ESP LTD Arrow
ESP Guitars hit the ground running in 2024 with the introduction of 19 new additions to the company’s popular LTD Deluxe Series.
Two new models were added to the Arrow Series with the Arrow-1000 (Dark Brown Sunburst Satin)and the Arrow-1007 Baritone EverTune (Black). Both guitars feature the beveled body and completelyunique V shape of the ESP Arrow, and both offer neck-thru-body construction, stainless steel frets, and aset of Fishman’s multi-voice Fluence Modern Humbucker pickups. The Arrow-1007 Baritone EverTune isa seven-string model at 27” baritone scale that also includes the EverTune constant tension bridge.
The SN-1 HTBaritone (Black) is another 27” baritone scale guitar that’s built with bolt-on construction. It features adense swamp ash body and a bolt-on five-piece thin u-shaped roasted maple/purple heart neck,Macassar ebony fingerboard with 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, scalloped from frets 17-24.Components include a black bone nut, a Hipshot hardtail bridge with string thru body, and a multi-voiceFishman Fluence Modern Humbucker active bridge pickupA new addition to the Viper Series comes with the LTD Deluxe Viper-1000 (Vintage Black). This double-horned guitar is built at 24.75” scale with set-thru construction. It features a Macassar ebony fingerboardwith 22 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, a TonePros TOM bridge and tailpiece, and a set of multi-voiceFishman Fluence Modern Humbucker active pickups. The XJ-1 HT (Black Blast) offers bolt-onconstruction at 25.5” scale, with a textured sandblasted Black Blast finish on its swamp ash body. Otherfeatures include a roasted maple neck, tilt-back reverse headstock, Macassar ebony fingerboard with 22extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, a Hipshot hardtail bridge with string thru body, and a Fishman FluenceOpen Core Classic bridge pickup with two voices accessible via push-pull control.Detailed information and specs on the entire LTD Deluxe Series is available on the ESP web site at www.espguitars.com.
LTD EC
ESP’s single-cutaway LTD EC Series received several new additions that include the EC-01FT, availablein Black, Olympic White, and Vintage Burst finishes. The EC-01FT is a streamlined take on the ECdesign, with a flat-top body and clean electronics layout. Features and components on the EC-01FTinclude set-thru construction at 24.75” scale, a slightly wider 43mm nut, 22 extra-jumbo stainless steelfrets, and a recessed TonePros TOM bridge with string thru body. The EC-01FT also features the Custom14, a new custom pickup designed exclusively for ESP by Seymour Duncan that is purpose-built to coverthe specific needs of the ESP player, with a push-pull control to split the coils. Other new additions to theLTD Deluxe EC Series include newly-updated EC-1000 (Black) and EC-1000 (See Thru Black Cherry)models that now feature Fishman Fluence pickups, and the EC-1007 Baritone EverTune (Black), whichis a seven-string guitar at 27” baritone scale that features an EverTune constant tension bridge.
LTD Deluxe H3
The LTD Deluxe H3-1000FR (Metallic Silver) offers set-thru construction at 25.5” scale, an extra-thinmaple neck, Macassar ebony fingerboard with 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, a Floyd Rose 1000 SEdouble-locking tremolo with stainless steel screws, and a direct-mounted pickup set that includes theexclusive Seymour Duncan Custom 14 paired with a cosmetically-matching Seymour Duncan APH-1Alnico II Pro humbucker in the neck position. The new M-1001 (Charcoal Metallic Satin) provides a flat-top alder body and satin-backed, extra-thin u-shaped three-piece maple neck. Built with bolt-onconstruction at 25.5” scale, the M-1001 includes a Macassar ebony fingerboard, 24 extra-jumbo stainlesssteel frets, a Floyd Rose 1000 tremolo, and a direct-mount Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker multi-voice active pickup.
