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Did early ESP basses have Tele-style headstocks?

unbasslichkeit

unbasslichkeit

Apr 4, 2003
1,261
16
PR of Greenbelt, MD
www.unidentifiedbassplayer.org
#1
Got a pretty nice P-bass copy in trade from a bandmate last week. It needed some work (new jack, tightening of neck screws, knobs, half-rounds) but I played it on the Saturday gig and it did the job. The thick maple neck was a very different feel for this Jazz Bass player of 20+ years. :bassist:

He claims it is a very early ESP bass but it is hard to tell. The back plate was replaced so no evidence there. It has a lot of brass "gold-plated" fittings (keys, tension guide, bridge.) The electronics are standard grade Asian-made below average for 80s P-Bass copies. (It's getting a new wiring harness and a replacement pup ASAP.)

Body appears to be ash, two tone sunburst, very thick finish, gold anodized pickguard copy. The neck (aside from the tele-style headstock) is unusual in that the fingerboard extends out over the truss rod opening.

At this point I need pix. I'll try and get 'em tonight if the digital camera will cooperate.
 
#7
The first ESP's I ever saw came out of a small shop on 48th st in NYC. All were Fender style basses with a few cooler options available, one of which was that extra fret hanging over the fingerboard. There was also 48th St Custom, which was a larger store that had walls of ESP stuff mixed in with a lot of ( overpriced) vintage Fender and Gibson gear. My guess is that its one of the older parts basses that were assembled here. I recall them as playing and sounding pretty good compared to what Fender was making in 1982
 
#10
If I remember, ESP used to be a parts company like Warmoth. They made all sorts of Fender-type necks and bodies in the early 80's. In 1982 I put together a bass from a '76 Fender P neck and an ash ESP J body bought new and unfinished. The ESP-brand basses came a couple of years later, but you could have assembled a whole bass from ESP parts before that.
 
#11
Here's a couple I found with a quick google search. Kinda cool.

ESP_body.gif


ESP_head.gif
 
#12
Thanks for all the valuable and highly informative replies. Here are pix of the bass I'm talking about. (The digital camera went south so these are from the cell phone - please to forgive the lousy quality.)
esp3.jpg

Here's a shot of the neck with the extra fret:
esp1.jpg


One other feature of this bass is the gig bag it came with; it's a nice quality piece called a 'Tough Traveler' USA made in Schenectady NY. I'm now wondering if this might be one of the 48th Street Custom ESP instruments. Once again, no way to tell for sure. Regardless, this bass is definitely gonna get some work this fall (as in gigging and hot-rodding both.)

Now: Somebody please dare me to put a DarkStar on this puppy...:D
 

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