EDIT: So I feel I need to address the part where I'm saying that the EMG81 might be one of those not made in the US. ALL EMG81 are being made in the US. Anything made outside of the US are fake EMGs. Sorry for the confusion!
Is there a chance of the one that sounds better is actually an EMG 85? Just found out that the EMG 85 sounds way better than the 81 on the bridge and a lot of bands known for their great tone does that, like Killswitch Engage.
Tongue transducer battery tester! The device of champions! Ola, the less springs the easier and longer the flutters...unless we can get some boutique springs that I'm not aware of. I'm betting there are only two springs in there.
ESP is still on the headstock of Japanese models in the 'Original' and 'Custom' (custom order) range. So ESP is on the headstock of models made in their custom shop in Japan (Original Series and Custom orders) and in their USA shop. EII is for regular production Japanese instruments. So 'ESP' is reserved for the company's highest quality Japanese and USA guitars.
I'm still not very clear about that whole transition, but now I really regret selling me 2007 SS Eclipse II. I'm gonna hop on Reverb now and try my luck, lol.
Agreed, it’s weird and stupid. I’m way less interested in mating an E-II than an ESP even if I know it’s the same thing. The only good thing for me is that my 2004 Eclipse is now worth twice what I paid for it. Not that it matters as I’ll probably never sell it.
@@valuedhumanoid6574 once you get the naming scheme, Ibanez model names actually tell you pretty much everything about the guitar, so in that way it’s really cool and useful. Figuring it out, though, that’s a different story and it also makes searching for them a real bitch.
ESPs rule. Consistent and crazy high quality. Probably my favorite brand over the years. But I also agree that renaming to E-II was dumb af. Still amazing guitars but ESP was such a sick brand to see on the headstock of MIJ guitars
Haha yeah. I Want the eclipse, but have the E-II at the headstock, is stopping me... I could rather buy a Ltd 😅 i Want it to say ESP when it is an ESP!
Renaming sucks although the quality is the same. Having ESP on an older one is much cooler than the EII thing. Right now my current fav guitar is USA Custom Shop ESP MII. KILLER guitar
It's gotten me thinking as well. I wonder if bringing the ESP brand over to US manufacture has any implications legally in terms of trademark ownership? ESP not manufacturing guitars in the US might stretch the hold they have over the name. Otherwise I am certain that E-II would have suited US instruments whilst keeping ESP as Japanese only would maintain the strong brand recognition of absolute high end quality.
3:15 They are called "ESP USA" when made in the U.S.. They are called "Original series" if they are a production model made in the Japanese Custom shop. Yes, I know they should have kept the ESP Standard series. Jackson is one of their main competitors and whether you buy a 200$ model or a 5,000+ model built by Mike Shannon himself, the Jackson name is on the headstock
@@Unchainedmaple888 And then there's the rumor (and there's not much if anything proving otherwise..) about them being built in China in their own factory and finished in Japan, just like the Edwards guitars, and for what I can see, it has been like that since early day ESP Standard series, you see the same outline filler on the inlays whether it's a 2021 guitar or in my Eclipse case, 2004. You never even see the building process of E-II in the Tokyo shop, only finished or 95% finished E-IIs on racks. But from pictures from their China shop you see LTD Elites, Edwards and E-IIs on racks.
@@Masterfighterx Yup exactly. I didn't want to bring that up because people get really angry about it and call you a conspiracy theorist when I've literally had this confirmed by an ESP shop employee in Japan who went through ESP's craft academy. Now ESP has the gall to charge $3000 for a product that isn't even really Made in Japan.
Problem is you have to sift through piles of shit on anything sub 2.5k with Jackson quality control. ESP with just a $700 LTD to the Cheapest Original $2700 or whatnot is solid as hell.
Thank you Ola. For the first time in decades I pulled an abandoned Strat out of the closet, cleaned it up, popped some strings on, and played....felt like being whole. Your channel was the inspiration.
Even ESP staff in Shibuya quietly agreed the EII decision was stupid when we were in the shop together chatting haha. Sick guitar though! old standard series are my favorites~
this is my dream guitar. i saved up the 4300 I'd have to pay to get a custom shop MII which was as simple as you could imagine. No frills just a basic guitar like this one. Sadly my AC went out and I needed to replace the entire unit. So 6k later I dont have the money anymore. Life happens I guess. Much love Ola!
Might not be the optimal choice but m-II’s come up used in japan all the time. Got a ESP Forest Gt for a killer deal as well. Having one built would be best but there are deals to be had if you look around. I’ve seen a lot of m-IIs go for around $1- 1,500, with esp badge.
I've got one made in 2004 with rosewood board and EMG-X's in it that I want to turn into a lower shelf guitar plus a small amp, since my amp of 20 years died. Has finish checking on the back of the body and a small chip in the edge of the trem chamber, not visible with cover installed. Tremol-no system installed for on the fly hardtailing. Everything else pristine, plays great. Make me an offer that beats my trade-in offer and she's yours, we can do it through reverb or whatever. I'd be glad for it to go to someone who really wants it, since it was my dream guitar growing up.
I was gonna comment the same thing. The only difference is that the old ones are soldered the new ones are quick connect. I don't think that makes a difference in the sound but who knows...the guitar does make a difference in the sound if the EMGs contrary to the legend 😊
@@BalashToth Yeah man, the nonsense you find on the internet surrounding EMGs ... they make every guitar sound the same! Never been true. I had the 81 in several guitars and still have it in two of them and the inherent qualities of the guitar itself is always still there. In fact, I use the 81 in those two guitars precisely because it's a good match for them tonally.
I love how you managed to stay calm during breaks, both when your dog came to say hello and when the slider started to malfunction. Anyone who has ever tried to record their own and create video content knows that there is always something that goes wrong, that freezes, breaks and ruins the mood. Nice guitar
Gr8 vid Ola..& fine timing 4 me on this video. I just got my new ESP E-II M-II neck thru black 2 weeks ago out of Tokyo.... Its absolutely amazing... the EMG 81's are super hot... I luv the black finger board..This guitar is fun to play 🤘
Correction! ESP's are still made in Japan (as well as the USA), but the E-II is the standard production line whereas ESP-branded guitars are made in their custom shop.
Exactly! E-II is the so-called Standard series in the past, right? I own an E-II FRX and the only thing I would change is the inlay on the headstock, just because it doesn't say ESP 😂 we humans are like this. But the guitar has the quality construction of a custom shop, it sounds and feels amazing.
I suspect the E-II branding was brought in just to make the USA models more desirable because apart from the branding there is very little reason to spend the extra $1500 on a USA over an E-II.
