The ESP E-II Eclipse was formerly called the ESP Standard, but the company made a wise move in changing the name. Because make no mistake, there’s nothing standard about this premium electric, in particular the eye-grabbing E-II Eclipse in Granite Sparkle finish example.
But there’s a lot more to this guitar than meets the eye. “The E-II Eclipse is obviously beautiful with its sparkle finish, but there’s several other standout features I want to show you,” ace player Stephanie Bradley says in the above demo video.
“One really cool thing about the finish,” she continues, “is it wraps around the entire body and looks so good onstage and on camera. I also love that the body has a gloss finish, but the back of the neck is satin, designed for ultimate playability.”
Finally, Stephanie says, “The ESP Thin-U neck profile makes this guitar extremely comfortable to play, especially when moving up and down the fretboard quickly.”
Built at the ESP factory in Tokyo, the E-II Eclipse boasts set-neck construction, with a mahogany body with maple cap, mahogany neck and an ebony fingerboard with 22 XJ frets. High-end components include a bone nut, ESP strap locks, Gotoh locking tuners (“arguably the best locking tuners ever,” Stephanie says) and a Gotoh TOM bridge and tailpiece.
Electronics consist of an EMG 66TW (neck) and an EMG 57TW (bridge) active humbucker set with brushed black chrome covers. “These are newer EMGs that include a coil-splitting feature for single-coil tone,” Stephanie says. “Both volume knobs have a push-pull feature to activate the coil split.”
Other thoughtful touches include triple-ply binding on the front and back of the body, an ESP ashtray battery pack for easy access, and, Stephanie says, “there’s even a stomach cutout on the back to make the guitar more comfortable to sit and play with over long periods of time.”
In short, she continues, “I could honestly go on and on about this guitar, from its stunning appearance to all the thoughtful touches and special details. ESP has once again shown that they make high quality outstanding instruments that look and sound amazing and have the player always in mind. And they somehow managed to make one of my favorite ESP models even more spectacular.”
To check out the E-II Eclipse in Granite Sparkle for yourself, head over to ESP Guitars.
