M-1 Tiger with Wilkinson trem?

[Metalhead]

My friend wants to trade his M-1 Tiger for my M-II custom. His Tiger has a Wilkinson trem but I've only seen them with FR trems before (not that I'm an expert by any means).

So my question for those of you that would know: Has ESP ever used Wilkinsons as OEM trems on a M-1 Tiger or did someone switch something on his guitar?

If it's original, then cool. Otherwise I'm not trading. :hat

[jet66]

They do/did use the Wilkinson on a few models, like the Page Hamilton, and I found an LTD with a Wilkinson stock. (http://cgi.ebay.com/ESP-LTD-guitar-wilkinson-trem-locking-tuners-no-bar-WOW_W0QQitemZ190167177935QQihZ009QQcategoryZ33038Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohost ing) It was definitely not just 'swapped out' from a Floyd, however. The distance between the stud/post mounting holes is quite a bit different from one unit to the other. So, it could be OEM, but I personally couldn't say it is definitely an 'authentic' ESP.

[Metalhead]

Thanks for the reply. :hat

How could I tell if someone took a LTD model and stuck a genuine ESP neck on it? Or, how could I tell if the body is an LTD vs. an ESP?

I've been using ESP guitars for almost 20 years now but I'm not familiar with the LTD line - never owned one.

[Metalhead]

What's the difference in quality/materials in the LTD vs. a standard ESP body? How can I tell if I examine the body? Thanks