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe It wasn't about the USA models because the E-IIs are still made in Japan and not all of them are sold in the US. It was more about making the ESP brand seem more premium and prestigious, as if people don't already think they're a solid brand lol. Basically to arrange things so if you see an "ESP" on the guitar you know it's the best of the best, and that makes people want to pay more for the "real" ESPs so they can get a guitar with that reputation. Their USA line is pretty weak in my opinion and they really need to start selling Japanese models to the US. Their Japanese guitars dwarf the USA lineup in terms of variety and uniqueness. They already kinda started doing this, selling the Japan-made Snapper-7 in the US, because they previously had no Snappers available from USA. Which was well-needed because the ESP Snapper is their best guitar imo.
E-II are made by ESP factory in China, some are assembled, some are semi-assembled and painted, then those "semi-products" will send back to Japan, wiring works and final set-ups were done in Japan. And they will put a tag that says "Made in Japan".
Have had my ESP KH-2 for 20 years and still love it. It got new frets + the 24Volt mod and works as nicely as the first day. ESPs is just a great brand.
@@spice_miner well I guess it's a biased view but I felt it had more punch to it and had more dynamics to it. How did you see the difference with the 18V? Can't really tell if there is a big difference between 18V and 24V there probably test videos out there.
What'd it cost to refret (stainless i assume)? My '94 KH2 I got 23 years ago and have been tempted to switch pups but the 81s still kick ass. Feels a little like blasphemy to alter anything on a perfect guitar. Havent even tried the 18v mod on one of my EMG'd guitars.
@@cfh13 well it was stainless refret, plus electronics cleanup, Schaller tremolo installed because the Floyd was fucked and added the schaller claw to adjust the springs easier. So in all it was a hefty price, swiss prices 😅, but well worth it after 20 years: 890 CHF.
Quick correction: They're still called ESP when built in Japan, but only when they're built in their high end custom shops. So the MiJ signature models, Original series, and customs are all branded ESP. The E-II brand is the old ESP Standard series, which were (well, still are) made in a mass-production Japan factory.
Is it a Japan factory though? You never see the building/milling process, but if you do a quick google, you see Edwards, LTD Elites and E-IIs on racks in their China factory.
I bought my dream guitar 1 year after teaching myself to play, an ESP KH2. Found out MUCH later it was made the very first year in 94. It is still my dream guitar 23 years later. Plays so damn good and I still love taking it out of its case. Been tempted to put new pups in it but the HARDWIRED dual 81s kick ass. For how terrible i am at solos I almost dont deserve such a nice guitar.
I love those ESP's with a maple board. I wish they made more like that. Especially those ones from the 90s with the single coil neck and humbucker bridge. Those are my absolute favorites. One of these days I'll have the extra cash to throw at one.
I have a white '95 M-II in this configuration that I found locally for $1k. Never thought that would be possible again with what's happened to guitar prices. It immediately became my #1. Be patient! They're out there.
i have a white body maple fb esp m2 with SD pickup. love it so much, with the sample of th neck not as plat as A RG ibanez. i found it sound a little bit too much mid-scooped, so you have to play it harder to make it attack more. i've tried to put a pair of emgs on it, but i thought that make it sound unpleasent, so i switch back to SD pu immediately. EMGs are very different after they changed the “EMG” symble on the cover, you can see new logo have a dash through the "E", and don't buy it. In second hand market, the old ones are priced differently, and not easy to get. love your vids over 5 years, and best wishes from China.
I have an ESP custom shop from Japan, the Ohmura Custom 7 string. And it is easily the best guitar I've ever played, and is the only guitar I play now. ESP has earned a customer for life. I wish they sold their Japanese guitars in the US, because their Japanese guitars absolutely dwarf the limited selection of their USA models. And frankly I don't care for "Made in USA". It's also an absolute pain in the ass to import guitars worth over $4.5k. I always tell people, if there were a cheaper guitar with the same specs I would have gotten that, but _only_ ESP said "yeah let's make a 7 string superstrat with an EMG 81/85 set, metallic pink, and holographic rainbow sparkles". Specs-wise it is exactly what I wanted and only ESP offered it. Also Takayoshi Ohmura is a beast and makes great music so even better to have basically the exact same guitars he plays. Neat thing about ESP is when you order a signature model it is 1:1 the same guitar as the artists receive from ESP.
Love these so much. I bought myself one long ago and it's just like this one, everything is the same, even the year of manufacture, except I have the Duncans in it, which I prefer over the EMG's. I will keep it forever and I'm never going to get rid of it. Amazing video as always, Ola!
got an 07 m-ii ntb. was super stoked to get it my first weapon of a guitar its what the thrash metal/metal core/death bands were playing at the time more or less. will never sell so many memories over the fretboard
Very interesting, Ola. I've been studying ESP's manufacturing methods for years now, and I spotted an odd aspect in that ESP that you normally see in lower end stuff like LTD; the neck was made using a single 2,5D CNC process, not single 5-axis milling or multiple process. The angled headstock is cut whilst the neck is on the same plane as the fingerboard, resulting in slight compound angles around the edges of the headstock with respect to the headstock face. I've had a few Japanese ESPs over the years including an 80s and a 90s custom shop model. Whether the headstocks on these were cut on CNC or manual router (eg. custom shop work) doesn't matter too much, but they did have 90deg perimeters to the headstocks. This area is of specific design concern to me as I'm a 5-axis CNC programmer and operator. Funny seeing how much you can read back into various company's processes. Yeah, ESP being a "USA" model now just devalues the ESP brand....unless you buy from the Japanese ESP custom shop under the radar *cough*.
as an 2007 ESP LTD M owner, and someone who has also studied ESPs A LOT, I dont think this is a genuine MIJ ESP. First thing I noticed is that the battery compartment is missing, the ones that came with EMG's had a 9v battery box on it's own spot, not hidden beneath the plate with the controls. Next, is the lack of shielding in the cavity. Lastly, is the truss rod cover is missing the ESP logo. I think this is an LTD converted to 'ESP'. edit: also just noticed the pickup selector is not the correct factory ESP.
@@incitatus634 I'm sure that they're great, however ESP is best known for its super high end Japanese-made models. Whilst not intended to disparage US-made ESPs, the brand is synonymous with no holds barred Japanese excellence. Much the same as how the 90s Jacksons made in Japan (Professional series) were made better than US-made and sold for less. Jackson shut that production down, and it became Caparison. There's a lot that goes along with brand and place of manufacture. I've studied how the Toyota Way carried itself into the Japanese guitar industry since the 70s with Ibanez, Aria Pro II, etc. through to modern ESPs. It's a thing. W. Edwards Deming was a genius.
