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Sonic Weaponry Fit for Thrash Metal Glory





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Our Product Research Team





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Few can lay claim to successfully propagating the historic heft of more than one of thrash metal’s heaviest and most influential acts. Gary Holt is indeed one of those select few, and it takes a special kind of aural armature to handle the heavyweight tones of both Exodus and Slayer. This is where Gary’s newest signature weapon comes into play: the ESP LTD Gary Holt GH-SV. From its carefully curated selection of tonewoods to the screaming EMG pickups and wailing Floyd Rose tremolo, the Gary Holt GH-SV is precision-engineered to deliver an unbridled scope of tonal possibilities in an instantly recognizable and aggressive form. Guitarists of every creed at Sweetwater are enamored with the flexibility of this electrifying axe. Frankly, you really need to play one for yourself!





Maple-capped body for rich, nuanced tones





Looks can be deceiving, and while the Gary Holt GH-SV is nothing short of aesthetically piercing, its sleek finish conceals a few tonally significant details that make this axe go the extra mile. Its mahogany body serves as an excellent anchor to the guitar’s profile, serving up harmonic-rich, dense mids with a balance throughout the lows and highs of the spectrum. The body is capped with maple, a tonewood renowned for imparting a shimmering brightness onto all of its instruments. A macassar ebony fingerboard tops the mahogany neck, ensuring tremendous articulation and note-separation in every register.





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Precisely-placed pickups for uncompromising scope





To capture the sonorous scope of the GH-SV’s distinctive tonewoods, you’re treated to a classic set of direct-mounted, visually striking, active EMG pickups. The 81 featured in the bridge is a metal mainstay, known for its seemingly-endless sustain and slicing, high-octane tones, thanks to its robust ceramic magnets and close-aperture coils. Contrary to the guitar’s looks, the inclusion of an 89R in the neck position massively increases the scope of tonal opportunities. Like the traditional 89, it’s loaded with Alnico V magnets, but the 89R reverses the coil positions. Using the neck-volume knob’s push-pull function, you can instantly toggle rich, articulate, strat-style tones with the single-coil mode, keeping it closer to the neck.





Comfort, speed, and endless expression





ESP’s luthiers opted to build the Gary Holt GH-SV with a 3-piece mahogany neck. This ensures two important details: the 3-piece design substantially reduces the risk of warping, as well as maintaining the tonewood’s harmonic complexity without compromising the benefits of the neck profile. Ultra-fast and incredibly comfortable, the neck-through construction isn’t just for preserving harmonic integrity. A carefully sculpted heel pairs well with the ergonomic cutout, ensuring uninhibited access to all 22 extra-jumbo frets that span the axe’s 24.75-inch scale. And you’ll want access to every bit, too, with the double-locking Floyd Rose 1000 system, dive-bombing away. While this quite literally locks you perfectly in tune, you can rest assured that the included Grover tuning machines will reliably keep things in place.





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ESP LTD Gary Holt GH-SV Signature Electric Guitar Features:


Signature Gary Holt model immediately commands the stage with its visual and aural aesthetics


Mahogany body and neck provide harmonic-rich tones with dense mids and blossoming overtones


Maple cap imbues your output with brightness, warmth, and clarity


Macassar ebony fingerboard serves up heaps of sustain with unmatched articulation across the spectrum


Neck-through construction means a sculpted heel and body cutaway for unimpeded access to all 22 extra jumbo frets


Sleek neck profile accommodates numerous playing styles, masterfully blending speed and comfort across its 24.75” scale


Direct-mounted active EMG pickups deliver high-octane sonics with tremendous flexibility


Double-locking Floyd Rose 1000 system maximizes expressivity without compromising tuning or intonation