ESP Guitars has announced Todd Binder as the new CEO of its US operations, with outgoing head Matt Masciandaro set to retire after 39 years.
The end of Masciandaro's near-four-decade spell as the company’s president and CEO of EPS’s US division marks a big change in the firm, which was founded in 1975 in Japan, and includes Josh Middleton, Joe Duplantier, and Bill Kelliher among its artist ranks.
ESP opened its first US offices in 1985, with Masciandaro handpicked to help get it off the ground, although he wasn’t officially in post until 1987. That means this is the first CEO change in its history.
“On behalf of ESP Japan, I wish to express our sincere gratitude to Matt for his many years of dedicated service and his steadfast commitment to advancing Hisatake Shibuya's vision,” says Mr. Fujimori, Chairman, ESP Group.
“His contributions to the ESP brand have been invaluable, and the foundation he has built will endure for years to come. We congratulate him and wish him the very best.”
“I am both proud and humbled by the trust that Mr. Shibuya placed in me back in 1987 when I was chosen to lead ESP’s USA operations,” says Masciandaro. “A lot of this job was ‘learn as you go,’ but most of the time, we went above and beyond both our own expectations and those of ESP in Japan.
“I have nothing but the highest degree of confidence that with Todd at the helm, ESP will continue long into the future in its position as an innovative, high-quality provider of musical instruments.”
Binder is also a loyal servant of ESP and is now in his third decade with the firm. He moves up from his previous role as Vice President of Product Development.
“Matt has been a dedicated leader and a true champion for this brand, and I'm grateful for every year I've had the privilege of working alongside him,” Binder states.
“This company's success has always been a collective effort – I'm honored to carry that legacy forward, and I couldn't be more excited about what's ahead for ESP.”
Masciandaro signs off after ESP dropped its 2026 collection of electric guitars, which it humbly described as being “among our best in history,” with new signature models for Mick Thomson, Stephen Carpenter, and George Lynch, and 30th anniversary LTD models.
ESP also heralded a huge win when it prized Gojira's Joe Duplantier from his longstanding partnership with Charvel in time for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where he wielded a chrome offset for a castle-mounted, Grammy-winning performance.
His signature model, the LTD JD-1, arrived 18 months later.
