Bill Kelliher shares first glimpse of new double-cut ESP signature model in promo for STL ToneHub Pack

Mastodon dropped their grandest album yet, Hushed and Grim, last month, and Bill Kelliher has followed up with a signature STL ToneHub Pack, replicating its gargantuan guitar sounds – but there’s another piece of gear that’s been catching guitarists’ eyes.

In a promo video for the plugin, Kelliher can be seen playing a double-cut Silverburst ESP Eclipse, one quite unlike anything else in the company’s current catalog and closer in design to a Yamaha SG2000 or First Act custom offering.

The mystery axe hasn’t escaped Kelliher fans, who quickly filled the video’s comment section with requests for ESP to give the guitar an official release.

ESP has made double-cut Eclipse models before – including a 2012 model for Kirk Hammett – but previous designs either had flat tops or more traditional contours: certainly nothing approaching those deep grooves between the horns, as seen on Kelliher’s model.

As it turns out, the rhythm man acknowledged the guitar’s existence in a new interview with UK retailer GuitarGuitar.

“I have a new prototype ESP which is like a double cutaway Silverburst, which is probably about this thick [demonstrates a substantial size with fingers] – I’m not even exaggerating,” he revealed.

“It weighs about 12-13 lbs, which in comparison, this ESP [Sparrowhawk] is probably about 7lbs. it’s very heavy. [laughs] I’ve been using it live and I’m like, ‘Man! I thought Explorers were heavy!’ It just sounds amazing. I think it has Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups in it.”

Should the model receive a release, it would be Kelliher’s third signature design since signing with ESP in 2016, following the BK-600 Eclipse single-cut and Firebird-esque Sparrowhawk.

Kelliher’s STL ToneHub Pack (and the actual subject of the video) looks pretty hot, too, with tones captured during the sessions for Hushed and Grim, and spanning Mastodon’s career.

Modeled amps include all three channels from Bill’s signature Friedman Butterslax, his trademark Marshall JCM800, as well as Fender Deluxe and Vibrolux combos.

The package costs $39 for existing STL ToneHub users, and is also available as a Kemper Pack for $49.

For more info on Bill’s ToneHub Pack, head to STL Tones. For more on that double-cut, however, stay tuned…