ESP

ESP Company, Limited (株式会社イーエスピー, Kabushiki Gaisha Ī Esu Pī) is a Japanese guitar manufacturer, primarily focussed on the production of electric guitars and basses. They are based in both Tokyo and Los Angeles, with distinct product-lines for each market. ESP Company manufactures instruments under several names, including "ESP Standard", "ESP Custom Shop", "LTD Guitars and Basses", "Navigator", "Edwards Guitars and Basses", and "Grassroots".

Credited On

• The Gazette - TOUR11-12 VENOMOUS CELL FINALE OMEGA LIVE AT 01.14 YOKOHAMA ARENA - The Gazette, released May 9, 2012 (SRBL-1523). Cooperation (Seiji Hiroshima).
• Unlucky Morpheus - XIII Live at Toyosu PIT - Unlucky Morpheus, released March 9, 2022 (ANKM-0038). Instrument Support [楽器協力].

History

From the en.wikipedia article ESP Guitars (CC BY-SA 4.0), revision 1375858906.

In 1975, Hisatake Shibuya opened a shop called Electric Sound Products (ESP) in Tokyo, Japan, which provided custom replacement parts for guitars. At this time, ESP also began making guitars under the ESP and Navigator brand in the Japanese market. ESP replacement parts were first introduced into the US in 1983 and began crafting custom instruments for local New York artists between 1984 and 1985. Among these artists were Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Vinnie Vincent and Bruce Kulick (KISS), Sid McGinnis of Late Night with David Letterman and Ronnie Wood (The Rolling Stones). At this time, ESP also introduced the 400 Series as the first production line to be distributed in the US. During this same period, ESP began making the bodies and necks for Kramer Guitars and other manufacturers were using ESP as an OEM such as Robin Guitars, Schecter Guitar Research and DiMarzio. Many traits of the Kramer line are still visible including neck construction and body bevels. ESP tooled up for Tom Anderson's shaved bolt on neck heel on the Schecter bodies and this has since become a feature of their house brand. In 1985, George Lynch discovered ESP while on tour in Tokyo. Lynch walked into an ESP shop looking for a replacement neck and learned that ESP also built custom guitars. As a result, his famous ESP Kamikaze was made and ESP released George Lynch's Kamikaze as its first signature model. ESP soon introduced the M1 Standard, MI Custom, Horizon Custom, and the Surveyor bass. At this time, ESP based its headquarters in a loft in downtown New York City on 19th Street. In 1989, the headquarters were moved to 48th Street near other music stores. Between 1990 and 1992, ESP expanded its Signature Series as well as its standard product line. The US replacement parts business was discontinued in order to focus solely on their guitar and bass line, as well as the Custom Shop series. There are about 41 signature series guitars. In 1993, ESP moved its headquarters again but this time to Los Angeles, on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. In 1995, the LTD series was created to sell ESP's products at a more affordable price. Soon after the introduction of the Korean and Indonesian-made LTD lines, ESP stopped selling the majority of its Japanese-made flagship guitars in the United States, due to the high prices involved in exporting to the Americas. The lone exception was ESP's artist signature series, which remained ESP (rather than LTD) models. In the early 2000s, ESP resumed exporting the standard Japanese-made lines to the United States (where they are popular among heavy metal and hard rock players), though at greatly increased prices compared to the early 1990s. Similarly to Ibanez, ESP's chief competitor in Japan, ESP was initially known for making high-quality and customized replicas of famous American guitars, including Strats and Teles, as well as Gibson Explorers. The Explorer replica, known as the EXP/MX, shot to fame when avid ESP user James Hetfield's band Metallica rose to popularity in the late 80s/early 90s. Models similar to Hetfield's white ESP even today sell for thousands of dollars beyond the original retail price. However, just like with Ibanez, when Gibson realized the extent to which ESP was cutting into sales of its own guitars, it threatened a lawsuit to prevent sales of these guitars in the Americas. ESP redesigned its lines to be less similar to the American models. In 2002, ESP was ranked among the music industry's fastest-growing companies. This is largely due to the Fender buyout of Jackson Guitars, whom ESP had struggled to compete with throughout the 1980s and 1990s. After the buyout, many Jackson endorsers switched over to ESP. As of March 2015, ESP began distributing Takamine Guitars in the United States. Hisatake Shibuya died on late September 2024 at age 87.

Often Credited With

Credited on 2 or more of the same releases, most shared first.

Sources

• Wikidata entity Q844871.
• en.wikipedia, ESP Guitars (revision 1375858906), CC BY-SA 4.0.
• ja.wikipedia, イーエスピー (revision 110653498), CC BY-SA 4.0.
• Photograph: ESP Logo.svg on Wikimedia Commons, Public domain; a trademark of its owner - the organisation's own logo, by ESP (Gitarren).

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