ESP E-II Eclipse Full Thickness

14
GUITARIST JANUARY 2022
ESP E-II ECLIPSE FULL THICKNESS
ESP E-II ECLIPSE
FULL THICKNESS
PRICE: £2,499 (inc case)
ORIGIN: Japan
TYPE: Single-cutaway solidbody
electric
BODY: Mahogany with maple cap/
flamed maple veneer
NECK: Mahogany, set-through
SCALE LENGTH: 628mm (24.75”)
NUT/WIDTH: Bone/42mm
FINGERBOARD: Ebony with Flag
inlays, 305mm (12”) radius
FRETS: 22, extra jumbo
HARDWARE: Gotoh tune-o-matic-
style bridge and tailpiece, Gotoh
Magnum Lock locking tuners,
Dunlop strap locks – black-plated
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE:
50mm
ELECTRICS: 2x Fishman Fluence
Classic Open Core, bridge volume,
neck volume, master tone – pull-
push pots access the extra sounds
WEIGHT kg/lb: 3.84/8.45
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: Vintage
Honeyburst version w/ Seymour
Duncan 59/JB and Black Natural
Burst w/ EMG 66TW/57TW
(both £2,220)
LEFTHANDERS: No
FINISHES: Tobacco Sunburst
(as reviewed) – high gloss with
satin neck back
Sound Service
[phone]
www.espguitars.com
9
point. Pulling on the tone control reverts
the pickups to what Fishman calls Voice 1,
and the neck volume engages the single-coil
modes on both.
Regardless of what you call them,
what you have here are three brilliant
voicings, all of which are geared towards
the rockier end of things. In the default
(knobs pushed down) position, you get a
more scooped neck tone, removing some
of the wool, and the bridge is roaring with
more output, increased attack, with an
additional bite to both pickups. That’s not
to say the PAF voices are lacking, but after
playing on the brighter, more aggressive
default settings for a while, they lose
some of their immediacy. That said, this
voicing will definitely have its place for the
bluesier/more traditional end of the rock
spectrum. We have to remove our trilby
for the coil-split of Voice 3, though. It’s
an excellent representation of a raunchy
single-coil sound in both positions with
the neck revealing a deep, woody tone that
sounds brilliant under a bit of gain (think
Tom Morello), and the bridge position split
giving us some great midrange-y, quacky
vintage funk sounds.
Verdict
We hate to break it to you, but The
Black Album is 30 years old, your baggy
trousers from 25 years ago are now back
in fashion, and yes, the Karate Kid really
did just celebrate his 60th birthday. The
point is, maturing is okay and the Eclipse
Full Thickness is the proof. It does what
the Eclipse has always done: offers an
alternative to vintage-inspired guitars
of this type. In this guise, it’s had its
metaphorical edges mellowed slightly, but
what remains is still a fire-breathed tool of
hard rocking. The styling and, in particular,
the additional voices from the Fluence
Classics just make it even more versatile.
If the rivals are a road too-well travelled
for you, but you don’t want a guitar that is
a gateway to middle-aged facial piercings,
either, we think it sits just right.
PROS Sits nicely between vintage
and modern styling; exciting
third-party features; stunning
visuals, even better sounds
CONS Pickup choice is limited to
Tobacco Burst  nish if you want to
stick with the (rather heavy) Full
Thickness body; control layout/
pickup voicing is confusing at  rst
There’s luxury all round on
the E-II Eclipse with black
Gotoh locking tuners, a black
Gotoh 10 bridge and tailpiece,
and Dunlop strap locks. The
fretboard is a beautiful piece
of ebony, while the neck is
finished in a smooth satin
The neck fi nish ranks
among one of the
fi nest we’ve played –
silky smooth without
the glossy feel
GIT480.rev_esp.indd 14GIT480.rev_esp.indd 14 25/11/2021 09:2825/11/2021 09:28