In 2002, ESP got to know an up-and-coming guitar player from Finland named Markku Uula Aleksi Laiho. He was only in his early twenties at the time, but had already established himself in the underground of heavy metal as one of the most impressive players we’d seen in many years. His unique combination of melodic, neo-classical lead lines with pure blazing speed made him stand out like a shining beacon in a stormy sea of fellow guitarists. By 2006, Alexi had joined ESP’s exclusive roster of Signature Series artists, and right from the start, his collection of ESP and LTD signature models became some of our top sellers. But more importantly, we began to appreciate Alexi not only as a premier-level guitar innovator — having won numerous awards and top reader’s poll spots for his incredible shredding — but also as a person. This thoughtful, loyal, and soft-spoken man became our great friend over the years, and any time we were able to work with him… on the design of a new signature guitar, or helping to support the release of music by his band Children of Bodom… it was a true pleasure.

When Alexi passed away at the very end of 2020, we knew that many people in the world of metal music would share our feelings of sadness and loss. We are very grateful for our time spent as Alexi’s guitar endorsement partner, and as his friend. We’ve invited everyone to share their own thoughts and memories of Alexi Laiho, which you’ll find below. If you’d like to contribute your own words and pics in memory of Alexi, we welcome you to do so.

SUBMIT YOUR MEMORIES