The best tool you can have at your disposal if going out to buy a vintage guitar is George Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars. Knowing the building practices of the luthiers behind the guitar, what years major changes in the building process or materials occurred, and knowing the difference between authentic materials and cheap, almost identical substitutes will equip you with the knowledge you need to steer clear of the fakes.
This is how one should approach learning how to spot a fake guitar – by learning all about the real thing. They learn to spot a fake dollar bill by studying the real thing until each and every little detail is committed to memory. They know what the real thing looks like. Their agents are highly trained in spotting a fake versus the real thing – and not because they know what a fake look likes. The United States Secret Service is responsible for policing crimes of counterfeiting money in the US. So before you get stuck with a fake guitar from a charlatan calling himself a guitar dealer, learn the telltale signs. Not only are you paying a lot of money for a phony that sounds and plays poorly, but there is also no warranty, no trade-in value, and it’s usually illegal to resell. Knowing how to spot a fake versus the real thing is key if you are going to partake in this activity, particularly in this day in age where the counterfeit guitar problem worsens by the day almost.Ī counterfeit guitar is a real nuisance.
However, this is also one of the easiest ways to get ripped off. It’s a great way to get a good deal on an otherwise hard-to-find-guitar. If you love guitars as much as I do, the cost of collecting these instruments can take a toll on the checkbook, so one of my favorite pastimes is spelunking in the local pawn shops or perusing the local Craigslist ads. I don’t want some cheap knock-off or counterfeit like the infamous “Chibson” guitar.
The Grassroots line is manufactured in Korea and are the equivalent or better than the Sub-400 series LTDs and can be considered a budget line.As a guitar player, when I drop money on a Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, PRS or any other top-of-the-line axe, I want to know that I am getting exactly that. What are the different lines of ESP Guitars?Īdditionally, ESP has two separate Japan-only lines of guitars, the Grassroots (lower end) and Edwards (Mid-range). There are about 41 signature series guitars. The US replacement parts business was discontinued in order to focus solely on their guitar and bass line, as well as the Custom Shop series. How many ESP Guitars are there in the world?īetween 19, ESP expanded its Signature Series as well as its standard product line. These guitars are similar to lower-end ESP guitars, but are more affordable and cater mainly for markets outside Japan. Original Series and Custom Shop ESPs are handcrafted in Japan while the Standard Series ESPs are factory made in Japan. Where did the original ESP guitar come from? Who are some famous people who use ESP Guitars?ĮSP found fame by making and endorsing guitars for guitarists who went on to become leading exponents of thrash metal in the 1980s, along with other guitar manufacturers Jackson and Dean, with bands Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. James is also known to own and play several V-style guitars as well as Les Pauls.
What Guitar Does James Hetfield Play? James Hetfield primarily plays Explorer-style guitars made by Ken Lawrence, Gibson, as well as ESP. Kirk Hammett is the lead guitarist for the biggest heavy metal band of all time: Metallica. James Hetfield is the vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter in Metallica, the biggest heavy metal band of all time. A typical ESP guitar has a round, thin neck which makes it one of the most playable guitar brands. That’s because they’re assembled of high quality parts.
If you want to know the production year of your ESP guitar,you can decipher it with the serial number decoder, or find it in explanation about the dating system below.Īre ESP guitars good? Yes, ESP guitars are indeed good. The serial number is stamped on the back of the headstock, punched on the neck plate or on (semi) acoustic guitars on the bottom inside the body. At this time, ESP also began making guitars under the ESP and Navigator brand in the Japanese market. In 1975, Hisatake Shibuya opened a shop called Electric Sound Products (ESP) in Tokyo, Japan, which provided custom replacement parts for guitars.