Between October 28 and 31, nine ESP USA guitars joined Thomann's catalog. ESP USA is the US-built line of the Japanese brand, priced well above its LTD models. With these nine, Thomann lists 12 ESP USA guitars in stock.
All nine have mahogany bodies. What sets them apart is the shape, the neck joint and the pickups.
M-II USA: the superstrat
ESP M-II USA NTB, Floyd Rose, $8,154
A neck-through M-II with a quilted maple top, a Floyd Rose Original, 24 stainless steel frets and two Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers.
- A second M-II USA with Floyd Rose and Fluence pickups, without the neck-through construction, is $5,808 (€5,199).
- The M-II USA NTB with flamed maple swaps to Seymour Duncan's Pegasus and Sentient humbuckers, at $4,803 (€4,299).
Eclipse USA: the single-cut
ESP Eclipse USA EMG, $5,808
The only one of the nine with a mahogany neck, loaded with active EMG 81-X and 85-X humbuckers.
- The Eclipse USA with quilted maple and Fishman Fluence is neck-through, at $8,154 (€7,299), the top price of the batch alongside the M-II.
- A left-handed Eclipse USA with Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro humbuckers is $5,920 (€5,299).
Horizon-II, V-II and TE-II
ESP Horizon-II USA, $4,468
The entry point to ESP USA at Thomann: a neck-through Horizon-II with a flamed maple top.
- The V-II USA, with a Floyd Rose and EMG 57 and 66 pickups, is $5,920 (€5,299).
- The TE-II USA, ESP's take on the T-style, has a hardtail bridge and Fishman Fluence pickups, at $4,803 (€4,299).
Fishman, EMG or Seymour Duncan?
Five of the nine use Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers, which are active and switchable between voices. Two use EMG actives, the classic sound of metal rhythm guitar. Two use passive Seymour Duncans, for players who want a more open, less compressed tone. If you already know which pickups you like, that narrows the nine to two or three.
Where the numbers come from. Thomann's partner feed, which we read every night: the date each guitar first appeared, today's prices and the ESP USA models in stock. Specifications are from Thomann's product descriptions. Prices are in euros, converted at the European Central Bank rate.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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