“The latest addition to our artist family made his ESP debut at the Olympics Opening Ceremony, with a total viewership that exceeded one billion people”: ESP officially unveils Gojira’s Joe Duplantier as a signature artist

When Gojira treated an estimated one billion TV viewers to some French heavy metal during the , Joe Duplantier’s chrome-coated weapon of choice raised some curious eyebrows. A custom-made ESP XJ-1, spec'd out with a DiMarzio Fortitude and an EverTune bridge – tuning stability is a must when you’re performing in literal hellfire – it was a guitar fit for the occasion. But it wasn’t from Charvel – the brand that has been producing Duplantier's signature models for quite some time.

Now, after much speculation, ESP has confirmed that the guitarist has officially joined its artist ranks. “Over the past nearly 50 years since ESP opened our doors, we’ve been blessed with some of the world’s most respected and influential guitar and players who chose to be part of our artist endorsee roster,” reads . “The latest addition to our artist family is Joe Duplantier, the rhythm guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist of Gojira.

“The debut of Joe Duplantier as an ESP artist coincided with Gojira’s appearance at the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, with a total viewership that exceeded one billion people, using a very special chrome-finished ESP XJ model that we custom-crafted for the occasion. “We are honored to have Joe as part of our artist family and look forward to a great relationship with him as an ESP artist. More details about Joe and his choice of ESP will be available soon.

” Duplantier has been playing Charvel’s Telecaster-esque San Dim.