About Jackson masterbuilt or ESP custom order...

R

Redneckstomp

Active member
Well.. Ordering my own custom guitar from Jackson or ESP has been my dream since I started to play guitar.
Jackson stop taking masterbuilt order. So, I inquired the price. Holy...they quoted me 1,100,000 Yen. Almost 11K in USD. :(
I thought my spec was nothing special. M-2 base, reverse head stock, all mahogany, 26.5 inch scale neck, gloss black finish.
Now, I am very confused. No matter how I think about that price, I can't understand ESP's price policy of thier custom shop.
Can somebody tell me who have the Jackson masterbuilt or ESP Custom order? Are they worth the price?
 
I’m not familiar with ESP custom orders other than the ones I’ve played were amazing guitars. The Jackson Masterbuilt guitars also are amazing, but their pricing is shocking IMHO. I’m starting to consider something like a custom Schecter instead.
 
Yeah, the ESP customs have been outrageously expensive for many years now. Jackson is getting there too, but I think they still might be cheaper. Of course neither objectively speaking is anywhere near worth the money, since they are not three times as good as a standard top-shelf model, but that´s just the name of the game with custom orders.

The thing to remember is that these big guys make very little of their money on true custom orders and mostly do them to keep up the sense of high-end dream guitars for the company and the rest of the line, so they don´t need (or even necessarily want) a lot of those orders and can price them accordingly.

Of course, the list price quote straight from ESP isn´t anything close to what the street price from a dealer will be. It gets, what, 30% cheaper? 40%?
 
Yeah, a one-off from ESP is pretty darn steep these days, especially compared to companies that actually make a living off of the custom stuff. But in the end ESP aren´t pricing these to win someone over from the competition, that´s for sure.

I seem to remember a basic ESP custom order without any spectacular specs was maybe $2500 fifteen years ago. Then again, a brand-new Soloist Select I think was around $1400 at that time and is creeping up on double that today. The top-shelf guitars have gotten a lot more expensive, for sure, but on the other hand $500 buys you stuff you couldn´t dream of twenty years ago.
 
Jackson makes great 23 fretted guitars with misaligned haedware.

Esp CS stuff is top notch. Same goes for Schecter, ask them too
 
None of the theories I have heard in regards to the insane guitar prices ever made sense to me.
The only reason that makes sense to me is that people are willing to pay that much, so the manufacturers charge as much as they can...if you can't afford it, tough, evidently there are ppl out there that will fall for the hype/shills and pony up ridiculous amounts.

Guitars are a few chunks of wood, some metal, and super basic electronics. Nothing magical, nothing super rare, nothing that a monkey can't learn to make in a few years (CNC does most of the work anyways). They should not cost the equivalent of [cheap]car/motorcycle.

If ppl stop supporting these prices then the manufacturers will have no choice but to reduce their costs or go out of business, simple.

I love ESP to death but 11K for essentially a basicish guitar.....they can go fuck themselves. And as far as I'm concerned if you're not a pro, and don't have a loaded bank account where money is not an issue, you [not OP specifically!] deserve to be fleeced. But to each is own I guess.

Go on ebay, check out the Japanese equivalents of ebay, find yourself a used guitar for $3K tops with similar specs that you can live with, then have steak dinners for the rest of the year.
 
Zado":2x8xr1fz said:
Jackson makes great 23 fretted guitars with misaligned haedware.

Esp CS stuff is top notch. Same goes for Schecter, ask them too
Click to expand...

Ooohhh wow!! It seems I missed a horror story somewhere... :confused:
 
I would also recommend you contact Lee Garver of GMW Guitarworks. His SS model can be had with the specs you wrote at what I'm certain would be a less expensive price. And quality wise, the custom GMW guitars I've played have easily matched any of the custom shop Jackson guitars I've played.

If fact, I had wanted to begin the process of a Masterbuilt Jackson last year, but they're not taking any orders. I went to Lee and we spoke back and forth. What I want is pretty outside the box and Lee was direct with some of what I was after, but willing to build the guitar. After some further thought on my part, I wanted to go with a different direction on the guitar overall and first experiment with modding an existing guitar.

I feel your pain as I've wanted a custom shop Jackson built specifically for myself for over 20 years. If I were wanting a custom Jackson, ESP, or a guitar that is heavily inspired by their designs now though, GMW is exactly where I'd go.
 
Oblivion DC":er8pw4hw said:
Zado":er8pw4hw said:
Jackson makes great 23 fretted guitars with misaligned haedware.

