ESP debuted new Signature Series, limited-edition models and basses at NAMM 2024.
LTD GH SV-200
The LTD GH SV-200 is the newest Signature Series guitar for Gary Holt, one of the most influential musicians in the world of thrash metal. The LTD SV GH-200 is a more affordable version of Holt’s LTD GH-SV model announced in 2023, with the same offset ESP SV body shape, black finish, and red multi- binding as its higher-end version. Its features include bolt-on construction at 24.75” scale with a mahogany body and three-piece mahogany neck, a roasted jatoba fingerboard, 22 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, a Floyd Rose 1000 double-locking tremolo, LTD tuners, and a set of direct-mount high-output ESP LH-301 pickups with red covers.
LTD GL Desert Eagle
ESP debuted a new Signature guitar for the company’s longterm artist endorsee George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob) with the LTD GL Desert Eagle, a re-imagining of his famous Kamikaze model. It features an alder body and maple neck, joined with bolt-on construction at 25.5” scale. Its neck profile implements George’s original U shape, and it includes a Macassar ebony fingerboard and 22 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets. Components on the LTD GL Desert Eagle include a Floyd Rose 1000 SE double-locking tremolo with stainless steel screws, a special low-friction volume pot, and a special pickup combination that includes a Seymour Duncan Distortion pickup in the bridge, with push-pull coil splitting on the single volume knob, and an ESP SS-120 single-coil in the neck position. A portion of the proceeds of every LTD Desert Eagle will be contributed to George’s non-profit charity that assists Native American communities and causes. This guitar includes a deluxe ESP hardshell case.
LTD MK EC-FR
The LTD MK EC-FR is a new addition to the Signature Series for Mille Petrozza, founder of pioneering and influential thrash band Kreator. The MK-EC FR starts with the familiar single-cutaway shape of the ESP Eclipse, but offers a flat-top alder body with no bevels, horn scoop, or arm cut, and features black binding on the body, neck, and headstock. Other features include neck-thru-body construction at 25.5” scale, a three-piece thin u-shaped maple neck, and Macassar ebony fingerboard with mother-of-pearl dot inlays, Luminlay glow-in-the-dark side markers, and 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets. The all-black hardware on the MK-EC FR includes a Floyd Rose 1000 SE double-locking tremolo with stainless steel screws, precise Grover tuners, and a set of direct-mount EMG 81X (bridge) and EMG 85X (neck) active pickups with brushed black chrome covers. It includes a deluxe ESP hardshell case.
LTD Royal Shiva
The 2024 NAMM Show also saw the debut of a brand new Signature Series guitar for Bill Kelliher of award-winning American metal band Mastodon. Based on a guitar that Kelliher had built by the ESP Custom Shop, the LTD Royal Shiva has a completely unique double-cutaway body shape with a Silver Sunburst finish that extends to the back of the guitars body and neck. The Royal Shiva uses traditional set neck construction at 25” scale, joining a maple-capped mahogany body with a three-piece u-shaped maple neck. Its Macassar ebony fingerboard has large mother-of-pearl block inlays and 22 extra-jumbo frets. Components on the Royal Shiva include a TonePros TOM bridge and tailpiece, LTD locking tuners, a bone nut, a multi-ply black pickguard, and a set of Kelliher’s signature Mojotone Hellbender humbucker pickups. This guitar also includes a deluxe ESP hardshell case.
LTD TED-EC
The LTD TED-EC joins the Signature Series of Ted Aguilar, guitarist of Bay Area thrash band Death Angel. This single-cutaway EC has a Black finish sharply contrasting with white pickup covers/rings and white pearloid tuners. The TED-EC features special design aspects like neck-thru-body construction at 24.75” scale, mahogany body with maple cap, thin u-shaped three-piece mahogany neck, and Macassar ebony fingerboard with mother-of-pearl dot inlays and 24 extra-jumbo frets. Components on the TED-EC include a recessed Gotoh TOM bridge with string thru body, LTD locking tuners, and a set of EMG 81 (bridge) and EMG 60 (neck) active pickups with white covers. The TED-EC includes a deluxe ESP hardshell case.
