ESP unveils eight new signature guitars for 2026, including two tributes to late guitarists

ESP used NAMM 2026 to roll out eight new signature guitars at once, mixing updates for players already in its lineup with two tribute models and two new signings.

Mick Thomson of Slipknot gets his MT-1 in a new Black Satin finish, while Stephen Carpenter's seven-string SC-607 Baritone arrives in Magenta with gold hardware. George Lynch's GL-200 Kami streamlines the Dokken/Lynch Mob guitarist's 1985 Kamikaze design into a new LTD version. Joining the signature roster for the first time are Jack Simmons of Slaughter to Prevail, whose LTD JS-7 Baritone runs a 27-inch scale with an active Fishman pickup built for deathcore tuning, and Gojira's Joe Duplantier, whose JD-1 uses a modified offset XJ body with a roasted maple neck and a custom DiMarzio humbucker.

The other two models are tributes rather than active-artist updates: a 20th-anniversary pair for the late Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom — the Arrowhead SE and Sawtooth SE, both black with contrasting bevels or pinstripes — and an LTD JH-200 CTM honoring Slayer's Jeff Hanneman, priced to be accessible rather than positioned as a collector's piece.