD's and LTD Elites from the states. Honestly though, if the quality is equal to or greater, then why would you ever buy an LTD again when you could get the ESP name for the same price or possibly less? Small economic victory too. We need the manufacturing jobs. Yes I know it's only one factory, but every little bit helps. Not to mention it's going to increase our exports because there will be a demand for the US Made ESP's all over the world. Granted ESP doesn't do something stupid and make them only for sale in the US somehow 

I can't wait to try one.


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## phrygian12 (Nov 17, 2013)

fortisursus said:


> Please ESP DO NOT make all models black. Definitely interested though.



I hope these USA made guitars are semi-custom. Choosing what head stocks you want, colors, woods, body shape and hardware, etc. 


Slightly off topic, a year or so ago, I was complaining that ESP never really throws anything out there with color anymore. It's always black or rarely white. Then what guitar am I G.A.S.-ing for when they came out with the LTD Elite? That Black ST....gawd damn it. 

Seriously though, I'd really like a ESP ST body, Alder body, blue maple top,tortoise pick guard, Wilkinson trem and a rose wood neck and fretboard.


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## DISTORT6 (Nov 17, 2013)

snowblind56 said:


> No, along with black, the only other offerings will be see through black cherry and trans black.



You forgot Matte-back!


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## Metlupass2 (Nov 17, 2013)

phrygian12 said:


> I hope these USA made guitars are semi-custom. Choosing what head stocks you want, colors, woods, body shape and hardware, etc.
> 
> 
> Slightly off topic, a year or so ago, I was complaining that ESP never really throws anything out there with color anymore. It's always black or rarely white. Then what guitar am I G.A.S.-ing for when they came out with the LTD Elite? That Black ST....gawd damn it.
> ...




I doubt that will happen. You'd have to go full blown custom to pick all those things.


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## Charvel7string (Nov 17, 2013)

i like me some cockstocks


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## Samark (Nov 17, 2013)

Great news, I'm a huge fan of ESP guitars! Please bring in direct mounted pickups and some more bolt on versions


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 17, 2013)

phrygian12 said:


> I hope these USA made guitars are semi-custom. Choosing what head stocks you want, colors, woods, body shape and hardware, etc.
> 
> 
> Slightly off topic, a year or so ago, I was complaining that ESP never really throws anything out there with color anymore. It's always black or rarely white. Then what guitar am I G.A.S.-ing for when they came out with the LTD Elite? That Black ST....gawd damn it.
> ...



Every single time a company opens a new facility, starts a new line, or does almost anything folks always chime in with the "maybe they'll turn into Carvin" theory. 

How many times has that happened successfully? None.


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## feraledge (Nov 17, 2013)

^ TBH it seems like those requests would be pretty close to in line with the Jackson Custom Select options. It seems fairly reasonable that this concept would spread further. 
I'm just hoping the Schecter USA line hints at a potential for more bolt ons, more direct mount pickups and better neck options. 
Then ESP will once again get my money back.


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## Grand Moff Tim (Nov 17, 2013)

I hope this works out well for them, and other companies notice that moving manufacturing to the US can be profitable. Mo' jerbs mo' money.


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## nugget666 (Nov 17, 2013)

Hopefully this is why they got rid of the standard series and this will make up for all the wrong the e-ii / elite series did


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## leonardo7 (Nov 17, 2013)

EMG soapbars with separately routed battery compartments and non recessed TOM bridges


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## goldsteinat0r (Nov 17, 2013)

I hope they offer some cool, solid, 12-1500.00 options. I'd be all over that shit.


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## Zado (Nov 17, 2013)

mracz said:


> This is awesome news. I love the USA. I love ESP. I get both soon??!!!  I'm wondering based on whatever type of models and price points they offer if this will slowly start to eradicate LTD's and LTD Elites from the states. Honestly though, if the quality is equal to or greater, then why would you ever buy an LTD again when you could get the ESP name for the same price or possibly less?


well consider the new series possibly won't be named ESP,but with a different nickname maybe...and considering all the hatred towards "E-II" one,go figure what will happen if USA ESPs will be named E-III or something 

oh wait,E-3 is an already existing name,then E-IV


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## ridner (Nov 18, 2013)

USA ESPs? Awesome! I am in!