LTD FL-4
Two new Signature Series basses also made their debut at the 2024 NAMM Show. The LTD FL-4 is the new signature bass for Fred Leclercq, bass player for German thrash metal band Kreator. The FL-4’s body shape is an adaptation of ESP’s Forest/F shape, but with a cutout at the tail end. It has an equally distinctive finish, with Satin Black that bursts to Red on the front and back edges of its body. The FL-4 features neck-thru-body construction at 34” scale, pairing an alder body with an extra-thin five-piece maple/purpleheart neck and Macassar ebony fingerboard with black binding, red offset dot inlays, and 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets. Its sound is driven by a single active EMG 35P pickup. Other components of the FL-4 include a Hipshot A Style bridge and Grover mini-tuners. The FL-4 includes a deluxe ESP hardshell case.
LTD MLB-4
ESP also announced the new LTD MLB-4, the company’s first Signature Series bass for Mike Leon of Brazilian-American groove/thrash metal band Soulfly. The MLB-4 is based on the musician’s personal ESP Custom Shop B Series bass, and features a textured sandblasted finish on its swamp ash body, a complementing black satin headstock, and an open-pore finish on the back of its extra-thin five-piece wenge/purpleheart neck. The MLB-4 features sturdy 6-bolt construction at 35” scale, a Macassar ebony fingerboard with 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, and a premium active pickup set with two Nordstrand Big Splits. Other controls and components include individual volume knobs for each pickup, ABQ-3MS three-band EQ controls, Gotoh tuners, and a Gotoh 404BO-4 hardtail bridge. This bass includes ESP deluxe hardshell case.
ESP LTD Deluxe EC-01FT
The LTD Deluxe EC-01FT is a single-cutaway guitar with a flat-top body and clean electronics layout. It features a comfortable 24.75” scale with a smooth set-thru heel construction. It features a mahogany body and a distinctive brushed black pickguard. Its mahogany neck has a 43mm nut, slightly wider than is standard for EC models, allowing for comfortable ergonomics in power chords and fluid lead lines. It features a Macassar ebony fingerboard with pearloid block inlays and 22 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets. A recessed TonePros TOM bridge with string thru body keeps string height low and comfortable while maximizing resonance. Other components include LTD locking tuners.
Perhaps the biggest feature of the EC-01FT is the Custom 14, a new custom pickup designed exclusively for ESP by Seymour Duncan. Purpose-built to cover the specific needs of the ESP player, the EC-01FT’s flexible and dynamic Custom 14 pickup offers the range of tones needed by the contemporary guitarist, able to handle everything from clean, chimey intros to sizzling rock, classic metal, and hardcore tones, as well as the most crushing modern chugging and articulate, angular rhythm lines. A push-pull control on the volume knob splits this pickup to a wide-ranging single coil bridge tone.
Horizon Custom '87
The Horizon Custom ’87 takes the archtop body of the ESP Horizon, and offers it with minimal adornment for unencumbered playability. It offers neck-thru-body construction at 25.5” scale, pairing an alder body and an extra-thin three-piece maple neck. The Horizon Custom ’87 features a Macassar ebony fingerboard with 24 extra-jumbo frets and no inlays (using side position dots, like the 1980s Horizon version). Its components include a Floyd Rose 1000 double-locking tremolo, a Seymour Duncan TB-5 Custom Trembucker pickup in the bridge, and a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickup in the neck position. Coil spitting for single-coil tones on either or both pickups is available via push-pull controls on the volume and tone knobs.
ESP also announced updates to the Signature Series guitar of Lars Frederiksen of the iconic punk rock band Rancid. The LTD Volsung is now being offered in a new Oxblood Satin finish, and its design has been modified to a 22-fret design, maximizing the sweet spot for the neck pickup. The Volsung’s components include a TonePros locking TOM bridge and tailpiece, Gotoh tuners, and a set of Lars' signature EMG pickups, the LF-DMF. It also offers a unique three-control configuration, with individual knobs for each pickup volume plus a tone control. It includes a deluxe ESP hardshell case.
For more information, please visit espguitars.com.
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Duane Denison of the Jesus Lizard, EGC Chessie in hands, coaxing some nasty tones from his Hiwatt.
