ESP Owners Club-Show Us Your ESPs!

[Captain Shoggoth]

Love it!
Lets see the black one too!

The Laiho corner:

Congrats!! I LOVE SVs so much. Too bad I'd almost always decide to go for an Alexi in a different color instead until I complete the collection, because I find the SV to be a much more versatile option all around.

GAS is a terminal illness. Even now I wonder if I wouldn't have been better off with a Scythe or Katakana (albeit those would have cost so much more)

I feel like I've told you that I hate you a few times now in the last year or two
God damn, that's such a sick guitar. Congrats! Bonus points for the N64 cart.

Cheers, N64 was before my time tbh; a sketchy guy I hung out with for a bit in 2022 just gave me an entire N64 for free sans power supply. Ought to fire it up sometime!
For my sins, here's the whole stable of hot rods:



I have invested in far too many guitars and far too few mounting solutions

 

[JimF]

God that's some arsenal! Could do a lucky dip and still come out with something sick!

 

[SeventyFour]

This is a custom right? The SVs did not ever come with gold pinstripes as standard did they? Please tell me I didn't miss something crucial, that looks fantastic! Although I can't say I'm super keen on the chrome and gold mixed floyd personally

 

[Captain Shoggoth]

This is a custom right? The SVs did not ever come with gold pinstripes as standard did they? Please tell me I didn't miss something crucial, that looks fantastic! Although I can't say I'm super keen on the chrome and gold mixed floyd personally

Not sure, to be honest - but it's definitely a Standard Series from the serial number, sticker, & general feel of it. The seller advertised it as black with yellow pinstripes (and the pictures were uber-saturated) but in person they're way less vibrant and I'm inclined to think they're actually just a very aged white. I would prefer a brighter yellow but the difference is only really apparent next to the Rhoads and as you say, the slightly desaturated colour makes it look like gold, which is cool.

Several of the guys on the Bodom gear FB group said that there have been intermittent runs of SVs with gold/yellow pinstripes over the years but I've yet to see any other than a brief E-II run from Musamaailma with chrome hardware (which like, come on, why not gold??)

I also don't love the mismatched hardware upgrades - it's clearly quality stuff, looks + feels like titanium - but I get why it was swapped in; all of the bridge has seen better days. The seller included the stock saddles but they are in abysmal condition, most of them are corroded beyond the finish into the metal. The upgraded saddles are intonated so far forward that the trem can't dive, the studs and baseplate are very aged, the screw arm collar (which I HATE and always replace) rattles and flops about to an extreme degree, the upgraded fine tuners are stiff and don't turn easily.

The neck is fantastic but the bridge will need some serious looking at before it's stage-ready. Given the prospect of shelling out for a push-in arm I'm tempted to swap it out wholesale for a Gotoh 1996T and cannibalise the Ti parts into my Anchang Star or the Arrow. We'll see how this year unfolds.

Quite endearingly, the serial indicates it was made in July 2007 which is I think bang on when I discovered CoB as a kid. Poetic!

 

[Tisca]

Picked up yesterday a Arrow 7. It's not neck heavy like my Arrow Ltd1000's (6 string).
I wan to go full @Captain Shoggoth with gold hw =). Well, little less gold. What tuners did you get?

 

[Captain Shoggoth]

Picked up yesterday a Arrow 7. It's not neck heavy like my Arrow Ltd1000's (6 string).
I wan to go full @Captain Shoggoth with gold hw =). Well, little less gold. What tuners did you get?

Hell yeah, congrats! Fantastic guitars, mine is my main axe. Is yours one of the newer ones with the satin neck? I had to buff mine down myself with ultrafine steel wool.

I left the stock tuners on and just swapped the buttons and hex washers with stuff I had lying around. The stock tuners on mine are clearly the cheapest tier of Gotoh locking tuners (I think the newer ones are a tad nicer), and combined with however I screwed the buttons on (presumably?) they're actually quite stiff now. In hindsight I wish I'd just put on some locking Gotoh SG381s but with a locking nut it hardly matters.

Also swapped the bridge posts/locking screws/locking nut screws for FU-Tone gold titanium, the bar for a gold push-in bar, the retainer bar for a gold one I had lying around, swapped the claw for a Schaller Sure Claw, springs for Gotoh springs I had lying around (they're higher tension and I like to use only 2), the pickups for Duncan JB/59, the pot for a push/pull killswitch, the switch for a FreeWay 6-way switch, and redrilled for Dunlop flushmount straplocks.

But I'm super anal about a lot of things. It was already a great guitar out of the box. The stock toggle switch in particular I was sad to see go.

 

[JimF]

How do you find the Sure Claw? It's such an elegant solution to the agricultural claw and woodscrews setup! I'm tempted to get a few for my guitars when I've got some free cash.

 

[Tisca]

Hell yeah, congrats! Fantastic guitars, mine is my main axe. Is yours one of the newer ones with the satin neck? I had to buff mine down myself with ultrafine steel wool.

I left the stock tuners on and just swapped the buttons and hex washers with stuff I had lying around. The stock tuners on mine are clearly the cheapest tier of Gotoh locking tuners (I think the newer ones are a tad nicer), and combined with however I screwed the buttons on (presumably?) they're actually quite stiff now. In hindsight I wish I'd just put on some locking Gotoh SG381s but with a locking nut it hardly matters.

Also swapped the bridge posts/locking screws/locking nut screws for FU-Tone gold titanium, the bar for a gold push-in bar, the retainer bar for a gold one I had lying around, swapped the claw for a Schaller Sure Claw, springs for Gotoh springs I had lying around (they're higher tension and I like to use only 2), the pickups for Duncan JB/59, the pot for a push/pull killswitch, the switch for a FreeWay 6-way switch, and redrilled for Dunlop flushmount straplocks.

