But why the big smile, as described at the beginning of the test report? Well, without a doubt, the Rainbow Crackle Finish used, alongside the eye cancer-promoting Neo Pink / Green / Yellow RG variants from Ibanez, are part of the optically ultimate 80s galore stock, which still warms the heart of every honorably gray cock rocker today . Once again it is pointless to give an optical rating for such a polarizing paint job, but I like the diametrical aspect of the optical concept. 50% of all guitarists will love the finish, 50% will hate it but 100% will talk about it, always a good effort from the marketing department I think.

There were not even that many manufacturers who offered this finish as a series model apart from the custom shops at the time, which could also be due to the comparatively greater effort involved in production. In the case of said painting, two painting steps with coordinated dissolving and drying steps are required in order to produce said crackle effect. I myself once involuntarily had a crackle effect on one of my self-painted stripes trademarks when, in complete naivety and ignorance, I applied white stripes to a black Explorer and then wanted to seal them with bold clear varnish. The clear coat dissolved the white streaks again, dried faster than the white paint and tore the white streaks when it contracted while drying. As far as I know, this is done today with icing spray, I am sure about this. but not quite sure.

What is certain, however, is that the rainbow stripes are painted on first, followed by an opaque black paint finish, which is then torn open again. The nice thing about it is that each paint finish is unique, since the "front view" can never be copied 1:1. It is also very nice that the finish extends over the entire instrument including the neck and the headstock.

The conception

When it comes to pickups, LTD relies on the proven combination of Seymour Duncan '59 on the neck and Seymour Duncan JB on the bridge, whereby both pickups can be split using the push/pull function of the Mastertone controller. As further control options, the instrument has a master volume control and a three-way switch. The two controls and the switch are of high quality, although I personally find the position of the three-way switch to be a bit unfortunate. It is difficult to reach due to the fact that it is relatively close behind the volume control when viewed from above, and there is a possibility that the neck pickup setting could inadvertently toggle the switch when operating the volume control. The vibrato arm positioned there also makes it more difficult to reach. However, this is a purely subjective assessment by a musician who has become accustomed to the toggle switch position of an LP over decades.

The ESP LTD Eclipse '87 Rainbow CRK is available in two versions, with and without a Floyd Rose 1000 vibrato system. As with almost all other instruments that have a Floyd Rose system, the ESP LTD Eclipse '87 Rainbow CRK also has the notorious "hall spiral" effect, which is based on the vibration of the springs of the vibrato block. If you want to better define your tone when playing hard staccato, you should put appropriate damping material such as foam around the springs. A nice detailed solution is once again the slotted cover plate on the back of the body, where you can change the spring tension using a Phillips screwdriver without having to remove the plate. An additional spring plus all necessary Allen keys are included with the instrument.



The ESP LTD Eclipse ´87 Rainbow CRK in practice


Once again, the combination of a neck-thru with a Floyd Rose vibrato system turns out to be the best compensation for the sustain loss caused by the vibrato system. The vibration behavior of the guitar is indeed very good and clearly noticeable even in the not amplified mode without any gain support. I couldn't find any dead notes or dying needs in the entire tonal spectrum, which in itself speaks for a successful coordination in the construction. The overall playing feel is very round and balanced, with the instrument showing great tonal flexibility.

Due to the splittable pickups, the ESP LTD Eclipse '87 Rainbow CRK does indeed cover a very wide range that goes far beyond the hard'n'heavy range that the instrument is expected to be capable of due to its visual appearance. Anyone who manages to hide the optics of the instrument, or to regard it as a neutral element of their personal performance, can cover almost all styles with a total of 6 basic sounds, which a broad portfolio takes up. The SD pickups once again do their job to their absolute satisfaction, especially since they have been installed countless times in this constellation. I would be interested to know if Jeff Back is aware of the huge success of his signature pickup.

All in all, the ESP LTD Eclipse '87 Rainbow CRK can do a lot more in the studio than you might think based on its looks. Always an eye-catcher, as long as personal self-confidence allows it.

Conclusion

With the ESP LTD Eclipse '87 Rainbow CRK, the manufacturer has a very flexible and optically polarizing guitar in its portfolio. With the eye-catching Rainbow Crackle finish, the guitar has a massive reminiscence of the eighties, which splits the user into two camps at first glance.

But you shouldn't be overwhelmed by the looks and keep an open ear for the high-quality and flexible sounds. which can be elicited from the "Powertele" due to the very good individual components. Besides, it really doesn't matter which color combination you want to wear on stage as an outfit, the ESP LTD Eclipse '87 Rainbow CRK definitely fits visually.



01-ESP LTD Eclipse 87 Rainbow CRK Clean SC-HB


02-ESP LTD Eclipse 87 Rainbow CRK Crunch 1 SC-HB


03-ESP LTD Eclipse 87 Rainbow CRK Crunch 2 SC-HB


04-ESP LTD Eclipse 87 Rainbow CRK Lead SC-HB


05-ESP LTD Eclipse 87 Rainbow CRK High Gain




For further information about the guitar, please check out THIS LINK and check your language at the upper right corner.