Esp CS stuff is top notch. Same goes for Schecter, ask them too
Click to expand...

Ooohhh wow!! It seems I missed a horror story somewhere... :confused:
Click to expand...

Yeah, that was a real weird one a few years back. It was a 23-fret Kelly, if I recall.
 
Maybe ask a dealer, for example axe palace, to order a original series ESP for you. They are custom shop. And are awesome.
 
I am a Japanese. So, I can directly contact to ESP. There are some other custom guitar companies in Japan. Their quality is good. But,the problem is design. Mr. EvilBatman I will check GMW guitar out. Thanks for the recommendation :)
 
xzyryabx":1j8j0yi1 said:
None of the theories I have heard in regards to the insane guitar prices ever made sense to me.
The only reason that makes sense to me is that people are willing to pay that much, so the manufacturers charge as much as they can...if you can't afford it, tough, evidently there are ppl out there that will fall for the hype/shills and pony up ridiculous amounts.

Guitars are a few chunks of wood, some metal, and super basic electronics. Nothing magical, nothing super rare, nothing that a monkey can't learn to make in a few years (CNC does most of the work anyways). They should not cost the equivalent of [cheap]car/motorcycle.

If ppl stop supporting these prices then the manufacturers will have no choice but to reduce their costs or go out of business, simple.

I love ESP to death but 11K for essentially a basicish guitar.....they can go fuck themselves. And as far as I'm concerned if you're not a pro, and don't have a loaded bank account where money is not an issue, you [not OP specifically!] deserve to be fleeced. But to each is own I guess.

Go on ebay, check out the Japanese equivalents of ebay, find yourself a used guitar for $3K tops with similar specs that you can live with, then have steak dinners for the rest of the year.
Click to expand...

I think the reason for the price is that the companies really don’t care to do these custom orders. They are a pain in the ass and any money made is a drop in the bucket compared to sales of the production lines and import stuff made by other factories. The custom shops exist to supply guitars to endorsers (who do help the bottom line).

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jackson eventual do what Ibanez has done, which is simply close the custom shop to the public. That would be terrible from a historical standpoint because Charvel and Jackson were always publicly accessible, but the current vibe I get from them is that they don’t want to take my custom order and throw out a price that’s essentially a middle finger.
 
Oblivion DC":1a9p2j13 said:
Zado":1a9p2j13 said:
Jackson makes great 23 fretted guitars with misaligned haedware.

Esp CS stuff is top notch. Same goes for Schecter, ask them too
Click to expand...

Ooohhh wow!! It seems I missed a horror story somewhere... :confused:
Click to expand...
Eh, more than just one I fear. Maybe things in the CS got solved meanwhile, no idea.


Dave L":1a9p2j13 said:
Oblivion DC":1a9p2j13 said:
Zado":1a9p2j13 said:
Jackson makes great 23 fretted guitars with misaligned haedware.

Esp CS stuff is top notch. Same goes for Schecter, ask them too
Click to expand...

Ooohhh wow!! It seems I missed a horror story somewhere... :confused:
Click to expand...

Yeah, that was a real weird one a few years back. It was a 23-fret Kelly, if I recall.
Click to expand...

Yep, the guy who ordered the Kelly waited 2years total and spent about 4k to have an instrument that listed 24 frets in the spec sheet but had 23. how is it possible for a brand to miss that is beyond me, but happened.

Like it wasn't enough, a guy posted in the JC forum an experience he had with the CS, that made a guitar with misaligned bridge and pickups, and when asked for another guitar to replace the unplayable one, the seller and the brand replied "the guys at Jackson CS can't deliver a guitar better than the one they build, nor have intention to do so".

Chapeau
 
xzyryabx":25e5j7e3 said:
None of the theories I have heard in regards to the insane guitar prices ever made sense to me.
The only reason that makes sense to me is that people are willing to pay that much, so the manufacturers charge as much as they can...if you can't afford it, tough, evidently there are ppl out there that will fall for the hype/shills and pony up ridiculous amounts.

Guitars are a few chunks of wood, some metal, and super basic electronics. Nothing magical, nothing super rare, nothing that a monkey can't learn to make in a few years (CNC does most of the work anyways). They should not cost the equivalent of [cheap]car/motorcycle.

If ppl stop supporting these prices then the manufacturers will have no choice but to reduce their costs or go out of business, simple.

I love ESP to death but 11K for essentially a basicish guitar.....they can go fuck themselves. And as far as I'm concerned if you're not a pro, and don't have a loaded bank account where money is not an issue, you [not OP specifically!] deserve to be fleeced. But to each is own I guess.

