NAMM 2010: New ESP-LTD models

Here's a little peek at some new ESP/LTD models for 2010. There's a lot of cool stuff here (including the incorporation of the Xtone line into the LTD range) but for me the ultra mega standout is the ST-203FR S-style axe with distressed finish, bridge humbucker and Floyd Rose. I'm also pretty psyched about the 7-string MH-417 and the EC-1000 in Silver Sunburst. Here's info from ESP/LTD.

LTD Deluxe
ESP is showing six new models in the LTD Deluxe line, and we have some seriously cool guitars this year. The LTD EC-1000 is being offered in 2010 with two new finishes: Silver Sunburst (SSB) and Metallic Gold (MGO). The guitars offer a comfortable single-cutaway mahogany body, and mahogany neck. The SSB model offers a 24-fret ebony fingerboard and EMG 81 (bridge) and EMG 60 (neck) active pickups, while the MGO model has a rosewood fingerboard and Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups.

More major updates to the LTD Deluxe line also include completely redesigned versions of the H-1001 and the new H-1001FR. The new models now incorporate ESP’s “F Series” headstock style, and the guitars’ binding is now black with abalone purfling. The new H-1001 is available in Black (BLK), as well as See-Through Black Cherry (STBC) with flamed maple top. The H-1001FR, available in See-Through Black Cherry over quilted maple, includes a Floyd Rose original style double-locking tremolo. Rounding out the updates to the LTD Deluxe line is a new finish for the MH-1000NT, now offered in See-Through Blue (STB).

LTD Standard
The latest range of new LTD Standard Series models includes the 300 Series, which all use a neck-through-body or set neck design. New models include the FX-360, the H-351NT, the H-351FR, the MH-327, and the Viper-300M. The FX-360 adds EMG active pickups and a new Padauk Brown Satin (PBS) finish. The new H-351FR, available in Black (BLK) and Snow White (SW) finishes, changes the former H-Series design to LTD’s F-Style headstock, includes a Floyd Rose Special double-locking tremolo, EMG active pickups, black pearl binding (Snow White model); white pearl binding (Black model). The LTD line also expands with the H-351NT, a guitar with setthrough construction that comes in See-Through Black Cherry (STBC) and See-Thru Black (STBLK) over its flamed maple top. It offers black binding with abalone purfling. The new Viper-300M comes in a Vintage Brown Satin (VBS) finish with black nickel hardware, rosewood fingerboard, and EMG pickups.

A special new model in the LTD Standard Line is the MH-327. This unique guitar offers 27 frets, with a neck-thru-body design. A Floyd Rose Special double-locking tremolo is included as well as Seymour Duncan Hot Rail and Custom 5 pickups w/push-pull coil tap. Two finishes are available: Black (w/ White Pearl binding) and See-Through Red (STR) w/ White binding on a flamed maple top. Both models offer a mahogany body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard.

A new 7-string LTD model is being added to the LTD line at Winter NAMM 2010. The MH-417 has a 25.5” scale mahogany body with a black satin finish. A maple neck, 24- fret rosewood fingerboard, Grover tuners, Earvana nut, TOM bridge with string thrubody design, and EMG active pickups complete this powerful guitar.

Supplementing the ESP line at NAMM 2010 are the new ST-203 and ST-203FR guitars. These classic-shaped models both have distressed finishes: the ST-203 offers a Three-Tone Sunburst (3TB) finish and rosewood fingerboard with three single-coil pickups, while the ST-203FR comes in Black (BLK) with maple fingerboard, as well as a Floyd Rose Special double-locking tremolo, and one humbucker and two single-coil pickups.

Also new at NAMM, the LTD EC-256, an affordable set-neck single-cutaway guitar that’s been a popular seller in the ESP line, now comes in a new Aged Vintage Gold (AVG) distressed finish. (For my review of the EC-256, CLICK HERE)

Xtone: Now Part of LTD!

We have some cool news about our Xtone line: we’ve merged these killer hollow- and semi-hollow bodied into the LTD line, so they’ll be even easier to find at ESP dealers. We also have a new model for you to salivate over: the LTD Xtone PD-1 Paramount Deluxe is a solid-body guitar that offers high-performance components such as EMG 81/60 pickups, a Set-Thru neck joint for ultimate access, a TonePros TOM bridge w/ string-thru-body design, black binding, abalone purfling, pearloid/abalone inlays, and a 24-fret neck. Three finishes are available: Black (BLK), Pearl White (PW) and See-Through Black Cherry (STBC) on a flamed maple top.

More more photos, go here!

