ESP Eclipse Custom

2007 ESP Eclipse I CTM PL, special made for a US run from the ESP Custom shop. I just want to mention here that while this isn't the best guitar I've ever played, it comes close, and my rating of it is always conditioned by the price paid...anyway, EMG 60/81 Set, all chrome hardware, maple top with mahogany back and neck, ebony fretboard, silver binding, satin black finish...a very pleasing guitar to the eye. Gotoh, not the usual Sperzels. Tune-o-matic. 2 vol/2 tone controls, pre-"lawsuit" design. Very hard to find in the US. This guitar is packed with features, so for the price I'm giving it a 10. It is a souped up LP.

I play a it of everything, although I favor more prog rock/metal, heavier stuff. This guitar, it seems to me, is ideal for it. But I also think that it would be a fantastic jazz guitar, due to the comfortable neck and quiet, yet sensitive pickups. Blues however, you'd need some tweaking to get that kind of dynamically rich sound on low distortion that we're used to. I use it through a GT-8, with a couple dist. pedals to accompany it (PW-2 and TS-9), and a Hot Rod Deluxe. I love the sound, but I feel it would benefit more from being put through a Boogie,something with more "umph"...which will be my next purchase.

Set up was done by the dealer, which was fine, a bit of buzzing which isn't noticeable through the amp. There was a tiny, and i mean tiny, maybe <1mm dent/scratch, above one of the tone controls, and the bridge vol control seems to get a bit slowed up due to friction with the arch top, but everything works fine and these are minor gripes. The neck is incredible, inlays are flawless and the ebony fretboard is sleek and beautiful. Finish was pretty flawless all around and I can't speak highly enough for the satin finish on the neck.

I'd have no problem whatsoever gigging with her...that's why I bought her!! The guitar is top notch in all categories and feels very solid, though much lighter than an LP.

Never had to deal directly with ESP.

I've been playing for 15 years. While not the best guitar I own - that honor would go to my 513 - this is witout a shred of doubt the best guitar for the money I've ever owned or played. The quality of workmanship and materials rivals what's coming out of the Gibson Custom shop, and at less than half the price.

I wouldnt say there's anything I hate about it, stays in tune wonderfully, plays like a dream, and sounds great. This is what I'd expect for a guitar of this price. However I will add that I love the neck. I can't speak highly enough about the combo of the sleak ebony fretboard an its very flat radius, and the satin finish. Only thing faster IMO is a solid rosewood neck, which costs about as much as this whole guitar!

I would never "lose" this, and if stolen...this is a pretty rare and expensive guitar so I hope that never happens. Only thing I guess that I wish it had that it doesnt, would be a coil split....but you cant have it all.

I'd just recommend to all of you out there who want to check out LP-style guitars to give ESP (not Ltd) a look. If you like that chunky LP feel, thick body etc then you might not be sold on this. But for quality, playability and fantastic value...

This review is for a 2005 Eclipse Custom, see-thru cherry, quilted top, made in Japan. It has active EMGs, ebony fretboard, flag inlays, etc etc. Great features but take note - the pickup selector switch is the reverse of a Les Paul, ie flick it up towards you and you're playing the bridge pickup, flick it down and you're playing the neck pup. It takes a bit of getting used to, especially if you're used to the Gibson setup.

The tone is very suited for rock, blues and metal but not so for jazz or other lighter material. I play through a Digitech Screaming Blues, Digital Delay DD5 and a JD Cry Baby into a Marshall and the tone is a bit rougher/grainier than a LP Standard though the volume is louder. Whether or not you think this is superior to a LP is up to the individual, I personally think it runs the LP close but just falls short though for the money, no complaints.

The setup was OK but not great. The action was a bit low and there was fret buzz because the locking tuners had not been tightened fully. But overall, after a few minor adjustments, all was good. The quilt top is very classy and the overall finish is excellent.