But I'm super anal about a lot of things. It was already a great guitar out of the box. The stock toggle switch in particular I was sad to see go.

Mine's '16, no satin.
Good idea, golden hex nuts would be enough for me, and much cheaper =).
Is the Sure Claw plainly an alternative to the wood screws? What's the benefit? EDIT: do you just loosen the nut with bridge leveled/locked and then tighten and it's in correct position?

 

[JimF]

Butting in with an answer, but the Sure Claw is just like the standard setup, but instead of using the biggest screwdriver in your toolbox on a chewed up woodscrew, just waiting to slip and scratch the paint, you use a hex key to move the claw forward and backward.

 

[Captain Shoggoth]

How do you find the Sure Claw? It's such an elegant solution to the agricultural claw and woodscrews setup! I'm tempted to get a few for my guitars when I've got some free cash.

Mine's '16, no satin.
Good idea, golden hex nuts would be enough for me, and much cheaper =).
Is the Sure Claw plainly an alternative to the wood screws? What's the benefit? EDIT: do you just loosen the nut with bridge leveled/locked and then tighten and it's in correct position?

The Sure Claw is fantastic. Obviously balancing a trem for new tuning/gauges is still laborious but it removes all of the physical labour/tool wear from the equation. If your whole guitar is 10 cents sharp or flat before a set, a quarter or half turn of the allen key in the appropriate direction while still in standing position sorts you out.

Like locking tuners, most of the time it's a non-factor, but when you're in a pinch it saves so much time and effort. Anecdotally I'd say there's a resonance benefit in your hands given that it's far more substantial than a thin sheet of metal but idk if it would register in a recorded A/B.

It does only take 3 springs though, so for high-tension enjoyers YMMV. For me, 0 downside.

 

[soul_lip_mike]

1998 ESP JH-2 James Hetfield Diamond Plate Explorer #64 of 200 | Reverb

SERIOUS OFFERS WILL BE CONSIDEREDFor sale is a 1998 ESP JH-2 James Hetfield Diamond Plate Explorer, #64 in a limited run of only 200 pieces.I am the second owner of the guitar and purchased the guitar about 12 years ago. Unfortunately, the previous owner no longer had the COA when I purchased the...

reverb.com

Man I want this.

 

[randall696]

My Urban Camo Twins
there is a 17 years age difference between them but seems like ESP never changed the Camo Pattern xD

 

[ZLE]

A little preview for what's cookin:

ESP All Access Exclusive: 2024 New Guitar & Bass Preview

For the first time since 2020, the year is kicking off with a NAMM Show making its return to its former January time frame, and ESP is able to laun...

www.espguitars.com

 

[soul_lip_mike]

My Urban Camo Twins
there is a 17 years age difference between them but seems like ESP never changed the Camo Pattern xD

View attachment 136246

I used to own the ESP Standard Urban Camo around 2006. Amazing guitar, wish I never sold it.

 

[Marked Man]

I used to own the ESP Standard Urban Camo around 2006. Amazing guitar, wish I never sold it.

ESP Urban Camo is one of the few custom graphic finishes I like. Some early models (2005-2010+) were apparently susceptible to fading to yellow in some conditions, which I don't like, but I think more recent ones have been updated to resist.

My '91 Charvel 650 Custom is the same way, it was the first year to have a no-fade white finish. The previous white 650XLs could turn what I call "butter yellow" with age, which I simply can't get into for any guitar, but especially a hi-tech shredder.

An E-II Viper in UC is on my back burner. Maybe this is the year?

 

[randall696]

ESP Urban Camo is one of the few custom graphic finishes I like. Some early models (2005-2010+) were apparently susceptible to fading to yellow in some conditions, which I don't like, but I think more recent ones have been updated to resist.

An E-II Viper in UC is on my back burner. Maybe this is the year?

yep the early ones tend to fade yellow as far as I heard this happens mainly when they are stored in the case and not exposed to sunlight a lot, will say if they are hanging on the wall catching sunlight here and there they are not so likely to fade (no garuanty on that just read that somwhen somewhere)

last year I got an E-II Viper UC in a trade, beanutiful instrument but it just wasn´t my type of bodystyle so I sold it again:




there is a custom shop M-I ESP Woodland Camo hanging in a Shop not too far... I am dacing around this idea since a while but never yet had the balls to drop 5.5k€ on a guitar I basically already own in Matte black

 

[MoistTowelette]

The Arrow 7 babymetal sig I ordered finally arrived today. Case is beat to shit because the seller didn't use a box, just saran wrapped the case. Luckily the guitar itself survived the trip. I'm not really a listener of Babymetal but I fell in love with the colorway.

 

[Captain Shoggoth]

The Arrow 7 babymetal sig I ordered finally arrived today. Case is beat to shit because the seller didn't use a box, just saran wrapped the case. Luckily the guitar itself survived the trip. I'm not really a listener of Babymetal but I fell in love with the colorway.

Awesome. Every time one of these is going on Reverb it goes on my watch list despite me ABSOLUTELY NOT NEEDING ONE

 

[He_Ma]

I got myself second hand Ltd MH-1000 in see thru purple few days ago. I was originally in hunt of some E-II, but this came up at the great price with ESP hard case so I ended up buying this instead. Based on few days with it I can say that this thing just amazing instrument and really holds up it's own against pricier guitars. Only thing I would change is that I would like the volume pot to be little further. Now my hand accidentally touches it while playing, not enough to actually adjust it, but enough to make me feel that it's still on 10

This will probably go to drop B tuning once I get into it.

Here's family pic of my LTDs. I still hope to get ESP or E-II later this year.

 

[yeah]