NEWS: NIN auctions Gibson, ESP, PRS, Jackson guitars & more

Did you manage to see Nine Inch Nails on their final victory lap before they were retired as a live band (at least in the current form – I’m pretty sure we’ll see them again some day, eventually, and when that day comes everyone will be all like, ‘pfft, what a rip. I paid to see their last tour because it was their last tour, and now they’re touring again? WTF, NIN, WTF? But I digress). Well NIN may be no more but thanks to Trent Reznor’s decision to bail out of the touring game for the time being, there are a hell of a lot of cool NIN-owned/used guitars being sold on eBay at the moment by the band. Check out this ESP Eclipse with artwork from The Fragile.

And what about this killer 1980 Gibson E-2 Explorer, complete with chunky-ass fine tuner tailpiece?


Maybe you need a cool NIN-owned Jackson Soloist in your life? After all, Trent used Jacksons pretty extensively in the early 90s.


Speaking of Jacksons, Rhoads, anyone?


There’s also this surprisingly un-NIN Paul Reed Smith Custom 22 with Roland GK-2A hex pickup…


Or perhaps you’re more into the Les Pauls the band played and destroyed.

CLICK HERE to see these items and other NIN instruments being auctioned on eBay.

FEATURE: Megadeth's album-art guitars

Chris Broderick’s cool new Megadeth Endgame Ibanez custom guitar (reported here last week) isn’t the first axe to feature Megadeth-themed album art. Since Megadeth’s return with The System Has Failed, Dave Mustaine and his co-guitarists have used a whole bunch of custom guitars from ESP/LTD, Dean and Ibanez.

Dave Mustaine

Here are a pair of Dean VMNTs with artwork from Rust In Peace and United Abominations, respectively.

Glen Drover

Glen's tenure in Megadeth only lasted for one album and a few tours, but he sure used some cool custom-painted guitars in that time. Here we have a pair of ESPs (Countdown to Extinction and Peace Sells ...But Who's Buying graphics) and a Dean Vendetta with the United Abominations cover.

Chris Broderick

This is an off-the-shelf Ibanez S5470 with a custom hand-painted image taken from the booklet to Megadeth's new album, Endgame. Chris told the Megadeth forum this one will be re-fitted with DiMarzio pickups.

Are there any more I'm missing? Let me know if you've seen any others out there!

REVIEW: ESP LTD EC-256 AHB

Aah, the relicing issue. Not since ‘tone is in the fingers’ has a topic generated such heated debate on guitar forums, in guitar stores and in dimly lit bars after gigs. Whether you like the idea of buying a brand-new bashed up guitar or you think it’s an abomination and an affront to real vintage guitars everywhere, everyone’s got an opinion. One way to look at it is: whether you’re into the look or not, a pre-aged guitar by its very nature has a few features that should make it a little nicer to play in some respects than a pristine off-the-shelfer.

FIGHT THE SIGNS OF AGEING

ESP has had a few goes at offering aged finishes at various price points, including the James Hetfield Iron Cross and Truckster models (the latter of which was available in ESP and LTD versions), the George Lynch’s GL-56 and, most recently, the LTD EC-256 AHB. Based on the company’s Eclipse model, this relatively inexpensive axe is of the classic twin humbucker, set neck, mahogany body variety. It’s given ESP’s own distinctive touches, of course, including subtle curving of the top (instead of all-out carving), a volume-volume-tone control layout, and a sharp cutaway which seems to say “Some of this guitar is traditional, but your grandad never would have played this back in the day.”

The first thing to look at on a guitar like this is the relicing. Does it look authentic like a real beaten up guitar that’s been mishandled or loved on stages up and down the country? Nope. The sanding marks are pretty obvious, and the tri of dings on the treble side of the lower bout look quite contrived. Some rough sanding marks on the headstock look more like scratches from an unfriendly gig bag than a few decades of knocks from a succession of feisty roadies. But that’s all somewhat beside the point, because after a few years of regular use the ‘shininess’ of these manufactured blemishes is likely to be dulled by and intermingled with real-life ones, and it will truly become the dinged up but well-loved instrument that it was designed to look like. The most important thing about the EC-256 for me was that the back of the neck felt comfortably aged and friction-free, which made for a very pleasant playing experience. It’s also worth noting that the thin finish of the top allows the sound to breathe, opening up the treble and adding a little depth to the guitar’s amplified tone.

