Yes, if there's one thing we can be sure of every year, it's that ESP will bring the eye candy. But if you thought the aforementioned models were sweet, wait 'til you lay your eyes on the company's new Custom Shop offerings.
A collection of one-of-a-kind electric guitars and basses – each created by the master luthiers at ESP's Custom Shop in Japan – the Exhibition Limited 2021 series showcases the “very best of [the luthiers'] own unmatched design skills and unlimited creativity”.
Says ESP: “The instruments in the Exhibition Limited Series use special tonewoods, custom-crafted hardware, unique aesthetic materials, and the very best in components, resulting in some of the finest guitars and basses ever made available for both serious players and collectors.”
Normally, you'd expect to see these exclusive creations on display at NAMM, but given the show's cancellation this year, the display has moved to the virtual realm.
We've collated some of our favorites from the series below, but make sure you head over to ESP Guitars to check out the full range of 38 guitars and basses.
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(Image credit: ESP Guitars)
STREAM-GT CTM –Quilted maple top/back w/ See Thru Black and See Thru Red finish
– Jasper center
– Birds eye maple neck
– Ebony fingerboard
– EMG 66/EMG57 active pickups
FRX-CTM-FT NT – Stabilized multicolor Resin Works buckeye burl / blackboard top
– Roasted ash body
– Rosewood neck
– Macassar ebony fingerboard
– Bare Knuckle Cold Sweat pickups
(Image credit: ESP Guitars)
MYSTIQUE-CTM NT
– Claro Walnut top w/ gold leaf graphic
– Claro Walnut body back w/ Honduran Mahogany center
– Rosewood neck
– Macassar ebony fingerboard
– Seymour Duncan ‘59/JB pickups w/ custom wood covers
(Image credit: ESP Guitars)
MYSTIQUE-CTM NT
– Quilted maple top and back in Green Natural Fade
– Honduran mahogany body center
– Karin neck
– Ebony fingerboard w/Phoenix inlay and quilted maple binding
– Seymour Duncan 59/Jazz hybrid, 59/JB hybrid pickups w/ custom wood covers
(Image credit: ESP Guitars)
M-II CTM NT
– Blue resin top w/brass powder binding
– Alder body
– 3-piece maple neck
– Black & white ebony fingerboard
– Bare Knuckle Cold Sweat pickups
(Image credit: ESP Guitars)
ARROW-CTM NT – Flamed maple w/carbon fiber top
– Mahogany body
– 5-piece flamed maple neck
– Flamed maple fingerboard w/carbon fiber inlays
– EMG 66/EMG57 active pickups
(Image credit: ESP Guitars)
EC-CTM
– Hinoki top in colorful wood tiles w/Honduran rosewood binding
– Honduran mahogany body
– Birds eye maple neck
– Cocobolo fingerboard
– Seymour Duncan 59/Jazz hybrid, 59/JB hybrid pickups w/ custom wood covers
(Image credit: ESP Guitars)
THROBBER-CTM
– Buckeye burl flat top w/Blue resin/walnut top
– Roasted swamp ash body
– Roasted flamed maple neck
– Black & white ebony fingerboard
– Seymour Duncan 59/Jazz hybrid, JB/Custom hybrid pickups with custom wood covers
(Image credit: ESP Guitars)
PROTOTYPE BASS-6 – Macassar ebony top
– Swamp ash body
– Flamed maple multi-laminated neck
– Macassar ebony fingerboard
– Aguilar 6SD-D4 pickups w/ custom wood covers
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Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.