LTD M-1007
The LTD Deluxe M-1007 Baritone (Charcoal Burst Satin) is a seven-string guitarthat features set-thru construction at 27” baritone scale, and an alder body with quilted maple top. This model also includes an extra-thin u-shaped three-piece maple neck, Macassar ebony fingerboard with 24extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, a Floyd Rose 1000 SE tremolo with stainless steel screws, and a set ofdirect-mounted multi-voice Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker active pickups.— more —The MH-1000 EverTune (Charcoal Burst) combines design elements of ESP’s H/Horizon models, like itsarchtop body, and from the M/Mirage guitars, like its inline headstock and extra-thin u-shaped neck. Itoffers set-thru construction at 25.5” scale, a mahogany body with flamed maple top, 24 extra-jumbostainless steel frets, and the innovative EverTune constant tension bridge. Pickups on the MH-1000EverTune are Fishman’s innovative active multi-voice Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker activepickups. The MH-1000NT (Charcoal Burst) is a similar guitar that offers a TonePros locking TOM bridgewith string thru body.ESP’s new LTD Deluxe Phoenix-1001 (Tobacco Sunburst) is a neck-thru-body guitar at 25.5” scale witha three-piece mahogany neck, a Macassar ebony fingerboard with 22 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, aTonePros TOM locking bridge and tailpiece, and the versatile and dynamic Seymour Duncan Custom 14,a new pickup made exclusively for ESP that offers high output and extraordinary tonal balance.
SN-1000
Three new additions have ben announced in the SN Series. The SN-1000 EverTune Koa (Natural Satin)offers bolt-on construction at 25.5” scale, and features a mahogany body topped with Hawaiian Koa. Itincludes a satin-finished thin u-shaped maple neck, and a Macassar ebony fingerboard with 22 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, and is scalloped from frets 15-22. Other features include the innovativeEverTune constant tension bridge, and a special set of pickups with an ESP-exclusive Seymour DuncanCustom 14 and a cosmetically-matching Seymour Duncan APH-1 Alnico II Pro humbucker. TheSN-1007HT Baritone (Fire Blast) provides the SN shape in a 27” baritone scale, with a sandblasted FireBlast finish on its swamp ash body, a 48mm black bone nut, a Hipshot hardtail bridge with string thrubody, and a set of multi-voice Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker active pickups.
The SN-1 HT Baritone (Black) is another 27” baritone scale guitar that’s built with bolt-on construction. It features adense swamp ash body and a bolt-on five-piece thin u-shaped roasted maple/purple heart neck,Macassar ebony fingerboard with 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, scalloped from frets 17-24.Components include a black bone nut, a Hipshot hardtail bridge with string thru body, and a multi-voiceFishman Fluence Modern Humbucker active bridge pickupA new addition to the Viper Series comes with the LTD Deluxe Viper-1000 (Vintage Black). This double-horned guitar is built at 24.75” scale with set-thru construction. It features a Macassar ebony fingerboardwith 22 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, a TonePros TOM bridge and tailpiece, and a set of multi-voiceFishman Fluence Modern Humbucker active pickups. The XJ-1 HT (Black Blast) offers bolt-onconstruction at 25.5” scale, with a textured sandblasted Black Blast finish on its swamp ash body. Otherfeatures include a roasted maple neck, tilt-back reverse headstock, Macassar ebony fingerboard with 22extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, a Hipshot hardtail bridge with string thru body, and a Fishman FluenceOpen Core Classic bridge pickup with two voices accessible via push-pull control.
Detailed information and specs on the entire LTD Deluxe Series is available on the ESP web site at www.espguitars.com.
Gibson originally launched the EB-6 model with the intention of serving consumers looking for a “tic-tac” bass sound.
The Gibson EB-6 was announced in 1959 and came into the world in 1960, not with a dual-horn body but with that of an elegant ES-335. They looked stately, with a thin, semi-hollow body, f-holes, and a sunburst finish. Our pick for this Vintage Vault column is one such first-year model, in about as original condition as you’re able to find today. “Why?” you may be asking. Well, read on....
When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye. The real competition were the Danelectro 6-string basses that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere and were suddenly being used on lots of hit records by the likes of Elvis, Patsy Cline, and other household names. Danos like the UB-2 (introduced in ’56), the Longhorn 4623 (’58), and the Shorthorn 3612 (’58) were the earliest attempts any company made at a 6-string bass in this style: not quite a standard electric bass, not quite a guitar, nor, for that matter, quite like a baritone guitar.
The only change this vintage EB-6 features is a replacement set of Kluson tuners.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
Gibson, Fender, and others during this era would in fact call these basses “baritone guitars,” to add to our confusion today. But these vintage “baritones” were all tuned one octave below a standard guitar, with scale lengths around 30", while most modern baritones are tuned B-to-B or A-to-A and have scale lengths between 26" and 30".)
At the time, those Danelectros were instrumental to what was called the “tic-tac” bass sound of Nashville records produced by Chet Atkins, or the “click-bass” tones made out west by producer Lee Hazlewood. Gibson wanted something for this market, and the EB-6 was born.