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## Adam Of Angels (Nov 18, 2013)

I'd like to think that this is what was in store for the ESP Standard Series all along, since shortly before the announcement of the E-II line, ESP said they had no plans to get rid of the ESP Standard line.


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## simonXsludge (Nov 18, 2013)

nugget666 said:


> Hopefully [..] this will make up for all the wrong the e-ii / elite series did


So hopefully it will make up for nothing?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Nov 18, 2013)

shitsøn;3808651 said:


> So hopefully it will make up for nothing?



Don't mind him. He's been ESP for the LTD Elite/E-II branding a lot.


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## Forkface (Nov 19, 2013)

well. ESP's webpage is different now. and there's this pic





inb4 inlay hate.

I don't mind the inlay as much as i hate the font used on it


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## Zado (Nov 19, 2013)

It's funny cause people always complained bout that inlay..solution? make it bigger and with abalone!


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Nov 19, 2013)

And the new logo.

Solution?

Throw it in the inlay!


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## Zado (Nov 19, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> And the new logo.
> 
> Solution?
> 
> Throw it in the inlay!


hahah yeah I remember the hatred towards the new logo It looks good though


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## Danukenator (Nov 19, 2013)

Lol @ Handcrafted. That has to be the most overused buzz word in guitar making. Not only has it been shown to be irrelevant to the quality of the final product (ie, the handcrafted guitars form Roter, S7, Invictus) but we've seen that people like Ron Thorn can use CNC to make amazing products.

IMO, the idea of "CNC bad and Handmade good" is just silly at this point.


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## Zado (Nov 19, 2013)

Danukenator said:


> Lol @ Handcrafted. That has to be the most overused buzz word in guitar making. Not only has it been shown to be irrelevant to the quality of the final product (ie, the handcrafted guitars form Roter, S7, Invictus) but we've seen that people like Ron Thorn can use CNC to make amazing products.
> 
> IMO, the idea of "CNC bad and Handmade good" is just silly at this point.


handmade is just a more romantic concept


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## feraledge (Nov 19, 2013)

The inlay is disappointing IMO. But there is truth in it: abalone is ESP's dark shadow.


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## Zado (Nov 19, 2013)

feraledge said:


> The inlay is disappointing IMO. But there is truth in it: abalone is ESP's dark shadow.


schecter is selling all abalone stocks to ibanez and esp


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## Church2224 (Nov 19, 2013)

I like it. Screw what the haters say, I will probably be whoring these things up the moment they are released.


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## Zado (Nov 19, 2013)

Oh come on don't get pissed,we were jokingI find it rather cool too,but well it depends on the guitar you are putting it into,I mean,it would be great for something like this




but not as much for an horizon,a M series or a strat imho


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## Mike (Nov 19, 2013)

Murica. That's all I care about.

Inlay looks fine to me.


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## sepsis311 (Nov 19, 2013)

First of all, I believe it's impossible for ESP to top themselves as far as quality is concerned. All the top of the line guitars play incredibly well, even the high end LTDs really impress me. Essentially what is happening, they open a USA shop, make that the new "high end" line, when in reality, nothing in the build process has changed, but they can charge higher prices. They will probably have some different finish options to distinguish the guitars, but nothing that really increases the value of the instrument, only profits. 

Ibanez did this back in the day but in the opposite direction. A Japanese Prestige instrument from Ibanez used to mean manual labor went into the build process of the instrument, frets were expertly filed, etc... Now what they did was move all their production to Korea and Indonesia, and using the Prestige name for ALL Japanese Ibanez instruments, thus eliminating the production cost and instruments of the real Prestige line, while maintaining the same level of profits by continuing to use the name.


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## MFB (Nov 19, 2013)

Electric Sound Products? No no, say hello to _American_ Sound Products!


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## sepsis311 (Nov 19, 2013)

Forkface said:


> well. ESP's webpage is different now. and there's this pic
> 
> 
> 
> ...



that looks horrible. it looks like they took a low end LTD, and haphazardly cut out a spot for a new ESP USA inlay to put over the old LTD inlay. This move is all about justifying higher prices with the illusion of higher production costs in a US factory. I'm a die-hard ESP fan, I own many ESP guitars, and most of my basses are ESP. But this I'm sad to say is a smoke and mirrors stunt.


