ESP USA V-II FR Guitar, Ebony Fretboard, EMG 89X & 89XR Pickups, Sapphire Black Metallic

PLAYER'S PERSPECTIVE

It's always a treat to get a beautiful USA-made ESP into the shop. Built in ESP's USA factory right here in California, these instruments are top-of-the-line instruments on par with their renowned, artisan-made Japanese Custom Shop guitars. This killer V-II FR features a straight fire Sapphire Black Metallic finish with a sweet matching headstock, a Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo, extravagant gold hardware, and EMG 89X pickups.

This is definitely a piece of hard-rock heavy weaponry, through and through. It's 25.5" in scale and an absolute blast to play. Chords and single-note lines will snap very nicely. Inspired by the iconic metal shapes of the 1970s and 1980s, this one takes absolutely no prisoners with both its looks and playability. The gorgeous Sapphire Black Metallic finish we chose complements both the overall shape and the gold hardware beautifully, and the combination shows that you both mean business and want to look beautiful doing it!

This one's loaded with EMG's 89X & 89XR active pickups. These pickups, equipped with Alnico V magnets for more of that traditional humbucker sound, and have crystal-clear clarity and focus. The new X preamp gives these pickups even more headroom juice, power, and clarity. This guitar cuts through a dense mix like a hot knife through butter, and just sounds absolutely unbelievable through gain, staying tight and dynamic regardless of how much distortion you throw at it.

When high-end electronics meet superb construction and high-quality tonewoods, the result is something that's going to feel great, look great, and sound even better. That's ESP USA.

Details

Crafted at our ESP USA facility in Southern California, the USA V-II FR takes the aggressive offset V shape to an entire new level of quality and playability. Built with neck-thru-body construction for the ultimate in sustain, it offers an extra-thin U-shaped three-piece maple neck with mahogany body wings. The USA V-II FR includes an ebony fingerboard with offset abalone dot inlays.

The parts and components on the USA V-II FR are second to none, and include 24 extra-jumbo Jescar stainless steel frets, an Original Floyd Rose floating tremolo, Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners, Dunlop strap locks, and a variety of high-end Seymour Duncan, EMG or Fishman pickups, with a push-pull coil split control on the tone knob for passive pickup models. The USA V-II FR includes a high-quality ESP USA form-fitting hard shell case.

• Get maximum strength and stability from your guitar’s neck, with higher long-term reliability. All ESP USA models are made with two high-strength bars of carbon fiber.
• On the ESP USA V-II, the color line at the edge of the contour on the guitar’s figured top helps highlight the beauty of the wood and the body shape, providing for a great-looking contrast between the guitar’s color, natural figured top, and mahogany back all at once.
• In addition to looking sleek, the Deep Dish jack installed on ESP USA models has the added benefit of providing the depth and angle of the cable to be easily looped around the player’s strap to better protect the cable from crimps or other damage.