....simply, it is impractical given US employment market and manufacturing to expect anything beyond JIT-type production without massively inflated prices to support a more TQM-type model. I haven't had personal opportunity to inspect any number of US-made ESPs, so I can't comment directly on them, only on manufacturing methods. I'd know where to look for cut corners and potential savings though if they've had to streamline production in any way. Some of these matter and are user-noticeable, some don't and just aren't.
That's a really nice guitar you got there!!! Seems to be a modified one, as far as pickups go and that tone pot. If I remeber correctly, that particular model was fitted with Seymour Duncans, single vol pot and 3 way selector. Nice guitar btw...
I have a 92 m2 with a sinclair tremelo...i think it has a jb pickup from the factory , $549 w /case from guitar center about 10 years ago!....a steal today!
Betrayed by camera 🤣 hang in there Ola!!! Thanks for providing the run down on your ESP and giving some history as well. I’ve got a ‘16 Eclipse EC-1000FR and love it! 🤘Your M-II and the 5150 together sound shred-tactic!!
I also own an MII, mine is a black '94 with a rosewood fretboard and I put full gold hardware in it including a gold EMG 57/66 set. I completely agree on the EII thing even though they are great guitars, that brand naming is a shame. I also own a 2010 Horizon FRII which is my main guitar and it's branded ESP, I think the EII thing came circa 2013 if I'm not wrong. I'll say the MII and Horizon while both loaded with EMG 57/66 sound very different both live and in studio, tonewood is a thing sorry guys (the bolt on vs neck thru also changes the sound). The neck profile on the MII is UNREAL, I have yet to play a more comfortable one and the Horizon is probably the best sounding guitar I've ever played in my life (and I've played and own a bunch). Keep that one Ola, they are fantastic!
I have installed EMG81’s on several of my guitars and believe or not, it does make a difference to the tone whether they are soldered or solderless or whether you have a tone pot or not. The volume pots also make a difference (i’ve tried different volume pots).
Ola!!! You mentioned EMG pups have changed,here's a quote I found! My review on two different EMG 57/66 sets 08-13-2020, 11:13 AM Some while ago, I posted a thread asking if anyone knew if EMG changed their preamp recently. I was told by EMG themselves that it wasn't, and that the 57/66 set had a different preamp altogether (more on that later). But then there were some interesting posts on the thread mentioning that a. the chip they used for their preamp was discontinued recently and b. the main guy behind EMG told Frank Falbo that indeed the preamp was changed.
Word up! Thanks for making this vid on the M-II, and throwing in some of the history about it. Jeff Hanneman was a huge influence for me, and one day I hope to have a branded ESP guitar. The newer E-II M-II guitars are neck thru, which I like, but I agree the different branding was a bad idea. Fkin' SLAYER!!!!
Hey Ola, when you were in Brazil, you signed my MII (It was ash, with a translucent blue finish) ! I think that to solve this problem of the strange sound of this EMG you should review its height in relation to the strings and if you can, test the 24v mod (It's sold on the internet, Fluff did a recent test of this mod on his channel). I think this guitar has the most perfect neck ever created !
I'm very familiar with the internal preamp architecture of the original series EMGs and have designed various active preamps for a couple of decades now. The simple 9v to 18v mod overcomes the less-than-ideal characteristics of running a slow micropower 9v supply with the 90s silicon design of the LM4250 in the EMG-81. 24v doesn't add anything more unless you just convince yourself that it does. I haven't seen Fluff's video, however 24v offers nothing more than the basic 18v mod. In principle the preamp can run up to 36v, however after 12v it's just excessive.
@@TristanJCumpole Do you know if there is a way to do the 18V mod with the quick-connect (or solderless) EMG wiring? Also, does that mod make a difference when playing through an amp like a Katana 50?
@@nckhed It's pretty easy. The single battery snap can be snipped off and replaced with two new snaps. Solder together a common red/black between the new snaps and match up the remaining red/black off each to the original wires. I prefer routing for a Gotoh dual battery box, which is more or less the same process but you need to jumper one connector to the other. The "problem" with straight 9v supply is that once it sags with age to say, below 8v, the preamp starts to limit the transients in the signal somewhat. If I recall correctly, the bias current being so super low in the EMG-81 preamp means that it messes with the fidelity of the top end a bit as well. I'd have to re-read into the LM4250 characteristics to be more accurate on that one.
You can also make a non-destructive mod by making an adaptor snap out of three battery snaps in a loop. One connects to the original with the other two going to the batteries. The only difficult part of this one is making sure the polarities are correct as it's easy to get messed up.
Love ESPs and the thin U neck profile . Very fortunate to have 2 2010 standard Horizons from Japan . One with a Floyd and 81/85 , the other has a fixed bridge with Duncan 59's and is bookmatched . Wish I could afford more . Prices are very dear now though .
You can still get ESP models made in Japan. The ESP name is not only just used for the ESP USA models. If you look on the ESP guitars Japan website, you can see them. I believe there are also some still on the US website branded as ESP Original. Due to various lawsuits etc. ESP models are different in Japan which can be quite confusing. E-II models are made in Japan, BUT directed by ESP USA and Ltd are mostly not available in Japan.
Yea I personally wish they got rid of the E-II and LTD brands that make people feel their guitars are inferior, even many of the LTD’s are GREAT guitars and shouldn’t make people feeel like they’re playing a squire type guitar to ESP’s fender main brand. I’m thinking they would sell a lot more too.
I have ESP M-II made in 2007, maple fretboard with stock seymor duncan piuckups (bridge JB pickup is modded with alnico 8 magnet), 1 volume knob and full black hardware. Floyd is modded with tungsten sustain block and noisless sprigns. This guitar is amazing and build like a tank ( 2nd day of owning it i've sleeped on icy stairs and my guitar in gig bag hit one of the steps covered with terracotta tile. Tile was cracked like hell and guitar... nothing... I couldn't belive that but guitar was totally fine without any cracks etc and it's still in excellent shape to this day)
They still have ESP japan models, they just rebranded the "standard" line to E-II. Now the only guitars with the ESP name are Custom Shop level guitars. "Original Series" which are made in the Custom Shop in Japan and then the "USA" models, which are made in California.
The Japanese production ones were still called ESP at least as late as 2012-2013 as I bought an ESP horizon II then which still said ESP (got a new one last year which says E-II) also now it’s “ESP USA” that are made in USA and are the 2nd to most expensive/high end, then the ones that just say ESP are Japanese custom shop ones that start at $4k USD and skys the limit from there. So from lowest to highest they go LTD which are made in Indonesia and Korea and go up to like $1400 then E-II which are the Japanese production models which go from like $1700-$3000, then ESP USA hand made in California which aim at $3k-$4k , then Japanese custom shop official ESP high end which start at $4k and go to as high as your imagination.
