Best ESP Electric Guitars With Active Pickups in 2023
Here are the top ESP electric guitars with Active pickups.
Out of the more than 2000 guitars in our database, these are the best scoring ones. You can use our filters to the left to narrow down these results, or click on "Compare" to get a deep comparison between them. Our automated scoring system takes into account the ratings from ours users who own the guitar, and dozens of parameters to determine the build quality, playability, pickups quality, value for money, and more.
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1. ESP Snapper
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- From ESP's 2017 Snapper series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 9.5" to 12" Fretboard Radius
- Swamp Ash body
- Maple neck
- Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: ESP Custom Lap CL-P-H-2+ (Humbucker/Passive)
- Bridge pickup: ESP Custom Lap CL-P-H-2+ (Humbucker/Passive)
- Middle pickup: ESP Custom Lap CL-P-S-2 (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: ESP Custom Lap CL-P-S-2 (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Bell knobs
- 5-way Switch
- ESP Flicker-III bridge
- U to V Bolt-On neck
- 22 Jumbo frets
- Gotoh Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
ESP Snapper
ESP Snapper
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split, Capacitance Selector Pickups
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
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2. ESP Snapper CTM
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- From ESP's 2020 Snapper series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 9.5" to 12" Fretboard Radius
- Burled Poplar top
- Swamp Ash body
- Maple neck
- Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan 59/Custom Hybrid (Humbucker/Passive)
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan 59/Custom Hybrid (Humbucker/Passive)
- Middle pickup: Seymour Duncan Vintage Hot Stack Plus (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Vintage Hot Stack Plus (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 5-way Switch
- ESP Flicker-III bridge
- Thin U Bolt-On neck
- 22 XL Jumbo frets
- Gotoh Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
ESP Snapper CTM
ESP Snapper CTM
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split, Capacitance Selector Pickups
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
All Prices
3. ESP Horizon-III
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- From ESP's 2017 Horizon-III series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Alder body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom Shop JB/Custom Hybrid Trembucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom Shop '59/Jazz Hybrid (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Floyd Rose Original bridge
- Thin U Neck-Through neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- Gotoh Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
ESP Horizon-III
ESP Horizon-III
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Retainer Bar
- No Strap Lock
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4. ESP Horizon FR CTM
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- From ESP's 2020 Horizon series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Burled Maple top
- Honduras Mahogany body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom Shop '59/JB Hybrid Trembucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom Shop '59/Jazz Hybrid (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Floyd Rose Original bridge
- Thin U Set neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- Gotoh Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
ESP Horizon FR CTM
ESP Horizon FR CTM
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split Pickups
- Tremolo
- Strap Lock
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Retainer Bar
All Prices
5. ESP Horizon-I
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- From ESP's 2017 Horizon series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Alder body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom Shop JB/Custom Hybrid Trembucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Cool Rails (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Floyd Rose Original bridge
- Thin U Neck-Through neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- Gotoh Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
ESP Horizon-I
ESP Horizon-I
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Retainer Bar
- No Strap Lock
All Prices
6. ESP FRX CTM
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Player Feedback
- Pickups noise: Slightly Noisy (2 votes)
- Pickups power: Hot (2 votes)
- From ESP's 2020 FRX series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Burled Maple top
- Mahogany body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Nazgul (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Sentient (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Floyd Rose Original bridge
- Thin U Set neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- Gotoh Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
ESP FRX CTM
ESP FRX CTM
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split Pickups
- Tremolo
- Strap Lock
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Retainer Bar
All Prices
7. ESP Horizon NT CTM
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- From ESP's 2020 Horizon series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Burled Maple top
- Honduras Mahogany body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom Shop '59/JB Hybrid (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom Shop '59/Jazz Hybrid (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Gotoh TOM & Tailpiece bridge
- Thin U Set neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- Gotoh Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
ESP Horizon NT CTM
ESP Horizon NT CTM
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split Pickups
- Strap Lock
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
All Prices
8. ESP Will Adler Warbird Distressed
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- From ESP's 2014 Signature series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Maple top
- Mahogany body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fishman Fluence Will Adler Signature (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Fishman Fluence Will Adler Signature (Humbucker/Passive)
- 2 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- TOM Bridge & Tailpiece bridge
- Thin U Neck-Through neck
- 22 XL Jumbo frets
- Sperzel Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
ESP Will Adler Warbird Distressed
ESP Will Adler Warbird Distressed
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Multi-Voicing Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
All Prices
9. ESP Horizon-II NT
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- From ESP's 2017 Horizon series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Mahogany body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom Shop '59/JB Hybrid (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom Shop '59/Jazz Hybrid (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Gotoh TOM & Tailpiece bridge
- Thin U Neck-Through neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- Gotoh Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
ESP Horizon-II NT
ESP Horizon-II NT
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
All Prices
10. ESP FRX
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- From ESP's 2017 FRX series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Alder body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Bare Knuckle Painkiller (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Bare Knuckle Painkiller (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Floyd Rose Original bridge
- Slim U Set neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- Gotoh Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
ESP FRX
ESP FRX
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Strap Lock
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Retainer Bar