SO LET’S PLUG IT IN

The EC-256 sounds best with mild overdrive playing relatively dark music (Tool fans take note). It doesn’t seem to want to be a high gain screamer, although the natural tone seems to work really well with lowered tunings. It's just that the guitar's natural character is best represented by more subtle distortion levels. There’s a coil split on the tone control which extends the guitar’s personality and adds versatility while maintaining the guitar’s own character. Again, the neck pickup in single coil mode doesn’t really like to be distorted: it’s more at home with some light bluesy overdrive. If you dig the visual vibe and the way it plays but you need gutsier tones, a pickup upgrade might be in order.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Despite the aggressiveness of the cutway, which suggested a heavier musical orientation, I don’t think this is a guitar for those who play blazing solos over metal riffs. It’s much more at home with crunchy rhythm sounds and bluesy double stops. Whether you like the relicing or not is up to you but this is a guitar that will find its fans for what it is, rather than what it tries to be.

REVIEW: ESP Michael Amott Ninja

Why am I reviewing a guitar that has been discontinued, with Amott shifting allegiance from ESP to Dean? Well, cos the secondhand market exists, and in the spirit of my Cool Guitars The Don't Make Any More series (see the links at the bottom of this post), sometimes it's fun to talk about a guitar that's no longer in production. Also, this review sitting was first published in Mixdown Magazine in October 2006, and it was getting lonely sitting around unread for nearly three years.

CLICK HERE to find the ESP Michael Amott Ninja on eBay.

So. Arch Enemy. Featuring the hottest female singer in metal, at least since Poison stopped wearing makeup, the band’s other attention-grabbing focal point is the one-two guitar punch of guitarists Michael and Chris Amott. Also a member of legendary death metal band Carcass, Michael Amott’s style is rooted in the classic metal of the past but filtered through cybernetic precision. Dude also has pretty cool hair.

The ESP Michael Amott Ninja (Custom Shop model reviewed) is based on the classic Flying V design of the 50s. Many of the same specs are present here: set neck construction, a Gibson-esque and very bending-friendly 24.75 inch scale lenth, a pair of humbuckers, and a tune-o-matic style bridge mated to a stop tailpiece. But the Ninja, like its namesake mysterious assasin of the night, is mad, bad and dangerous to know. Gone are the smooth, rounded edges of the old design. In their place is a sharp, aggressive cut at the base of each of the V tips. The subdued dot inlays of the old design are quietly dispatched by a series of intricately inlaid ninja stars, which serve the dual purpose of helping you know where you are on the fretboard and also warning others to keep their dirty hands off your guitar – nobody messes with a ninja twice. The body is made of mahogany, and is surprisingly light considering its size. The pickguard is made of a mirrored material and, like pretty much everything else on the guitar, is accentuated by sharp angles.

The neck, also mahogany, is capped with a rosewood fretboard and 22 extra jumbo frets. The headstock is of the three tuners per side variety (in this case Sperzel brand tuners), with a sharp outline reminiscent of some kind of medeval weaponry. Basically, there is no edge of the Michael Amott Ninja that is safe for encroaching stage divers, and this is a guitar that means buisiness.

Electronics consist of a pair of Seymour Duncan humbuckers, a JB at the bridge and a 59 in the neck. Interestingly, the Ninja’s three way toggle switch feeds a volume control for each pickup, but there is no tone control. Personally I like this decision. A tone control usually functions as a treble rolloff, and even if it’s set to maximum treble in the ‘unused’ position it is still filtering the sound, resulting in the sapping away of a small amount of treble and gain. Removing it from the circuit completely allows any guitar to sound just that tiny bit more in your face, certainly an asset for the metal tones this guitar is designed for.

And what tones they are. The JB has long been used for metal, most notably by Dave Mustaine, who used it until quite recently until the release of his new Seymour Duncan signature Livewire pickup set, which includes an active bridge pickup based on the JB’s trademark tone. The basic sound of the Amott is a little bit like the Dave Mustaine DV8 due to their shared characteristics, but it sounds a little fatter and darker to my ears. High gain rhythms have an enormous amount of drive and cut, with an addictive thickness to the high midrange that just made me want to chug out midtempo riffs for hours.

The neck pickup sounds round and full, and is especially suited to those slow melodic minor melody lines and E Dorian solos. The tones reminded me a little of the classic sounds of Michael Schenker or Gary Moore, but much more metal.
One of the real surprises of the Amott Ninja is its playability. Despite its sharp looks and aggressive tones, it actually feels a little bit like a more conventional classic type of guitar rather than a modern thin-necked shred machine, and those who are a bit scared to step beyond the designs of the 50s would feel as at home on this axe as the metal bretheren would. It’s just as comfortable with box pattern pentatonics and power chords as it is with fretboard wandering arpeggios and thick chunky downtuned chords.