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## Zado (Nov 19, 2013)

oh come on there's not even a picture of what the series is going to be and we are already complaining


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## Jake (Nov 19, 2013)

sepsis311 said:


> that looks horrible. it looks like they took a low end LTD


I'm just gonna stop you there.

Haven't even seen rest of guitar, says it looks like a low end LTD

I'm okay with this and I'm definitely interested with the USA ESP's


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## Danukenator (Nov 19, 2013)

Hell, I think it looks fine...referring to the 1% of the guitar we've seen . 

I love how everybody has gotten all in a tizzy over a shot of an inlay in a fretboard and is already ripping into the details of the guitar. ESP has had the Abalone flag inlays on the their Les Paul shaped guitars for a while now IICR. 

Remember, most people don't really mind inlays all that much. As much as people hated the Schecter skull inlays, Schecter was still moving product. These are far less overt.

If anything, I'm impressed with how clean it looks. Frets look nice as well.


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## sepsis311 (Nov 19, 2013)

717ctsjz said:


> I'm just gonna stop you there.
> 
> Haven't even seen rest of guitar, says it looks like a low end LTD
> 
> I'm okay with this and I'm definitely interested with the USA ESP's


You should read and reference my entire post, rather than one part of one sentence, of one paragraph. If they wanted to create a drop shadow effect by placing an ESP USA inlay in front of a background inlay, they shouldn't have made it look like somebody stuck a P-touch label on some other guitar. I wasn't referring to the quality of the instrument that is supposed to be a mock representation of an alleged instrument that will be made in a factory some day in the future, that hasn't even been constructed yet, but rather the poor visual styling of the ESP USA inlay that makes the instrument appear to be cartoonish.


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## Malkav (Nov 19, 2013)

Zado said:


> schecter is selling all abalone stocks to ibanez and esp



As far as I know Schecter and ESP are owned by the same company, so they wouldn't be selling, more just transferring 

As for the handmade thing, is that something you're allowed to say when a human hand has hit the button that powers up the CNC? Or just does some sanding? The likelihood that there's no CNC involved in this is basically non-existant, otherwise these things aren't going to be anywhere close to affordable, in which case they may as well just be a custom shop.

As for the comments about Ibanez cheaping out on the Prestige stuff, there's still a ton of stuff that's done by hand at the Fujigen factory, at least as much as you'd expect from the higher calibers of any other brand's upper end production - There are even videos on youtube of the Fujigen factory where the craftsmen there talk about all the hands on work they're doing, so I'm going to disagree with that point, unless the Fujigen guys were just lying, which isn't impossible, but then I'd like to see some actual solid evidence to back up that claim...


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## Viginez (Nov 19, 2013)

that double inlay looks weird imo
kinda tryin too hard...not elegant


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## Danukenator (Nov 19, 2013)

sepsis311 said:


> You should read and reference my entire post, rather than one part of one sentence, of one paragraph. If they wanted to create a drop shadow effect by placing an ESP USA inlay in front of a background inlay, they shouldn't have made it look like somebody stuck a P-touch label on some other guitar. I wasn't referring to the quality of the instrument that is supposed to be a mock representation of an alleged instrument that will be made in a factory some day in the future, that hasn't even been constructed yet, but rather *the poor visual styling of the ESP USA inlay that makes the instrument appear to be cartoonish.*



While it's true you weren't commenting on the quality of the guitar, you made a statement regarding the entire instrument...thus you were commenting on the entire instrument's aesthetic.


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## sepsis311 (Nov 19, 2013)

Malkav said:


> As for the comments about Ibanez cheaping out on the Prestige stuff, there's still a ton of stuff that's done by hand at the Fujigen factory, at least as much as you'd expect from the higher calibers of any other brand's upper end production - There are even videos on youtube of the Fujigen factory where the craftsmen there talk about all the hands on work they're doing, so I'm going to disagree with that point, unless the Fujigen guys were just lying, which isn't impossible, but then I'd like to see some actual solid evidence to back up that claim...