I bought this guitar new from my local dealer for about US$1,500 which when compared to the US$3,300 that many US sites are charging, is a real bargain. At US$1,500 I'd say this guitar represents great value - it runs a LP very close for much less money. I currently own about 20 other guitars, mainly LP Customs and Fender Strats. This is one of the better ones I own.

eclipse custom telecaster not modern les paul.i don't know the year probably in the 80s.floyd rose licensed Locking tremolo,2 esp single coil pickup and a no brand double rail pickup probably di marzio.
it's made iof ebony and swamp ash(i'm not sure about this 'cause it's a neck through body and i can't see the wood)

i play thrash power metal and it suits well my style but i'm changing the bridge pickup because it has a very mid/high voice(because of the woods and the guitar is very thin),and i want some extra balls on the rhytm like the Emg 81 in my Jackson Rr1.
Definitely: Lead work:10
Rhytm work:7.5

it has some minor dings but hey it's from the 80s!!
excellent action,perfect position of the bridge.
I only changed the strings because they were a little rusty and because they were 0.009..

it's from the 80s and it's almost perfect..should i say more??

i e-mailed esp company to know the exact age of the guitar but past 3 weeks and i still haven't heard from them..shitty customer support

i've been playing 4 years, i tryed thousands of guitars but this is very very good.you can get any style out of it(blues,rock,shitty pop,metal)its a great guitar!definitely i would buy it again!!
i give it a 8 because i need more balls for rhytm but when i'll change the pickup it might increase a lot!!

This is a 2005 ESP Eclipse Custom.lefty..made in the custom shop.
go to the website for details..Trans black with a mega quilt top with mohagany body , sperzels..this is not a LTD model..

Incrediable..the emg 81 in the bridge and a emg 60 in the neck..sounds fat articulate and crunchy with killer overtones and sustain..This guitar has so much character it blows my 59 reissue les paul out of the water..I have been playing for 20 plus years and I know tone..

The action was perfect out of the box..I'm used to 2 days of setting guitars up..This thing just rang out perfectly in tune..It's fit and finish is better than PRS, I have had 4 of them..

haven;t had it long enogh yet..

never delt with them.

Probably one of the best guitars i ever had...period..Yes, i would be another..I have 2 les pauls, custom shop strats, prs, tom anderson and a CS -356 hollowbody Gibson..This compares above the rest..Well, strats are diffrent, but..mohagany set necks and mohagany body style guitars get blown away by this ESP..Just go get one..I ordered one site unseen and waited 6 months for it..killer..

1995 Esp Custom Eclipse
24 frets
blonde flame top
2 volume and 1 tone
2 Humbuckers
EMG 81s
Body is Mahogony with a flame top
Les Paul style body
Original black Floyd Rose
Came in ESP HARD CASE

I am an old school shred style player , ALA : Paul Gilbert , Malmsteen , John Norum, Vinnie Moore I think you get the idea. All of my guitars are STRAT style bodies. I never owned a Les Paul style. I was a little concerned that the weight would bother me but once I straped this amazing CUSTOM SHOP on all of my concerns melted away. First of all it has a bolt on maple neck with rosewood top. Much thinner than a traditional Les Paul neck. Very fast and easy to play. My amp set up is a MESA BOOGIE TRIAXIS with a Stereo Simul/Class 295 power amp. For a little REVERB or DELAY, I am using a ROCKTRON INTELLIFLEX. This AXE sounds AMAZING with a FULL HEAVY LOW END TONE. There really is not anything I dislike about this guitar to be honest it is mt FAVORITE right now.

All and all ESP back in 1995 when this guitar was born really put a lot of effort into building a RACECAR style guitar. Action is pretty low with a little buzzing on the low e string other than that the action is sweet. Pick ups are EMGs what more can I say. The BLONDE FLAME TOP os perfectly matched and just brilliant looking. That is a highlight for sure. I really like the ORIGINAL FLOYD ROSE in my opinion you can't get better than a ORIGINAL FLOYD. As for 2 volume knobs I could do with just 1. All the other features are fine. The knobs are smooth and quiet and the pick up selector switch moves back and forth cleanly.