I bought mine brand new in 1999. I regret taking those EMG's out but I recently put the Nazgul/Sentient set in and it sounds amazing. It's always been my work horse guitar and still is. Love ESP's especially the old ones.
I have one with a rosewood fretboard, it's awesome. Great scale. Agreed on the rebranding, doesn't make any sense. Should've just kept the old one: ESP Custom, ESP and LTD.
Actually, according to ESP's jp website, there's the E-II line of M-II, but there's also the ESP line of M-II. The ESP line actually has ESP on the headstock and costs considerably more... the same with the horizons etc... From what I can see from the two websites, the Japanese ESP branded ones say "ESP M-II Custom" while the US ones say "ESP M-II USA", so my guess is that Japan still does the ESP branding, but just wanted a higher quality line.
ESP is not for the US, it's for the custom shop so it doesn't matter if it's made in USA or Japan. So that's why the ESP guitars are way more expensive.
They discountinued the standard series in 2012. EII replaced it in 2013. There are standard series built in 2013 and 2014 aswell. Cos dealers could order standard series guitars until around october/november of 2012. Also all EIIs, standard series, edwards, ltd Elite are only final assembly and set up in Japan. Everything else was/is done at their official Esp Factory they have had in Jixi China since 1992. Not many people know about Esp China, but they also have a direct Esp shop in Beijing, SOHO complex. Also; the original series have been around for years. The only Esp guitars fully made in Japan are the custom orders, custom signature, exhibition and original series.
The first seccond hand guitar I ever bought was a Esp Ltd mh 50. Its got emgs in it now but not because the stock pickups were bad. I just wanted a completely noiseless guitar. Its is a lot of guitar for the money. Very comfy neck that is wide but nowhere near as thin as a Ibanez. Great body contours. Mine came with an esp branded liscensed floyd that I swapped with a Fr special before putting the esp bridge back on. It had better stability with the original trem. I would totally hunt around for one whether your a beginner, intermediate, or even a gigging musician.
I personally couldn't care what was on the headstock, as long as the quality is there, which it definitely is with the e-ii line, consistently premium quality whichever model you get!
Ola, ESP rebranded only the Standard Series to E-II. The signature models, custom shop series (I think those re branded as “original series”) and custom shops are still ESP, with ESP USA being the addition. I do agree ESP standard Series should have never been renamed to E-II.
Hey Ola, can you do a video where you talk about your guitar wall? I'm looking to get my guitars up on the wall in a similar fashion to yours (I've got about 14) and currently have them staggered on single hangers. It looks like your wall has more of a slat-wall feature to it. Would love to see how you have that setup as well as any other "instrument organization" solutions you have!
*8:08 Probably my favorite Pantera riff, although I do believe you played it wrong Ola :P, would love a cover of this one sometime that song doesn't get enough love
EDIT: So I feel I need to address the part where I'm saying that the EMG81 might be one of those not made in the US. ALL EMG81 are being made in the US. Anything made outside of the US are fake EMGs. Sorry for the confusion!
Bee Gees - Tragedy is the “battery” song btw
Seymour duncan blackouts better tho ahb3s
@@jeffarab4947 depends.
@behindspace666666 hahaha I see what u mean
Is there a chance of the one that sounds better is actually an EMG 85? Just found out that the EMG 85 sounds way better than the 81 on the bridge and a lot of bands known for their great tone does that, like Killswitch Engage.
Have a great Friday everyone!
Thx you also
Your benz are lifeless……bahahahaha
That melody you were singing sounds like the Bee Gees song Tragedy
Props to keeping the slider blooper in - we all feel the technical difficulties!
Tongue transducer battery tester! The device of champions!
Ola, the less springs the easier and longer the flutters...unless we can get some boutique springs that I'm not aware of. I'm betting there are only two springs in there.
ESP is still on the headstock of Japanese models in the 'Original' and 'Custom' (custom order) range. So ESP is on the headstock of models made in their custom shop in Japan (Original Series and Custom orders) and in their USA shop. EII is for regular production Japanese instruments. So 'ESP' is reserved for the company's highest quality Japanese and USA guitars.
Came here to say this!
Also you can pick up Edwards which is made in Japan, which is probably close to E-II in quality.
Yes, but the ESP Original does not produce M series anymore. E-II does.
@@ShredBird Edwards is on LTD's range. E-II is just E-II
Totally agree on the E-II thing. I used to be so hyped for being able to afford an ESP and not just an LTD. Bringing out the E-II just seemed odd.
I'm still not very clear about that whole transition, but now I really regret selling me 2007 SS Eclipse II. I'm gonna hop on Reverb now and try my luck, lol.
Agreed, it’s weird and stupid. I’m way less interested in mating an E-II than an ESP even if I know it’s the same thing.
The only good thing for me is that my 2004 Eclipse is now worth twice what I paid for it. Not that it matters as I’ll probably never sell it.
Well, they’re still better than the naming convention of Ibanez. Those guys just love numbers and letters
@@valuedhumanoid6574 yeah. I only buy guitars named with emojis
@@valuedhumanoid6574 once you get the naming scheme, Ibanez model names actually tell you pretty much everything about the guitar, so in that way it’s really cool and useful. Figuring it out, though, that’s a different story and it also makes searching for them a real bitch.
ESPs rule. Consistent and crazy high quality. Probably my favorite brand over the years. But I also agree that renaming to E-II was dumb af. Still amazing guitars but ESP was such a sick brand to see on the headstock of MIJ guitars
Haha yeah. I Want the eclipse, but have the E-II at the headstock, is stopping me... I could rather buy a Ltd 😅 i Want it to say ESP when it is an ESP!
@@viktorstorelv yeah agree its a turn off fucking stupid decicion. I have e2 sv and its great guitar but still would rather have esp logo
I'd rather have a cheaper guitar with the Ltd logo than a better one with E=II on there.
Renaming sucks although the quality is the same. Having ESP on an older one is much cooler than the EII thing. Right now my current fav guitar is USA Custom Shop ESP MII. KILLER guitar
It's gotten me thinking as well. I wonder if bringing the ESP brand over to US manufacture has any implications legally in terms of trademark ownership? ESP not manufacturing guitars in the US might stretch the hold they have over the name. Otherwise I am certain that E-II would have suited US instruments whilst keeping ESP as Japanese only would maintain the strong brand recognition of absolute high end quality.
