ESP has announced that its entire range of LTD Deluxe 1000 Series electric guitars and bass guitars will now come fitted with stainless-steel frets.
The new-for-LTD fret material will come as a standard-issue appointment on over 100 models, including those in the Flying V-style Arrow, double-cutaway H and single-cutaway EC, M and MH lineups.
Other catalogs that have been treated to a fretboard overhaul are the Phoenix, SN, TE, Viper and Xtone collections, as well as the Black Metal and Arctic Metal.
A number of basses taken from the Phoenix, B, F and Stream collections have also received the upgraded fret wire.
Prior to the upgrade, LTD guitars sported a traditional alloy-based fret wire, with stainless-steel frets said to offer tonal and functional advantages over their conventional counterparts.
Such benefits include a smoother playability that allows players to bend strings with reduced friction, easier-to-manage string vibrato capabilities and a robust functionality more resistant to wear, tear and corrosion.
Of the new upgrade, President and CEO of the ESP Guitar Company Matt Masciandaro commented, “ESP has always been a company that leads the way with innovations that can positively affect the performance of a musician, or improve the quality and reliability of their instruments.
“When talking to our customers in the past few years, stainless steel frets was their number-one request for a design update,” he continued. “We’re happy to now provide that on all of our popular LTD Deluxe instruments.”
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