LTD Signature Series
NAMM 2017: In seasonal ESP fashion, the Japanese guitar behemoth has offered a preview of the models it will be unveiling at NAMM, unleashing pics and details on a raft of new guitars and basses.
Most notable is Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher's Sparrowhawk, which packs set-through construction at 24.75” scale, with mahogany body, 3-piece mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard, a TonePros locking TOM bridge and tailpiece, and Kelliher’s new Lace Sensor Divinator signature pickups. It comes in a Military Green Sunburst Satin finish.
Intriguingly, ESP's product preview also cites a new model for Brian 'Head' Welch, the LTD SH-7ET, which presumably signals the Korn guitarist's departure from Ibanez. His seven-string will feature an EverTune bridge and Fishman Fluence pickups, as well as a neck-through-body design with flamed maple top over basswood body, three-piece maple neck with ebony fingerboard and a See Thru Purple finish. Frustratingly, there are no images yet.
Rancid man Lars Frederiksen has landed his first ESP signature, the LTD Volsung, a set-neck Viper-style model with Seymour Duncan Signature pickups, Gotoh tuners and TonePros locking TOM bridge and tailpiece. The finish? Danish Camo Satin, of course.
Updated models include the Gary Holt's LTD GH-600NT, which now features a Tone Pros locking TOM bridge and tailpiece, while Frank Bello gets new ESP Frank Bello Jazz and LTD FB-J4 models.
Rob Caggiano, meanwhile, secures QM and LTD RC-600QM guitars with quilted maple tops and silver accent colours, and Lamb Of God's John Campbell gets his first signature bass, the LTD JC-4FM, based on the Stream body style.
LTD Deluxe
The LTD Deluxe Series has seen a wealth of new models, too. The LTD EC-1000 Piezo promises to be the most flexible LTD yet, with Seymour Duncan '59 and JB pickups paired with a Fishman Powerbridge and tailpiece system, plus piezo pickup. A mini-toggle switches between the sources, while dual output jacks also feature. The guitar packs a mahogany body with quilted maple top in See Thru Blue finish.
Also new is the M-1000HT, a Hawaiian koa-topped, neck-through-body model with Seymour Duncan Jazz and Pearly Gates pickups, as well as a Hipshot hardtail bridge.
The MH-1000T, meanwhile, offers the EverTune bridge with set-through construction, and mahogany body with flamed maple top in See Thru Black and EMG 81/85 pickups. It's also available as a seven-string, the MH-1007ET, in Black.
LTD 400 Series
New among the 400 Series is the H-401, a set-through construction, mahogany-bodied, Natural Satin-finished model with Seymour Duncan Custom-5 and Jazz pickups.
The LTD M-400 and M-400M, meanwhile, feature extra-thin flat U-shaped maple necks with 24 extra-jumbo frets and Floyd Rose Special vibratos. The M-400 offers a Black Satin finish with EMG 85 and 81 pickups, while the M-400M features a Natural Satin finish over mahogany top, along with Seymour Duncan Jazz and Custom-5 pickups.
Finally, the M-403HT is a hardtail model with Seymour Duncan stacked single coil STK-4 pickups, with a Seymour Duncan Custom-5 humbucker in the bridge. It's also packing a Natural Satin-finished flamed maple top on mahogany body.
LTD CULT '86
A tribute to Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, the Cult '86 features bolt-on construction with an alder body, three-piece maple neck and ebony fingerboard.
Two EMG SA single coils and an EMG 81 humbucker are onboard, as is a Floyd Rose Special locking vibrato. And, of course, there's also that unmistakable swirl finish.
LTD Basses
The LTD AP-4 and AP-5 use bolt-on construction over alder bodies and maple necks, plus ebony fingerboards with 21 extra-jumbo frets, Grover tuners, Babicz bridges, and EMG P/LJ active pickups, and come in a Black finish.
The LTD TL Series 'Thinline' chambered-body instruments promise to pair electric feel and acoustic tone. Two new bass additions have been added for 2017 with the TL-4Z Fretless (a fretless version of the Zebrawood-topped model) and the TL-5SM, a five-string version of the bass with a Spalted Maple top. Both basses offer set-neck construction, using three-piece mahogany necks with rosewood fingerboards, and are powered by Fisherman Sonicore pickups and TL-3 preamps with onboard tuners.
Budget LTD offerings, the B-154DX, B-155DX and F-155DX, feature flamed maple tops and ESP-designed passive pickups with three-band active EQ.
The bass series designed by Rocco Prestia (Tower of Power) has been updated with the RB-1004SM and RB-1005SM basses now offered with ebony fingerboards and Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups.
More to follow…
New models, updates and finishes are set to feature at NAMM, according to ESP, including the ultra-affordable models you see above: the LTD EC-256 and beginner's EC-10.
ESP Original and E-II are getting a host of new guitars, too, including the ESP Arrow Rusty Iron, ESP E-II Arrow-7 Babymetal signature model and the addition of EverTune bridges to E-II EC and Horizon models. There are no pictures… yet.
Stay tuned to MusicRadar for updates from the show floor come January, and hit up ESP Guitars for more info.
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