ESP Eclipse II Standard Series

Binding - Aged triple white binding on body, neck & headstock
Body - Mahogany
Bridge/Tremolo - Gotoh tune-o-matic bridge w/stop tailpiece
Controls - 2 volume & 1 tone control w/3-way toggle
Fingerboard - Ebony
Frets - 22 XJ frets
Inlays - Flag inlays w/ESP at 12th fret
Machine Heads - Sperzel locking tuners
Neck Joint - Set-neck
Neck Material - 3-Piece Mahogany
Pickups - EMG 81/60 active pickups
Scale - 24 3/4"

Made in 2007 in Japan.

All the features are great. The sperzel tuners make it a dream for bending around on, although changing strings is a bit of a chore.

The pickups on it sound awesome. It can scream 'til kingdom come, and the sustain is unbelievable.

The neck is fast and smooth, making this a great guitar for shredding on.

All in all the features are great, especially for a guitar in this price range. The only things that i would've rather seen on this guitar would've been an 81, 85 EMG setup, and maybe some kind of tremelo system.

I play a thrash/metalcore style of music, as well as a ska/punk style. The guitar performs very well in both genre's. Although the clean tones aren't too great, when the distortion is cranked, this guitar truly shines.

I play through a line 6 pod XT live, run into a spider III half stalk (what can i say, i love line 6), and the guitar sounds great. It sounds better the louder the volume is cranked on the amp, and hasa realy dark tone, making it great for down tunings. I often use a drop C or drop B tuning, and the guitar handles it extremley well. Pinch harmonics are a breeze, and the responsive emg's make finger tapping sound golden.

The only thing i dont like about the sound are the clean tones. When put into a clean setting it sounds tinny and quiet, although flipping the switch to the neck pickup gives it a bit of a warmer touch.

When i got it, it was set up great. The action was low, just how i like it. There was a bit of fret buzz going on on the sixth string, but it was easily fixed. Everything worked a sounded great. Everything was solid and well built. There were no flaws that i could find. The finish looked great. I got the SW colour, but i am experiencing buyers remourse on that front. As pretty as it is, a clear coat paint job would've been much better for me, but that's personal preference.

I've used the guitar live several times, with both my bands and it holds up just fine on it's own. Everything stays solid, and it stays in tune pretty darn well. With my strat i find myself re tuning it after every song, but with this guitar, thats not always necissary. I've bought the locking strap buttons, but have yet to put them in, but the stock one's are holding up just fine on their own, although they always make me nervous, but that's just because i love this guitar, and if i dropped it, i'd cry. I always gig with a backup, but it isn't necissary. This guitar holds up just fine, but i'm just a perfectionist, and i hate it when things go wrong.

havent dealt with them, and hopefully won't have to.

I've been playing for about 8 or 9 years. On top of this guitar, i have a Fender Stratocaster, a couple acoustic guitars, a Line 6 spider III half stack, a line 6 pod xt live, and a crappy old vox amp i use for practice time.

I don't regret much of anything about buying this guitar, except for the color. If it were lost or stolen, i'd definitley buy another one. This guitar is my baby. I love the heavy tones and the speed of the neck. The EMG's sound beautiful, but i still think i'd like to see an 85 in the neck, rather than the 61. This is by far one of the nicest guitars i've played, and leaves most of the lower end Gibson Les Paul's in the dust. It plays like a guitar that should cost twice as much as i paid for it. Increddible bang for your buck. IF you like heavy music, this guitar is perfect.

Finish: Satin Vintage Black
Body Style: Les Paul with wider cutaway
Bridge: Gotoh Tune-O-Matic in Satin Gold
Tuners: Sperzel locking tuners
Neck: 24.75 scale 22 jumbo frets ebony fingerboard
Accessories: ESP case
Made in Japan
One piece mahogany body, three piece mahogany set neck.
Pickups are two humbucking EMG actives, 81/60 set with standard four knob controls to go with.

