Gojira’s performance at the Olympics opening ceremony was phenomenal, but guitarists were left wondering one thing – what’s up with frontman Joe Duplantier playing an ESP?
Well now it all makes sense, as ESP has announced Duplantier as their latest new artist. ESP reveals that the chrome-finished ESP XJ modelwas specifically made for the Olympics, though they don’t mention anything about the world potentially getting a production model. Still, it’s pretty exciting!
“The debut of Joe Duplantier as an ESP artist coincided with Gojira’s appearance at the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games on Friday, July 26, 2024,” said ESP of the signing. “Joe performed the show, with total viewership that exceeded one billion people (!), using a very special chrome-finished ESP XJ model that we custom-crafted for the occasion.
“We are honored to have Joe as part of our artist family and look forward to a great relationship with him as an ESP artist. More details about Joe and his choice of ESP will be available soon.”
If you haven’t gotten a good look at the chrome-plated ESP XJ, feast your eyes below.
