Church2224
Guitar Whore
I see reasons my wallet is going to kill me
ESP Huge changes for 2013
This site may earn a commission from merchant links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.
HeHasTheJazzHands
Well-Known Member
Sooo, aren't we supposed to get news about ESP's changes today?
Zado
Well-Known Member
sell2792
Well-Known Member
Same herewhy today?
Because check the comments on, I believe, the last page.
HeHasTheJazzHands
Well-Known Member
Church2224
Guitar Whore
He might be busy. I might be calling him later anyway.
Zado
Well-Known Member
Oh sorry had no idea
can't wait to hear something comforting
can't wait to hear something comforting HeHasTheJazzHands
Well-Known Member
I think I can see why ESP would get rid of the Standard Series... Introduce the LTD Elite line to take over the ESP Standard line, and then ESP would have their custom shop built guitars take over the ESP line, making them a more "botique" company and make LTD the mass-produced line.
At least i think.
At least i think.
Last edited:
Church2224
Guitar Whore
I think I can see why ESP would get rid of the Standard Series... Introduce the LTD Elite line to take over the ESP Standard line, and then ESP would have their custom shop built guitars take over the ESP line, making them a more "botique" company and make LTD mass-produced line.
At least i think.
Makes some sense, idk I want to see what Zimbloth has to say.
HeHasTheJazzHands
Well-Known Member
If they expand the fuck out of the LTD Elite line in the next year or two, I won't have any problem with this. Introduce some Japanese-only models like the Arrow, Aero, and Throbber and throw in some 7 and 8's (with a PROPER scale length 
), then it has a lot of potential.
), then it has a lot of potential. Church2224
Guitar Whore
I bet we will see more LTD Elites, idk which models though.
Let us not jump to conclusions either, the Standard Series might be staying, let's just wait and see.
Let us not jump to conclusions either, the Standard Series might be staying, let's just wait and see.
Zado
Well-Known Member
Might be possibleI think I can see why ESP would get rid of the Standard Series... Introduce the LTD Elite line to take over the ESP Standard line, and then ESP would have their custom shop built guitars take over the ESP line, making them a more "botique" company and make LTD the mass-produced line.
At least i think.
btw trying to fins some news about in the ESP forum,I read some interest comments"And that's exactly what a "real" ESP is....custom shop made.
While the standard series are good guitars, I've always felt they were ridiculously overpriced and paled in comparison to customs by a long shot. And, I'm pretty sure that they were made in factories that make Edwards guitars OR factories that farm themselves out to a few different brands and not dedicated ESP factories, so IMO they somewhat soiled the name of ESP as it stands. I'm a broken record, but the late 90's standards in the US are/were the best and closest to "real" custom made ESP's we could get in the US as mass produced models...And when they stopped making those, that's when moderately priced "real" ESP's died in the US. After that 2-3 year (or so) hiatus when no mass produced ESP's were available, they came out with the new Standard Series...which were all neck through or set neck and figured veneer tops, etc...I always thought the standards from then until now were just extremely overpriced LTD's. Sad to say, all the standards I've played from that changeover point in the early '00's up until now have done nothing to change my mind. The last standard series Horizon I played about a month ago felt almost identical to any Deluxe series H or MH. Not that they are bad guitars at all, but at 1899, c'mon."
"HUGE +1
I've worked in music stores for the past 10 years as a teacher and tech, and I've played and set up litterally hundreds of ESP's and LTD's. In all honestly, I tend to like higher end LTD's from World Musical Instruments infinitely more than the SS ESP's. The whole point behind the Standard Series was to break into the American market with a reasonably affordable 'real' ESP, but they're just LTD's with slightly more attention to detail with with the fretwork with 'ESP' slapped on the headstock. Plus, I don't know where they've been sourcing their wood from, but the 3 SS ESP's I've owned...plus a lot that I've set up....have the the softest neck woods I've ever seen on guitars in that price range. Cheap woods, veneer tops, and gobs of poly on $1,500+ guitars? No thanks. The Korean LTD's are more solid and with a once over by someone who knows what they're doing, can be set up to feel and play just as well as the SS version for $1,000 less."
do you tend to agree with this?
jeleopard
Well-Known Member
I'd be surprised if they didn't have Elite Eclipses and Vs and Explorers.
Church2224
Guitar Whore
Might be possible
"And that's exactly what a "real" ESP is....custom shop made.
While the standard series are good guitars, I've always felt they were ridiculously overpriced and paled in comparison to customs by a long shot. And, I'm pretty sure that they were made in factories that make Edwards guitars OR factories that farm themselves out to a few different brands and not dedicated ESP factories, so IMO they somewhat soiled the name of ESP as it stands. I'm a broken record, but the late 90's standards in the US are/were the best and closest to "real" custom made ESP's we could get in the US as mass produced models...And when they stopped making those, that's when moderately priced "real" ESP's died in the US. After that 2-3 year (or so) hiatus when no mass produced ESP's were available, they came out with the new Standard Series...which were all neck through or set neck and figured veneer tops, etc...I always thought the standards from then until now were just extremely overpriced LTD's. Sad to say, all the standards I've played from that changeover point in the early '00's up until now have done nothing to change my mind. The last standard series Horizon I played about a month ago felt almost identical to any Deluxe series H or MH. Not that they are bad guitars at all, but at 1899, c'mon."