I play mostly metal, but also a lot of blues, I find it suits me for the metal, but not for the blues. Through my Randall RG50TC it doesn't have the warmth my Les Paul does, and hence it's my metal guitar. There isn't much variety out of it unfortunately, it is designed from the ground up to be a 100% metal guitar, and it does it's job in that respect. Sound is classic EMGs, but a bit less shrill on the highs, mainly due to the mahogany body. Sustains like nothing else.

I really enjoy the sound, it's exactly what I wanted when I was searching for something new. The only thing I dislike is the neck pickup is a bit muddy, thinking about sticking an 85 in there. But it is great for chunky rythym, even with the slightly muddy sound compared to the bridge pickup.

Guitar was flawless when I brought it home, with the exception of the action, which was way too high for me. String change one gauge down and bringing the action down to the point where I could no longer fit a 0.5mm pick in between the first fret and the high e string without rubbing one without the other. Now it's grand.

The finish looks like it will age well, but from a durability standpoint it's horrid. But I like it when my guitars start to age and finish starts to fade off. All the hardware is good and well fitted to the guitar. So far it seems dependable, as long as you have a spare nine volt battery in the case. They have a habit of running low at the most inopportune times.

Not yet.

I've been playing for several years now and this is without a doubt the best made guitar I have ever played. I have a Les Paul, and a Ibanez Roadstar that I play also. Great sound from great craftsmanship.

Stolen or lost, definitely a buy again deal, I'll never play metal with anything else.

The only thing I wish it had is a EMG phase inverter circuit built in, I need to put one in.

I got a 2005 model made in Japan of course, cos all the Standard Series stuff is being made there. The neck has 22 frets as is usual in case of les paul-shaped guitars. There are 2 volume and 2 tone knobs - for each EMG pickup two knobs. It has been made with double EMG 81 active pickups set. This beauty has a mahogany body w/quilted maple top; 3-piece mahogany neck; rosewood fingerboard. The finish I chose was See Thru Black Cherry. The bridge is a black Gotoh Tune-o-matic. Tuners are the locking Sperzel ones. I am sorry but i am not pretty sure if the frets are Jumbo but there are rather wide. It came with a very useful ESP case and some basic tools.

I play a lot of rock/metal, i am not well educated at jazz playing but I am pretty sure it can handle all playing styles at a very high level, but for rock and anything harder THIS IS A BAD ASS PIECE OF INSTRUMENT!!!! The guitar has a great sound, very rich, fat and clean tone! Even unplugged it sings like an angel. It is of course high quality wood and great craftsmanship, but when you plug it in, you'll be begging not to wake from this dream! Guys, it really got me on my knees! I have never ever heard any guitar to play like this! It's definitely the EMG's - they sound so clean, fat deep and rich, they just follow your pick (or fingers) like a slave would follow its master. I admit I was very scared to play any acoustic sounds, cos I thought they would be distorted before I tried this guitar out - but it proved me wrong. This chick sounds so clear and BEAUTIFUL on insane high gain sounds as well as without any distortion. Even in positions where even Duncan and DiNarzio have some slight problems. ALTHOUGH - there REALLY is high output beacause of the active electronics so get prepared for excellent muting techniques when you are a high gain fan as well as me - but believe me the reward is amazing! I tried this one through the following amps: Rocktron Piranha+Mesa Boogie 50/50+Marsahall 1960 cab,Marshall JMP1+Mesa Boogie 50/50+Marsahall 1960 cab and through ENGL Screamer+Marsahall 1960 cab. Here is the point - prepare that the EMG's are really DIFFERENT from passive pickups, so get ready for some tweaking with your amp, if it has been set for passive electronics. On the other hand I was definitely able to get the desired sound from any of those amp settings. The sound is more than satisfying in any aspect - lows, mids, highs - man, you can get whatever sound you desire with this guitar. You can get the gain to the insane level and than play a chord and you will recognize every single tone you play, believe me! However, I have never tried it through a solid state amp, so I can't tell how does it sound actually, but this baby deserves to play through tubes! It would be a sin to play this through some solid state or digital sh*t!!!!! To summerize - the sound is very versatile and I have absolutely nothing against it, but of course you cannot expect it to play like telecaster etc. This thing is evil!