The ESP Michael Amott Ninja Signature guitar can handle any style you throw at it, its sharp looks and sharper attitude will definitely make you stand out on stage, and the mirror pickgard will allow you to either blind your audience or check your hairstyle with comfort and ease. The classic playability and modern tones will appeal to a wide variety of players, and the construction is absolutely faultless in every respect.

BODY: Mahogany.
NECK: Set neck, mahogany, rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, ninja inlays.
ELECTRONICS: Seymour Duncan JB bridge pickup; Seymour Duncan 59 neck pickup; 2 volume; pickup selector.
HARDWARE: Chrome; Sperzel locking tuners; TonePros locking bridge; Stop tailpiece.

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NEWS: ESP and LTD release James Hetfield Truckster in black

Thanks to Sjusovaren on Twitter for pointing out that the ESP and LTD James Hetfield Truckster is soon to be made available in black. I think this is a great move because as much as I like the Truckster, in my mind it's kinda associated with Metallica's St Anger era, which is... not my favourite. So for me this new colour scheme gives the guitar a new lease on life and links it more with Death Magnetic (which, despite the controversial mastering debacle, is still a far superior record to anything else they've done over the last - gulp - 20 years or so). James has already been using this guitar on tour so it's cool to see it being made available for everyone.

From the ESP website:

AVAILABLE FALL 2009:
The new James Hetfield Truckster... now in black!
You ever notice that anything thatʼs cool is often made even cooler by making it more black? So, it should be no surprise that the James Hetfield Truckster is now for the first time being offered in a finish other than aged primer gray. And what color would that be? Black, of course!

Other than its new, even more menacing look, the new black Truckster offers the same high-performance feel and sound as was specified by James himself. Available in both ESP and LTD versions, the Truckster offers a set-neck design with a single-cutaway body at a comfortable 24.75” scale. The guitar has a mahogany body with maple top, a mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, and a 42mm bone nut on its thin u shaped neck. You get 22 XJ frets, satin chrome hardware, Sperzel locking tuners, Tonepros locking TOM and Tail, and EMG 81 (bridge) and 60 (neck) active pickups. The ESP version of the Truckster also includes Schaller straplocks.

You also get the same distressed finish that gives the guitar a look and feel like itʼs been worked in over years of playing. And, like we may have mentioned earlier, it looks even cooler with a bad-ass black finish. Check out the new black Truckster at your ESP/LTD dealer in Fall 2009!

NEWS: New ESP LTD models

Here are a few new ESP LTDs to check out. I'm especially interested in the Floyd Rose-equipped LEC-1000FRSTBLK. All listed prices are in Australian dollars, so US readers, please don't freak out!

LEC-1000FRSTBLK 

NEW Floyd Rose-equipped Eclipse RRP $3149
Set-Neck, 24.75” Scale, Mahogany Body , Flamed Maple Top, Mahogany Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, Locking Nut, 42mm Neck Width, Thin U Neck Contour, 24 XJ Frets, Black Nickel Hardware, ESP Tuners, Floyd Rose 1000 Series, EMG 81 (B) / 60 (N), Active p.u. Finish: STBL

LEC-1000STP

NEW See-through Purple colour! RRP $2699

Set-Neck, 24.75” Scale, Mahogany Body, Flamed Maple Top, Mahogany Neck , Rosewood Fingerboard, 42mm Earvana Compensated Nut, Thin U Neck Contour, 24 XJ Frets, Black Nickel Hardware, ESP Locking Tuners, Tonepros Locking TOM & Tail, EMG 81 (B) / 60 (N) Active p.u.

LH-1001STP

NEW See-through Purple colour! RRP $2199
Set-Thru, 25.5” Scale, Mahogany Body, Flamed Maple Top, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 42mm Earvana Compensated Nut, Thin U Neck Contour, 24 XJ Frets, Black Nickel Hardware, ESP Locking Tuners, Tonepros Locking TOM, Seymour Duncan Custom-5 (B) / Jazz (N) p.u. w/ 5-way Ultra Switch

LFX-401SMNS

NEW FX-Series model RRP $1849
Set-Neck, 24.75” Scale, Mahogany Body, Spalted Maple Top, 5 Pc Mahogany-Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 42mm Earvana Compensated Nut, Thin U Neck Contour, 22 XJ Frets, Black Nickel Hardware, Grover Tuners, TOM Bridge & Tail, EMG 81 (B) / 60 (N) Active p.u, Natural Spalted Maple finish

LAX-401FMSTBLK

NEW AX-Series model RRP $2349

Set-Thru, 25.5” Scale, Mahogany Body, Mahogany Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 42mm Earvana Compensated Nut, Thin U Neck Contour, 24 XJ Frets, Black Nickel, Hardware, Grover Tuners, TOM Bridge, EMG 81 (B&N) Active p.u.