"In 2005 Ibanez introduced the first Prestige models produced outside Japan, the Korean made S2075FW, SA2020FM and SZ2020FM. Between 2005 and 2008, all S series and derivative Prestige models were Korean made exclusively. In 2008, Ibanez reintroduced Japanese made S Prestiges and from 2009 and on, all Prestige models are made in Japan again." - Prestige series - Ibanez Wiki

I'm not sure when those youtube videos are dated, but this paragraph if true, means the Prestige name has not remained exclusive to the mastery of Ibanez's expert Japanese craftsmen.


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## sepsis311 (Nov 19, 2013)

Danukenator said:


> While it's true you weren't commenting on the quality of the guitar, you made a statement regarding the entire instrument...thus you were commenting on the entire instrument's aesthetic.


 I was commenting on what I saw in the picture. There is not an entire guitar in the picture, so that would be impossible.


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## Forkface (Nov 19, 2013)

Zado said:


>



holy shit that is insane.
A cheap(er) version of this guitar would be nuts. I googled it and found that its price tag is not user-friendly


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## Zado (Nov 19, 2013)

how much? :hmm: didnt see the price


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## Forkface (Nov 19, 2013)

Zado said:


> how much? :hmm: didnt see the price



found the sunburst version at 5,999 usd, and the blue posted was 609,000 jpy (around 6100 usd). blue one says sold out though 

ESP


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## jl-austin (Nov 19, 2013)

I can't stand abalone on guitars, but for some reason that logo looks classy in my opinion. I like it.


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## Zado (Nov 19, 2013)

Forkface said:


> found the sunburst version at 5,999 usd, and the blue posted was 609,000 jpy (around 6100 usd). blue one says sold out though
> 
> ESP


mmm well not cheap by any means,but it looks like one of the nicest ESP I've ever seen,and if it plays as good as it looks,the price is appropriate


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## purpledc (Nov 19, 2013)

Im excited to a degree. Ill have to wait and see how these guitars option out and how "affordable" they are. I recently started playing LTD elites and I love them. These instruments will have to be pretty nice as well as affordable to get me to switch. The idea of USA made esps is a tempting one. But Im expecting near custom shop prices and at that rate, "made in usa" isnt going to be enough for me to switch. Heres hoping though.


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## Grand Moff Tim (Nov 19, 2013)

Gibson and Fender have demonstrated quite thoroughly that it's possible to sell MiA guitars at very reasonable prices, so there's no need to jump to the conclusion that new MiA ESP will somehow also come with a jump in prices. If the factory is just used to produce a new "standard" series of sorts and they're produced in large enough numbers, these may well be in the same ~$2k range the Standards were before.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Nov 19, 2013)

Something else to add... ESP's website got a pretty big makeover.

Products - Guitars - The ESP Guitar Company


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## Forkface (Nov 19, 2013)

Zado said:


> mmm well not cheap by any means,but it looks like one of the nicest ESP I've ever seen,and if it plays as good as it looks,the price is appropriate



Oh of course, don't get me wrong. I didn't say it was overpriced. I just said it was expensive. and it is


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## Floppystrings (Nov 19, 2013)

I am hoping for ESP USA Horizons in cool colors.

Metallic blue, red metal flake, basically the colors of all of Stephens coolest customs.


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## Zado (Nov 20, 2013)

Ok Guitars Rebellion will be officially one of the "very few retailers for the new USA line worldwide". Gonna be something pretty exclusive then,probably two retailers in UE at best


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## gunch (Nov 20, 2013)

Not going to lie USA ESP STs and TEs would be pretty awesome


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## Primitive Guitarist (Nov 20, 2013)

USA made has never really struck anything special for me. But I am interested to see what they do. And hopefully it has better QC then their Chinese built models, because my Chinese LTD H308 has horrible flaws.


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## Andromalia (Nov 20, 2013)

Grand Moff Tim said:


> s, these may well be in the same ~$2k range the Standards were before.


Except the pic says "hand crafted". I doubt these will be 2K.


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## Grand Moff Tim (Nov 20, 2013)

Andromalia said:


> Except the pic says "hand crafted". I doubt these will be 2K.



