when ESP offered him a deal he must have had some contract obligations that made him use the Sambora ESP almost exclusively, but i'm pretty sure those obligations have been met. the reason why he still uses it must be cause he likes it.. i don't dislike it, works well on the 80s stuff with the humbucker and floyd rose but it lacks that vintage character, reason why he still uses his gibsons and fenders. i like the fact he uses a tele for saturday night and these days, i just miss the sound of the strat on dry county. anyways, what REALLY I miss right now (dont we all?) is the man himself, no matter what guitars he uses ! fingers crossed... lets hope his rehab stint really ends in may.