3:15 They are called "ESP USA" when made in the U.S.. They are called "Original series" if they are a production model made in the Japanese Custom shop. Yes, I know they should have kept the ESP Standard series. Jackson is one of their main competitors and whether you buy a 200$ model or a 5,000+ model built by Mike Shannon himself, the Jackson name is on the headstock
Yeah and now there are quite a few E-II models that cost more than $3k and it still won't say ESP on the headstock which is just straight up bs.
@@Unchainedmaple888 And then there's the rumor (and there's not much if anything proving otherwise..) about them being built in China in their own factory and finished in Japan, just like the Edwards guitars, and for what I can see, it has been like that since early day ESP Standard series, you see the same outline filler on the inlays whether it's a 2021 guitar or in my Eclipse case, 2004. You never even see the building process of E-II in the Tokyo shop, only finished or 95% finished E-IIs on racks. But from pictures from their China shop you see LTD Elites, Edwards and E-IIs on racks.
@@Masterfighterx Yup exactly. I didn't want to bring that up because people get really angry about it and call you a conspiracy theorist when I've literally had this confirmed by an ESP shop employee in Japan who went through ESP's craft academy. Now ESP has the gall to charge $3000 for a product that isn't even really Made in Japan.
Problem is you have to sift through piles of shit on anything sub 2.5k with Jackson quality control. ESP with just a $700 LTD to the Cheapest Original $2700 or whatnot is solid as hell.
My guitar teacher had a copy of this himself. He was the greatest shredder coming out of my town. Its a great guitar!
Thank you Ola. For the first time in decades I pulled an abandoned Strat out of the closet, cleaned it up, popped some strings on, and played....felt like being whole. Your channel was the inspiration.
The blue ESP from Michael Romeo's Guitar Chapter video is legendary !
Even ESP staff in Shibuya quietly agreed the EII decision was stupid when we were in the shop together chatting haha. Sick guitar though! old standard series are my favorites~
this is my dream guitar. i saved up the 4300 I'd have to pay to get a custom shop MII which was as simple as you could imagine. No frills just a basic guitar like this one. Sadly my AC went out and I needed to replace the entire unit. So 6k later I dont have the money anymore. Life happens I guess. Much love Ola!
Might not be the optimal choice but m-II’s come up used in japan all the time. Got a ESP Forest Gt for a killer deal as well. Having one built would be best but there are deals to be had if you look around. I’ve seen a lot of m-IIs go for around $1- 1,500, with esp badge.
I've got one made in 2004 with rosewood board and EMG-X's in it that I want to turn into a lower shelf guitar plus a small amp, since my amp of 20 years died. Has finish checking on the back of the body and a small chip in the edge of the trem chamber, not visible with cover installed. Tremol-no system installed for on the fly hardtailing. Everything else pristine, plays great. Make me an offer that beats my trade-in offer and she's yours, we can do it through reverb or whatever. I'd be glad for it to go to someone who really wants it, since it was my dream guitar growing up.
Ola, while some passive EMG’s are made in Indonesia all 81’s are still made in USA
I was gonna comment the same thing. The only difference is that the old ones are soldered the new ones are quick connect. I don't think that makes a difference in the sound but who knows...the guitar does make a difference in the sound if the EMGs contrary to the legend 😊
@@BalashToth Yeah man, the nonsense you find on the internet surrounding EMGs ... they make every guitar sound the same! Never been true. I had the 81 in several guitars and still have it in two of them and the inherent qualities of the guitar itself is always still there. In fact, I use the 81 in those two guitars precisely because it's a good match for them tonally.
I love how you managed to stay calm during breaks, both when your dog came to say hello and when the slider started to malfunction. Anyone who has ever tried to record their own and create video content knows that there is always something that goes wrong, that freezes, breaks and ruins the mood. Nice guitar
I had the exact same one, sold it years ago and never stopped regretting my decision. A dream to play and super accurate
I feel your pain... I had the same but whit Seymour Duncan.
Many year later, still regret I sold it....
Gr8 vid Ola..& fine timing 4 me on this video. I just got my new ESP E-II M-II neck thru black 2 weeks ago out of Tokyo.... Its absolutely amazing... the EMG 81's are super hot... I luv the black finger board..This guitar is fun to play 🤘
What a lovely instrument. ESP has very consistent QA and reliable builds.
ESP player since 1992. I have a custom shop M2 from 94 and its still one of my favorites.
I've got an ESP M-III Deluxe since 2000. Killer guitar
Correction! ESP's are still made in Japan (as well as the USA), but the E-II is the standard production line whereas ESP-branded guitars are made in their custom shop.
Exactly! E-II is the so-called Standard series in the past, right? I own an E-II FRX and the only thing I would change is the inlay on the headstock, just because it doesn't say ESP 😂 we humans are like this. But the guitar has the quality construction of a custom shop, it sounds and feels amazing.
I suspect the E-II branding was brought in just to make the USA models more desirable because apart from the branding there is very little reason to spend the extra $1500 on a USA over an E-II.
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe It wasn't about the USA models because the E-IIs are still made in Japan and not all of them are sold in the US. It was more about making the ESP brand seem more premium and prestigious, as if people don't already think they're a solid brand lol. Basically to arrange things so if you see an "ESP" on the guitar you know it's the best of the best, and that makes people want to pay more for the "real" ESPs so they can get a guitar with that reputation. Their USA line is pretty weak in my opinion and they really need to start selling Japanese models to the US. Their Japanese guitars dwarf the USA lineup in terms of variety and uniqueness. They already kinda started doing this, selling the Japan-made Snapper-7 in the US, because they previously had no Snappers available from USA. Which was well-needed because the ESP Snapper is their best guitar imo.
E-II are made by ESP factory in China, some are assembled, some are semi-assembled and painted, then those "semi-products" will send back to Japan, wiring works and final set-ups were done in Japan. And they will put a tag that says "Made in Japan".
Mine was made in Korea.
@@vorpalblades LTD Deluxe?
E-II Eclipse. I think it's from 2018.
Have had my ESP KH-2 for 20 years and still love it. It got new frets + the 24Volt mod and works as nicely as the first day. ESPs is just a great brand.
How good do 81's sound with more voltage hey! I only did the 18v last year I wish I had done it earlier.
@@spice_miner well I guess it's a biased view but I felt it had more punch to it and had more dynamics to it. How did you see the difference with the 18V? Can't really tell if there is a big difference between 18V and 24V there probably test videos out there.
@@NicoMCH666 from what I'm told past 18v there isn't much difference. Was more referring to 9v compared to 18 and up.
