ESP Guitars - Manufacturing Operations

Manufacturing Operations

In 1996, ESP started a new brand, LTD. The LTD guitars are similar to the lower-end ESP guitars, but are more affordable and cater mainly for markets outside of Japan. The 1000 series LTDs are made on an assembly line in Korea whereas the 401 series and below are made in Indonesia. The LTD series are made out of cheaper materials and generally use cheaper hardware than the more upscale ESP models. The Custom Shop and Original Series ESPs are handcrafted in Japan while the Standard Series ESPs are made in the ESP factory in Japan.

Additionally, ESP has two separate Japan-only lines of guitars: the Grassroots (lower end), and Edwards (Mid-range). The Grassroots guitars are manufactured in Korea and are equivalent or better than Sub-400 series LTDs and can be considered a budget line. The Edwards guitars on the other hand are manufactured in Japan, and boast similar hardware and appointments as their higher-end ESP counterparts, but are not handcrafted. In terms of quality in contrast to the USA lines (i.e. ESP Standard & LTD), Edwards guitars generally lie in between the more upmarket LTDs and ESP Standards.

ESP's guitars overall cater for a wide range of players. There are a variety of models including superstrat-styled guitars, Les Paul-styled guitars, Flying V-styled, Star-styled, and others. As ESP technically has two lines, one for USA and Japan, there are slight differences: the ESP USA Line lacks guitars such as the Strat-like Snapper, Forest GT, and as well as some of the Japanese rock artist models. Their custom line however, has been known to produce some of the most unusual designs such as a Gundam Beam-rifle replica guitar, as well as the "ESP Machinegun" used, by the Japanese band Alfee.

ESP does not only manufacture guitars, but they also manufacture parts such as ESP Labs Pickups, the ESP Flicker tremolo, sustainers, equalizers, et cetera however, these are mainly for OEM use and not available to the consumer.