The Jesus Lizard’s sixth album, Blue, served as the band’s final statement from the frontlines of noisy rock for the next 26 years. By the time of their dissolution in 1999, they’d earned a reputation for extreme performances chock full of hard-hitting, machine-like grooves delivered by bassist David Wm. Sims and, at their conclusion, drummer Mac McNeilly, at times aided and at other times punctured by the frontline of guitarist Duane Denison’s incisive, dissonant riffing, and presided over by the cantankerous howl of vocalist David Yow. In the years since, performative, thrilling bands such as Pissed Jeans, METZ, and Idles have built upon the Lizard’s musical foundation.
Denison has kept himself plenty busy over the last couple decades, forming the avant-rock supergroup Tomahawk—with vocalist Mike Patton, bassist Trevor Dunn (both from Mr. Bungle), and drummer John Stanier of Helmet—and alongside various other projects including Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers and Hank Williams III. The Jesus Lizard eventually reunited, but until now have only celebrated their catalog, never releasing new jams.
The Jesus Lizard, from left: bassist David Wm. Sims, singer David Yow, drummer Mac McNeilly, and guitarist Duane Denison.
Photo by Joshua Black Wilkins
Back in 2018, Denison, hanging in a hotel room with Yow, played a riff on his unplugged electric guitar that caught the singer’s ear. That song, called “West Side,” will remain unreleased for now, but Denison explains: “He said, ‘Wow, that’s really good. What is that?’ And I said, ‘It’s just some new thing. Why don’t we do an album?’” From those unassuming beginnings, the Jesus Lizard’s creative juices started flowing.
So, how does a band—especially one who so indelibly captured the ineffable energy of live rock performance—prepare to get a new record together 26 years after their last? Back in their earlier days, the members all lived together in a band house, collectively tending to the creative fire when inspiration struck. All these years later, they reside in different cities, so their process requires sending files back and forth and only meeting up for occasional demo sessions over the course of “three or four years.”
“When the time comes to get more in performance mode, I have a practice space. I go there by myself and crank it up. I turn that amp up and turn the metronome up and play loud.” —Duane Denison
the Jesus Lizard "Alexis Feels Sick"
Distance creates an obstacle to striking while the proverbial iron is hot, but Denison has a method to keep things energized: “Practice loud.” The guitarist professes the importance of practice, in general, and especially with a metronome. “We keep very detailed records of what the beats per minute of these songs are,” he explains. “To me, the way to do it is to run it to a Bluetooth speaker and crank it, and then crank your amp. I play a little at home, but when the time comes to get more in performance mode, I have a practice space. I go there by myself and crank it up. I turn that amp up and turn the metronome up and play loud.”
It’s a proven solution. On Rack—recorded at Patrick Carney’s Audio Eagle studio with producer Paul Allen—the band sound as vigorous as ever, proving they’ve not only remained in step with their younger selves, but they may have surpassed it with faders cranked. “Duane’s approach, both as a guitarist and writer, has an angular and menacing fingerprint that is his own unique style,” explains Allen. “The conviction in his playing that he is known for from his recordings in the ’80s and ’90s is still 100-percent intact and still driving full throttle today.”
“I try to be really, really precise,” he says. “I think we all do when it comes to the basic tracks, especially the rhythm parts. The band has always been this machine-like thing.” Together, they build a tension with Yow’s careening voice. “The vocals tend to be all over the place—in and out of tune, in and out of time,” he points out. “You’ve got this very free thing moving around in the foreground, and then you’ve got this very precise, detailed band playing behind it. That’s why it works.”
Before Rack, the Jesus Lizard hadn’t released a new record since 1998’s Blue.
Denison’s guitar also serves as the foreground foil to Yow’s unhinged raving, as on “Alexis Feels Sick,” where they form a demented harmony, or on the midnight creep of “What If,” where his vibrato-laden melodies bolster the singer’s unsettled, maniacal display. As precise as his riffs might be, his playing doesn’t stay strictly on the grid. On the slow, skulking “Armistice Day,” his percussive chording goes off the rails, giving way to a solo that slices that groove like a chef’s knife through warm butter as he reorganizes rock ’n’ roll histrionics into his own cut-up vocabulary.