"Handcrafted."  I'm going to go out on a limb and assume they'll be using the exact same division of labor between machining and handcrafting they'd have had back at the ESP plant in Japan, and they're just using it as a buzzword here. I could be wrong, and they actually DO use templates and hand routers to do everything instead of a CNC machine, but I _really_ hope that's not the case. For precision work, I trust CNCs far more than muscle memory .


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## Andromalia (Nov 20, 2013)

Well I'm not really planning to buy anything these days so I'm watching it from afar.
You're right about the possible sales speech though, we'll see.


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## Duraesu (Nov 21, 2013)

am i the only ESP owner/fan concerned about the diluting of the ESP line up/quality? like i said in the ESP forum... after this, what is going to be a "real" ESP guitar? Now you have LTD made in japan, E-IIs and now there is going to be USA ESP... Not saying this is bad, just saying its confusing at least for me...


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## Church2224 (Nov 21, 2013)

_velkan said:


> am i the only ESP owner/fan concerned about the diluting of the ESP line up/quality? like i said in the ESP forum... after this, what is going to be a "real" ESP guitar? Now you have LTD made in japan, E-IIs and now there is going to be USA ESP... Not saying this is bad, just saying its confusing at least for me...



For me as long as ESP is associated with it I know it will be a good product.


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## Duraesu (Nov 21, 2013)

Church2224 said:


> For me as long as ESP is associated with it I know it will be a good product.



yes but... i dont know if i am getting my point thru here... i mean, ESP is going to have 5 different line ups, correct? the LTD, LTD Elite, E-II, ESP CS and ESP USA... apart from the weird move by changing from "ESP" to "E-II"... it going to get confusing, specially when someone like me asks: what is going to be the real ESP guitar? maybe its silly, but still...for example, a real Gibson Les Paul model comes from one single place right? for comparison, a quality Eclipse model will come from at least 3 different lines (LTD Elite, E-II and USA probably) ... what is going to be the ultimate Eclipse?

if you still find this silly, nevermind me... lol


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## Mprinsje (Nov 21, 2013)

this might be relevant to you guys, ESP answered this to someone on their facebook who asked why they did this because the MIJ stuff is awesome: "We agree. So, our ESP Standards and ESP Custom Shop models still come from Japan. ESP USA will be a special line in limited production."


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## Zado (Nov 21, 2013)

Mprinsje said:


> this might be relevant to you guys, ESP answered this to someone on their facebook who asked why they did this because the MIJ stuff is awesome: "We agree. So, our ESP Standards and ESP Custom Shop models still come from Japan. ESP USA will be a special line in limited production."


mmmm limited production often means "expensive"


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## Leuka (Nov 21, 2013)

Whatever they're gonna release, It's gonna be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my price point but I'm still interested. I hope they come up with something cool that I can at least drool on and not a bunch of black Horizons and Mavericks and ST/TE models in 3-color sunburst.

I wonder why don't they update their custom shop gallery anymore?


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## Floppystrings (Nov 21, 2013)

If they are going to make these $2k+ count me out.

I just want a basic Horizon in a cool color, $1400 would be nice.

ESP has some pretty freakin high standards, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them try and compete with PRS private stocks, or try and make THE BEST ever limited editions.

Let's hope they are thinking of us guys that need work horse guitars too.


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## Church2224 (Nov 21, 2013)

Zado said:


> mmmm limited production often means "expensive"



Schecter said the same thing about their USA Models. I think it will be the exact same set up.


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## Sicarius (Nov 21, 2013)

_velkan said:


> yes but... i dont know if i am getting my point thru here... i mean, ESP is going to have 5 different line ups, correct? the LTD, LTD Elite, E-II, ESP CS and ESP USA... apart from the weird move by changing from "ESP" to "E-II"... it going to get confusing, specially when someone like me asks: what is going to be the real ESP guitar? maybe its silly, but still...for example, a real Gibson Les Paul model comes from one single place right? for comparison, a quality Eclipse model will come from at least 3 different lines (LTD Elite, E-II and USA probably) ... what is going to be the ultimate Eclipse?
> 
> if you still find this silly, nevermind me... lol



There's also Grassroots, and Edwards, and Navigator.

If it says ESP or E-II on the front of the headstock then it's a "real" ESP.