LF-54BLKS

NEW F-Series bass RRP $769
Bolt-On, 34” Scale, Basswood Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 40mm Standard Nut, Thin U Neck Contour, 24 XJ Frets, Chrome Hardware, ESP Tuners, ESP DB-4 Bridge, ESP SB-4 p.u. w/ ESP ATB-1 Active Tone Boost, Finish: Black Satin

Thanks to CMI for the info.

MUSIKMESSE 2009: New LTD models

Here are some more sweet ESP/LTD models unveiled at MusikMesse. While ESP does a great line of vintage-inspired designs, there’s nothing particularly old school about these new models.

First up are LTD Okkultist and LTD Shadow models for the Guitarists of Dimmu Borgir.

ESP says: Taking the darkness of black metal to profound new depths, the guitarists of Dimmu Borgir join the legendary ranks of ESP artists with their new ESP Signature Series models: Silenoz’s Okkultist and Galder’s Shadow. These guitars scream with metal attitude, equally good at shining in the spotlight or dwelling in the deepest of shadows.

Next is the LTD FL-600 Bass from Frédéric LeClercq of DragonForce.

ESP says: As the thunder that holds down the bottom end of DragonForce, Fred LeClercq is a force to be reckoned with on his own. His innovative bass playing spans the realm from ultra smooth to chainsaw harsh, and his new ESP Signature Series LTD FL-600 bass allows him to combine melody, power, and speed into an unmistakable sound.

Then there’s the monstrous LTD Hex-7 from Nergal of Behemoth, which I wrote about here.

ESP says: If you like your blackened death metal extra dark, there's no better place to turn than Behemoth. Their founder and frontman Nergal has designed his ESP Signature Series LTD Hex-7 to be about as extreme as a guitar can be.

Finally there are three new Graphic Series Models.

Renowned UK-based artist Mister Sam has once again created the ultimate hybrid of man and machine with his custom artwork on the new limited edition Clockwork Zombie Graphic Series guitars for LTD. The EC-CZII, EX-CZII, and Viper-CZII combine skeletal remains with metal cogs, flywheels, and gears on these sinister and unique instruments.

Kudos to Jon from Guitar Noize for bringing this to my attention via this article.

CLICK HERE to see ESP guitars on eBay.

FEATURE: Cool guitars they don't make anymore

Welcome to the first of an ongoing series on I Heart Guitar, where I look at discontinued guitar models from various corners of the guitar world. Sometimes I'll focus on specific brands or even specific model types, and other times I'll look at broader families of guitar. Other times will be a bit like this one: a few interesting discontinued guitars with no particular link to each other. Let me know if you'd like me to write about one of your favourites, and if you happen to own one of these guitars don't be shy about posting about it in the comment section.

Gibson M-III

Probably one of Gibson's least Gibsony guitars, the M-III was released in 1992 and it didn't take long for it to fall slip out of catalogues. With two humbuckers and a single coil, a Floyd Rose bridge, 24 frets and a snazzy reverse headstock, it looked more like some exotic custom from a shred-centric luthier than a guitar made by the pioneer of the demure carved-top single cutaway. A complex switching system gave players a huge range of sounds, but despite all its technical innovations the M-III just didn't capture the imagination of players.

CLICK HERE to see Gibson M-IIIs on eBay.

Ibanez RG550

One of the most iconic 'Superstrats' around, the Ibanez RG550 was released in 1987. Essentially a Jem (Steve Vai's model) without certain upscale appointments like fancy inlays and DiMarzio pickups, the spirit of the model lives on today in various other designs (RG1550, RG2550Z and many more), and was reissued as the RG500MXX (pictured) in honour of its 20th anniversary in 2007. Original RG550s can be found in pawnshops and eBay for ridiculously cheap prices. I snagged a black 1987 one with aftermarket Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio pickups for a mere 200 bucks Australian.

CLICK HERE to see Ibanez RG550s on eBay.

