ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse vs LTD M-1 Custom '87
Reasons to Get
ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse over LTD M-1 Custom '87
Reasons to Get
ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 over ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse
Other Key Differences
ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse vs LTD M-1 Custom '87
Shared Features
ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse vs LTD M-1 Custom '87
Common Strengths
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse is probably the better product overall with its final score of 77 compared to the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87's 74 score, although not by a lot.
The ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse wins when it comes to playability, build quality. On the other hand, the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 has the upper hand when it comes to sound, value for the money.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse is the better choice.
The ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
New Player Friendliness
ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse Overview
- From ESP's 2016 Signature series
- Bill Kelliher Signature
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Mahogany w/ Maple Cap body
- Mahogany neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Distortion SH-6 (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Distortion SH-6 (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Tonepros Locking TOM Bridge & Tailpiece bridge
- Thin U Set neck
- 22 XL Jumbo frets
- Sperzel Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 Overview
- From ESP LTD's 2020 '87 Series Guitars series
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 13.78" Fretboard Radius
- Alder body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Macassar Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Distortion SH-6 (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 0 tone Dome knobs
- Floyd Rose 1000 bridge
- Extra Thin U Neck-Through neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- LTD tuners
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in Both
![Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building](/images/materials/ebony.jpg)
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
Woods Used in the ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse
![Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building](/images/materials/mahogany.jpg)
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Woods Used in the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87
![Maple wood pattern used for guitar building](/images/materials/maple.jpg)
![Alder wood pattern used for guitar building](/images/materials/alder.jpg)
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.
Winner: ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse.
Pickup Configuration
The ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse has an HH configuration while the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 has H pickups.
Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
On the other hand, A single H pickup gives you the advantage of having a little longer sustain (all other things being equal) because there will be less magnetic fields from other pickups affecting the strings' vibration. However, they also give you the least versatility because you won't have other pickups at different distances from the bridge to create different tones. A single humbucking pickup is used for noiseless high output, which is used mainly for Hard Rock genres.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
However, the ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
You can purchase similar pickups to the ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse's and use them on any guitar:
We found the same or similar pickups to the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87's online:
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
The ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse gives you 3 switch options while the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 gives you 0. This means that the ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Both give you different pickup mod options.
The ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse offers Coil Split.
Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.
On the other hand, the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 comes with the following: Coil Split, Boost.
Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.
A Boost will give your pickups more output, similar to an active pickup. It's great if you like to use a lot of output for heavy genres, but also like to use a cleaner tone often.
![ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse pickups switch and push knobs diagram](/images/hh-3-push-split-multiple.jpg)
The ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 doesn't come with pickup switching options.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse compares to the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse is built in Japan while the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 is made in Indonesia.
Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.
Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.
Winner: ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse has a Graphite nut. It's a self-lubricating material that will allow the strings to slide over the nut without a lot of friction. It's a good type of nut if you want to have better tuning stability than with plastic, although it's not as resistant as Bone or Tusq.
On the other hand, the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 comes with a Locking nut. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.
Winner: ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
The ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse's brige is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.
On the other hand, the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87's is a Floyd Rose. This is a double-locking bridge system that allows you to perform techniques like dive bombs and pinch harmonics. The locking nut allows your guitar to stay in tune even after the most intense tremolo usage. The disadvantage is that it takes more work to change the strings and set up everything correctly.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87.
Tuners
The ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.
Nevertheless, the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 has a locking nut, so it should have even better tune stability and doesn't need locking tuners.
Winner: ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
The ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse has a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.
On the other hand, the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 comes with Neck-Through neck joint. This neck is a lot more resistant and lets builders give the neck joint a more comfortable shape for soloing at the upper frets. The disadvantage is that they're more expensive and that if you damage your neck, you can't simply replace it like with bolt-on necks.
Winner: ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split Pickups
- Strap Lock
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Coil Split, Boost Pickups
- Tremolo
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
![ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse Nut Width](/images/comparisons/42-0-mm-nut-width.jpg)
![ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 Nut Width](/images/comparisons/43-0-mm-nut-width.jpg)
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 1mm (0.039'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
![ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse's Scale Length](/images/24.75-scale-length.jpg)
![ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87's Scale Length](/images/25.5-scale-length.jpg)
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 has the longest scale: 25.5". The ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.75'' (19.1mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
![ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse Neck Profile](/images/comparisons/esp-thin-u-neck-profile.jpg)
![ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 Neck Profile](/images/comparisons/esp-ltd-extra-thin-u-neck-profile.jpg)
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
Both the ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse and the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 have a U-shaped neck. This is also referred to as ''baseball neck'' because of its shape. It's usually thick, which is why some people with big hands like it. However, they can also be thin, similar to a C shape, but with more shoulders for a better grip.
Fretboard Radius
![ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse Fingerboard Radius](/images/12-fret-radius.jpg)
![ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 Fingerboard Radius](/images/13.78-fret-radius.jpg)
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87.
Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 favors large hands more than the ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse.
ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse:
ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87:
Fret Size
![ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse and ESP LTD M-1 Custom '87 Frets Size](/images/xl-jumbo-fret.jpg)
Both have a XL Jumbo fret size. These are really tall frets made like this so you don't meet any resistance when playing techniques like vibrato, bending, tapping, etc. They should make the guitar easier to play, but you have to be careful not to get the notes out of pitch by pressing down too hard, which might happen since the fretboard will be too low to stop your hand.