ESP Company, Limited is a Japanese guitar manufacturer, primarily focused on the production of electric guitars and basses. They are based in both Tokyo, Japan and Los Angeles, California, United States, with two distinct product lines for each respective market. ESP Company manufactures instruments under several names, including "ESP Standard", "ESP Custom Shop", "LTD Guitars and Basses", "Navigator", "Edwards Guitar and Basses", and "Grassroots".
Founded as a shop in Tokyo, which provided custom replacement parts for guitars in 1975 by Hisatake Shibuya, ESP became popular by making and endorsing guitars for guitarists who went on to become leading exponents of thrash metal in the 1980s with bands like Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth.