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## sepsis311 (Nov 21, 2013)

Manufacturing costs have dropped significantly in the US, which is why Fender is producing the American Special series of instruments. ESP is taking advantage of this same cost savings, by flipping it into profits using American manufacturing. There is a misconception that USA guitars are superior, and import guitars suck, because American guitar companies sell top shelf USA gear, and also sell low quality affordable import gear. 

That doesn't mean that Japanese companies can't best American companies with top shelf gear though. I just traded an American Fender Tele Special for an ESP Vintage 4 Bass. Although they are apples and oranges, I would say the craftsmanship of the ESP blew away the Tele, which is why I opted for the trade.


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## sevenstringj (Nov 26, 2013)

Adam Of Angels said:


> Maybe you're right, but I doubt they'll be any worse. All past ESP USA's are incredible, usually better than most of their Japanese counterparts. I guess we'll have to wait and see.



My USA MV >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ESP M-II I once tried.

But weren't those USA ESPs made by their Japanese craftsmen? I vaguely remember reading that they just transplanted a few guys from the Japan shop for about a year.


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## feraledge (Nov 27, 2013)

_velkan said:


> am i the only ESP owner/fan concerned about the diluting of the ESP line up/quality? like i said in the ESP forum... after this, what is going to be a "real" ESP guitar? Now you have LTD made in japan, E-IIs and now there is going to be USA ESP... Not saying this is bad, just saying its confusing at least for me...


 
I see this differently. ESP is actually making a more "industry standard" approach by releasing a new standard of an existing line (ESP) to another point of production. That really seems to be the norm with most companies rather than what ESP normally does where each new line is effectively a different part of the company. 
This is far less complicated than understanding where something like E-II fits in.

I'm really interested in seeing what they put out, but I'm also assuming it'll be out of my reach till they start building up in the used market. But if they're priced like fender's AS line or the new PRS line from MD, then it's even better.


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## phrygian12 (Dec 9, 2013)




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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 9, 2013)

2nd image is dead for me.


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## unclejemima218 (Dec 9, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> 2nd image is dead for me.



Same. but that blue HSS is already looking tasty! Some nice tops


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## nugget666 (Dec 9, 2013)

Sicarius said:


> If it says ESP or E-II on the front of the headstock then it's a "real" ESP.



its like saying if it say geo metro then is a real GM...


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 9, 2013)

Is it made in Japan in ESP's factory?

It's ESP. 

EDIT: Yes, by that logic, I'm calling Edwards and Navigator ESP.


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## nugget666 (Dec 9, 2013)

that is your respectable point of view, but...
ESP is ESP...grassroots,Edwards, navigator,ltd, ltd elite , Eii, are just branches 'made by' ESP


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 9, 2013)

But are they made in the same factory, use the same tools, and made in the same country as previous ESPs?

If so, I don't care headstocks says.


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## 7stringDemon (Dec 10, 2013)

I believe that Edwards at least are either Chinese or Korean. If I remember correctly.


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## nugget666 (Dec 10, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> But are they made in the same factory, use the same tools, and made in the same country as previous ESPs?
> 
> If so, I don't give a shit what the headstocks says.




again that is your point of view, but may be other people that they care what the headstocks say


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## Church2224 (Dec 10, 2013)

Oh god...

I will be all over these things once they come out.


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## Adam Of Angels (Dec 10, 2013)

I have a feeling that these are going to be awesome.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 10, 2013)

nugget666 said:


> again that is your point of view, but may be other people that they care what the headstocks say



I'm sorry a logo change won't let you enjoy a quality guitar.


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## nugget666 (Dec 10, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I'm sorry a logo change won't let you enjoy a quality guitar.



some people tend to associate a logo to quality


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## RevelGTR (Dec 10, 2013)

I have no problem with new style esp logo. I have it on a horizon and it looks sleek and modern. E-ii is just a stupid name to me, and an ugly logo. I'm sure the guitars are amazing though. Esp usa will be interesting.


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## nugget666 (Dec 10, 2013)

^ 

this !