ESP/LTD Axxion

Megadeth's Dave Mustaine has had more than his fair share of signature models: with Jackson he had various iterations of the King V and the Y2KV, and with Dean he now has the VMNT series which includes 7 different models. But in between those endorsement deals he spent a few years with ESP who offered the DV8 V design at various price points, as well as the Axxion. Released to celebrate 20 years of Megadeth, the Seymour Duncan-loaded Axxion was based on a shape Dave designed for Jackson but which was never produced. Examples are very hard to find but the Axxion is known as much for its rich tone and strong sustain as it is for its unorthodox shape.

CLICK HERE to see ESP Axxion guitars on eBay or CLICK HERE for the LTD version.

Fender Paisley Stratocaster

Reissued for a limited time in 2008 in a run of 400 (plus 600 Telecasters), the Paisley Stratocaster has got to be one of the coolest, psychedelic-est guitars ever. Made in Japan with modern features inlcuding a basswood body and a gloss polyurethane finish, offset by vintage-themed appointments like a traditional 6-screw tremolo bridge and 21 vintage-style frets, the Paisley Strat is a cool mix of old and new. I've played a few over the years and I find them to be quite adaptable to different musical styles, mainly due to the relatively flat response of the basswood.

CLICK HERE to see Fender Paisley Stratocasters on eBay.

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NEWS: ESP unveils Nergal ESP

According to Riot Act, Behemoth main man Nergal and ESP have teamed up to create the LTD HEX-7, a thoroughly bitchen 7-string V.

Nergal says "When ESP approached me about building my signature model, I was stoked! I’ve always been a fan of their instruments and I’m very grateful for giving me an opportunity to envision my idea of what a perfect 7 string guitar for extreme metal should look like! I already can’t wait to test this beast on our upcoming US summer tour with SLAYER and MARILYN MANSON!”

Nergal recently auctioned his very first Ibanez 7-string, a very beaten-up and well-loved RG7620, on eBay.

Behemoth has selected Colin Richardson (Machine Head, Slipknot, Napalm Death, Carcass) to mix their new album which is due later in the year. The CD is being now recorded in Radio Gdansk in Poland with Behemoth, Daniel Bergstrand and Woytek, and Slawek Wieslawscy as producers. Nergal says “I’m beyond excited about this new album. It’s not just the finest piece of music we’ve ever made, but it’s also the most mature tunes we’ve created without compromising our sound. I’m stoked about Colin Richardson involvement in the mix of the record. We’ve tried to book him for our last album, 'The Apostasy', but due to busy schedule he wasn’t available then. His name needs no introduction. I have absolutely no doubts that Colin will deliver and I’m expecting the new album to have the sound that’s bigger than life!”

FEATURE: 8 Is Enough… for now - Production 8-string guitars

The 8 string electric guitar isn’t a totally new phenomenon – Meshuggah fans have been lusting after their own readily available version for years now – but since Ibanez made the brave move into the mass-produced world of the low F# string, other companies have stepped up with their own monstrous creations. Here are a few readily available production 8 strings. All feature EMG 808 active pickups, and all are tuned F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E at the factory, but of course you’re free to come up with your own tunings. Personally, I’d probably drop the F# down to E. You’ve already gone down that far, why not get all the way down to bass territory? Then again, following that philosophy, I’d probably want a 9 string so I can go as low as a 5 string bass… Hehehe.

Ibanez RG2228
SPECS:
basswood body, 5-piece maple/wenge neck w/rosewood fretboard,
24 jumbo frets
27” Scale
Gotoh Tuners
Edge III-8 fixed bridge,
2x EMG 808 pickups

CLICK HERE to see the Ibanez RG2228 on eBay.


ESP LTD FM-418
SPECS:
Neck-Thru-Body
Basswood Body, Maple Neck w/ Rosewood Fretboard
24 XJ Frets
25.5" Scale
Grover Tuners
Hipshot Fixed Bridge
EMG 808 pickups

CLICK HERE to see the ESP LTD FM-418 on eBay.

Schecter Hellraiser C-8
SPECS:
Manhgay body, Mahogany Neck w/Rosewood Fretboard
26.5” Scale
Schecter Locking Tuners
Hipshot Fixed Bridge
EMG 808 Pickups

CLICK HERE to see the Schecter Hellraiser C-8 on eBay.

NAMM 2009: Schecter 8-string

This just landed in my inbox... now THAT'S the stuff. Want!!!

The new Schecter Hellraiser C-8 has 8 strings (the lowest is tuned down to F#, but I figure that if you're going to go that low anyway, you might as well tune it down to E so you can play octave-down power chords, Drop-D-style.

