ESP USA Custom Shop? Please help!?!

[stalker]

Hello everyone,
I have stumbled upon this beautiful guitar. However except the writings on the headstock and the back of the electronics lid I cannot find any evidence that it is an real ESP! It is very good instrument, although it is in really bad shape. I must point out that all of the hardware is not original. It was all stolen by previous owners... I am only interested in the body(wood) itself and I am ready to do a full restoration of this guitar if it is a real ESP of course... So have any of you ever seen a guitar like this and do you think is it real or a fake one!?!? I am grateful in advance. Here are the images:

http://xs221.xs.to/xs221/07471/Imag1e1.jpg

http://xs221.xs.to/xs221/07471/Imag1e2.jpg

http://xs221.xs.to/xs221/07471/Image3.jpg

http://xs221.xs.to/xs221/07471/Image4.jpg

http://xs221.xs.to/xs221/07471/Image5.jpg

http://xs221.xs.to/xs221/07471/Image6.jpg

http://xs221.xs.to/xs221/07471/Image7.jpg

[Guitarslingerans]

Pretty sure this is not a real ESP. The logo is not lined up with the center of the headstock (looks crooked), there is no volutte on the back of the headstock that, as far as I have ever seen, beside a FEW exceptions like the Vintage series strats and teles, ALL ESP have had voluttes, an that truss rod cover doesn't look like ANYTHING ESP has ever used. I'm goign to cast my vote for fake. Sorry dude. :(

-Ans-

[ShreddyMcFunTits]

I'm going to say a bad knock off

[stalker]

No problem man...

It came to my town like 10 - 12 years ago and changed a lot of owners... People think it is authentic, I am having doubts just like you. A very good guitar builder and repair man says he doubts that it is fake, but says there is possibility, thats what I want to find out!

It's not mine yet, I really like this guitar and if it is a real ESP than it is worth the money and the effort, if not, thats too bad. Really good instrument though.

[amal8301]

I am gonna say fake. I dunno if the short lived USA Custom shop ever made anything like that, but then again it could be real.

[Gfunk]

:lol

[D-EJ915]

Looks cheap as hell, those tuners are cheaper than the ones on a squier affinity

[stalker]

Looks cheap as hell, those tuners are cheaper than the ones on a squier affinity

Yes you are right! The tuners and tailpiece are "JIN AH"... It is tragic because the previous owners striped all of the hardware, they were actually Grover... The pickups aren't original either. I don't think anything on this guitar is original except the wood. But like all of you I have my doubts...

[emg32]

I'm going to guess fake also. The ESP logo is off center, like Ansley stated. I've never seen a ESP Eclipse with that style of horn either. It looks way to tall.

The main thing that makes me think it's fake is that it is set-neck. Every ESP USA guitar I have ever seen in person or in a catalog has been a bolt-on neck.

I could be wrong but I know the ESP USA guitars pretty well since I own a 2001 ESP USA MII. It is possible that it could be a older model since you say it came to your town 10-12 years ago but I don't think any ESP guitars were labeled ESP USA Customs back then. I also don't think ESP was even making a style of Eclipse like that 10-12 years ago.

[Metlupass2]

Id say definately not.

[Metlupass2]

Id say definately not.

I dont think ESP used that type if logo 12 years ago or more, but I could be wrong....

[DixSerina]

That's suposed to be an Eclipse?

[gab4554]

That's suposed to be an Eclipse?

kinda but more like a real LP with diffrent shape

[TheGuardian]

kinda but more like a real LP with diffrent shape

And the Eclipse is..?

[SYL]

If it is indeed a fake, someone went through a lot of trouble trying to make it seem like a real ESP.

Could possibly be a former employees one-off project guitar.

[ESPKH4Builder]

i don't think theres been an esp custom shop in the US since the 80's plus the USA inspected sticker has an American flag theme to it...i really don't think that thing is real...besides ive never seen a eclipse in that shape with that shape of headstock

[SYL]

I believe there was a USA Customshop in the 90's. There are a handful of custom bolt-on Eclipses, Horizons, etc that came outta that factory I believe.

And if it's an employee project guitar, they often (at least with other companies) can make it any way they want. So they don't necessarily have to use existing headstock or body shapes.

It may very well be fake. I just think it's a lot of work for someone to go through to get the imprint on the back of the head and the control plate cover with the ESP company info etc.

Whether or not it's real seems irrelevant, cause it's fugly! :lol

[gab4554]

128

129


as you can see the shape of the body isnt the same. and inlays too. I think they took a real LP and they modified it.

[emg32]

I believe there was a USA Customshop in the 90's. There are a handful of custom bolt-on Eclipses, Horizons, etc that came outta that factory I believe.

The ESP USA Custom Shop stopped in 2001. I don't know how many years it was actually producing guitars but every Custom they offered that I have ever seen was a bolt-on.

I don't really think they were making ESP's in the USA 10-12 years ago though. The USA CS ESP's are pretty rare so that makes me think they weren't making them long.

[guitarsatbmusic]

10+ years ago ESP were at 7561 Sunset Blvd. AFAIK. Why are we even debating this? That thing's a fuckin crime against humanity http://guitarsatbmusic.com.au//forum/images/smiles/078.gif Quite possibly the worst knockoff attempt I've ever laid eyes on :eek:

[Christah]

:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x :x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x

[Fordman65]

God that horn is horrible looking. I just threw up in my mouth a bit, seriously I am not kidding. :\

It could be a symptom of my hangover though and not the guitar.

[AsherTKK]

esp eclipses from the late 80's early 90's actually had a more tele sort of shape, as used by izzy stradlin... but if it came to yr town 10 to 12 years ago... that makes the website address on the control cavity plate quite redundant... was there an esp webbie 12 years ago? was the net even around 12 years ago?

[AsherTKK]

wonder who's the poor sap who was the only one who voted yes... lol

[deftoneskidd]

eewww

[Sidivan]

I vote fake for the following reasons:

1980's Eclipses looked like tele's. There's one on ebay right now. http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-1980s-ESP-Eclipe-Custom_W0QQitemZ320189650188QQihZ011QQcategoryZ330 38QQcmdZViewItem

In the 80's ESP was located in New York. In '93 it moved to sunset blvd in LA. It's possible that the plate is fake due to the previous owner's story about harvesting the the original hardware, but it's unlikely that they would go through the trouble of replacing it with another fake. Also, the 800 number on it has an extra digit.

There's no trademark logo anywhere on that guitar. Not next to the logo's, not next to the custom markings, nothing.

That's not even a GOOD fake.

[sp1keNARF]

I think they took a real LP and they modified it.

:rollin

[2fat2furious]

you can clearly see where they sanded down the paint for the fake decals and/or the glue marks on the top and center of the headstock, note the discoloration

edit: or maybe its dust, i cant tell