bmusic - Product News and Reviews

bmusic.com.au's WRAP-UP OF THE NEW 2004 ESP AND LTD GUITAR AND BASS RANGE
The new range of ESP guitars and basses has been announced and is in production now for release in the next month or two. Here's a look at some of the new models for 2004. No retail prices yet but as the instruments start to make their way down under so too will details of pricing. Winter NAMM 2004 is on in a week or so and we expect to get all the final details following America's largest musical instrument trade show. For now you can just enjoy the eye candy.

NEW 400 SERIES GUITARS AND BASSES
One of the major changes to the ESP LTD line-up this year is the introduction of the 400 series of guitars and basses. These have superceded 2003's 300 series which have been remodeled to the 200 series. The 400 series are creating a huge buzz thanks to their stunning specs, including the new "set-thru" neck construction on some models and the use of active EMG active pickups or USA Seymour Duncan pickups on the guitar models.
Below are a few of the new 400 series models:

ESP LTD EC-400
Mahogany body, set 3-piece mahogany neck, EMG-81 pickups, Earvana compensated nut and Grover tuners.

ESP LTD EC-400AT Mahogany body, set 3-piece mahogany neck, Seymour Duncan JB and Seymour Duncan 59 pickups, Earvana compensated nut and Grover tuners.

ESP LTD EX-400BD Set Neck construction with Mahogany body featuring black diamond plate top, 3-piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, EMG-81 active pickup set.

ESP LTD MH-400
Set-thru neck construction, Mahogany body with quilted maple top, 3-piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, EMG-81 active humbuckers.

ESP LTD Viper-400 Set 3-piece mahogany neck, Mahogany body, EMG-81 active humbuckers, Earvana compensated nut, Grover tuners.

ESP LTD DF-404
The DF-404 is tuned B-E-A-D (130-110-90-70, like the 5-4-3-2 strings of a 5-string bass) for extra string tension at lower tunings. Neck-thru construction, Mahogany body.

NEW SIGNATURE MODELS
This year a few new Signature Series ESPs and LTDs have already been announced with more expected to follow after the upcoming Winter NAMM show. The KH-2 Vintage guitar is also back, not Limited Edition with Certificate Of Authenticity this time around though so expect the price to drop accordingly. The model was originally intended as a Limited Edition but due to it's popularity it has been made a special order model. Another change to the Signature Series line-up is the adoption of Floyd Rose tremolos on the Jeff Hanneman signature models. Hanneman's originally were equipped with Kahler trems but the supply of Kahler trems is drying up as Kahler move more toward golf club manufacture!

ESP LTD George Lynch Skulls & Snakes
Maple body, Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, skull & swords inlays, Seymour Duncan TB-12 bridge humbucker and Duncan Designed HR-101 neck single coil, Original Floyd Rose tremolo

ESP George Lynch Flame Baritone Handcrafted in the ESP Custom Shop in limited quantities. Mahogany body with set maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. 27" baritone scale length. Custom flame design. Seymour Duncan JB humbucker.

ESP KH-2 Vintage Neck-thru body construction, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard inlaid with skull and bones, original Floyd Rose tremolo, EMG-81 pickups.

ESP LTD Jeff Hanneman
Slayer's Jeff Hanneman's new LTD Signature model. Neck-thru body construction, maple body, male neck with ebony fingerboard, custom "S" and key inlays, EMG-81 pickups, Original Floyd Rose tremolo.

ESP LTD Jardel Paisante
Set neck signature LTD from Ill Nino's Jardel Paisante. Mahogany body, 3-piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, EMG-81 active humbuckers, Sperzel locking tuners.

ESP LTD Ahrue Luster
Set neck signature LTD from Ahrue Luster of Machine Head, Mahogany body, 3-piece mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, EMG-81 active humbuckers, Sperzel locking tuners.

X-TONE PARAMOUNT SERIES
The contemporary jazz-bodied style X-Tone Paramount guitars were announced late last year but won't be hitting Australian shores until very early this year so they are as good as a 2004 model. With the X-Tone series ESP are really showing themselves as an all-round guitar company, not just the "heavy metal" guitar maker they are sometimes perceived as.

X-Tone PC-1 Paramount
Set neck, Maple body with flamed maple top, 3-piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz humbuckers, Triple layer creme binding.

X-Tone PC-1V Paramount
Set neck, Maple body with flamed maple top, 3-piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz humbuckers, Original Bigsby Tremolo bridge.

X-Tone PC-2 Paramount
Set neck, flamed maple top on See-Thru Red model, 3-piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, Seymour Duncan JB & Jazz humbuckers.

X-Tone PC-2V Paramount
Set neck, flamed maple top on See-Thru Red model, 3-piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, Seymour Duncan JB & Jazz humbuckers, Original Bigsby Tremolo.

X-Tone PS-1V Paramount
Set maple neck, maple body, ESP XT-100 pickups, Pearl block inlays, Tune-o-matic bridge, bound body, neck and headstock. Licensed Bigsby tremolo.

X-Tone PS-2 Paramount
Set maple neck, maple body, pearl block inlays, ESP XT-100 pickups, Tune-o-matic bridge with stop tailpiece, bound body, neck and headstock.

CUSTOM SHOP DROOL-WORTHY GOODIES
And the piece' de resistance, a selection of guitars from the Angel range. Each of these guityars is "theoretically" not for sale but Custom Orders can be placed if you want one bad enough. Starting price is around $17,000 but.

ESP Angel Classic

ESP Pipe Organ

ESP Rose Angel

ESP Venus Angel

ESP Aube Angel

ESP Maria Angel

These examples of the stunning work the ESP Custom Shop is producing were produced as a series for one dude, Japanese guitarist Toshihiko Takamizawa from the group The Alfee. Click on any of the images to see that guitar in full.

To take a look at the whole range of ESP, LTD and X-Tone Guitars and Basses click on a link below:
ESP, LTD & X-Tone Guitars
ESP and LTD Basses