What'd it cost to refret (stainless i assume)? My '94 KH2 I got 23 years ago and have been tempted to switch pups but the 81s still kick ass. Feels a little like blasphemy to alter anything on a perfect guitar. Havent even tried the 18v mod on one of my EMG'd guitars.
@@cfh13 well it was stainless refret, plus electronics cleanup, Schaller tremolo installed because the Floyd was fucked and added the schaller claw to adjust the springs easier. So in all it was a hefty price, swiss prices 😅, but well worth it after 20 years: 890 CHF.
Quick correction:
They're still called ESP when built in Japan, but only when they're built in their high end custom shops. So the MiJ signature models, Original series, and customs are all branded ESP. The E-II brand is the old ESP Standard series, which were (well, still are) made in a mass-production Japan factory.
Is it a Japan factory though? You never see the building/milling process, but if you do a quick google, you see Edwards, LTD Elites and E-IIs on racks in their China factory.
@@Masterfighterx See I heard/read that "E-II" is a rebranded LTD Deluxe.
@@Masterfighterx Are LTDs made in China now?
@@Zwidawurzn The cheaper ones are. I just got a brand new LTD Deluxe that was made in South Korea and it is amazing.
I have one ESP M-II from 2005 made in Japan. The production quality of it impressive. Probably one of the best guitar I ever had.
how is the neck? i assume it feels great but still curious
@@breather2787the necks easily the best I’ve had, I have one too.
I bought my dream guitar 1 year after teaching myself to play, an ESP KH2. Found out MUCH later it was made the very first year in 94. It is still my dream guitar 23 years later. Plays so damn good and I still love taking it out of its case. Been tempted to put new pups in it but the HARDWIRED dual 81s kick ass. For how terrible i am at solos I almost dont deserve such a nice guitar.
i feel you bro I own an ESP Ohmura Custom and I feel like I'm never gonna actually deserve such a beast until I'm a guitar god.
These are some of my favorite posts that you do.
OLA my man ! I That flutter is beyond amazing, I ve never heard of sth like this. Amazing tone and guitar as always.
Neither a stupid slider, nor a camera out of focus can make Ola's videos bad! Great video and all that stories behind!
I love those ESP's with a maple board. I wish they made more like that. Especially those ones from the 90s with the single coil neck and humbucker bridge. Those are my absolute favorites. One of these days I'll have the extra cash to throw at one.
The 27 fretters are sick too
I have a white '95 M-II in this configuration that I found locally for $1k. Never thought that would be possible again with what's happened to guitar prices. It immediately became my #1. Be patient! They're out there.
I remember Michael Romeo used to play one of those, with a cool purple metallic finish, on his old instruction video.
i have a white body maple fb esp m2 with SD pickup. love it so much, with the sample of th neck not as plat as A RG ibanez. i found it sound a little bit too much mid-scooped, so you have to play it harder to make it attack more. i've tried to put a pair of emgs on it, but i thought that make it sound unpleasent, so i switch back to SD pu immediately. EMGs are very different after they changed the “EMG” symble on the cover, you can see new logo have a dash through the "E", and don't buy it. In second hand market, the old ones are priced differently, and not easy to get. love your vids over 5 years, and best wishes from China.
I have an ESP custom shop from Japan, the Ohmura Custom 7 string. And it is easily the best guitar I've ever played, and is the only guitar I play now. ESP has earned a customer for life. I wish they sold their Japanese guitars in the US, because their Japanese guitars absolutely dwarf the limited selection of their USA models. And frankly I don't care for "Made in USA". It's also an absolute pain in the ass to import guitars worth over $4.5k. I always tell people, if there were a cheaper guitar with the same specs I would have gotten that, but _only_ ESP said "yeah let's make a 7 string superstrat with an EMG 81/85 set, metallic pink, and holographic rainbow sparkles". Specs-wise it is exactly what I wanted and only ESP offered it. Also Takayoshi Ohmura is a beast and makes great music so even better to have basically the exact same guitars he plays. Neat thing about ESP is when you order a signature model it is 1:1 the same guitar as the artists receive from ESP.
Great to hear some love for Michael Romeo and Timo Tolkki! Love these guitars
Love it, your playing, channel, metal, tone and your extra greasy-ness this video .
Love these so much. I bought myself one long ago and it's just like this one, everything is the same, even the year of manufacture, except I have the Duncans in it, which I prefer over the EMG's. I will keep it forever and I'm never going to get rid of it. Amazing video as always, Ola!
Nothing will ever beat ESP Japan !
got an 07 m-ii ntb. was super stoked to get it my first weapon of a guitar its what the thrash metal/metal core/death bands were playing at the time more or less. will never sell so many memories over the fretboard
What a sweet pup. He couldn't care less if dad is filming.
Every esp I've ever played just feels and sounds perfect! I love them!
I have an ESP mirage custom from the 90's , it's heavier than a bass guitar but it sounds and plays great it's still my favourite .
josh middleton from sylosis has one of these exact guitars, you can see him use it on the “I sever” music video and it looks super cool in that video
One of my dream guitar..
Very interesting, Ola. I've been studying ESP's manufacturing methods for years now, and I spotted an odd aspect in that ESP that you normally see in lower end stuff like LTD; the neck was made using a single 2,5D CNC process, not single 5-axis milling or multiple process. The angled headstock is cut whilst the neck is on the same plane as the fingerboard, resulting in slight compound angles around the edges of the headstock with respect to the headstock face. I've had a few Japanese ESPs over the years including an 80s and a 90s custom shop model. Whether the headstocks on these were cut on CNC or manual router (eg. custom shop work) doesn't matter too much, but they did have 90deg perimeters to the headstocks. This area is of specific design concern to me as I'm a 5-axis CNC programmer and operator. Funny seeing how much you can read back into various company's processes. Yeah, ESP being a "USA" model now just devalues the ESP brand....unless you buy from the Japanese ESP custom shop under the radar *cough*.
Look at the video, timestamp 4:52 onwards....the odd angles off the headstock face can be seen....
as an 2007 ESP LTD M owner, and someone who has also studied ESPs A LOT, I dont think this is a genuine MIJ ESP. First thing I noticed is that the battery compartment is missing, the ones that came with EMG's had a 9v battery box on it's own spot, not hidden beneath the plate with the controls. Next, is the lack of shielding in the cavity. Lastly, is the truss rod cover is missing the ESP logo. I think this is an LTD converted to 'ESP'.
edit: also just noticed the pickup selector is not the correct factory ESP.
