Have You Played an ESP Guitar?

ESP Company, Limited is a Japanese company that manufactures electric guitars and bass guitars. ESP is headquartered in Japan but it also has a head office in the USA. ESP is short for Electric Sound Products; it is one of the most popular electric guitar brands in the world and it goes under several brand names like ESP Standard, ESP Custom Shop, Navigator, Edwards Guitar and Bases, LTD Guitars and Bases and Grassroots.

ESP is widely accepted all around the globe because of its ability to cater to every type of market: from professional Japanese-built custom shop guitars to mass production instruments made in China, Korea and Indonesia. 

The firsts for ESP

The first ESP shop was in Tokyo and it was one of the most popular guitar replacement parts manufacturers. It was in 1976 when the first ESP guitars were crafted under the ESP and Navigator name. The success of ESP guitar replacement parts reached the US market in 1983 and the parts were for local artists based in New York. Artists that trust replacement parts from ESP were Page Hamilton from Helmet, Vernon Reid from Living Colour, Vinnie Vincent and Bruce Kulick from KISS and Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones. 

ESP also made parts like the bodies and necks of popular guitars like Kramer Guitars as well as popular companies Robin Guitars, Schecter Guitar Research and DiMarzio. And it was only in 1985 when it was discovered by George Lynch discovered that ESP also built custom guitars. Afterwards popular ESP electric guitar brand models began to emerge such as the Kamikaze, the M1 Standard, M1 Custom, Horizon Custom and the Surveyor bass guitar.

The Kamikaze model basically turned the world around for the most popular electric guitar parts manufacturer to an exclusive electric guitar manufacturer. Kamikaze was its first Signature series and between 1990 and 1992 it has expanded to a standard electric guitar line. Success was apparent and soon the parts manufacturing was discontinued so that production of a variety of guitars and bass guitars was the focus of the company.

The bright success of ESP

ESP has its Custom Series wherein customers may be able to order a custom guitar and bass. ESP USA takes care of the orders while their Japan manufacturing plant takes care of production. ESP custom guitars were considered the choice of top-end customers and are more expensive than their Navigator line.

The ESP Artist Series on the other hand are mass-produced guitars that feature different artists. These beautiful creations are models that are between ESP Navigator line and their Original Series.

You may still order ESP Edwards, Grassroots and LTD models that are available to high-end customers.

ESP is also one of the most popular electric guitar brands featured in Bandfuse Rock Legends in Xbox 360 and PS3. All in all, ESP is a classic electric guitar that has all the best features, design and parts just what you can expect from a company that started as guitar parts manufacturers in Asia and all over the world.