I am not in a band right now but do a lot of garage jamming with my son and other friends. I would say this guitar and all of its components could withstand a world tour with the proper maintanance. it was put together with all the best quality components. If I were to go on our I would most defenitly use this as my main gun.

I could not wait to get to this section. as for ESP CUSTOMER SERVICE , hands down a 10 !! TODD BINDER is one of the nicest and knowledgable techs I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. With all that said. I am sure to purchase more ESPs in the future. I purchased this guitar on ebay so there is no WARRANTY.I was looking for a CUSTOM SHOP ECLIPSE for a while now and when this one showed up I had to own it.I got it for a STEAL!! I was told to order this guitar now with all of its features I would be looking at $2400 U.S. This guitar is put together so well, I am confident I won't be needing warranty work any time soon.

I have been playing guitar for over 25 years. And own A few other guitars. Including A ESP KAMI 3 , Musicman LUKE , Musicman AXIS , U.S. Stratocaster , Ibanez RG-520 and an KRAMER U.S.A. Sustainer. And this ESP ECLIPSE is my FAVORITE right now. The only thing I would change about it is I would have preferred a EBONY fret board. But the ROSEWOOD fret board is fine by me . Especially for the price I payed. All the other features are just what I would have ordered.As corny as this may sound , I feel it was meant for me to own this AWESOME guitar. It is a true treasure.

Japan made
Ebony fretboard , emg60 (neck) emg 81 (bridge)
Sperzel tuners, tone pro bridge.

I play metal/rock - papa roach, Killswitch, nickleback
the emg 81 is great for thick powerfull tone, good high pitch, great clarity.
the emg 60 solves the emg81 clean problem, emg81 not great for clean
a bit ti sterile. the emg60 has that nice round warm tone that is spanking for the clean channel. The gtr has limited tone options, it is suited to heavy rock/punk styles, has a great lead tone on the emg60, very suitable for blues type of vibe.

Out of the box fantastic, detail kills most gibsons, similar to PRS
detail almost perfect(we know nothing is perfect)

The gtr is matt black that can either be a bonus or not, the finish
does mark easily with finger prints but a good clean and polish fixes that problem. i use this gtr 3 times a week and it play well, hold drop c tuning with 10-46 perfect ( try that on most gtrs)
the build quality is tough, should withstand years of carefull abuse.
didnt come with strap locks, something that should be standard on all gtrs in this price bracket.

Great emailed them got back to me the next day over the new earvana
nut thing.

ive been playing 15 years and am 30. i play mainly heavy rock stuff.
i own also a LTD H-400 (it has duncans). i have owned Fender ( bought it when i was drinking alot-unsure why, dont have it anymore),jacksons,gibsons,hammer plus cheapys.
I love Esp gtrs some dudes like ibanez some like fender i like ESP, the gtr fits me perfectly, if it were lost i would replace it straight away, its taken a while to find those specials gtrs and my 2 esp are certainly special.

Bought in 2000 (ME guitar), 24 frets, emg-81 (Bridge) and emg-85 (neck), rosewood fing.board, mahogany body, original floyd, neck/head bindings, seethru red

I am part of the dying breed of virtuoso rock/metal guitarists. (Satriani, Petrucci, Vai, Johnson, Malmsteen, Hammett (YES he is up there), Laiho, Wylde, etc etc).I love my floyd, this guitar plays fast and quiet, screams and sustains like nothing else. Now for clean...get a single coiled strat cause the emgs were built for distortion. Under heavy fx reconstruction, good clean sounds are possible but not truly original as the gain.

I dont remember how it came...I have my own setup (nothing fancy, just meticulous) so i stripped it down and re-set it. No finish flaws except the ones i caused (eek). The electronics are ESP's trademark and are of course perfect.