How does it being USA makes it less valuable? I love my USA custom shop one. It's killer in every single sense
@@incitatus634 I'm sure that they're great, however ESP is best known for its super high end Japanese-made models. Whilst not intended to disparage US-made ESPs, the brand is synonymous with no holds barred Japanese excellence. Much the same as how the 90s Jacksons made in Japan (Professional series) were made better than US-made and sold for less. Jackson shut that production down, and it became Caparison. There's a lot that goes along with brand and place of manufacture. I've studied how the Toyota Way carried itself into the Japanese guitar industry since the 70s with Ibanez, Aria Pro II, etc. through to modern ESPs. It's a thing. W. Edwards Deming was a genius.
....simply, it is impractical given US employment market and manufacturing to expect anything beyond JIT-type production without massively inflated prices to support a more TQM-type model. I haven't had personal opportunity to inspect any number of US-made ESPs, so I can't comment directly on them, only on manufacturing methods. I'd know where to look for cut corners and potential savings though if they've had to streamline production in any way. Some of these matter and are user-noticeable, some don't and just aren't.
5:37 well that's actually "Tragedy" by the Bee Gees
Waited so long for this episode 🤘🤘
I love when the pup takes over the videos
That's a really nice guitar you got there!!!
Seems to be a modified one, as far as pickups go and that tone pot.
If I remeber correctly, that particular model was fitted with Seymour Duncans, single vol pot and 3 way selector.
Nice guitar btw...
Michael Romeo vibes! Love it!
I really like the gray color on one of those secondary cameras
E-ll is only the rebrand of ESP Standard. ESP original and custom shop are not affected
I really like the ESP’s I have played. Really nice neck profiles as well.
The thin U neck feels sooooo good to play
@@DavidNwokoye I have an old SC200 and it’s actually good for being a low end instrument. I really like the EC line as well.
I have the same, still happy
I have a 92 m2 with a sinclair tremelo...i think it has a jb pickup from the factory , $549 w /case from guitar center about 10 years ago!....a steal today!
My grandpa's esp is my best guitar, I put some custom shaping on it and put in seymour Duncan's. I put on some d'dario locking tuners too. Love it
Betrayed by camera 🤣 hang in there Ola!!! Thanks for providing the run down on your ESP and giving some history as well. I’ve got a ‘16 Eclipse EC-1000FR and love it! 🤘Your M-II and the 5150 together sound shred-tactic!!
I also own an MII, mine is a black '94 with a rosewood fretboard and I put full gold hardware in it including a gold EMG 57/66 set. I completely agree on the EII thing even though they are great guitars, that brand naming is a shame. I also own a 2010 Horizon FRII which is my main guitar and it's branded ESP, I think the EII thing came circa 2013 if I'm not wrong. I'll say the MII and Horizon while both loaded with EMG 57/66 sound very different both live and in studio, tonewood is a thing sorry guys (the bolt on vs neck thru also changes the sound). The neck profile on the MII is UNREAL, I have yet to play a more comfortable one and the Horizon is probably the best sounding guitar I've ever played in my life (and I've played and own a bunch). Keep that one Ola, they are fantastic!
Good looking guitar in seemingly great condition. I really like the maple fret board with the gloss black finish.
I have installed EMG81’s on several of my guitars and believe or not, it does make a difference to the tone whether they are soldered or solderless or whether you have a tone pot or not. The volume pots also make a difference (i’ve tried different volume pots).
I have a 1987 M II Deluxe. It absolutely rips
Totally agree with the branding thing. Was looking to buy a new guitar was not stoked, would rather try and find and older ESP branded guitar.
Ola!!!
You mentioned EMG pups have changed,here's a quote I found!
My review on two different EMG 57/66 sets
08-13-2020, 11:13 AM
Some while ago, I posted a thread asking if anyone knew if EMG changed their preamp recently. I was told by EMG themselves that it wasn't, and that the 57/66 set had a different preamp altogether (more on that later). But then there were some interesting posts on the thread mentioning that a. the chip they used for their preamp was discontinued recently and b. the main guy behind EMG told Frank Falbo that indeed the preamp was changed.
I have an ESP MII bolt on, rosewood, dual emg81s. It is my best playing guitar and the build quality is just awesome.
Word up! Thanks for making this vid on the M-II, and throwing in some of the history about it. Jeff Hanneman was a huge influence for me, and one day I hope to have a branded ESP guitar. The newer E-II M-II guitars are neck thru, which I like, but I agree the different branding was a bad idea. Fkin' SLAYER!!!!
Hey Ola, when you were in Brazil, you signed my MII (It was ash, with a translucent blue finish) !
I think that to solve this problem of the strange sound of this EMG you should review its height in relation to the strings and if you can, test the 24v mod (It's sold on the internet, Fluff did a recent test of this mod on his channel).
I think this guitar has the most perfect neck ever created !
I'm very familiar with the internal preamp architecture of the original series EMGs and have designed various active preamps for a couple of decades now. The simple 9v to 18v mod overcomes the less-than-ideal characteristics of running a slow micropower 9v supply with the 90s silicon design of the LM4250 in the EMG-81. 24v doesn't add anything more unless you just convince yourself that it does. I haven't seen Fluff's video, however 24v offers nothing more than the basic 18v mod. In principle the preamp can run up to 36v, however after 12v it's just excessive.
@@TristanJCumpole Do you know if there is a way to do the 18V mod with the quick-connect (or solderless) EMG wiring? Also, does that mod make a difference when playing through an amp like a Katana 50?
@@nckhed It's pretty easy. The single battery snap can be snipped off and replaced with two new snaps. Solder together a common red/black between the new snaps and match up the remaining red/black off each to the original wires. I prefer routing for a Gotoh dual battery box, which is more or less the same process but you need to jumper one connector to the other. The "problem" with straight 9v supply is that once it sags with age to say, below 8v, the preamp starts to limit the transients in the signal somewhat. If I recall correctly, the bias current being so super low in the EMG-81 preamp means that it messes with the fidelity of the top end a bit as well. I'd have to re-read into the LM4250 characteristics to be more accurate on that one.
You can also make a non-destructive mod by making an adaptor snap out of three battery snaps in a loop. One connects to the original with the other two going to the batteries. The only difficult part of this one is making sure the polarities are correct as it's easy to get messed up.
Caralho às vezes eu adoro ser brasileiro, sinceramente
Love ESPs and the thin U neck profile . Very fortunate to have 2 2010 standard Horizons from Japan . One with a Floyd and 81/85 , the other has a fixed bridge with Duncan 59's and is bookmatched . Wish I could afford more . Prices are very dear now though .
Love the ESP stuff!