GET YOUR BEST PRICE AT MUSIKHAUS THOMANN OR AT AMAZON

Mix metal – the band itself

For the sake of simplicity, we'll assume a classic metal line-up that was called V, 2x G, B, Dr.. 40 years ago and is still there today. We leave out the abilities of the musicians in the overall context or as individuals in the area of ​​songwriting, because you could fill 10 workshops in this area alone and you wouldn't even have seen the tip of the iceberg. So we say that the band has agreed on one or more songs and that the music and lyrics are in place.

Now, to give the song any kind of punch, the most important thing is that the entire band has perfect (not good, but perfect!) timing. The reason is simple physics. Even if we leave out the vocals, which usually have a "narrative function" and can therefore act rhythmically more freely, a downbeat, an emphasis or a continuous rhythm only has a corresponding pressure if all musicians hit the downbeat in the millisecond range. Nothing makes a production more sloppy than when 4 musicians play their intonations at 4 different times. That's why practicing the metronome is an absolute must, especially in metal.

Just a quick reminder, yes I know the timing of some of the stars of metal was disastrous in their early days and I'm not just talking about Lars Ulrich (but he has an estimated net worth of around 350 Mio...) but it's 2022. Nobody with today's possibilities, it still forgives a hopping drum set, a sluggish bass or driving, up speeding guitars. And yes, of course you can jerk instruments these days, but few have any idea what a disastrous effect that can have on the overall sound. More on that later. A tip from my experience regarding practicing the metronome. I always have the best experiences for myself when I don't "practice to the metronome" but imagine that I have to "lead" the metronome (which of course is complete nonsense). When I play "along with" the metronome, most of my concentration goes into listening to the metronome. As a result, I'm totally in the beat, but play comparatively insignificantly and without attitude. But if I "lead" the metronome, the metronome keeps me on a leash in terms of timing, but I play much more expressively and better.



Mix metal – the drums

OK, I'll be honest, maybe 1% of all metal productions worldwide are still made with the drums according to the drum / cymbal - microphone - preamp principle. Why? Because the effort for a high-quality sound with an acoustic drum set is gigantic! Not only do you need a huge set of microphones with the appropriate input channels on the console or interface, no, you also need a drummer who plays fantastically and who combines craftsmanship with perfect timing. In contrast to mono signals such as guitars / bass, etc., drums are much more difficult to cut because, for example, cymbals overhang or you have double triggers.

Anyone who has spent a day just jerking kick and snare to a beat quickly loses interest in the work, although the automation of this work, which some programs offer, has never delivered an acceptable quality, at least for me. Not everyone has the nerve, like on Metallica's black album, to adjust the drums for a month so that one can speak of a rhythm. Add to that the fact that miking drums along with the guitar is the most complex task you can imagine in terms of sound. Just the crosstalk (bleeding) of the individual drums and cymbals requires a great deal of specialist knowledge, not to mention the right spatial sound. High-quality drum recordings cost a tidy five-figure sum in a regular rental studio, so that most bands cannot afford this recording method.



Mix Metal – Libraries and MIDI

Therefore, working with libraries, which can be used in 3 different ways, has prevailed at least in metal in recent years. About 50% of all metal productions are programmed with regard to the drums on the keyboard, whereby it usually makes a very big difference whether the drummer does it himself or some nose who thinks he knows how a drummer should play. If you take for example the currently leading platform Superior Drummer 3 and add the right library, it is no longer possible to distinguish whether the drums were recorded or programmed when heavy metal banging is involved, also due to the countless “humanize” options.

If you want to accentuate your personal touch even more, you have 2 more options to bring a good to very good sound to HD for a smaller budget. You can record the drums on an e-drum set in MIDI and take the respective library in the studio via MIDI signals, or you can play the drums regularly in a room that sounds as neutral as possible, but pay particular attention to high-end recordings of the cymbals and the hi-hat, while the drums are only used for later triggering of the library and are therefore treated rather neglected in terms of sound. The triggering of cymbals has always turned out to be a weak point, which is why you should focus on this, preferably with individual pickup of the cymbals / hi-hat plus overhead. Since dynamics are generally used very rudimentarily in metal (or are completely destroyed in mastering anyway), the typical velocity range is always in the three-digit range, so that the fine work usually falls victim to the basic level anyway.

Most of the work will be to convince the drummer that this way of working benefits the band's budget and does not devalue him personally. Depending on the level of professionalism, this can happen very quickly or result in agonizing discussions. I therefore recommend every band leader to deal with this topic in good time, or to find more budget for the production.

Which drum sound is ultimately to be preferred cannot be said globally, since the possibilities would go beyond any workshop. Personally, however, I recommend getting rid of the notorious current snare/kick mixes, in which you can no longer perceive cymbals and certainly no hi-hat. Such a complex instrument as the drums work very interactively with regard to the individual sound generators, so for example. a kick shot without a cymbal is completely pointless.

If you like to get an example for a modern drum sound, check out this link!

In the next part of the series we turn to the areas of vocals and bass.