April '08

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Counterfeit ESP guitars

Musikmesse 2008 Report

MARCH '08

Musikmesse 2008

NAMM 2008 Footage

FEBRUARY '08

Artist Spotlight: Richard Z of Emigrate

Slayer Wins the GRAMMY®

JANUARY '08

NAMM Show 2008 Report

NAMM Show 2008 Preview

Richie Sambora Joins ESP Roster

Pre-show Setup: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
No, the show hasn't even started yet, but already you can feel the excitement building here in the Anaheim Convention Center. Over the last few days, we've pre-announced our new 2008 models to the press, on our web site, and on our MySpace page. Everyone is reacting very favorably, so we're pretty stoked that people are digging the new stuff.

In the meantime, we're putting the finishing touches on our brand new demo room. After decades of being on the main show floor down in Hall C, this is the first year at NAMM that we've moved to a demo room on the second level of the convention center. The room looks KILLER, as you'll see in the photos below, but at the moment, we're still making sure that our dealers and various ESP fans will be able to find us away from our usual spot. I think everything will be fine, but the proof will be what happens tomorrow morning when the show opens.

We've actually been here for days already, putting the room together and getting ready for the show in general. A lot of folks don't realize that doing a NAMM show actually takes months -- literally months -- of preparation. Our sales, marketing, administration, and product development teams have been working on NAMM '08 going back to last August. Seriously! We really want to make sure we put on a great show for you...tomorrow, we'll see how well we did.

NAMM Day One: Thursday, January 17, 2008
The first day of NAMM is full of hustle and bustle, making all the last-minute arrangements to have a great show. At 10:00am when the show opened, it quickly became apparent that having people find the new ESP booth wasn't going to be a problem; they were lining up to get inside from the second NAMM started. The first stars of the show were the new ESP and LTD models that we introduced at the show. We'll tell you from first-hand experience: the photos just don't do these new guitars justice. When they're all there, right in front of you to see, touch, and hear, they're a thousand times more impressive than anything you can see on a web site or in a magazine.

It's tough to say what was the most popular of the new model introductions. A lot of people were gravitating toward the new eight-string models, like the LTD FM-408 and the two new Stef Carpenter baritone models, the ESP Stef-B8 and LTD SC-608B. But then, the new Ebony series guitars and basses also grabbed a lot of attention, as did the new Graphic series models. Most of our dealers were very happy to see that the LTD line had expanded with some completely awesome yet very affordable “200 level” models, including some very inexpensive versions of our signature series. Those guitars allow people who could never afford ESP or higher-end LTD guitars and basses to get into our sound, feel, and quality.

Apart from the guitars, we had both Prashant Aswani and Tommy Bolan doing live clinics all day long. Prashant was performing both on a semi-hollow Xtone guitar as well as his own custom ESP Horizon, while Tommy was playing some scorching licks on his new black PB-500 with Duncan P-Rail pickups.

It was a great first day at NAMM, but we all know that the big days -- Friday and Saturday -- have yet to come. Wish us luck!

NAMM Day Two: Friday, January 18, 2008
Even at the very start of the day, you could tell that NAMM was in full swing. First, the crowds lining up to get into the convention center felt like the start of a general admission metal concert, with people shoving and jockeying for position in line. We almost had to bust out our ninja-like moves on a few guys who chose to step on (instead of around) us while trying to get inside.

Up the escalator at the ESP booth, things were no less hectic. We'll tell you, though: one of the big advantages of having our booth upstairs was that the ambient noise level was WAY reduced compared to the main floor. People could actually have mconversations, and hear guitars (as opposed to screaming, cymbals crashing, trumpets blaring and the other crap you deal with downstairs). It was a very welcome change for us.

After more rounds of live clinics by Prashant and Tommy, we had our first signing session of the show. At 2:00, we got everyone lined up, and pulled back the stage curtain to reveal Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom) and Jon Donais (Shadows Fall). We'll tell you something; it would drive us insane to sit there for hours, signing our names a thousand times and posing for an equal number of photos. But both of those guys were tremendously cool, and took their time with each fan to stop and chat, and answer questions about their music, their live tours, and more. It couldn't have been better.

