“Unlike our other LTD models that are manufactured in various areas of Asia like Indonesia and Korea, the LTD Elite line is made in Japan at the same manufacturing facility as the rest of our high-end ESP models.In fact, the same experienced and qualified luthiers who create and build our critically acclaimed ESP Standard Series are those who are making LTD Elite. You can rest assured that these luthiers are among the worldʼs finest, and will simply not build a guitar or bass without the highest attention to detail and quality.”
Personally I don’t understand why ESP didn’t just create a new ESP series like Jackson and Ibanez do rather than using the LTD brand, I imagine plenty of people would prefer ESP on the headstock. They could have just had ESP on the headstock for the top of the line guitars and ESP <INSERT SERIES NAME HERE> on the other more affordable series, that way they would have saved on the confusion about where these guitars are made, I can see the endless forum threads started by lazy guitarists asking this very question.
Anyway they didn’t so pointless me going on about it, here is the new LTD Elite ST-1 available in either Aqua Marine or See Thru Black Cherry with a Maple fretboard and Seymour Duncan pickups (JB in the bridge and Classic Stack Plus in the neck) or See Thru Black, Rosewood fretboard and EMG pickups (81 in the bridge and SA in middle and neck). Both models feature an Alder body with a quilted Maple top and Floyd Rose Tremelos.
The LTD Elite Eclipse I is also available in two versions with cherry and tobacco sunburst guitars featuring a classic Seymour Duncan combo of the JB and the ’59 in the neck while the Eclipse I (EMG) features the new EMG 57 in the bridge and EMG 66 in the neck position. Both guitars have mahogany bodies with flamed maple tops, and mahogany necks with rosewood fingerboards.
The LTD Elite Horizon-III NT and LTD Elite Horizon-III FR have Alder bodies and flamed maple tops and maple necks with ebony fingerboards. Both guitars feature Seymour Duncan Custom-5 (bridge) and Jazz (neck) pickups. The HORIZON-III NT comes with a Gotoh TOM bridge in Reindeer Blue finish, while the HORIZON-III FR includes a Floyd Rose bridge and See Thru Black finish.
Finally the LTD Elite M2 is another Alder/Flame Maple combo with a Maple neck and Ebony fretboard. They include black hardware including Gotoh tuners and Floyd Rose bridge, and features an EMG 81 active pickup set. The ELITE M-II is offered in See Thru Black and Amber Cherry Sunburst finishes.