I take this guitar anywhere with me...toured in greece, israel...to college and back from europe to the states (always carryon). It took quite the punishment but xcept a couple of miniscule scratches, it's been a trooper. If re-strung 3-4 days before the gig, then there is no problem of a string breaking.

Blah

Playing for 8 years...6 of which in bands. Been thru every music style and back. This is an instrument built for a purpose, which it does well. I also own a Fender made in 62 (got it from my uncle), an ibanez (doesnt anyone?), and i can safely say i've played any guitar imaginable to man. This baby kicks ass.
Note: I HATE MARSHALLS....BURN THEM ALL!

This great guitar was build 1999 in USA California. It has 22 Jumbo Frets. It has 2 Volume and 1 tone Control as well as a 3 Way selector switch. My ESP came with 2 passive ESP LH-200 Pickups which sound great like seymour duncan sh-4( Passive Rulez ). It has a rad bolt-on neck with white bindings. The guitar has the same wood configuration like the reviews below. Dark Blue Color. It has a Gibson Les Paul Shape. The Bridge is a original Floyd Rose Tremolo - nice !!! It came with non Locking ESP Tuners, but I change them with Klusons. I also got a sick ESP case with it. Awesome

I play NuMetal, Punk, Hardcore and Ska, this guitar fits all styles. It's a kicking ass guitar. I'm using a Peavey Triple XXX with no effects and the guitars isn't noisy at all. Imagine the Sound of a Gibson Les Paul but 3 times fatter, no you got the sound. I also like about he guitar the it came with a oush knob which switches between humbucker and single coil sound. Awesome guitar, sounds great.

This guitar was PERFECTLY build. All the electronics are nicely brazed and the pickups are perfectly adjusted. The Action fits my stlye. I'm honest, this guitar has no - not even one - flaw. Flawless victory fpr the ESP.

Since now this guitar kicked ass live, no string broken - if not older than 3 month - The hardware will last forever. The only thing that will wear of are the srings. The strap button is tight as hell, not moving a bit. It also fits to security locking systems with changing stap locks. I can depend on that guitar, nomatter what comes. I'm using it live without a backup, but asoon as I can effort a new ESP I will have one for backup, because it takes longer to change strings on Floyd Rose Gutiars.

I dunno anything about Customer Support and I think that I will never use it in my life.

I've been playing for 6 years now, and this is the best guitar I ever had. Its a Limp bizkit kickin in the ass guitar! If stolen or lost I would buy a new one exactly like my old one. I love the balance of the guitar and my fav. feature is the Floyd Rose Tremolo and the pickups. I took this guitar cause I like the Les Paul shape but I hate that everyone ownes that axe. I want to have something special and modern. It was a great deal.

I've got this AXE at last spring. This JAPAN made axe fitted with origina Floyd Rose Tremolo, EMG89(rear): which is covert to a single coil, EMG81(Front), 22 jumbo fret, 3-way pickup select toggle, 2 tones 1 volume type and spuzzel locking tunners.
Body finished with dark brown color(looks really great!!!) on stage and sable like color at anytime. Mahogany body and rosewood neck.

Body style like the GIBSON LES PAUL.

This one included with GREAT hard case and humidifier.

COol....Nicely dark brown sound...and no hum...(EMG rules~~)

NICE.....nicely set-up with all kinds of equipments( pickups, tremolo, fret...etc.)

I absoulutely depend on this AXE!!

Beats me....

It rules...

Made in 2000 in California (with parts from US, Japan, and Germany). 24 fret, mahogany with flame maple top, amber sunburst finish. 2 active EMG-81s pickups, maple neck with ebony fretboard. Black hardware with sperzel tuners and tune-o-matic bridge. Includes a three-way pickup switch, volume control for each pickup and a single tone control. Came with case and ESP's lifetime limited warranty.