I've always wanted this model, that maple board looks amazing
Hey Ola that "battery" song you sang was "Tragedy" by BeeGees!! :)
You can still get ESP models made in Japan. The ESP name is not only just used for the ESP USA models. If you look on the ESP guitars Japan website, you can see them. I believe there are also some still on the US website branded as ESP Original. Due to various lawsuits etc. ESP models are different in Japan which can be quite confusing.
E-II models are made in Japan, BUT directed by ESP USA and Ltd are mostly not available in Japan.
Josh Middleton owns of one these ad used it for all of the leads on the new Sylosis album.
Just bought a “Chug Life” shirt. Excited to rep Ola merch in Iowa
I love those styles of headstocks
Jackson Dinky back in the day was in this category, which was my first "nice" guitar... still love it!!
Even the lower price point esp guitars can sound great with the right set up but that can be said for just about any brand. Nice vid man 🤘🏾🤘🏾
Yea I personally wish they got rid of the E-II and LTD brands that make people feel their guitars are inferior, even many of the LTD’s are GREAT guitars and shouldn’t make people feeel like they’re playing a squire type guitar to ESP’s fender main brand. I’m thinking they would sell a lot more too.
I have ESP M-II made in 2007, maple fretboard with stock seymor duncan piuckups (bridge JB pickup is modded with alnico 8 magnet), 1 volume knob and full black hardware. Floyd is modded with tungsten sustain block and noisless sprigns. This guitar is amazing and build like a tank ( 2nd day of owning it i've sleeped on icy stairs and my guitar in gig bag hit one of the steps covered with terracotta tile. Tile was cracked like hell and guitar... nothing... I couldn't belive that but guitar was totally fine without any cracks etc and it's still in excellent shape to this day)
They still have ESP japan models, they just rebranded the "standard" line to E-II. Now the only guitars with the ESP name are Custom Shop level guitars. "Original Series" which are made in the Custom Shop in Japan and then the "USA" models, which are made in California.
Tq so much,the most beautiful chuck on m-12
The Japanese production ones were still called ESP at least as late as 2012-2013 as I bought an ESP horizon II then which still said ESP (got a new one last year which says E-II) also now it’s “ESP USA” that are made in USA and are the 2nd to most expensive/high end, then the ones that just say ESP are Japanese custom shop ones that start at $4k USD and skys the limit from there. So from lowest to highest they go LTD which are made in Indonesia and Korea and go up to like $1400 then E-II which are the Japanese production models which go from like $1700-$3000, then ESP USA hand made in California which aim at $3k-$4k , then Japanese custom shop official ESP high end which start at $4k and go to as high as your imagination.
I loved seeing the ESP logos on the headstock. There was some sort of hysteria with those guitars.
Whew lawd, I zoned out there at the end and thought I heard Ola playing "Trampled Under Hoof" by Mastodon
I bought mine brand new in 1999. I regret taking those EMG's out but I recently put the Nazgul/Sentient set in and it sounds amazing. It's always been my work horse guitar and still is. Love ESP's especially the old ones.
*Ola + ESP + dog*
I just simped on so many levels
Clicked and liked
sounds like the amzing metal tone to me. i never own a m-2 but i always wanted one.
My favorite ESPs are the Page Hamilton signature with DiMarzios and basically any good Eclipse.
Love the shows Ola! Keep ‘em comin! 🤘🏻🔥
True question about his dog - Will it chug?
I think Josh Middleton of Sylosis uses one of these too.
Ace of a guitar man ❤🙌
I have one with a rosewood fretboard, it's awesome. Great scale.
Agreed on the rebranding, doesn't make any sense. Should've just kept the old one: ESP Custom, ESP and LTD.
If you have a washburn dime 332 , could you please do a video about it.
The "battery" song is called "Tragedy" and it has been written by the Bee Gees ;-)
Decent mash-up. Cannot stop the tragedy.
You should get some of those fret polishing erasers... super quick and easy and you get a really good result
Actually, according to ESP's jp website, there's the E-II line of M-II, but there's also the ESP line of M-II. The ESP line actually has ESP on the headstock and costs considerably more... the same with the horizons etc...
From what I can see from the two websites, the Japanese ESP branded ones say "ESP M-II Custom" while the US ones say "ESP M-II USA", so my guess is that Japan still does the ESP branding, but just wanted a higher quality line.
ESP is not for the US, it's for the custom shop so it doesn't matter if it's made in USA or Japan. So that's why the ESP guitars are way more expensive.
They discountinued the standard series in 2012. EII replaced it in 2013. There are standard series built in 2013 and 2014 aswell. Cos dealers could order standard series guitars until around october/november of 2012. Also all EIIs, standard series, edwards, ltd Elite are only final assembly and set up in Japan. Everything else was/is done at their official Esp Factory they have had in Jixi China since 1992. Not many people know about Esp China, but they also have a direct Esp shop in Beijing, SOHO complex. Also; the original series have been around for years. The only Esp guitars fully made in Japan are the custom orders, custom signature, exhibition and original series.
The first seccond hand guitar I ever bought was a Esp Ltd mh 50. Its got emgs in it now but not because the stock pickups were bad. I just wanted a completely noiseless guitar. Its is a lot of guitar for the money. Very comfy neck that is wide but nowhere near as thin as a Ibanez. Great body contours. Mine came with an esp branded liscensed floyd that I swapped with a Fr special before putting the esp bridge back on. It had better stability with the original trem. I would totally hunt around for one whether your a beginner, intermediate, or even a gigging musician.
All EMG 81s 60s 85s 57s 66s are made in the US, the Hot 70s and alike are made in indonesia (for whatever reason)
I personally couldn't care what was on the headstock, as long as the quality is there, which it definitely is with the e-ii line, consistently premium quality whichever model you get!
100% agree. E-II is a lot more consistent than the older esp standards.
Very nice guitar. Good sounding. Have to buy guitar with maple fretboard someday.
Ola, ESP rebranded only the Standard Series to E-II. The signature models, custom shop series (I think those re branded as “original series”) and custom shops are still ESP, with ESP USA being the addition.
I do agree ESP standard Series should have never been renamed to E-II.
Hey Ola, can you do a video where you talk about your guitar wall? I'm looking to get my guitars up on the wall in a similar fashion to yours (I've got about 14) and currently have them staggered on single hangers. It looks like your wall has more of a slat-wall feature to it. Would love to see how you have that setup as well as any other "instrument organization" solutions you have!
*8:08 Probably my favorite Pantera riff, although I do believe you played it wrong Ola :P, would love a cover of this one sometime that song doesn't get enough love
You crack me up. Rock and roll brother