A few more members of the ESP family dropped by on Friday, mostly hanging out in the backstage artist lounge we built into our new booth. We hung out with Matt DeVries from Chimaira, as well as Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel from Atreyu, who were there enjoying the first live performances of the show.

Speaking of which, at 4:00, Alexi and Janne from CoB took our stage and proceeded to just slay people with their amazing chops. Alexi would flawlessly execute an amazing lead, only to have Janne answer in return with a killer synth lead. Totally awesome. A few minutes after they finished, Mr. Scary himself -- George Lynch -- commandeered the stage for some serious shredding. We remember being teenagers and seeing Dokken back in the day with 20,000 people in an arena, so the pleasure of having George pull off his seemingly impossible leads five feet in front of us is ALWAYS amazing. Even now, after working so closely with George over the past few years, his virtuosity blows us away every single time he picks up a guitar. On a side note, birthday wishes go out to George's daughter, who is turning 18 (and who we first met when she was a tiny little kid... time goes by too fast!).

After the show ended, we hustled over to the Hilton next door to the convention center, where both George and Alexi played at a party we co-sponsored along with the guys from Rock House Method. It was an invite-only event at the Pulse Lounge, and we'd tell you more about it, but someone kept bringing us Amstel Lights and shots of Patron, so... well, it was cool. We think.

NAMM Day Three: Saturday, January 19, 2008
Saturday at NAMM is... well, it's basically indescribable. It's like someone took the entire music industry and shoved it into a room for a giant party that lasts eight hours. The sound is deafening, the crowds are ten times worse than your local mall on December 23, but it's fun as hell.

We started the day at ESP as usual, with hundreds of folks ogling the new guitars and basses, and checking out our clinicians. The folks from Guitar Player magazine came by and filmed many of our artists along with their signature models, interviewing them on the details of their personalized axes.

Then, at noon, the real insanity started with our first massive signing session. Seated at our table were Will Adler (Lamb of God), Michael Amott (Arch Enemy), Rob Arnold (Chimaira), Matt Devries (Chimaira), and Jon Donais (Shadows Fall). Each guy signed so many glossy 8x10 photos that they all went through a couple of Sharpies each. We think our eyeballs are still singed from the number of camera flashes going off. As usual, everyone involved was totally cool, and something like a thousand people walked away with keepsakes from their rock heroes.

We'd just barely cleaned up the debris of used-up pens and empty beer bottles from the first session when the second one began at 2:00. This time, the signees were Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom), Gus G. (Firewind), Wayne Static (Static-X), Michael Wilton (Queensrÿche), and Stef Carpenter (Deftones). Nice line-up, eh? The lines seemed to extend back a mile from the demo room, but eventually everyone got through, and got their photos and signatures, and left dazed but happy.

But the day wasn't close to done just yet. At 4:00, George Lynch grabbed his M1 Tiger and ripped everyone's heads off with five or six songs for an invite-only performance. Then, we all had an unexpected treat: Alexi Laiho decided to jam on a tune with George, and having these two masters of guitar, each from a different generation but definitely grooving on the same vibe, was completely incredible. At 5:00, George split and once again Alexi and Janne from CoB got on stage and did their thing. It was so insane that with my right hand I was holding my camera, grabbing the shots you see below. With my left arm, I had to function as a secondary security guard, since the crowd was so into the show, they were pressing past our main security team and were practically on the stage with the two guys. Crazy! But at the end of the day, everyone had a great time, and that's what really matters.

NAMM Day Four: Sunday, January 20, 2008
The last day of NAMM is much more mellow than the previous three. Most of the people have seen everything they wanted to see by then, and a good number of them wanted to split to go check out the football playoffs and so on. But still, we had lots of people milling around the ESP booth, listening to our clinicians, and taking a closer look at the more than 50 new models that were hanging in the booth.

