ESP gearing up to present over 50 new LTD guitars at NAMM 2018

23 Dec 2017 by Jef | Approximate reading time: 3 Minutes

ESP LTD 2018 New Guitars · Source: ESP

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ESP/LTD has just announced over 50 (!) new guitars for 2018, so we waded through the entire catalogue to pick out the most interesting new models due to hit NAMM in January.

Multi-Scale Guitars

One of the big announcements is the introduction of Multi-Scale models (at last!). With extended ranges and fanned frets, the new seven-string LTD M-1007MS and eight-string LTD M-1008M models both look like great guitars for modern players and I think they will be popular. The new M-1007MS and M-1008MS use a set of Seymour Duncan Nazgul and Sentient pickups and have Hipshot multi-scale bridge and ESP locking tuners, so tuning should be solid, which is essential on guitars that range from 25.5″-27″ scale lengths.

LTD M-1007MS

2018 Signature Models

There are also some great new Signature Models for 2018, introducing some nice new colours and also some new hardware and pickup combinations, as well. First up is the relatively new Bill Kelliher Sparrowhawk signature from 2017 which is now available in Pelham Blue. I think looks pretty cool and suits the guitar well.

Bill Kelliher Sparrowhawk now in Pelham Blue

Stephen Carpenter

I also quite like the new Stephen Carpenter Signature models as well, which now come in some cool new sparkle finishes. The LTD SCT-607B will be available in Green Sparkle, while the LTD SC-608B is coming out in Red Sparkle. There is also an See Thru Green SC-20 6-string which is quite interesting, too. It’s a neck-thru-body design, with a maple neck, alder sides and includes a Seymour Duncan JB SH-4 pickup paired with ESP-designed LH-150N and LS-120N pickups.

Stephen Carpenter SC-608B RED SPARKLE

Stephen Carpenter SCT-607B GREEN SPARKLE

Stephen Carpenter SC-20 See-Thru Green

KIRK HAMMETT KH-602

Then there is the Kirk Hammett KH-602 which is now available in a very ‘full-on’ Purple Sparkle finish. The guitar includes new EMG Kirk Hammett Bone Breaker Signature pickups and an ‘environmentally-friendly’ fingerboard made from Pau Ferro instead of the rosewood.

Kirk Hammett KH-602 PURPLE SPARKLE

ESP NAMM 2018

I for one am looking forward to hearing and seeing more about this enormous number of additions to the LTD lineup. There are far too many guitars to cover in one article without making it a boring list. So please check out the link below for the full list of new models. I own a few ESP and LTD guitars myself, so I know they build some great guitars and this new announcement has got me quite excited for the NAMM Show launch.

Personally, I would love to check out the new Neil Westall NW-44 as the single pickup, single cut design really appeals to me. I reckon that the new Black Metal Series will be really popular with many players as well. The use of Evertune bridges on many models and high quality branded pickups from the likes of EMG and Seymour Duncan will make these new models ones that you really should be checking out in 2018.

Remember: this is just the LTD range. It begs the question what they’re brewing up for the ESP series at NAMM…