I have a soft spot for Tele's... so... Tele ?

Gibson Les Paul for me thanks ....i guess the ESP wuold work too.

Also look at the Tokai Les Pauls , better ,much better value than gibsons.

IceCreamMan wrote:
Also look at the Tokai Les Pauls , better ,much better value than gibsons.

+1

Eclipse II

I'd go for the Tele. ?

Tele all the way.

Based on your selection:

1. If it's an ESP and not the LTD version, there is no contest between the three guitars imo... I'd go for the ESP Eclipse without any doubt. It's on another level when compared to the Gibson and Fender...

2. If it's an LTD, I'd probably go for the Gibson.

3. I played one of the blacktop Tele's quite recently and really didn't enjoy the experience... As much as I prefer Humbuckers in general, I definitely prefer a Tele with single coils for the more classic vintage tone they're known to produce.

ZarK wrote: Based on your selection:

1. If it's an ESP and not the LTD version, there is no contest between the three guitars imo... I'd go for the ESP Eclipse without any doubt. It's on another level when compared to the Gibson and Fender...

2. If it's an LTD, I'd probably go for the Gibson.

3. I played one of the blacktop Tele's quite recently and really didn't enjoy the experience... As much as I prefer Humbuckers in general, I definitely prefer a Tele with single coils for the more classic vintage tone they're known to produce.

Yoh dude, some great info right there! thanks.

thanks to the rest of you guys as well. keep 'em coming!

Tele for me. I've been wanting a blacktop HH for quite some time now! LOVE the feel of the neck, the look, it's just a HOT guitar. The few that I've played have such an amazing sound too.

Have not played an ESP eclipse. But the gibsons I've played are all pretty heavy. Loved that the tele was lighter, so a 6 hours band rehearsal didn't get me back problems! ?

Agree with ZarK if the ESP isn't an LTD... I'm not a big fan of active pickups though, personally.

All in all I'd go for the Tele: it's a Fender, for one (shameless fanboy speaking here), it's also already got the control plate reversed which saves you an hour or two having to do it yourself, and I'm gassing badly for a Fender Blacktop Strat HH Floyd, so anything in the Blacktop range gets my approval at the moment, they're great value guitars.

Tele, but not in that colour.. then the Gibson, then the other thing

The tele for sure. I've played one before. Very nice guitar

All hail the Tele...

Get it in silver or black with a maple fingerboard. For me, Tele's must have maple boards.

Esp! Great guitars, great feel, guitar build, great tone! I do like them with passive pickups too! You get more of the quality of the wood coming through also greater high/low definition. If you like having more frets, go for a horizon. May i ask why those certain three guitars in any case? Even though esps are great guitars you shouldn't rule out other guitars! I think it should come down to feel after having played all three in front of you though! Also depends on what sound you are going for.

The LP studio, Nick has one and he has no problem getting the LP tones you hear in your head, good resale as well. If you don't mind getting hosed when you decide to sell, you can go for Tokai.
The tele would be cool as well, but HB HB ins't really a tele is it ?

nick wrote: Tele, but not in that colour.. then the Gibson, then the other thing

I'm assuming you've never owned an ESP...




Three very different instruments... Your preferred playing style and the tone you're after should be deciding factors imo. I recently traded my ESP Truckster for a Gibson and US Fender Strat... Sold the Gibson, kept the strat (awesome guitar) and miss the ESP... Cool thing about ESP's is that you don't need to upgrade anything on them. They usually come standard with pro-quality components throughout and their fit & finish is light-years ahead of any of my past and present Gibson's and although I rate my Fender very highly, I rate the ESP's I've played even higher. It's a very different beast, however, and just because they're top quality instruments doesn't mean it would suite your needs better than the other two...The EMG actives in a mahogany body guitar sounds absolutely amazing -if that's the sound you're after. If the Tele is a modern US model and it had a mahogany body to go with the humbuckers, I would have been more exited about it and would potentially have chosen it over the Gibson. For me a Tele should Twang. ?

If you're seriously considering one of the three, you're welcome to pm me to give me more info on what you're looking for in the instrument. I own or have owned most of the high-end brands and don't prefer a specific brand over the other. It's much more important to find the right tool for the job and if you have other similar guitars you may want to look at a guitar that'll complement and extend the tonal range of your current guitar(s)... (Or maybe you'd prefer more of the same...)

Quality and finish wise in my experience, the ESP would be #1, with a modern US Fender a close second and the Gibson a not so close 3rd... My personal opinion based on owning and living with the mentioned brands... So many other factors to consider to help choose the right instrument for you, though...

Buy a PRS. Better than any of these brands!!!

Question: why are these the choices?

ESPs are basically flawless. But all of these guitars are so different.

If you want an LP Studio, it only makes sense to get an early to mid-90s model like ShaunF has. Why? They have 1-2 piece bodies, they're weight relieved, and they have ebony boards, as opposed to now - 3-5 piece bodies, chambered, rosewood boards (if you're lucky) or backed maple boards (if you're not). Plenty of the older models are available.

Tele. Why get one with a humbucker in the bridge? Then it's only a Tele in name. The Telecaster sound comes from the pickup sitting in the ashtray bridge. Get one with a single or a hot-rails in an ashtray bridge and a full size bucker in the neck.

Buying new between these, purely on likelihood of getting a great guitar: ESP. Unbeatable.

Merely my opinion but I'd speculate that the ESP will have the most consistent craftsmanship if you were to randomly pick one up in a guitar shop, stricter QC or am I misinformed?