Go on ebay, check out the Japanese equivalents of ebay, find yourself a used guitar for $3K tops with similar specs that you can live with, then have steak dinners for the rest of the year.
Click to expand...

I'm an all-time ESP player, but you're right. the prices have gone crazy.
 
Zado":2yp5hmja said:
Oblivion DC":2yp5hmja said:
Zado":2yp5hmja said:
Jackson makes great 23 fretted guitars with misaligned haedware.

Esp CS stuff is top notch. Same goes for Schecter, ask them too
Click to expand...

Ooohhh wow!! It seems I missed a horror story somewhere... :confused:
Click to expand...
Eh, more than just one I fear. Maybe things in the CS got solved meanwhile, no idea.


Dave L":2yp5hmja said:
Oblivion DC":2yp5hmja said:
Zado":2yp5hmja said:
Jackson makes great 23 fretted guitars with misaligned haedware.

Esp CS stuff is top notch. Same goes for Schecter, ask them too
Click to expand...

Ooohhh wow!! It seems I missed a horror story somewhere... :confused:
Click to expand...

Yeah, that was a real weird one a few years back. It was a 23-fret Kelly, if I recall.
Click to expand...

Yep, the guy who ordered the Kelly waited 2years total and spent about 4k to have an instrument that listed 24 frets in the spec sheet but had 23. how is it possible for a brand to miss that is beyond me, but happened.

Like it wasn't enough, a guy posted in the JC forum an experience he had with the CS, that made a guitar with misaligned bridge and pickups, and when asked for another guitar to replace the unplayable one, the seller and the brand replied "the guys at Jackson CS can't deliver a guitar better than the one they build, nor have intention to do so".

Chapeau
Click to expand...

Yeah. I remember reading that and it made me very wary of the Jackson custom shop. I remember about 10-15 years ago, custom ESPs were arriving with inaccuracies and screw ups too. I don't recall anything like the above, but I remember the anger and disbelief on the ESP forum. That said, I've haven't heard a bad word about the ESP custom shop in a very long time, prices aside.

Redneckstomp,

I hope you can find what you're after without having to sell off part of your soul to get it.
 
EvilBatman":1y8n3fcj said:
I would also recommend you contact Lee Garver of GMW Guitarworks. His SS model can be had with the specs you wrote at what I'm certain would be a less expensive price. And quality wise, the custom GMW guitars I've played have easily matched any of the custom shop Jackson guitars I've played.

If fact, I had wanted to begin the process of a Masterbuilt Jackson last year, but they're not taking any orders. I went to Lee and we spoke back and forth. What I want is pretty outside the box and Lee was direct with some of what I was after, but willing to build the guitar. After some further thought on my part, I wanted to go with a different direction on the guitar overall and first experiment with modding an existing guitar.

I feel your pain as I've wanted a custom shop Jackson built specifically for myself for over 20 years. If I were wanting a custom Jackson, ESP, or a guitar that is heavily inspired by their designs now though, GMW is exactly where I'd go.
Click to expand...
If you want a bolt on guitar, call Curt at Chubtone Guitars, all the quality/feel of a pre Pro Charvel for great prices. I LOVE mine !!!
I’ve gone to Lee - twice now. First was a Charvel style bolt on HRF and the new build is an Oz Fox SPE neck through (waiting on it now). Lee is first rate, top quality. But I’d really like a strat style with a reverse Jackson pointy headstock, and Lee WILL NOT alter his headstock designs. He also WILL NOT reverse a non reverse headstock.
 
Redneckstomp":284yxhih said:
Well.. Ordering my own custom guitar from Jackson or ESP has been my dream since I started to play guitar.
Jackson stop taking masterbuilt order. So, I inquired the price. Holy...they quoted me 1,100,000 Yen. Almost 11K in USD. :(
I thought my spec was nothing special. M-2 base, reverse head stock, all mahogany, 26.5 inch scale neck, gloss black finish.
Now, I am very confused. No matter how I think about that price, I can't understand ESP's price policy of thier custom shop.
Can somebody tell me who have the Jackson masterbuilt or ESP Custom order? Are they worth the price?
Click to expand...

Do you mean 25.5 inch scale like a Fender, Charvel, Jackson, or ESP ? Dinky style body like an MII ?
 
Nope. 1 inch longer scale. 26.5 inch. Because I mostly play detuned metal I need a baritone. To me 27 inch scale is too much. So, I wanna 26.5 inch scale.
 
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