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## zimbloth (Dec 11, 2013)

As an ESP dealer I can confirm this is all legit. I cant divulge all the information yet, but theres going to be a LOT of new ESP USA and ESP Japan high-end models released for 2014. People who thought ESP were phasing out their high-end "ESP" models in favor of LTDs or other lines were dead wrong. There will be more high end and never-before-released-in-the-US models than ever before. I'll post more info about specifics as soon as I can, probably on our Facebook page but also in the dealer section of this forum.'

The new Japanese line is built in ESP's Tokyo custom shop and will be very limited production. It is not like an Edwards or LTD, it is as real-deal of an ESP as an ESP can get.


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## Yimmj (Dec 11, 2013)

this is so fantastic oh my god.. i need to get more hours at my work and prepare for a spending binge


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## Blood Tempest (Dec 11, 2013)

OMG. If they will be doing more full thickness Eclipse models, I'm in trouble. Especially an ESP full thickness 7 string Eclipse. Between Schecter and ESP, I might be living in my car next year.


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## zimbloth (Dec 11, 2013)

Blood Tempest said:


> OMG. If they will be doing more full thickness Eclipse models, I'm in trouble. Especially an ESP full thickness 7 string Eclipse. Between Schecter and ESP, I might be living in my car next year.



They most likely will be. I personally hope they do not abandon their standard Eclipse bodies/necks in favor of the full-thickness ones however. The thinner body design IMO is a superior one which leads to better resonance and added playing comfort. In my experience its myth that thicker=better, often its quite the opposite, leading to a more dull sound with decreased resonance/sustain. The exception is with Hollow or Semi-Hollow chambered guitars, which these aren't.

I mean no offense, I hope they'll build them both ways to appease both camps. However I think people who desire full-thickness guitars _might_ be doing so for reasons not completely grounded in reality. Again thats just my opinion/experience


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 11, 2013)

What about some of us that love the feel of 20 pounds of mahogany?


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## zimbloth (Dec 11, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> What about some of us that love the feel of 20 pounds of mahogany?



Yeah I cant argue with that. If heavy, bulky, etc is your thing, cool. Just don't think that is contributing positively to the tone because its honestly not. People who love the "Gibson sound" really just love the Gibson pickups, because other than that theres nothing magical going on there


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 11, 2013)

It's honestly more of an aesthetic thing for me. I love the look of a full-thickness, double-bound singlecut.


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## zimbloth (Dec 11, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> It's honestly more of an aesthetic thing for me. I love the look of a full-thickness, double-bound singlecut.



Oh yeah it looks great for sure


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## Mr Richard (Dec 11, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> It's honestly more of an aesthetic thing for me. I love the look of a full-thickness, double-bound singlecut.


 

Something about how you discribed that was almost...pornographic


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 11, 2013)

I've been banned on several forums for being a bit too nsfw. 







okay, not really


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## Blood Tempest (Dec 11, 2013)

zimbloth said:


> They most likely will be. I personally hope they do not abandon their standard Eclipse bodies/necks in favor of the full-thickness ones however. The thinner body design IMO is a superior one which leads to better resonance and added playing comfort. In my experience its myth that thicker=better, often its quite the opposite, leading to a more dull sound with decreased resonance/sustain. The exception is with Hollow or Semi-Hollow chambered guitars, which these aren't.
> 
> I mean no offense, I hope they'll build them both ways to appease both camps. However I think people who desire full-thickness guitars _might_ be doing so for reasons not completely grounded in reality. Again thats just my opinion/experience



Oh man, this is making me excited!  The reason I like the full thickness idea is because of many reasons (which can be seen quoted below by JazzHands) and due to the fact that my vintage white ESP Eclipse is not full thickness. It'll give me the best of both worlds, so to speak, if I were to purchase one. Also, I know most (maybe all?) of the full thickness Eclipses have 22 frets, as opposed to 24, which I love. For example, the EC-1000T CTM (even though it's an LTD). 

You make a valid point about those wanting a full thickness Eclipse for invalid reasons. No offense taken whatsoever there. It's truth. 



HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> What about some of us that love the feel of 20 pounds of mahogany?





HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> It's honestly more of an aesthetic thing for me. I love the look of a full-thickness, double-bound singlecut.


