The ESP Guitar Company

So I bought this guitar and received it a few days ago via FedEx. I thought I'd write up a review comparing it to A: The 2007 ESP Eclipse II VB I formally owned (as there seems to be some question regarding the "E-II" quality versus the old "ESP Standard" Quality), and B: the Les Paul Studio I currently own. I had to sell my previous Eclipse back in 2014 (gotta pay the bills, and the band I was in switched to 7 string guitars. It pained me to let that guitar go!), so I'm going from memory on any comparison there. Also I'll address any questions here if I can (although these seem to be questions about options or whatever, heads-up, there are no options, this is the "standard series," you buy it like ya see it, or go to the USA or Custom Shop). 

First Impressions:  The guitar arrived in it's case, and included the parts of the strap locks the affix to the strap (which are very high quality actual Schaller Hardware, the improvement of adding a thumbwheel to the strap part was very nice improvement on Schaller's part), what appears to be a 3mm hex key (no hex screws on the guitar so I'm not sure what that is included for. Probably they go out with every guitar (edit: the allen key is for the strap lock buttons)), a wrench for the truss rod (which is a the traditional type of truss rod nut, as opposed to a 4mm hex nut as seen in many import models), keys for the case, and an ESP Decal. (edit: I didn't think of it at the time, but my guitar was not packed with an ESP Fret Protector. I contacted ESP via Facebook and had one within the week at no charge.)

Out of the box, the guitar is set up perfectly (after sitting at the warehouse of the place I bought it from, and being shipped halfway across the continental USA). The action was set really low without any buzzing, just the way I prefer it. The only thing I found with the setup that was not to my liking was the tailpiece height, which was all the way down to the body. A very easy fix! I was I was able to swap the strings of my choice without making any adjustment besides the tailpiece height (I down-tune a full step so I use slightly thicker strings). The supplied Elixir Strings felt really nice and sounded good for the few minutes I played them. As for the fit and finish, for the most part, the guitar is immaculate in every detail. The frets are nicely rounded and polished nicely. The Ebony Fret Board is quite dark, with only the slightest hints of grain showing in just a couple of places. The inlays look great with only a tiny bit of filler visible on the 1st fret inlay. The only imperfection on the guitar I found was underneath the neck pickup ring, the "Southeast" Screw pulled a very small (1.5mm x 1.5mm) flake of paint up. The flake did not come off the guitar, and is not visible with the pickup ring installed (I removed the neck pickup to inspect the neck joint and the thickness of the maple top... the pickup cavity is painted over with primer, so no data for those could be given). No other imperfection was to be found in the paint or finish of the guitar. The only other gripe I would make is regarding the case: the handle on the case is a bit uncomfortable, and I think the handle on my particular case is damaged, but again only in a minor way, and that probably occurred during shipping and handling. 

Compared to my old 2007 Eclipse II VB: Despite the description of a "satin finish," the finish is identical to the "Vintage Black" finish. Which I'm completely fine with, and this is pretty apparent in just about any picture of a BB model. The new tuners are a bit better that the previous Gotoh Magnum Locks, and the thumbwheels for the locks don't stick out in a garish way like a lot of other locking tuner models. I didn't find the original Magnum Locks to be inconvenient in any way, so don't let that be a deciding factor if you're choosing between one or the other. The biggest difference between the two is probably the neck contour and neck joint. The BB Seems to have a slight offset to the contour which is quite comfortable, whereas the VB neck is more akin to a "60's" neck of a Les Paul. And of course the BB Models' sculpted neck joint makes upper register access extremely easy. As both of the guitars sport the same pickup combination, they sound extremely similar (to the best of my recollection at least). Based on my experience, nothing with regards to the Construction, Materials, or QC changed from my 2007 model to my newest acquisition (I'm not familiar with the ES serials but I'm guessing it was made in 2019). 