“During recording sessions, his first solo takes are usually what we decide to keep,” explains Allen. “Listen to Duane’s guitar solos on Jack White’s ‘Morning, Noon, and Night,’ Tomahawk’s ‘Fatback,’ and ‘Grind’ off Rack. There’s a common ‘contained chaos’ thread among them that sounds like a harmonic Rubik’s cube that could only be solved by Duane.”
“Duane’s approach, both as a guitarist and writer, has an angular and menacing fingerprint that is his own unique style.” —Rack producer Paul Allen
To encapsulate just the right amount of intensity, “I don’t over practice everything,” the guitarist says. Instead, once he’s created a part, “I set it aside and don’t wear it out.” On Rack, it’s obvious not a single kilowatt of musical energy was lost in the rehearsal process.
Denison issues his noisy masterclass with assertive, overdriven tones supporting his dissonant voicings like barbed wire on top of an electric fence. The occasional application of slapback delay adds a threatening aura to his exacting riffage. His tones were just as carefully crafted as the parts he plays, and he relied mostly on his signature Electrical Guitar Company Chessie for the sessions, though a Fender Uptown Strat also appears, as well as a Taylor T5Z, which he chose for its “cleaner, hyper-articulated sound” on “Swan the Dog.” Though he’s been spotted at recent Jesus Lizard shows with a brand-new Powers Electric—he points out he played a demo model and says, “I just couldn’t let go of it,” so he ordered his own—that wasn’t until tracking was complete.
Duane Denison's Gear
Denison wields his Powers Electric at the Blue Room in Nashville last June.
Photo by Doug Coombe
Guitars
- Electrical Guitar Company Chessie
- Fender Uptown Strat
- Taylor T5Z
- Gibson ES-135
- Powers Electric
Amps
- Hiwatt Little J
- Hiwatt 2x12 cab with Fane F75 speakers
- Fender Super-Sonic combo
- Early ’60s Fender Bassman
- Marshall 1987X Plexi Reissue
- Victory Super Sheriff head
- Blackstar HT Stage 60—2 combos in stereo with Celestion Neo Creamback speakers and Mullard tubes
Effects
- Line 6 Helix
- Mantic Flex Pro
- TC Electronic G-Force
- Menatone Red Snapper
Strings and Picks
- Stringjoy Orbiters .0105 and .011 sets
- Dunlop celluloid white medium
- Sun Studios yellow picks
He ran through various amps—Marshalls, a Fender Bassman, two Fender Super-Sonic combos, and a Hiwatt Little J—at Audio Eagle. Live, if he’s not on backline gear, you’ll catch him mostly using 60-watt Blackstar HT Stage 60s loaded with Celestion Neo Creambacks. And while some boxes were stomped, he got most of his effects from a Line 6 Helix. “All of those sounds [in the Helix] are modeled on analog sounds, and you can tweak them endlessly,” he explains. “It’s just so practical and easy.”
The tools have only changed slightly since the band’s earlier days, when he favored Travis Beans and Hiwatts. Though he’s started to prefer higher gain sounds, Allen points out that “his guitar sound has always had teeth with a slightly bright sheen, and still does.”
“Honestly, I don’t think my tone has changed much over the past 30-something years,” Denison says. “I tend to favor a brighter, sharper sound with articulation. Someone sent me a video I had never seen of myself playing in the ’80s. I had a band called Cargo Cult in Austin, Texas. What struck me about it is it didn’t sound terribly different than what I sound like right now as far as the guitar sound and the approach. I don’t know what that tells you—I’m consistent?”
YouTube It
The Jesus Lizard take off at Nashville’s Blue Room this past June with “Hide & Seek” from Rack.
Once the news of the Oasis reunion got out, Sadler Vaden hit YouTube hard on the tour bus, driving his bandmates crazy. The Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit guitarist has been a Noel Gallagher mega-fan since he was a teenager, so he joined us to wax poetic about Oasis’ hooks, Noel’s guitar sound, and the band’s symphonic melodies. What are Sadler’s favorite Oasis jams? And if he ever shares a bill with Oasis and they ask him onstage, what song does he want to join in on?
