November '09
Artist Spotlight: Richard Z
of Rammstein
September '09
Interview: Shaun Glass and Dirge Within
Artist Spotlight: Doc Coyle
of God Forbid
August '09
Artist Spotlight: Will Adler (Lamb of God)
July '09
Artist Spotlight: Page Hamilton of Helmet
Winner's Circle: Mayem Sweepstakes
AVAILABLE FALL 2009: The new James Hetfield Truckster... now in black!
ESP and Spinefarm Records bring you Children of Bodom Fall 2009 North American Tour
Download Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 Go for free and enter for a chance to win an LTD KH-602
Coming Soon: ESP Artist Podcasts
June '09
Hot New Models Coming This Fall!
Winner's Circle: "No Fear" Music Tour Sweepstakes
Get Rockin Now with an LTD Guitar or Bass Pack!
April '09
ESP Congratulates Metallica for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
ESP Artists Top Guitar World Reader's Poll!
New ESPs at 2009 Musikmesse Show!
March '09
Will Adler Appearance at Sam Ash Hollywood
ESP Gets in the Game with Guitar Hero: Metallica
February '09
Artist Interview: Ted Aguilar of Death Angel
ESP mourns the loss of Metal Mulisha rider Jeremy Lusk
January '09
ESP Announces New Models for 2009
New Kirk Hammett & James Hetfield Signature Series
ESP's Signature Series Gets 18 New Models at NAMM 2009
Artist Spotlight: Fred LeClercq of DragonForce
20 Years With ESP: Page Hamilton
ESP Artists Receive Grammy Nominations
ESP Artists Featured in Upcoming Comic Series
ESP on MySpace: Are you our friend?
In 2009, guitarist Page Hamilton of Helmet is marking his 20th year as an endorsee of ESP Guitars. Along with players like George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob) and Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Hamilton was one of the earliest high-profile musicians to support ESP starting in the late 1980s.
“ESP is honored to have had a 20-year relationship with Page,” says ESP President Matt Masciandaro. “In 1989, we’d only opened the US branch of ESP a few years earlier, and were still becoming established as a well-known guitar brand. Having a player on our team as innovative and respected as Page was very important to our success, and we’re proud that two decades later, Page remains part of the ESP family.”
To help commemorate the occasion of his 20 years as an endorsee, ESP is releasing two new Page Hamilton models for their Signature Series. The ESP Page Hamilton MG and the LTD PH-600MG are based on Hamilton’s original custom ESP model, and are built to perfectly replicate the instrument after 20 years of use, including “distressed” pre-wear of the finish and hardware, as well as indications of the customization of Hamilton’s personal instrument.
The signature model features a neck-thru-body design at 25.5” scale, with an alder body and maple neck with ebony fingerboard. A locking nut and original Floyd Rose bridge, Gotoh tuners, 24 XJ frets, and Dimarzio Air Zone pickup are also included (Grover tuners are substituted on the LTD version). Like Hamilton’s original custom guitar, both models are offered only in a bright magenta finish.
Born in Oregon, Page Hamilton moved to New York to study jazz guitar, but quickly found the allure of distortion. Forming Helmet in 1989, their major label debut in 1992 spawned hits such as “Unsung” and “In the Meantime” and creating several albums which made the Billboard Hot 100. Hamilton was lauded for his innovative guitar techniques through this time period. Helmet broke up in 1998, at which point Hamilton diversified his playing to include touring with David Bowie and writing music for films (including the movie “Heat”). He also appeared on albums by groups such as Nine Inch Nails and P.O.D., and has been involved in producing other artists such as Gavin Rossdale, before reforming Helmet in 2004. Their most recent album, Monochrome, was released in 2006.
