I love ESP

[SignoftheDragon]

Looks like a Danelectro headstock - a bit odd on the star shape, but I'd rock it!

[countertext]

The funny headstock and 6L tuners are a homage to some old guitar, I don't know,

Eddie Van Halen put a Danelectro neck on a Charvel body like this. It’s a Van Halen tribute.

[Embenny]

Eddie Van Halen put a Danelectro neck on a Charvel body like this. It’s a Van Halen tribute.

[tammyw]

Here's a real gem to start the new year: Toki's signature Chunpa V. I don't take this one out too often, but I'm always enamored with it when I do. Based on the Arrow, they added an extra point up front and also drew out the point inside the V a little bit. The color is called Flip Flap Pink, and it's the most gorgeous color I've ever seen. It's a pearl finish, and it looks like it has something like a contrasting pale-blue ghost pearl over the top, the glow and sheen is fabulous, the pictures just can't capture the brilliance.

It has a three-piece maple neck-thru-body with alder wings and ebony fingerboard, and this one is truly on the thinner side but still a very nice comfortable profile. The hardware includes a D-Tuna on the black-nickel Floyd Rose Original so you can switch tuning on the fly, and a set of Seymour Duncan original Blackouts with a single volume control gives it a distinct scooped sound. This one's signed in person, and she even wrote ROCK 'N' CHUNPA!!

[tammyw]

Here's another Arrow, the Tōko Kirigaya signature model. It has just three small deviations from standard specs. First is obviously the butterfly inlays, they're made of recon stone which is a good deal harder than acrylic or other synthetic materials. Second, the fingerboard is made of Richlite. This might be the only guitar I have with Richlite, but I don't have any complaints with it. Third, the back of the neck has a satin finish. I know it's not that unusual, but I think this is the only thru/set-neck ESP I have with a glossy body and satin neck. Otherwise it's a typical maple thru neck, alder body, with a pair of EMG 81's.

[tammyw]

Well, I think this is the last one, but it's a fun one. The Junichi Yamaura signature ESP Skull Cat. Honestly I have no idea what the story is behind this guitar, and as far as I know he only played it during the PIERROT reunion shows (Dictators Circus Final and Androgynos). The body shape is supposed to be like a Jaguar, but it's a 25.5" scale with a hardtail bridge. Pickups are Seymour Duncan SSL-5 "Custom Staggered" in the neck and middle, with a JB Jr. in the bridge. It has a tilt-back headstock, too. The controls are rear routed, but it still has a full clear pickguard. It actually only has a single volume, the second pot isn't wired in. Plays like a dream.

[BoringPostcards]

That’s really cool. I dig that one.

[windmill]

The whole 24 of them look good.

but who's counting !

Thanks for posting the photos.

[tammyw]

Ended up buying one more guitar this year. ESP USA V-II FR in satin Jawbreaker finish. They introduced this color a couple years ago, and I know they produced more than a handful across different models, but I think it might be discontinued now. It's a little bit silly, but it's a solid guitar.

[tammyw]

Coincidentally, two new Miku guitars arrived this month. The first one is the Edwards E-STREAM-Miku-Custom SNOW MIKU edition. Edwards is down-range brand under ESP, and honestly I think the quality leaves a bit to be desired at this price point; it's certainly not flawless. But I couldn't resist the limitted edition Miku guitar. I don't think they make any other Stream bodies with a vibrato, either. So they accepted unlimitted pre-orders for this guitar for only a couple months at the start of last year, and they were supposed to be out earlier this year but there was some production delay.

This model came with a SSH pickup configuration, although the neck and middle are Seymour Duncan Vintage Hot Stack Plus pickups, not plain single coils. Basic 5-way switching, nothing special going on with the controls. Set neck with satin finish on the back of the neck, and a contoured heel for that 24 fret access. And a Gotoh Wilkinson bridge and locking Gotoh tuners. The white paint is pearl white, and it's throwing off the white-balance of the camera for some reason. Also the stripe above the top edge of the pickguard is silver. For some reason, when I look at this shape I expect it to be a light guitar, but they're pretty hefty over 8.6lbs.

[tammyw]

The second one is the ESP Hatsune Miku 15th Anniversary edition STREAM-Miku-Custom. This one was announced last year as well, and truely limitted to only 39 pieces. The center section of the body and headstock are glossly, but the rest of the black is a satin finish. Those squares painted on it are silver paint. Other than the paint job, I think it's the same as the original STREAM-Miku-Custom. Wilkinson bridge, Jazz & '59/Custom humbuckers with coil-splitting. Impeccable ESP custom shop quality. It came with a painted case and a couple decorated picks as well. It's hard to believe it's been over 15 years of Miku.