I always tell people that if I ever got a sig, it'd be through ESP/LTD. I'm a Les Paul guy, but out of every major brand, ESP/LTD seem to have the best quality/affordability ratio. Love and effort seems to be put in every single instrument that comes from them.
@@HooksBill Well their prices skyrocketed especially the higher-end ones; I still like the LTD Eclipses since Gibson sucks now, and the thinner body on most of them compared to the real thing as well as the tummy-cut helps.
Been playing guitar for over 40 years. I’ve owned Fenders, Les Pauls, you name it. My ESP guitar is among the best I’ve owned. It is a race car among electric guitars. What a snarl!
Oh my god. How the Captain has improved his guitar playing the last few years, is just insane. From (sorry to say) quite boring blues licks just some years ago to the level he shows today is just impressive. I guess playing with Rabea, Danish Pete and Rob the last 10 years has made a massive impact. But a big request: don’t get to serious in the videos. It’s the playfulness, silliness, bad jokes and laughs which makes the show worthwhile looking at. More blindfold tests, more challenges of different types, and more fun😀😀👍
Ended up getting lucky last year with a mint 2019 ESP E-II Eclipse in blue natural fade for $1200! I wanna preface with the fact that I was terribly prejudicial towards EMG pickups, but picked up that guitar regardless simply because of its looks and the killer deal. Let me tell you first off, E-II quality is second to none. I don’t usually prefer single cut guitars, and I DEFINITELY don’t prefer glossy necks, but that guitar still manages to be my favorite and most played by a fair margin. ESP and E-II branding aside, if you’ve wanted to try EMGs but are also put off because of the “shredders only” stigma they seem to have generated over the years, find a guitar with the “splittable” 57TW/66TW set and just give them a try. They are genuinely very dynamic and beautiful sounding pickups and offer great tones that are usable for just about any music you may play. I don’t usually go this far just for a RU-vid comment, but if it can encourage even just one person to go out of their comfort zone and experience the same surprise and satisfaction that I did, then it’s worth it.
Yeah EMG 57/66 and Retroactive should be given a try to people not into the 81/85/etc. If anything, people can use the battery compartment and install Fishman Fluences if they wanted.
@@PatrickBateman1337 the recording medium doesn’t matter. His live tone matched his recorded tone. Nobody mentioned tape or recording anyway. I think the tone of EMGs are fantastic especially paired with my ENGL fireball 100.
@@PatrickBateman1337 hahahaha awesome man! I’m with you I don’t understand the hate either. I’ve tried other pickups only to go back to EMGs they’re consistent and warm. I also love the solderless switching ability! Cheers bro!
Have had multiple ESP LTD's. Even though there were some personal taste preferences that made me get rid of them, they were absolute stellar guitars. I have owned basically every EC. From the 50 to the 1000. Monster of a guitar.
I've got 2 ESP LTD 1000s built in 2020. Vintage Black 81/60 EMG, See Thru Black Cherry with the James Hetfield EMGs installed, plekd and a tusq nut put in. Both now come with XJ Stainless steel frets. These 2 are impossible to put down They are absolutely amazing. I have put my Slash Les Paul Anaconda and my PRS DUSTIE WARING CE 24 WARING BURST in the closet w/ humidifiers. That should tell you something. Great video guys. ESP worth every penny.
Ya baby! I have 2 ESP LTD's, tele & a strat, awesome guitars and very attainable! The colour of the 101 is doing it for me, or a honey burst! Gr8 jam Gents! 🤟
There are so many great guitars being made today , it's the best time ever to be a guitar player. Option overload is not a bad problem to have when shopping.
Thank you guys so much for doing this video... nobody has a good regular eclipse vs full thickness comparison... nor even any good videos of just how the full thickness sounds!
Since no one has said it ....I will....for the money....in single cut guitars....ESP gives you so much more than a traditional Les Paul. I have the amber burst Eii full thickness...and it is head and shoulders above my 60's Les Paul. It is more comfortable to play and imo better build quality. The fit and finish are top notch...and it actually stays in tune. If you like LP's you will love these. Well worth the money. The only place a Gibson Les Paul has the advantage is in resale value.
Bought a used EC Lemon Drop and have fell in love with ESP LTD! Best rocking and blues guitar I have! Have seen these guitars before but most were black or white so I never picked them up. Saw the Lemon Drop and met up with the guy who had it.From the moment it was in my hand and after I plugged it in , sorry Gibson , no need for a Les Paul now! I have found my guitar that I will play more than my HSS Strat , Ibanez Artcore 335 copy and my acoustic!!!! The Lemon Drop is good for what ever you want to play!!!!!
Bringing back the infamous Lee lick in this one. Lol. I like it. Great intro jam you guys did really awesome with the more modern tones, even though I know it’s not your usual vibe.
So cool to see LTD guitars everywhere. I wanted to try out an Evertune bridge and could only find one on a LTD EC-1000 Deluxe. Best guitar I've ever played. Loved the neck so much I went out and bought the TE 1000 Deluxe (for single coil sounds and the same neck). Put my PRS SEs (2), Fender Strats (2), and my Gibson Les Paul into thier cases. Haven't looked back in 2 years.