I am primarily influenced by Jerry Garcia, Trey Anastasio and Frank Zappa and I look for a full-bodied, rich sound with easy playing and string bends. Guitars that sound/act like this for me include Gibson Les Pauls, Gibson SGs, a variety of other Gibsons and (one of my other guitars) the Ibanez S Series.
I run my guitar into a Boss GX-700 multi-effects processor and then into a 130 watt Fender Stereo Chorus amp of some sort. I play with the amp's reverb and chorus off using only the clean channel. The GX-700 does everything else.
The guitar sounds great: a full rich sound across the strings. The EMG-81s produce no noise. Sustain is really long. String bends are very easy on the ebony fretboard allowing you to get some really organic sounds by bending/unbending in strange ways. This guitar sounds great clean or distorted.
There is nothing I don't like about the sound. I was trying to decide between the ESP Eclipse Custom and the ESP Horizon Custom. The Horizon Custom that I played had Dimarzio humbuckers instead of the EMG-81s. The Eclipse had a much fuller sound, probably due in part to the EMG-81s and the much heavier body.

The retailer sets up and adjusts all guitars as they arrive, so the setup was not factory but was perfect. I okayed the adjustments as-is when I bought it. A very very tiny spot of glue on the finish, but that was removed with a fingernail leaving no mark. For this, I give a 9 instead of a 10.

I bought this guitar expecting it to be the best guitar I've ever owned and potentially the last guitar I'll ever buy. Every part of this guitar looks and feels very solid. I don't anticipate ever having any problems and I expect to use it live as much as possible. I wouldn't gig with anything without a backup in case I break a string.

A lifetime limited warranty...don't expect to ever use it, but haven't talked to ESP so I don't know. ESP gets 10 for a lifetime warranty. (Paul Reed Smith only gives two years!!!)

I've been playing about 20 years. I also own a Fender Strat Plus, an Ibanez S Series, a couple Takamine accoustics and a very poor Les Paul copy (my first electric).
When shopping for this guitar, I was looking for a solid 24-fret guitar with a deep, full sound and NO tremelo, at least not a Floyd Rose. I was considering Paul Reed Smith guitars and was willing to spend the extra $1200+ to get one but after trying out this ESP, I am convinced that there is no need to spend so much to satisfy my requirements.
I love the feel and sound most, but the guitar is quite beautiful and the finish is smooth and solid. The best part of the "feel" is that the guitar is so easy to play with the ebony fretboard. The guitar can produce my favorite sound style but can also cover just about anything else. There is nothing else that I wish it had.

My Esp is a 98 american made eclipse. It has a solid to with one volume and tone knob. It has two Emg-81's in the bridge and neck positions, and man do they sound great. It was a mahogany body with a set maple neck with 24 frets and an emony fretboard. The finish on my guitar is a deep dark see-thru green. It has an original Floyd-Rose tremolo and when I purchased it I got a fitted hardshell case.

The sound of this guitar is great, the tone is just unbelievable with the Emg-81's. Personnally I think that sound of this guitar is more suited to die-hard metal heads. It has a great metallica sound to it due to it's pickups. The clean sound is also great. You can thoose deep crunching rythms to a cleam sound that is sort of reminiscent to the sound of Les-Paul. I run the guitar through Digitech Rp-21 rackmount with the floor controller and then into my Peavey Ultra Plus Stack and I can get virtually any kind of sound out of it

When I purchased the guitar the action was low, but not too low to where it produced any of that unwanted buzz. The finish was flawllesly applied and there wasn't a single flaw that I clould find anywhere in the guitar.

I know that this guitar would withstand live playing because I use it for that and I have no fear of it falling apart after time. All the hardware on the guitar is top-notch from the Original Floyd-Rose to the Sperzel tuners. The finish on this guitar is great and I have no fear of ot wearing away. I wouldn't use it at a live show without a backup because of the chance of a string breaking or something like that.