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## zimbloth (Dec 11, 2013)

Blood Tempest said:


> Oh man, this is making me excited!  The reason I like the full thickness idea is because of many reasons (which can be seen quoted below by other members) and due to the fact that my vintage white ESP Eclipse is not full thickness. It'll give me the best of both worlds, so to speak, if I were to purchase one. Also, I know most (maybe all?) of the full thickness Eclipses have 22 frets, as opposed to 24, which I love. For example, the EC-1000T CTM (even though it's an LTD).
> 
> You make a valid point about those wanting a full thickness Eclipse for invalid reasons. No offense taken whatsoever there. It's truth.



Perfectly reasonable bro. However I am pretty sure all the ESP Eclipses are 22 frets anyways, at least the ones we get in here. The only 24 fret one is the LTD I believe


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 11, 2013)

There's a few models that have 24-frets, but they were only available outside of the US, it seems. 

The Eclipse-I 24 and Eclipse-II 24.


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## Blood Tempest (Dec 11, 2013)

zimbloth said:


> Perfectly reasonable bro. However I am pretty sure all the ESP Eclipses are 22 frets anyways, at least the ones we get in here. The only 24 fret one is the LTD I believe



Yup! That's correct. I definitely did not do a good job at wordsmithing what I was saying, but you got it!  Always felt weird playing the LTDs with 24 frets on there. Just never looked/felt right for me. I dunno. I'm picky I guess


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 11, 2013)

That's another reason why I liked the T/CTMs. I like the feel, look, and sound of a 22-fret singlecut.


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## zimbloth (Dec 11, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> That's another reason why I liked the T/CTMs. I like the feel, look, and sound of a 22-fret singlecut.



Well I'm 99% sure you guys will be pleased with the 2014 lineup then


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## Mr Richard (Dec 11, 2013)

Jan 23rd cannot come fast enough.


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## 5150time (Dec 11, 2013)

This sounds like great news to me. I hope there's some influence from the group of USA ones from around 2000 or so. I have a couple from that era and they're absolutely fantastic. I kind of wish ESP would offer a high end Horizon as a bolt-on.

ESP usually cooks up a pretty good NAMM lineup - really interested to see how this new shop pans out.


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## Zado (Dec 11, 2013)

ok,now only ibanez is missing with good news :rotfl:


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## zimbloth (Dec 11, 2013)

5150time said:


> This sounds like great news to me. I hope there's some influence from the group of USA ones from around 2000 or so. I have a couple from that era and they're absolutely fantastic. I kind of wish ESP would offer a high end Horizon as a bolt-on.
> 
> ESP usually cooks up a pretty good NAMM lineup - really interested to see how this new shop pans out.



Unfortunately the USA ones won't be costing quite that little. They'll be more expensive than that (not a LOT more, but still). Here is sort of how the price structure will work out, without getting into specifics: LTD-->LTD Elite-->E-II/Standard-->ESP USA-->ESP Tokyo

The USA ones will fall in between what the Standard Series goes for now and the Japan custom shop ones. Similar prices to what you'd see from USA Jacksons, upper end Ibanez (but less than J-Customs), mid-level PRS, etc.



Zado said:


> ok,now only ibanez is missing with good news :rotfl:



Lots of exciting new Ibanez models coming out too, don't you worry. I'm not authorized to share yet, but soon!


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## RevelGTR (Dec 12, 2013)

So, does this effect the whole e-ii thing? Or are the standard series guitars still being renamed?


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## zimbloth (Dec 12, 2013)

WSchaferJR said:


> So, does this effect the whole e-ii thing? Or are the standard series guitars still being renamed?



I have no idea about the E-II thing yet, but the ESP USA line and ESP Tokyo line are unrelated to E-IIs. My _guess_ is that E-II will be what the Standard Series will be renamed to, but thats just guess.


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## Duraesu (Dec 13, 2013)

i kinda have to disagree with Zimbloth, with all due respect of course!

from my experience, and being a FT Eclipse owner i was able to compare it with a regular thick eclipse and i noticed that the ESP is acoustically louder and resonate a tad more when unplugged... but when plugged you can hardly notice anything since the EMGs do "mask" some woody attributes of the guitars! i did found that the sustain on the FT was slightly better but i know that a proper setup will make any guitar sustain well...

i'm yet to test this with passive pickups.

But sure, the regular eclipses are more confortable to play sitting down


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