The factory setting was very surprisingly very good, but to be honest it doesn't mattery whether you buy a guitar for 100 Euro or 5000 Euro you always have to set the guitar to fit your style - I did so and am absolutely satisfied. I am quite skilled at this and it wasnt a hard work because of the good factory settings. The pickups weren't set bad but again they needed some little setup. The action is great, you can set it anyway you like it without any problems. The bridge, tuning machines and all other hardware - absolutely flawless and well set. The Cherry finish is absolutely amazing - very durable, its almost impossible to scratch it if you don't do so with a hammer:o) I haven't found any flaw abot the action, fit and finish, it's flawless and much more comfortable than the original Gibson Les Paul - fast and nice neck, not so heavy, well shaped.

I am absolutely concerned about reliability of this guitar and would definitely play it without a backup. It looks like it will last forever and I of course care for this as for a child, it deserves it. The Sperzels don't move for weeks, the octaves are great, there's nothing that wouldn't satisfy an experienced guitar player. This beauty won't let you down.

Don't know, haven't dealt with ESP and I hope I'll never have to. I am from Czech Republic, so it would be pretty hard to contact them from here. But the product shows high quality. I bought it in Klangfarbe in Austria Vienna and they told me to feel free to contact them if anything happens, they said to repair or replace any flaws on their own account - so this support should be more than appreciated. So "9" for the Klangfarbe support, they are really kind and nice.

I have been playing for only seven years and have a Rocktron Piranha preamp and Mesa Boogie 50/50 power amp, going to buy an Engl or Rectifier 4x12 box. I have owned two B.C.Rich guitars and one Ibanez Prstige 2570VS. Although these were good guitars they cannot compare to this one! If it was stolen I would kill everyone responsible and get it back or get a new one, I really love the Eclipse II, she's my best girlfriend. I love absolutely everything about this guitar. However, I don't give a 10 because I obviously haven't played all the guitars in the world and there surely can be a better one (for example the ESP Eclipse Custom:o)))I compared with lots of guitars - it has even beaten a more than twice that expensive Gibson Les Paul Custom(but I mean no offense, it could have been a worse piece than all the other Gibsons are). So to sum it up - if you are a rock or metal player and love excellent clean, low-gain, mid-gain or high-gain go for her-she will never let you down.

I believe I got a 2004 model in vintage black. 22 frets. The vintage black is the nicest finish visually but it has its flaws (see fit& finish) Gotoh bridge, sperzel tuners great electronics. It came stock with the 81/60 emg combo. The frets are pretty big and the neck is a thin U i believe. It is really light compared to my epiphone les paul. There is also a body concave cut in the back for greater comfort when playing standing up. It came with a Nice hard shell case, and truss rod tool.

First of all the emg 81 was a real let down for me. It sounded sterile through my mesa boogie single recto==> Avatar 2x12 cab (v30-g12h30). After a lot of tweaking i was able to get a good sound but i still wasnt satisfied. I traded the 81 for an 85 and there was a big improvement. A lot more bass comming from the pickup and i had an easier time finding a good tone. If you are a lead player the 81 might sound better, but i play mostly rhythm and it sounds better with an 85 imo. I must admit the 81 did have a FAT lead sound that the 85's overwhelming bass could not recreate.

With the EMG's you are kind of limited to the types of sounds you can get. I get some usable cleans with the 60 in the neck. I play melodic hard rock with some chugging, quick palm mutes, and melodic chorus'. For pure metal this guitar will be great in its stock form, but I had to customize it a bit to fit my style.

I give it an 8 for its stock configuration and a 9 with the 85, again just My opinion.

I cant judge how the guitar came right out of the factory but im sure it was near perfect. I was not able to say this when i first recieved my guitar used off of ebay. The Finish was perfect and flawless. The action was really high. The previous user had installed a bone nut, but it wasnt cut right. I had a guitar tech bring the action real low. Not it plays like a dream.

Heres my rant though...The Vintage Black finish is by far the most evil shades of black you can get, and combined with the aged triple binding, you have yourself a killer guitar. But the meanest looking paint scheme is no good if it can barely stay on the guitar! Just the other day my belt buckle put a few scratches in the back of the guitar. I was only practicing by myself and barely moving around.