Compared to the 2012 Les Paul Studio that I currently own as well, I think the ESP is the superior guitar, however at the same price point as a Les Paul Classic, that is probably not a fair comparison (the ESP is still spec'd better than the LP Classic, which doesnt come with an ebony fretboard as an option, at a 2000$ price tag). I didn't buy the LP new, but it was nearly new when I got it (a friend owned who played it only a handful of times). The LP required a lot more setup work to get going, and I swapped the pickups and tuners out. The ESP hardware is much more modern in it's approach than Gibson (no matter which trim), The ESP is a little bit heavier despite being roughly 1/4" thinner (I think the LP body has pretty extensive chambering), and the ESP has better frets/fretwork. The smaller/low frets on the LP make it kind of buzzy with factory spec'd action (which is virtually the same on just about any single-cut, 24.75" scale length guitar). The buzz was what eventually made me go back to ESP after 6 years. 

TL;DR: Its' nice. Buy it. 

Looking at the other questions posted here, I don't see any that I can really answer ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Does ESP offer this guitar with passive pickups option? 

Hello.

I'd like to order another bridge pickup. I know It's the brushed chrome EMG 81. Is there anything else more specific about it for this guitar?

Thanks for any help,

Todd

Hi, 

I have this guitar and let me tell you how cool it is. Its so cool Antarctica is jealous. 

It doesn't have the fancy paint but boy does it play metal. My particular guitar is very "clear" i think from the ebony maple combo. 

I want another one and good job gentleman on the work. I haven't touched it barely since arrival a year ago other then change strings and adjust the neck. That's it.  

W

Are you guys planning an LTD EC-1000 version of this one?

Thank you again for your response. We have a E-II ECLIPSE BB Purple Sparkle and the fret board/neck is black on it, I see it as black anyway. Is this also dark brown or is it actually black? 

if I can get the E-II Eclipse Black Satin with the same color of fret board/neck as the fret board/neck on my Purple Sparkle I’m buying it? 

So are they the same or different, please advise.   

Thank you for your reply, is there a black satin guitar that has a black fret board/neck?

What colour is the fret board/neck, black or dark brown?

hello, which is better between the E-II ECLIPSE BB and the E-II ECLIPSE EVERTUNE models

Hello! I'm searching for exactly this model (or as close as possible) with written ESP logo on the headstock. Could you please help me find the name of that one? Is that one PL ? Also if you can point out the key differences of this model to it's ESP Eclipse Standard equivalent (if it exists). It's an absolute dream guitar, and I can't wait to find it and eventually purchase one. Cheers \m/

Any chance this guitar could be offered with a Chrome Evertune and Stainless Steel Frets in the future? 

Love the 22 frets (instead of 24) 

Seymour Duncan options would be great too!! 

Could this one be available in left handed

Any E-ll Eclipses with Floyd Roses in the future?

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone can tell me the differences between this (Black Satin BB) vs the Vintage Black DB. I understand that the DB is double bound with gold hardware but I also see that the the neck on the DB is set neck where as this one is Set-Thru.  Is there a tonal difference between these two models?

Also, is this model (or DB version) available in the full thickness?

Thanks!

EM

Seems like there are several models of the Black Satin version. One with chrome hardware and one with black hardware. I've ordered a chrome one in december, just received a black hardware one.. Is there any chance to get the good one soon ?

Best regards

Would be wonderful to have a LTD version of this stunning guitar.  

i like the black and white sort of motif that no other ec that i've seen has

Bought one of these was my dream guitar .Happy with sound however the set up was terrible fret buzz all over .Had to pay a guitar tech to sort it out he advised the truss Rd was loose and intonation was out.Not good for such an expensive guitar .Send two emails to ESP and the distribution.Distribution were not interested Esp didn’t reply at all . 

I want this! I'll get this when I can legitimately afford one. 

can this model be ordered in dark purple satin and if so at what extra charge. Also why is this eclipse model the only 1 with a 3 piece neck instead of a 1 piece neck