Since 1995, ESP products have been distributed exclusively by us as a wholesaler called Sound Service, initially in Germany and later in more and more European countries. We also distribute other well-known brands such as ZOOM, Nord, ENGL, Eventide, TECH-21, DiMarzio, Gator and Hughes & Kettner, to name but a few. Another milestone in our close collaboration with ESP Guitars is the opening of the only official ESP showroom in Europe, which can be visited by appointment at our HQ in Berlin. Since its foundation by Hisatake Shibuya in 1975, ESP Guitars has developed into one of the world's leading manufacturers of guitars and basses. It all started with a small shop in Tokyo, which exclusively offered self-made accessories for the modification of guitars - Electric Sound Products. ESP soon became known as a renowned supplier of high-quality spare parts and began manufacturing complete guitars for the Japanese market under the ESP brand name.
In 1983, ESP Guitars also offered the first accessories on the US market and shortly afterwards produced custom instruments for top artists from the New York area, such as Bruce Kulick (KISS), Carmine Rojas (David Bowie), Vernon Reid (Living Colour) and Page Hamilton (Helmet). During this time, Ron Wood from the Rolling Stones also developed a custom guitar with ESP, which later became his signature model.
In 1986, ESP introduced the first mass-produced models: the MI Standard, MI Custom, Horizon Custom and the Surveyor Bass. A year later, Kirk Hammett (Metallica) also discovered the exceptional quality of ESP guitars and created his first custom instrument with the Custom Shop in New York City, which later became known as the KH-2.
In 1990, ESP moved its US headquarters from New York to Los Angeles and opened an office on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood. In 1993, the LTD brand was created to bring ESP's high quality standards to a more affordable line of production guitars. At the same time, the number of signature models was significantly increased, including models for James Hetfield (Metallica), Stephen Carpenter (Deftones), Jeff Hanneman (Slayer), Jake E. Lee (Ozzy Osbourne) and Max Cavalera (Sepultura/Soulfly).
In 2005, ESP introduced the RZK-I in Platinum Silver, the first signature guitar for Richard Z. Kruspe (Rammstein), later also available with a spectacular BURNT finish. While the ESP Signature line grew steadily, the LTD line expanded even more to appeal to musicians worldwide in all genres.
In 2008, ESP was recognised by Music Trades magazine as the fastest growing company in the industry. Today, ESP and LTD instruments are sold in over 60 countries and are popular with musicians around the world.