"HUGE +1
I've worked in music stores for the past 10 years as a teacher and tech, and I've played and set up litterally hundreds of ESP's and LTD's. In all honestly, I tend to like higher end LTD's from World Musical Instruments infinitely more than the SS ESP's. The whole point behind the Standard Series was to break into the American market with a reasonably affordable 'real' ESP, but they're just LTD's with slightly more attention to detail with with the fretwork with 'ESP' slapped on the headstock. Plus, I don't know where they've been sourcing their wood from, but the 3 SS ESP's I've owned...plus a lot that I've set up....have the the softest neck woods I've ever seen on guitars in that price range. Cheap woods, veneer tops, and gobs of poly on $1,500+ guitars? No thanks. The Korean LTD's are more solid and with a once over by someone who knows what they're doing, can be set up to feel and play just as well as the SS version for $1,000 less."
do you tend to agree with this?
No. Not at all.
In fact that same guy posted on here a week or two ago about the same thing about the "Soft neck woods" and he was full of it. In fact I called him out on selling one of those Standard Series guitars and he never mentioned the fact that the guitar he sold had "soft neck wood" in the classifieds add he posted on here.
And for the price to quality ratio ESP is pretty damn good for what they are. I know quite a few people who own Standard Series ESPs and will admit that they are better than the LTD Equivalents. The reason why I buy MIJ ESPs is because of that attention to detail and quality and fretwork, Just look at the ESP NGD Threads on here.
Also ESP ADMITTED that the Standard are made in Japan in an interview recently. Read this entire article-
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/inte...gest_driving_marketing_force.html?no_takeover
5 people in the custom shop. 20 people do wood working, 20 do painting, and 30 do setups. That would be a lot of people to hire just for "Assembling" the standards just like the Edwards models.
"Can you talk about some of the specifics of the Japanese factory?
Makoto Suzuki: We have about 75 workers at the factory: 20 at wood working, 20 at painting, and 30 at assembling. There are five skilled craftsmen working at the Custom shop only building custom orders.
What is the process like in building a guitar? Cutting wood; shaping; inserting inlays/pickups, et al?
The first process is seasoning the woods. All the woods used on our products are naturally seasoned at least three to four years. Then we severely select the woods to be used on our production. It is a very important part of building ESP guitars. There are two different ways on the production process: one is the regular production process and the other process is the Custom shop.
How are those processes different?
A CNC machine is used for cutting outlines on regular productions. But it is all done by hand for the Custom shop products. At the custom shop, all the woodwork on one custom guitar is done by one craftsman. On the other hand, regular productions are done by several workers in several different process. The Custom inlay job is done first on the fingerboard then it's glued onto the neck. The process is of course different depending on its construction and whether it's a Bolt-on, Set-Neck or Neck-Thru. Mostly a neck is made first and then the body is made to match the neck. After cutting out the body and neck outlines, they are then shaped and curved into the final design by hand. Then they go into the painting process.
Church2224
Guitar Whore
Also, just got this-
"A few Horizon NT-II, FR-II, Eclipse MIJ models remain, but with very few options left
Horizon FR27 remains
All the other models are gone like the SV-II, V-II, Phoenix, Viper, M1-NTB (M-II remains)"
Pretty much what I thought was going to happen. The Horizon 27 is staying, which is surprising, but I am VERY happy with that decision. The Horizon FR-27 is an awesome guitar. No surprise the SV-II, V-II, ect are gone.
"A few Horizon NT-II, FR-II, Eclipse MIJ models remain, but with very few options left
Horizon FR27 remains
All the other models are gone like the SV-II, V-II, Phoenix, Viper, M1-NTB (M-II remains)"
Pretty much what I thought was going to happen. The Horizon 27 is staying, which is surprising, but I am VERY happy with that decision. The Horizon FR-27 is an awesome guitar. No surprise the SV-II, V-II, ect are gone.
HeHasTheJazzHands
Well-Known Member
No more Horizon 7? 
Church2224
Guitar Whore
No more Horizon 7?
Still waiting on that info.
HeHasTheJazzHands
Well-Known Member
Alright. I'd be VERY surprised if the H7 is gone... I mean, if the Horizon 27 isn't discontinued...
Church2224
Guitar Whore
I doubt it is, the FR7 and NT 7 did well, maybe one of the two will do, but that is it.
HeHasTheJazzHands
Well-Known Member
I hope you're right. I don't mind if one goes. Could always get the H-1007 or H-1007FR to go with it.
But this does dash my hopes of an ESP 8-string.
...JUST RELEASE A BARITONE 8-STRING ALREADY!
But this does dash my hopes of an ESP 8-string.
...JUST RELEASE A BARITONE 8-STRING ALREADY!
