ESP 2024

[SalsaWood]

I haven't caught up on what we're talking about now, but neck pickups should be slammed to the body and neck pickup deletes should only be on pointy guitars or at least pointy headstock guitars.

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[Bodes]

I'm the only ESP player that I know of in my city and I'm not even endorsed, everyone else I've met with one plays death metal specifically and has been an LTD not an ESP or E-II, which further dilutes brand recognition.

I'm not trying to start an argument here, but most people I know think of LTD or E-II as ESP, and that they are just their 'lower tier' lines.
Mainly due to not wanting to spend an extra few grand on the headstock logo, when the LTD-600 or -1000 lines are pretty damn good, if you are willing to go play a bunch in store(s), then maybe spend a few hundred more on pickups and set up.
Not everyone needs to be seen playing a $5k+ guitar to play in front of the bar tender, the other bands on the bill and their partners, plus a hand full of genuine fans.

 

[cardinal]

all I know is that Duplantier is a beast and his guitars are cool.

 

[Captain Shoggoth]

I'm not trying to start an argument here, but most people I know think of LTD or E-II as ESP, and that they are just their 'lower tier' lines.
Mainly due to not wanting to spend an extra few grand on the headstock logo, when the LTD-600 or -1000 lines are pretty damn good, if you are willing to go play a bunch in store(s), then maybe spend a few hundred more on pickups and set up.
Not everyone needs to be seen playing a $5k+ guitar to play in front of the bar tender, the other bands on the bill and their partners, plus a hand full of genuine fans.

100% agree with you here! Just saying that Jackson as a name brand carries far more recognition. LTDs are great instruments and the only reason I don't own any is because I got my ESPs all dirt cheap and don't want to pay the same price.

 

[Lozek]

Sorry but huge [citation needed] on this. Here in the UK ESP's reach isn't even comparable to Jackson's, let alone Fender. Jackson is THE ubiquitous "metal" brand, Fender the most overall ubiquitous guitar brand with Gibson/Epiphone second. Gibsons and Epiphones are *very* popular - I think the "lifestyle brand" put-downs come primarily from online Jackson/ESP fanatics.

I'm the only ESP player that I know of in my city and I'm not even endorsed, everyone else I've met with one plays death metal specifically and has been an LTD not an ESP or E-II, which further dilutes brand recognition.

I don't buy a niche metal guitar company owned by a single guy (mainly catering to older metalheads who love Metallica/the 80s or extreme metal maniacs) as being bigger than the titan that is FMIC or even nearly as big, not by a long shot.

The idea that they have cash to burn on par with FMIC is also hard to believe - FMIC is *very, very* active in seeking out new talent and marketing its instruments to young players. I know multiple Jackson/FMIC endorsees in the metal / punk underground who get free instruments coming out of their ears. I've known one ESP endorsee in that time and he's jumped ship to Jackson this year anyway.

Endorsements and reach are two separate things though. I've had Jackson, Laney & Peavey based on who was employed by them at the time, as have a lot of friends in the UK scene, but in terms of what you're going to see in the hands of players onstage, it's LTD all day long. It was probably Jackson until the early 2000's when LTD hoovered up most of the NWOAHM players and things like the ECs & Horizons became a standard.

 

[nightsprinter]

Endorsements and reach are two separate things though. I've had Jackson, Laney & Peavey based on who was employed by them at the time, as have a lot of friends in the UK scene, but in terms of what you're going to see in the hands of players onstage, it's LTD all day long. It was probably Jackson until the early 2000's when LTD hoovered up most of the NWOAHM players and things like the ECs & Horizons became a standard.

And some guys who love ESP will only play LTD onstage because they don't want their better guitars to be damaged or stolen.

That guy from Beartooth as an example records all his albums on his ESP Viper(s) but has said that he only brings LTDs on tour now. That's what he said in an interview anyway.

 

[Lozek]

That makes no sense to me. I have three Standard Series, one in particular is magical, I'm not gonna leave it at home and not get the enjoyment of playing it live. I don't particularly look forward to checking it at airports, but ultimately it's a tool to be used for expression.

 

[nightsprinter]

That makes no sense to me. I have three Standard Series, one in particular is magical, I'm not gonna leave it at home and not get the enjoyment of playing it live. I don't particularly look forward to checking it at airports, but ultimately it's a tool to be used for expression.

Well let's be real, it's probably just an endorsement thing to get kids to want to buy LTDs because Bearclaw man is playing one.

 

[Captain Shoggoth]

Endorsements and reach are two separate things though. I've had Jackson, Laney & Peavey based on who was employed by them at the time, as have a lot of friends in the UK scene, but in terms of what you're going to see in the hands of players onstage, it's LTD all day long. It was probably Jackson until the early 2000's when LTD hoovered up most of the NWOAHM players and things like the ECs & Horizons became a standard.

They're separate things but they go in tandem. I'm probably playing at a lower level / less well-connected than you but outside of death or black metal I don't see ESPs or LTDs at all. Thrash, speed metal, metalcore, hardcore, punk, grindcore, post-punk, indie, grunge, pop, R&B... no ESPs

If we're zeroing in on extreme metal then yeah they're ubiquitous (although I see just as many if not more kvlt guys playing Jackson or BC Rich) but the original poster I was replying to was asserting that ESP had greater overall reach amongst players across genres than Jackson or FMIC which just seems ludicrous to me.