SHOCKING: 3 - What They Never Told You

“Me and Dime were tight – but I don’t like the guitars Dime played. A headstock that looks like a baby guitar? I don't need all that real estate”: Kerry King on his personal history with B.C. Rich and ESP – and why he switched to Dean

The former Slayer guitarist and bona fide metal god on his relationship with metal's heavyweight guitar brands, and what he wanted from his new partnership with Dean

Guitar World · Jun 17, 2024

ESP vs LTD Guitars: What's the difference?

Looking for a capable guitar for playing rock or metal? We explore the history, spec and tone characteristics of ESP and its affordable sub-brand LTD

Guitar World · May 29, 2024

“Less versatile than the Greeny tributes… but it’s the perfect weapon to seek and destroy”: ESP LTD KH-V Kirk Hammett review

The latest signature model for the Metallica guitarist is a lot pointier than his previous offering – and the tones match the looks

Guitar World · May 21, 2024

“It’s heavy, thick and unique. It feels great, and the neck is incredible. And it’s heavy; but that’s okay because the weight of a guitar is very important to me. The thicker the better”: If you pick up Bill Kelliher’s new ESP guitar, you’ll know about it

The Mastodon guitarist – who aims to write simpler songs for the band's next album – had his favorite 9-string mapped and mutated into the LTD Silver Sunburst Royal Shiva

Guitar World · Feb 8, 2024

“I tried SGs and Flying Vs, and they might look cool, but it's like playing a piece of Styrofoam”: Bill Kelliher explains why he prefers his guitars to be as heavy as possible

Since around 2020, the Mastodon maestro has been wielding an extraordinarily thick ESP Custom Shop model, which was recently reissued as the LTD Royal Shiva – and both closely follow Kelliher’s ethos of “the thicker, the better”

Guitar World · Feb 7, 2024

NAMM 2024: 5 super hot electric guitars you need to check out from the ESP Guitars mega-launch

Featuring Bill Kelliher's hefty new double-cut, thrash legend Gary Holt's red on black GH SV-200, a Junior-inspired singlecut with an ESP-exclusive Seymour Duncan humbucker and more

MusicRadar · Jan 23, 2024

NAMM 2024: “A masterpiece in high-performance guitar for the modern era”: ESP modernizes its 1000 range guitars with EverTune and Fishman Fluence pickups

From seven-string baritones to Vs and its off-set SG-styled Viper, the features help its 1000 range appeal to the modern player

Guitar World · Jan 22, 2024

NAMM 2024: “For players seeking the most hardcore performances imaginable”: ESP takes LP Junior-style guitars in a heavier direction with new LTD Eclipse range, featuring exclusive Seymour Duncan pickups

The new single-humbucker, flat-top lineup boasts mahogany bodies, three-piece necks and one surprisingly versatile humbucker

Guitar World · Jan 22, 2024

NAMM 2024: “It's heavy, thick, and unique. It feels great”: ESP brings Bill Kelliher’s long-awaited double-cut custom model to the masses with LTD Royal Shiva signature guitar

The Mastodon riff lord's latest signature model is based on his beastly Silver Sunburst six-string that was built in 2020, and receives an official release after much anticipation

Guitar World · Jan 22, 2024

“When Kiesel built me the first one, I was like, ‘Man, this is amazing’”: Kiesel and Deftones’ Stephen Carpenter launch new Vader signature model – a mean, clean headless metal machine that’s “exceptionally difficult to produce”

Carpenter will continue to endorse ESP Guitars alongside the new models, which come in Snow and Shadow variants, as well as seven-string, eight-string and left-hand configurations

Guitar World · Dec 14, 2023