By the way, check out that ad copy: "A custom designed Hip-Shot bridge that DOES intonate..." Who could they be taking a dig at there? The only other production 8 strings I know of are the
Ibanez RG2228, which has the genius FXEdge bridge, and the ESP/LTD Stephen Carpenter models. Hmmm...

Click the image for a closer look or go to Schecterguitars.com.

CLICK HERE to buy the Ibanez RG2228 Electric Guitar Galaxy Black from Musician's Friend.

CLICK HERE to buy the ESP LTD SC-308B Baritone Stephen Carpenter Electric Guitar Black from Musician's Friend.

NEWS: Glen Drover auctions 'Peace Sells' ESP

Former Megadeth guitarist Glen Drover is auctioning his famed 'Peace Sells' ESP. I saw Glen with Megadeth four times and this axe always got a strong reaction from the crowd (although I liked his 'Countdown To Extinction' model even more).

CLICK HERE to see the guitar or place a bid.

The listing reads:

This guitar was made for Glen Drover in 2005 and given to him by ESP guitars at the 2005 NAMM convention in California, for the ESP anniversary party. It was also used by Glen for all touring for 2005 and 2006 with Megadeth.

This is an "ESP" version of the LTD Deluxe M1000 and designed to Glen's specs.

Easily the most popular guitar from Glen Drover's collection used while in Megadeth.

Specs:

Set-Thru neck

25.5” Scale

Alder Body

Maple Neck

Rosewood Fingerboard

Locking Nut

43mm Neck Width

24 XJ Frets

Grover Tuners

Floyd Rose Bridge

Front cover "air brush" of the Megadeth album cover "Peace Sells, But Who's Buying" on front body and head stock. purple transparent finish on back of guitar.

Seymour Duncan pickups (distortion in bridge, 59 in neck position)

3 way toggle switch

1 volume control, 1 tone control pot.

If Vs are more your style, Dean offers a few graphic Dave Mustaine models, including the low-cost VMNTX with the 'United Abominations' album cover, and the new 'Rust In Peace' VMNT.

CLICK HERE to buy the Dean Dave Mustaine VMNTX United Abomination Electric Guitar Graphic from Music 123.

NAMM 2009: What were your favourites?

I'm sure there will still be a few NAMM 2009 press releases filtering through for the next week or so (I'll be adding a bunch of new stories tonight), but now that the bulk of NAMM news is in, what are your personal highlights from this year's new gear?

If you wanna refresh your memory, you can see all my NAMM coverage by clicking THIS LINK.

Here are the things I'm most stoked about:

AMPS
Peavey 3120
Mesa Boogie Mark 5
Carvin Legacy II

EFFECTS
Ibanez Paul Gilbert Airplane Flanger
Eventide Pitch Factor
Vox Joe Satriani Big Bad Wah
New RJM switchers

GUITARS
ESP James Hetfield Iron Cross
Ibanez RG1527M maple-fretboard 7-string
Ibanez PGM100 reissue
EVH Wolfgang

By the way, anybody else notice that there was no big Dave Mustaine/Marshall announcement? Dave's been talking for months about a new signature Marshall product, and there are various rumours that it's either a variant of the JVM series head, a rackmountable JVM preamp, or even a new MIDI tube preamp to fill the gap left by the discontinued JMP-1. I've contacted Dave to see if he can shed any light on the story, and I'll report back if I hear from him.

NAMM 2009: New ESPs including Hetfield Iron Cross

Head on over to the Bmusic website for a killer wrap-up of the new ESP models for 2009.

Among the highlights for me are the two new Metallica models, the James Hetfield Iron Cross (pictured) and the Kirk Hammett Ouija Neck-Thru.

Other releases include new models for Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom (dig the ‘Blacky’), the GL-200MT, which is an LTD version of the George Lynch ESP M-1 Tiger,

and some very cool distressed Page Hamilton 20th Anniversary ESP and LTD models.

There’s a lot more over at the Bmusic site so spend some time over there and if you have any questions, I’m sure they’ll be happy to help. They’re probably the most knowledgable ESP dealers in the world.

REVIEW: Lynch Mob - Hi Fi Bar, Melbourne, December 10, 2008

I’ve been into George Lynch’s heroic guitar playing and to-die-for tone ever since I was about 14 and one of my older cousins showed up one day with a box full of cassettes. He’d been doing some spring cleaning and I guess he was growing up and entering the ‘real world’ and no longer had time for the wild-haired rock I’d always associated him with. Among that box were a few Dokken cassettes, and Lynch’s playing blew my mind. Not long after, he released his Sacred Groove solo album, and I was set on my path towards mastering that wide Lynchian vibrato.

