The ESP Guitar Company (Electric Sound Products), located in North Hollywood, California, is a prominent manufacturer of electric guitars and basses.
The company was created by Hisatake Shibuya in 1975 as a chain of music retail stores in Japan. In 1983, ESP started making replacement parts and started making hand-made custom guitars in 1985.
In 1986, ESP opened an office in New York City to make custom guitars for american players.
In 1996, ESP started a new brand, the LTD. The LTD guitars are similar to ESP guitars and more affordable. According to ESP, LTDs are made on an assembly line in Korea from cheaper materials than ESPs, which are handcrafted in Japan. They still provide the optional custom service which made them in the first place.
ESP found fame by providing guitars for guitarists who went on to become leading exponents of thrash metal music in the 1980s, most famously to Metallica. As a result of these endorsements, ESP has gone on to become one of the largest suppliers of guitars for use in heavy music.
Artists
A number of popular musicians play ESP guitars, mostly from the genres of rock or heavy metal, including:
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