The ESP Guitar Company

Javier Reyes, the highly respected, versatile guitarist from progressive metal band Animals as Leaders, is now part of the ESP Guitars artist endorsement roster.

“I’m stoked,” says Reyes. “ESP guitars are just solid. I took one of the E-II models home to play for a few days, and I knew right away it was going to be great on the road, handling all the different environments where we play. It’s got a great playing feel, and a great sound.”

Most known for his work on 8-string instruments, Reyes is currently working with ESP on the development of a new 8-string signature guitar which is set to debut in 2015.

Chris Cannella, ESP’s director of artist relations, says, “It’s an honor to have a guitar player as innovative as Javier in the ESP family. What he’s doing on 8-string guitar is amazing and unprecedented, and we are very proud that he’s chosen to showcase what’s possible on our guitars.”

Javier Reyes has been with Animals as Leaders since 2009, complementing the work of fellow guitarist Tosin Abasi. It was then that he began pushing the boundaries of guitar by moving to a 7-string, and then 8-string model. “I got used to the extended range that the additional strings provide,” he says. “I consider myself a classically-influenced player, and I try to use the 8-string guitar like a piano player, with access to the entire musical spectrum.”

In addition to AAL, Reyes also has his own project Mestis, where he handles more lead guitar, and is also a member of T.R.A.M, with Abasi and former The Mars Volta member Adrián Terrazas-González and Suicidal Tendencies drummer Eric Moore.