I have a see-thru green Eclipse custom. This guitar is made in Japan, has 22 frets, with a mahogany body and rosewood fingerboard. This particular guitar came with two EMG 81 pickups, and original Floyd Rose tremelo, and two volume and one tone control, with a three way pickup selector. The finish on my particular guitar is really cool because not only is it my favorite color (dark green), but you can see the actual wood grain through the lacquer. It adds a really classy touch to a sweet guitar. The case that comes with the guitar is really nice too. It is form fitted to the Eclipse body style, giving it more protection when transported. It comes with a really large storage pocket, and of course two locks on the outside.

I love the way this baby sounds. I had 4 different guitars when I bought this one, and this is the only one I have left. I play mostly hard rock/metal, and with the EMG's it gets a great sound. If you want heavy, distorted sound, but with great tone, then this is the guitar for you. I has a certain warmth that many guitars do not have. Even if you don't play with a lot of distortion, it sounds great. Clean sounds are tight, crisp, with great bottom end. The middle position on the pickup selector works best, I find, for a good clean sound.

Straight out of the box, this guitar played great. Just a minor pickup height adjustment was all it needed. The action was really low, but not so low as to cause any unwanted buzzing. The detail on the guitar is flawless, from the finish, to the binding, to the frets....etc..etc..

This guitar will take a beating, and still perform. The finish is really well applied, it will take a long time for any wear to show. I can always depend on my guitar to give me consistent sound and playability. Now if my fingers would do the same, I would be alright! As far as using it on a gig without a backup, I think this is a dumb question. Always have a backup, cause if you break a string you're SOL! You can never tell what will happen, so do yourself a favor and get a backup guitar somehow.

I have been playing for 15 yrs. and have had many guitars, but this one is one I will keep forever. I use it through an ADA MP-1, Digitech TSR-24S, and an ADA Microtube 100 power amp, and it sounds awesome. I can get real close to that early EVH tone, which is my ultimate sound. If (god forbid!) I lose it or it gets stolen, I would definately replace it with another Eclipse. I might go through ESP's custom shop for a few extras, but it would basically be the same. If you have the money to spend, and want a great sounding, looking, and all around great instrument, buy an Eclipse Custom.

This baby was made in Japan in 1997 and is the (this far) best guitar I've ever played. It has 22 jumbo frets on a quite thin neck. Solid mahogany body with a really nice see thru red finish. It was factory fitted with a EMG 81 in the bridge position and a splittable(?) EMG 89 in the neck. Floyd Rose original tremolo, 3-way pu selector, 2 volume and 1 tone control. I got it with a hardcase. I really don't need the tone control but what the heck.
Almost forgot, neck and headstock binding...

I resently got a musical blackout and submitted a change on my Emg review... think I was drunk or something... The sound in this guitar is really awesome... The 81 in bridge is a bit "plonky" when played clean but I just swich over to the 89 and split it and I get a perfeclty clean almost aucoustic sound. Just Great!

I can't remember the how the setup was when I bought it, but now i kicks ass... The finish is as smooth as a babys behind and it's almost still flawless after 1,5 years of handling. No complaints...

I've gigged with it... without a backup!... at several occations and it has never done anytning naughty. I've changed the strap buttons to locking scallers case the stock were really small. As I mentioned, the finish will probably last for years to come. The only problem I've had was a strange powerloss from the battery when I swiched between the pickups but thats fixed and now it's great again.
Ah.. yeah... I really had a hard time finding someone to fix the power thing since the first 3 stores I tried just looked at me and shook their heads... noone dared to touch it...

The Esp guitar company offers lifetime warranty... but I don't know in sweden though. Newer dealt with them but, I've spoken to their swedish distributor a lot of tomes and they are very helpful. (Complements to Anders Bendrix/ABX)

I've been playing for 'bout 2,5 years now and I bought this guitar about a year ago. If stolen I'm not sure... mabye I'll try the M2 instead since I won't find another custom just hanging around like this one did. I just love this guitar and would neve let go of it by any circumstance. For the price I paid... I guess this is the best purchase I've ever done.