ESP E-II Eclipse DB Granite Sparkle 2014 MIJ Electric Guitar

This is an ESP E-II Eclipse DB electric guitar in Granite Sparkle finish. Although the finish is named ‘Granite Sparkle’, the colour appears more Green in person, as can often be the case with ambiguous finish names. Crafted in Japan in 2014, this guitar is part of ESP’s E-II brand, which is the new name for the ESP Standard series. Crafted at ESP’s Tokyo factory, the E-II series of guitars are second only to the hand made ESP Custom Shop instruments when it comes to Japanese craftsmanship.

This guitar features a set-neck construction comprising a Mahogany body with a carved Maple top, Mahogany neck, and a 24-fret Ebony fingerboard. Black Chrome hardware is fitted including a Stopbar tailpiece & ToM bridge & Gotoh locking tuners. A set of active EMG humbucking pickups in Brushed Black Chrome finish are installed, with a 57TW in the bridge & a 66TW in the bridge position. These are wired to a 3-way toggle switch, independent volume controls with independent push/pull coil splits & a master tone.

The Thin ‘U’ neck profile feels extremely sharp and precise, with the gloss finish to the rear ensuring smooth and fluid transitions up or down the neck. The Mahogany body with carved Maple top provides a reassuring weight and sense of luxury to the instrument, whilst the body contours make it a very comfortable guitar to play on long gigs and practice sessions.

There is everything you would expect from a guitar with active EMG pickups on offer here. With high gain there is a thick low end, with crushing tones readily available. The bridge pickup has a searing bite to it, perfect for metal riffing. There is plenty of clarity and definition to be teased out of these pickups, even with the gain cranked to 11. The pickups clean up nicely too, with shimmery sounds at the ready with subtler amp settings. The individual coil split for each pickup allows for a versatile range of tones, meaning that crunchy overdrive and crystal clean sounds are possible too.