My Custom ordered ESP M-II

[HerbieTheRadDorklift]

 

[moltenmetalburn]

If it makes you feel any better even sponsored artists wait this long. took us 9 months to get a signature guitar made. was worth the wait though the instrument was flawless and sounds killer.

 

[Mailman1971]

Oh Yeah......I love my ESP's.
Owned a TON of them thru the years.
Best one I owned was one of the earlier Kamikazies when they were custom shop only.
No serial numbers or logo on the back of the headstock.
Thing weighed a TON but hit like a brick shithouse.
If I ever see one of the late 80's ones again I will snag it!!

New ones are nice.....but the original models were the best.

 

[glpg80]

I won't buy an ESP. A few years ago, I ordered an Urban Camo MII. Put money down, etc. After 3 or 4 months wait, ESP came back and said too bad for me. The Urban Camo MII is now a custom order and will cost a ton more and I would have to wait 6 more months. Due to the ESP embarrassing the dealer, I was offered a Jackson soloist at dealer cost.

TBH if i could have my money back, i wouldnt change anything.

because that ESP, once "tuned" to my liking, will essentially be 1 of those guitars that will stick with me for a very, very long time.

essentially it picks up right where my wolfgang left off, and thats in the playing department.

if i could tolerate other brands like charvel or jackson then i wouldnt blame you - why wait. but the woods from ESP are different, and some of the slickest and fastest necks i have ever played. its hard to explain, its not in the finish of the maple. its the type of wood it is and how it feels. i do my own oiled necks and the ESP series is still a faster neck. i know that doesnt mean much when you havent seen my quality of work, but im very picky about the exact oils that i use, and it takes 2-3 days to get any neck, mine or someone elses, right where i like it. all of that work doesnt matter though because ESP STILL puts out a better quality neck.

so basically i just want it for the cut, quality, and finish. ill be replacing every other part on the guitar.

its not one of those guitars i have came across that i just want. at least, the M-II's quality that i played demo'ed is what i mean. i played and sounded much better on that guitar than anything else my hands have came across. i even took both of my axes that i have now to compare it to and it will definately sit well in the mix - its got alot of nice clear note capability, but cleaner than my wolfgang was with basswood. with a pickup change, it will be perfect. as long as the craftmanship is at the level or better than the model i demoed for almost 3 months (7 months ago) i will be extremely happy.

 

[glpg80]

If it makes you feel any better even sponsored artists wait this long. took us 9 months to get a signature guitar made. was worth the wait though the instrument was flawless and sounds killer.

i wont post a NGD until mine is finished with all the new parts that i would like/pickups/setup/etc.

because my NGD would just be a picture of 2 pieces of wood put together, nothing else

first thing i'll do is take it all apart. let the woods get used to this humidity/environment of NC while i gather up all new wiring and the other goodies that i would like.

i can wait, but i still feel like a kid about it somewhat. its something ive been looking for, for almost 3 years. the Ibanez Jem that i owned was a complete failure and utter dissapointment tone wise. im still an ibanez fanboy, but depending on the first 3 weeks of this ESP will depend on which one i like more.

my guess is still the prestige... nothing so far has touched this guitar in tone, setup, or playing ability. but we will see

 

[moltenmetalburn]

If it makes you feel any better even sponsored artists wait this long. took us 9 months to get a signature guitar made. was worth the wait though the instrument was flawless and sounds killer.

i wont post a NGD until mine is finished with all the new parts that i would like/pickups/setup/etc.

because my NGD would just be a picture of 2 pieces of wood put together, nothing else

first thing i'll do is take it all apart. let the woods get used to this humidity/environment of NC while i gather up all new wiring and the other goodies that i would like.

i can wait, but i still feel like a kid about it somewhat. its something ive been looking for, for almost 3 years. the Ibanez Jem that i owned was a complete failure and utter dissapointment tone wise. im still an ibanez fanboy, but depending on the first 3 weeks of this ESP will depend on which one i like more.

my guess is still the prestige... nothing so far has touched this guitar in tone, setup, or playing ability. but we will see

yeah I fell you on that point. Being left handed and having never ordered a custom thus far every guitar I have ever purchased was for wood only. I Completely changed hardware and electronics inside and out. Still have to pay for the stuff I throw in the trash though, lame. I have talked to Alan at ESP multiple times about a custom but lately I have been favoring my Ibanez. Unfortunately all my whining to the Ibanez reps have gotten me nowhere, so I'm looking at having an Ibanez clone built.

 

[glpg80]

so 15 months later i finally have this guitar being shipped to my front door. 15 months is entirely too fucking long to wait on a guitar.

here is the story.

basically they got a guitar in through my dealer but it was not the right color, wood, or neck type (neck through vs bolt on i wanted)

i hate neck through guitars - i prefer bolt on for the snap that they have. neck throughs smooth out the tone too much for my tastes.

so i waited another 4-5 months to get the right guitar. finally they got the right model, type, wood, etc with no problems. spoke to my dealer, and its being shipped to my house as we speak.