“When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye.”
The 30.5" scale 1960 EB-6 has a single humbucking pickup, a volume knob, a tone knob, and a small, push-button “Tone Selector Switch” that engages a treble circuit for an instant tic-tac sound. (Without engaging that switch, you get a bass-heavy tone so deep that cowboy chords will sound like a muddy mess.)
The EB-6, for better or for worse, did not unseat the Danelectros, and a November 1959 price list from Gibson hints at why: The EB-6 retailed for $340, compared to Dano price tags that ranged from $85 to $150. Only a few dozen EB-6 basses were shipped in 1960, and only 67 total are known to have been built before Gibson changed the shape to the SG style in 1962.
Most players who come across an EB-6 today think it was a response to the Fender Bass VI, but the former actually beat the latter to the market by a full year.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
It’s sad that so few were built. Sure, it was a high-end model made to achieve the novelty tic-tac sound of cheaper instruments, but in its full-voiced glory, the EB-6 has a huge potential of tones. It would sound great in our contemporary guitar era where more players are exploring baritone ranges, and where so many people got back into the Bass VI after seeing the Beatles play one in the 2021 documentary, Get Back.
It’s sadder, still, how many original-era EB-6s have been parted out in the decades since. Remember earlier when I wrote that our Vintage Vaultpick was about as original as you could find? That’s because the model’s single humbucker is a PAF, its Kluson tuners are double-line, and its knobs are identical to those on Les Paul ’Bursts. So as people repaired broken ’Bursts, converted other LPs to ’Bursts, or otherwise sought to give other Gibsons a “Golden Era” sound and look ... they often stripped these forgotten EB-6 basses for parts.
This original EB-6 is up for sale now from Reverb seller Emerald City Guitars for a $16,950 asking price at the time of writing. The only thing that isn’t original about it is a replacement set of Kluson tuners, not because its originals were stolen but just to help preserve them. (They will be included in the case.)
With so few surviving 335-style EB-6 basses, Reverb doesn’t have a ton of sales data to compare prices to. Ten years ago, a lucky buyer found a nearly original 1960 EB-6 for about $7,000. But Emerald City’s $16,950 asking price is closer to more recent examples and asking prices.
Sources: Prices on Gibson Instruments, November 1, 1959, Tony Bacon’s “Danelectro’s UB-2 and the Early Days of 6-String Basses” Reverb News article, Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars, Tom Wheeler’s American Guitars: An Illustrated History, Reverb listings and Price Guide sales data.
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
Released in 1983, the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay was a staple for pro players of the era and remains revered for its rich analog/digital hybrid sound and distinctive modulation. BOSS reimagined this retro classic in 2023 with the acclaimed SDE-3000D and SDE-3000EVH, two wide-format pedals with stereo sound, advanced features, and expanded connectivity. The SDE-3 brings the authentic SDE-3000 vibe to a streamlined BOSS compact, enhanced with innovative creative tools for every musical style. The SDE-3 delivers evocative delay sounds that drip with warmth and musicality. The efficient panel provides the primary controls of its vintage benchmark—including delay time, feedback, and independent rate and depth knobs for the modulation—plus additional knobs for expanded sonic potential.
A wide range of tones are available, from basic mono delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos to moody textures for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music. Along with reproducing the SDE-3000's original mono sound, the SDE-3 includes a powerful Offset knob to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays. With one simple control, the user can instantly add a second delay to the primary delay. This provides a wealth of mono and stereo colors not available with other delay pedals, including unique doubled sounds and timed dual delays with tap tempo control. The versatile SDE-3 provides output configurations to suit any stage or studio scenario.
Two stereo modes include discrete left/right delays and a panning option for ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field. Dry and effect-only signals can be sent to two amps for wet/dry setups, and the direct sound can be muted for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs. The SDE-3 offers numerous control options to enhance live and studio performances. Tap tempo mode is available with a press and hold of the pedal switch, while the TRS MIDI input can be used to sync the delay time with clock signals from DAWs, pedals, and drum machines. Optional external footswitches provide on-demand access to tap tempo and a hold function for on-the-fly looping. Alternately, an expression pedal can be used to control the Level, Feedback, and Time knobs for delay mix adjustment, wild pitch effects, and dramatic self-oscillation.
The new BOSS SDE-3 Dual Delay Pedal will be available for purchase at authorized U.S. BOSS retailers in October for $219.99. To learn more, visit www.boss.info.