ESP Eclipse MA-HOLLOW – Late ’90s Made in Japan – Fishman Fluence Modern

The guitar is in very good condition for its age and plays great. Despite the semi-hollow construction and vintage-inspired appearance, this thing can sound absolutely brutal.

The original ESP LH-200 pickups have been replaced with a set of Fishman Fluence Modern active humbuckers, which completely transforms the guitar into a great instrument for modern heavy music. I’ve particularly enjoyed it in Drop C, it sounds huge for hardcore/metalcore riffs, with plenty of attack and definition.

The guitar has a bolt-on maple neck, which gives it a fast, immediate response and plenty of punch. Combined with the mahogany semi-hollow body and Fishmans, it has a really interesting character: resonant and lively unplugged, but tight and aggressive through a high-gain amp.

Specifications:

• Model: ESP MA-HOLLOW

• Made in Japan

• Era: Late 1990s / listed in the 1998 ESP catalog

• Body: Mahogany, semi-hollow

• Neck: 3-piece hard maple

• Neck joint: Bolt-on

• Fingerboard: Rosewood

• Frets: 22

• Scale length: 628 mm

• Nut: Bone, 42 mm

• Inlays: ESP Flag inlays with ESP logo at the 12th fret

• Bridge: Tune-O-Matic

• Tailpiece: Trapeze-style

• Pickups: Fishman Fluence Modern active humbuckers (upgraded from the original ESP LH-200 set)

• Controls: Neck Volume, Bridge Volume, Master Tone

• Pickup selector: 3-way toggle

• Finish: See-Thru Black
• Original ESP hard case included

A very cool piece of late-’90s ESP Japan history, but also a genuinely usable heavy guitar rather than just a collector’s piece. If you want something different from the usual superstrat for low-tuned hardcore, metalcore or alternative metal, this one definitely stands out.