 

[glassjaw7]

Sweet! Can't wait to see pics.

 

[EXPcustom]

One day I am going to order a doubleneck version of the Kerry King V that is in my avatar.


12 string thru on top and Kahler on bottom.

 

[glpg80]

One day I am going to order a doubleneck version of the Kerry King V that is in my avatar.


12 string thru on top and Kahler on bottom.

after dealing with this i will never order another ESP for as long as i live. ESP as a company has been terrible with this - if not for my dealer i would be screwed.

 

[EXPcustom]

One day I am going to order a doubleneck version of the Kerry King V that is in my avatar.


12 string thru on top and Kahler on bottom.

after dealing with this i will never order another ESP for as long as i live. ESP as a company has been terrible with this - if not for my dealer i would be screwed.

I would be dealing with ESP of Japan directly, I gave up on ESP USA many years ago, to me they are just a reseller, distributer, middleman.

 

[glpg80]

Sweet! Can't wait to see pics.

+1 i cant wait to hold it

 

[glpg80]

One day I am going to order a doubleneck version of the Kerry King V that is in my avatar.


12 string thru on top and Kahler on bottom.

after dealing with this i will never order another ESP for as long as i live. ESP as a company has been terrible with this - if not for my dealer i would be screwed.

I would be dealing with ESP of Japan directly, I gave up on ESP USA many years ago, to me they are just a reseller, distributer, middleman.

i give you props - i cant afford buying direct with the higher prices and dollar exchange

plus the mis-order was on ESP japan's part, not USA. i dont see how the order could be wrong with me sending it or the USA dealer. regardless - im not complaining with the service from USA - japan is the and was the original problem here on my order.

good luck on your order though

 

[Code001]

Fucking finally. FWIW, when I order from Japan, it's usually used stuff from Digimart or the such.

 

[nwright]

Getting anything into the US from ESP - if it isn't a standard ESP USA model, is difficult. ESP USA and ESP Japan are quite different, much to the detriment of us in the US. In Japan, ESP is only a custom guitar builder, not anything like the ESP's we see over here.

I love ESP's, but knowing the hassle it is to try and get anything better or different from the standards the US gets, I know I'll always be buying used.

I'd also argue that buying used ESP's from the 80's and 90's will arguably sound better than current ESP models the US sees.

 

[glpg80]

Getting anything into the US from ESP - if it isn't a standard ESP USA model, is difficult. ESP USA and ESP Japan are quite different, much to the detriment of us in the US. In Japan, ESP is only a custom guitar builder, not anything like the ESP's we see over here.

I love ESP's, but knowing the hassle it is to try and get anything better or different from the standards the US gets, I know I'll always be buying used.

I'd also argue that buying used ESP's from the 80's and 90's will arguably sound better than current ESP models the US sees.

every guitar ive ever bought used has dings and such on them or were not taken care of. im all for buying mojo guitars, but man ive always dreamed of owning my own, new guitar that actually sounds good and plays great.

i owned a new steve vai white jem at one point and that guitar never jived toen wise - it sounded thin and wasnt full or resonate but played great. hopefully this ESP will be like the one i demoed in the store and have great potential with a few pickup changes and wiring upgrades

 

[EXPcustom]

One day I am going to order a doubleneck version of the Kerry King V that is in my avatar.


12 string thru on top and Kahler on bottom.

after dealing with this i will never order another ESP for as long as i live. ESP as a company has been terrible with this - if not for my dealer i would be screwed.

I would be dealing with ESP of Japan directly, I gave up on ESP USA many years ago, to me they are just a reseller, distributer, middleman.

i give you props - i cant afford buying direct with the higher prices and dollar exchange

plus the mis-order was on ESP japan's part, not USA. i dont see how the order could be wrong with me sending it or the USA dealer. regardless - im not complaining with the service from USA - japan is the and was the original problem here on my order.

good luck on your order though

I have ordered direct from Japan ESP before, no problems ever..

When you order from ESP Japan directly they give you a very specific spec sheet and its like three pages long, what people in the USA fill out is a joke for ESP orders, no wonder stuff shows up wrong. Plus it depends on which ESP house you place the order through, they don't fuck around over there with their custom orders, they even let you pick out the wood and more. Technical house is supposed to be the best.

 

[glpg80]

i researched this through and through before i bought it. retail was about $1700 in my area at the time.

ESP direct wanted a simillar price for a direct order - MSRP for my particular guitar was $2,600 without a case - $1860 with the exchange rate (again, this is 15 months ago)

then from what i remember, they would not allow a custom order form from customer to company with just a color change - it is considered a special order, not a custom order, and requires a dealer middle man. so with the dollar not holding value, i found a dealer in the USA recommended here on the forum.

regardless though, ESP japan passed a new rule where no more "special orders" are allowed - only retail, or full out custom. color changes and such are no longer allowed either unless you pay for an all out custom order - more $$$$

so for what i paid, and what i got, the wait was worth it because otherwise i wouldnt be owning it at all