Heres the deal with paint. If you scratch it you are going to leave a "rip" in the outer layer of paint. This outer layer seems to be a clear coat that makes the base coat a little bit duller giving it that vintage look. The light also is dulled and not reflected as vividly due to this outer layer of clear paint. So when you look at the back of the guitar there are a few "rip" looking scratches by the pickup selector backing! This drove me nuts for a few days, but i think i can handle it. I really wish ESP could reproduce this color in a more durable paint. It is rediculous how easy it is to break the top layer of paint. My pick also but a tiny rip underneath the strings between the pickups. Good thing you can barely see it. But if you have an accident and scratch the front...my friend, you are totally screwed. It will look horrible and totally ruin a bad ass guitar!

See above &...

I put schaller strap locks on. The stock ones arent worth the risk of your strap falling off. NO NO NO this guitar in this particular finish will not be able to handle gigging if you do more than move around a bit. The places we play at are pretty small and people go nuts so your gear is destined to get a lil' bumped and bruised if you arent careful. I havent brought it to a gig yet in fear of what might happen to its beautiful top side. Other than the finish everything else is top notch quality as far as i see.

It stays in tune pretty well and all electronics, output plug seem pretty sturdy.

The pickup switcher however did come loose kind of early. I do a lot of pickup switching rapidly to get some cool effects during songs, and I almost lost the tip a couple times. The whole unit started to get loose too and rotate in its hole causing some problems, but that was easily solved by tightening from the back.

Im going to e-mail them about the finish and where i can get some paint to repair these scratches. I will get back to this and post another review, but for now i have never really dealt with customer support.

The paint job is really depressing but the rest of the guitar is awesome. This is my first real guitar. I've been playing for about 5 years off and on and I am 18 right now. Im not sure if this one is a keeper mainly because of its fragile nature and lacking of gig-worthy durability. My epiphone les paul has a sunburst finish, and that thing is nearly bullet proof! You need a fairly sharp object and a lot of force to even make a mark! I really love the way this baby looks and right now is IMO the best looking guitar I have ever played. I'll give it an 8 overall. I think a gibson custom would be my ultimate guitar right now but I dont have 3000 dollars to blow. Given the price and what you get, it is hard to beat. The other finishes are hella nice to. The ESP flamed tops kill any gibson flame. This esp vintage black is also menacing in looks and very evil. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

This is a review of a 2005 ESP Eclipse II standard series. The guitar is made in Japan but is of the highest quality. Bridge and tail piece are Gotoh and are ideal. Pick-ups are dual EMG-81's and they crank. Tuning machines are Sprezel locking tuners. The body is Mahogany with a stunning quilted maple top and is arched. Mahogany neck and Rosewood fretboard. The body and neck feature antique white binding that is very well done.

The sound is warmer and deeper than any of my Jackson guitars. I play thru a Peavey Triple XXX and a digitech GNX4 workstation. The EMG-81 pickups make this a true metal machine. If your style is more blues or jazz, you may want to look elsewhere. But if crushing metal rythems are your thing, this is the perfect ax. Someone said that string bending is toung to pull off on this guitar, but that hasn't been the case for me. The neck shape is thin and fast and the finish is perfect for me.

The guitar came out of the box with the lowest action I have ever played. The intonation was a bit off but not much. The stock strings were to light for my style so the were swapped for new beefy slinky's. The top was perfect and matched as well as any I have seen. The frets were dressed great, no shard edges what so ever. I have no complaints on the set-up and finish.

This is my first time with Sprezel tuners so we'll have to wait and see about their durabiltiy. I would have no problem playing a gig with this, with or without a backup.

Life time warranty, but I have never dealt with ESP

I have been playing since 1984 and this is my sixth guitar. I have owned all Jackson Guitars in the past but recent problems with their quality caused me to look else where. If I lost this guitar, I would replace it with en exact copy, but I would add and ebony fret board. The main competition for this in my search was a Gibson Les Paul Standard. I chose this guitar after playing them both. The ESP was the clear winner for me.