Here it is: the original, and still one of the very coolest and most distinctive ESP Signature Series guitars ever made. Created by guitarist George Lynch in 1985 when Dokken was taking over the charts and George was being recognized as one of the world's most incendiary guitarists, the Kamikaze-1 started as George's personal custom guitar that was so outrageously unique, people began clamoring for one of their own. Once ESP began making them available for the public, it became our first Signature Series model. Still to this day, the Kamikaze-1 is a coveted guitar for good reason. Made by hand by the famous luthiers of the ESP Custom Shop in Japan, it features a maple body bolted to a maple neck with an ebony fingerboard. Its sound, as specified by George, is powered by an ESP Designed single-coil SS-120 pickup in the neck position, and a custom Seymour Duncan "The Hunter" pickup in the bridge spot. This pickup was specifically designed to George's specification for a powerful and dynamic response, providing the harmonics, dimension, and firepower that George's style demands. It's a high-output pickup with ceramic magnets and custom wind, with all the muscle for power chords and easy access to harmonic squeals, while remaining transparent enough for the "not quite clean but not exactly dirty" tones that George employs. The Kamikaze-1 includes a Floyd Rose Original bridge and Gotoh tuners, and comes with a high-quality hard shell case and a Certificate of Authenticity from ESP. |