In a shocking move, Bill Kelliher has announced his change of allegiance from Gibson to ESP, debuting both an ESP and LTD model of his new signature guitar, the eponymous ESP Bill Kelliher and LTD BK-600. It’s unclear if his previous signature Halcyon Les Paul or Golden Axe Explorer from Gibson will still be available, or if they’ve gone the way of the buffalo.
There isn’t a whole lot of information available on either new guitar yet, but this is from the website:
“Working with ESP has been a breath of fresh air,” says Bill. “When I first set eyes on this guitar, I couldn’t wait to play this mean-looking weapon of sound. After plugging it in and cranking it up, I couldn’t put it down. What a great piece of work!”
“We are beyond proud to have a guitarist who is as universally respected as Bill in our artist roster,” says Chris Cannella, ESP director of artist relations. “Mastodon is a consistent favorite among fellow musicians and fans, crossing multiple genres of metal with an appeal that’s like no other band. Bill is a great representative of an ideal ESP player. We’re completely stoked to have him onboard.”
The new ESP Bill Kelliher and LTD BK-600 are single-cutaway designs that employ a mahogany body with a traditional full thickness, and no waist cut. The three-piece mahogany neck is joined to the body with set-thru construction at 24.75” scale for smooth and comfortable fast access to the upper frets. The guitars feature an ebony fingerboard with pearloid “ESP Flag” inlays and 22 frets, as well as binding on the body, neck, and headstock.
Bill’s new Signature Series guitars are powered by two of his own signature Lace Sensor “Dissonant Aggressor“ pickups, a sonically versatile humbucker set with excellent dynamic response, sustain, and tone. The guitars also feature locking tuners and a TonePros locking bridge. Both are being made available in a distinctive Military Green Sunburst Satin finish.
We’ll keep you updated as the story unfolds.
Alfredo Manccini / June 9, 2016 5:29 pm
why?
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fahq / June 10, 2016 12:55 pm
Because gibson is a notorious gigantic asshole when it comes to artist relations and ESP can build signature series guitars at a price normal people can afford.
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invisiblemandrew / June 11, 2016 1:35 am
^backing this completely.
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kvltwalter / June 12, 2016 4:30 pm
“That normal people can afford” is right. With Gibson you’re paying for the name on top of the quality if the instrument. Good for Bill for his decision. Gibsons are undoubtedly great but it’s an elitist brand, I know I can’t drop $2,000 on a Les Paul.
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I Shot J.R / June 21, 2016 12:32 am
Awesome, looks liked it’s based on the old Gibson Silverbursts that turn a little bit green with age.
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