I was fortunate to interview George a few months ago in preparation for Lynch Mob’s Australian tour. The current Mob line-up includes drummer Scot Coogan (Bridges of Destruction, Ace Frehley), bass legend Marco Mendoza (this dude is so charismatic he shows up David Coverdale on Whitesnake’s recent live DVD), and singer Oni Logan.

The first three tracks played were ‘She’s So Evil,’ ‘Hell Child’ and ‘Street Fighting Man’ from the first Lynch Mob album. Coogan has that rare ability to seem like he’s at the front of the stage even though he’s hidden away behind a drum kit, and his energy brought a powerful edge to the already riff-stomping Mob sound. George used his legendary J.Frog ESP (the one with the awesome carved skull and bones) for most of the set, although it was very cool to see him break out his ESP GL-57, which looks like a modified and bashed up Stratocaster. Amp-wise, he appeared to be using a Soldano SLO-100 and a Marshall Plexi, but the amps were turned towards the back wall (either for better isolation or because George wasn’t using his signature Randall amp, I’m not sure) so it was hard to tell. But his live tone was every bit as crunchy, clear and vocal as his studio work. Guitarists in the crowd, and I’m sure there were a lot of them, could learn a lot from the clarity of his tones, which are clean enough to remain punchy, but distorted enough to sound thick and edgy.

A particular highlight for guitar geeks such as myself was Lynch’s instrumental signature, ‘Mr Scary.’ The studio version included multiple overdubbed guitars, including a huge harmonized melody, so it was interesting to see how it translated to a single guitar, bass and drum interpretation. It came across more like an extended jam, with Mendoza covering a huge amount of ground while Lynch whipped across the guitar neck. When it was done, my ass was thoroughly kicked and somewhere my inner 14 year old was saying “Whoa…” Other Dokken tracks in the set were ‘Into The Fire’ and ‘Tooth And Nail.’

Finally, with ‘Wicked Sensation’ and a Scot Coogan stage dive as an encore, Lynch Mob were gone, but hopefully it won’t be too long before they return. With a new album on the way (the first with this particular line-up), I’d love to see them play a larger venue with a bigger stage to prowl upon.

CLICK HERE to buy the Randall MTS Series Lynch Box 100W amp head with modules
CLICK HERE to buy the ESP George Lynch M-1 Tiger electric guitar
CLICK HERE to buy George Lynch: The Lost Anthology on CD

Photo by Gabrielle Geiselman

NAMM 2009: Peavey NAMM schedule, including Devin Townsend appearance

Are you going to NAMM? If so, I’m insanely jealous and maybe somehow I’ll make it there next year. Peavey has released details of their endorsers’ NAMM appearances, and the press release is below. Most interesting to me is Devin Townsend, who has recently been photographed with a Peavey HP. Devin has used Peavey 5150 amps but most recently was seen using Mesa Boogie. Could he be going back to Peavey for amps? Is he leaving ESP for guitars?

Also of note is that Joe Satriani will be officially launching his new Peavey JSX amp. The one you can read about here.

Anyway, here’s the press release and schedule.

Legendary guitarist Joe Satriani will introduce his new signature Peavey JSX guitar amplifier during a special press conference during the NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show on Friday, January 16, at 1 p.m., in the middle of the Peavey exhibit (5740) at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Gary Rossington and metal legends Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, SEPULTURA), Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT), David Ellefson (MEGADETH) and Greg Christian (TESTAMENT) are also slated to appear during the show.

Peavey NAMM artist schedule:

Friday, January 16:

* 11:00 a.m. - Rudy Sarzo (DIO, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT) autographs
* 12:00 p.m. - Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY) autographs
* 1:00 p.m. - Joe Satriani press conference, middle of booth
* 1:00 p.m. - Alex Skolnick and Greg Christian (TESTAMENT) autographs, rear of booth
* 3:00 p.m. - BLACK STONE CHERRY autographs
* 3:00 p.m. - Shagrath (DIMMU BORGIR, CHROME DIVISION) autographs, rear of booth

Saturday, January 17:

* 11:00 a.m. - David Ellefson (F5), Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) and Rudy Sarzo autographs
* 1:15 p.m. - Joe Satriani autographs
* 3:00 p.m. - Flynnville Station autographs, rear of booth
* 4:00 p.m. - Gary Rossington (LYNYRD SKYNYRD) autographs

Schedule subject to change; please visit exhibit to confirm dates and times

CLICK HERE to buy Devin Townsend albums on Amazon.com.

CLICK HERE to see Peavey JSX items on eBay.