We'd like to thank everyone who helped make the 2008 NAMM show one of our best ever. That includes our family of artists (both those that were there for signings and performances as well as those who stopped by to hang out), our own staff who definitely worked their asses off to make it happen, and most of all... you! Whether you were there at NAMM or not, it's the ESP/LTD dealers and customers who we have to thank for becoming one of the most popular makers of guitars and basses in the world.

We're happy that all the work that goes into pulling off a big NAMM show is worthwhile, and judging by the smiles on everyone's face as they walked out of our booth, it was way worth it.

One parting shot: come back to espguitars.com soon, because we had our team of videographers get footage of every single performance on the ESP stage at NAMM, and as soon as we can, we'll be posting these very exclusive videos here for you to check out. W00t!

So, that's it for NAMM 2008. Here's to next year! See you in Anaheim!

The outside of the Anaheim Convention Center, right next door to Disneyland.	Folks begin to wander into the ESP booth at the start of the show.	People checking out the new LTD models.	Matt DeVries from Chimaira stands under his new signature model, the LTD MFA-600.	Amazing guitarist and ESP clinician Prashant Aswani with the Xtone PC-1V.
Lining up early on Friday to get into the first signing.	Gathering around the ESP booth, waiting for Alexi and Jon to sign stuff.	Let the signings begin! Alexi and Jon oblige some fans.	Alexi smiles at a fan.	No one look at what I'm writing! Why can't I get any privacy!?!?!?
Fans patiently await their turn.	Our advice for getting a good pic with a rock star: be a cute girl. See, it's easy.	The booth was about this full all of Friday and Saturday.	Finally, the first NAMM performance. George takes the stage Friday afternoon.	Rock that M1 Tiger, Mr. Lynch!
Saturday morning, Matt DeVries (Chimaira) and Michael Amott (Arch Enemy) kick it backstage.	Fans pack the ESP booth again for another series of signings.	Will Adler (Lamb of God) laughs at Matt DeVries (Chimaira) while Michael Amott (Arch Enemy) sits in between.	From left: Will Adler, Michael Amott, Matt DeVries, Rob Arnold, and Jon Donais.	Fans patiently made their ways up to the signing table.
Eventually, everyone got what they wanted, as long as it was legal.	It helps to get VIP treatment when you're a cute girl in an ESP shirt.	This gal shows off her Lamb of God tattoo for the gang.	Many, many devil's horns of rock were flashed throughout the signing sessions.	ESP director of marketing and artist relations Allen Steelgrave leans out of the shadows... next to Shadows Falls guitarist Jon Donais.
Jon Donais does an interview for Guitar Player Magazine's Art Thompson, while ESP's Allen Steelgrave looks on.	Will Adler gets interviewed next to his signature models.	Time for the next signing already!?!?!	The crowd gathers for Alexi Laiho, Gus G., Wayne Static, Michael Wilton, and Stef Carpenter.	Alexi, Gus, Wayne, and Stef talk to fans while Ed snags some snacks in the lounge.
Total fan insanity.	Sign, pose, flash horns... repeat 1,000 times.	This girl had it all going on... hot, dressed minimally, and with a guitar for Alexi to sign.	Wayne stares pensively at the line of folks waiting to meet him.	Stef Carpenter manages a grin in the midst of the craziness.
More autographs, more cameras, more horns. Good thing for the Heineken, though.	Wayne poses with a fan.	Alexi blurs, Gus stares, Wayne sips.	Michael Wilton (Queensrÿche) makes a point to Stef Carpenter (Deftones).	Stef takes a break from the madness outside with Jeff the ESP publicist.
For Saturday's late performance, George puts on the Tiger again.	“How is he DOING that?” ask the fans from five feet away.	Shred, George. Shred.	No one knew that George and Alexi would rock together... not even us.	Mr. Scary and the Wildchild, trading licks like mad.
George stretches while Alexi taps.	Time to pull out the limited edition pink Alexi custom.	Alexi's ultra-precise picking is a great match for Janne Warman's rabid synth leads.	The crowd can hardly believe how cool this is.	No camera speed would allow Alexi's fingers to stay in focus.
Alexi leans into a note with the Floyd.	The sound of Children of Bodom right before our very eyes, at the ESP booth.