Great batch of guitars there. Stoked about the ESP takeover! Give me all the ESP! PS, unless they've changed recently, E-II's have veneers overtop of a maple top.
I do have an ESP Eclipse (4 knob version) with Seymour Duncans from 2008. It doesn't get used much now, because my taste has changed more towards traditional Les Paul, tele and strat, but... If you're into heavier music - Eclipse is one of the best things you can buy. Mine resonates like crazy and goes into super sweet feedback when you need it. Pickups are very nicely matched - no problems with neck pickup having too much bass or bridge being too thin. So get yourself that granite sparkle E-II and you'll be happy for years ;)
"It's a bit confusing, isn't it." It is, and what bugs me is that you can pay $150 for a student model or $1,500 for a beautiful professional-grade instrument and either way it says LTD on the headstock. If they're gonna split up the brands like that, couldn't they choose a more logical cutoff point for the "low end?"
that's how it's been with them, the LTD name was on alot of there guitars even back when i was in my last year of highschool 2003. most people reference James Hetfield and Kirk Hammit alot, but what alot of people forget is ESP branded the name itself on the headstock, because it's a custom. Metallica started out with Gibson Les Paul and Explorer on the first two albums, once a band reaches a certain amount of success that's when players can get any guitar they want made. i don't know why they do it that way either, but you have to remember the way Japan deals with other Asian markets is different than the way we might. but not all companies do the same, Ibanez is a Japanese company and there name is on everything regardless if it's entry level to the most expensive. ESP is the only one i know of that does things a little differently, but a few of the Eclipse models they showed here, they did reference that they are made in Japan. it's just that a separate team works on them, now to get the actual ESP name on the headstock you have to go to Custom.
I just bought this guitar an hour ago, I'd never take a Les Paul over an Full Thickness Eclipse. I would say the LTD EC1000 guitars are as good if not better than the Les Paul Standards. I'd say the EII is on the custom level and at half the price. I own about 20 Guitars and most of them are ESP/LTD/E-II.
I'm in the USA, Lee and I don't get the EC joke, sorry. I DO remember back in the 1970s when E.C.I.G. was a thing and you would see it spray painted on block walls and such around town. E.C.I.G., Man I feel old! lolz
@Daniel Rowan Don't they all have it? No matter how hard you try they find out. Maybe it's us who are unusually happy for no apparent reason after getting a new axe...
I've got a satin lemon burst ec-1000 with the fishman pickups. I've had it over a year and love it. The only bad thing about it is the top is very bland on it. However, it plays like a dream and sounds amazing.
The orange E2 looks the best. The tobacco burst sounds the best. I’d probably buy the orange one. It’s like when I bought my 60’s LP standard. I preferred the sound of the 50’s but the 60’s fits me better for looks, feel, and the range of styles I play. I’ll agree with Lee if I was to buy a single cut and it wasn’t an LP, a McCarty 594 SC would be the one because I’m a massive PRS fan and that’s my favorite model. But my pockets choose Gibson. My nose does too 😂
For some entirely irrational reason my brain doesn't like modern take on classic designs like e.g. Superstrats etc. The only exception to that is the Eclipse, for me it just works.
@@thegeargiveaway9118, That's great. Learned it the hard way. Got a 2020 Blue Fade EC1000 about a week before the new lineup was announced! Still a great guitar though!
Petes face watching Lee play the sunburst 59 in the neck is why we play. And what ppl say is sterile in the emg 60 clean is really clarity and a lack of skill perhaps.
Good review Ive had a full thicc LTD EC400VF vintage finish since 2006. I went in for a Gibby LP studio but played the korean EC and its thinner neck, access carved neck joint, xtra jumbo frets, and stock Duncan JB 59 set blew the Les Paul away in tone and playability for less than half the price of a Studio. Still have it wont sell it. Also w earvana nut and grovers it needs no mods fret ends and polish perfect. I changed to an amber switch tip and amber reflector top Gibson style knobs and thats it thats all the mods it needed. Big alpha pots tone pros bridge need no changes. Unlike the crappy kluson plastic tuners sharp fret ends and and muddy 490R and T pickups in the $1200 Gibson vs the $550 EC400vf (prices in 2006).
it's funny I sold a Gibson LP Trad Pro from 2011 to Guitar Center to potentially trade in (was willing to take the resale hit) and I got a supreme lowball since they thought it had a repair (was bought brand new). Still today I'm hesitant to buy Gibson since even on Gibson forums in 2021 people still say they've had wonky qc issues. I do love Gibson 57/57+ pickups though.
Just ordered a full thickness Eclipse, it just came out so it's impossible to find used and even more so to find an older full thickness with 4 knobs so I bit the bullet. I wanted a Gibson Les Paul but my recent E-II Horizon from the same year blew me away and I already have Music Man, PRS, and Aristides on my wall. Wanted the Les Paul vibe and tone with modern appointments like the volute and the heel joint.
damn, every time Capn demos a "contemporary" guitar like ESP or Jackson, he pulls some sick licks out of his bag. maybe time for him to switch to pointy guitars and high gain stacks!
I just got my EC-1000 which has the Seymour Duncan and it has the pull/push knob. It's DEFINITELY a coil split, I am too familiar with the coil split sounds to not be able to recognize
