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ESP Surveyor? Never mind....NBD

Gorn

Inactive
Dec 15, 2011
17,698
62,684
Queens, NY
Can anyone tell me about this bass? There's no "made in" or serial number anywhere to be found. It sounds and feels great. Looks like an ebony board. I don't know ESP or LTD and somehow 48th street guitars is involved? Anyone know anything?
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Nice! I like the color, that's an unusual shade, looks different in different pics.
Yeah it's an odd blue. Wouldn't have been my first choice but it's not bad. I don't really care for matching headstocks but it looks pretty good.
Looks like MIJ goodness.
You think so?
I think they made these basses in a bass factory, but I could be wrong.
Yeah? The guy at the store was telling they bought this and a guitar from someone who said it was from the 48th street ESP shop. I've heard of this but I don't know what that means. Someone's building basses made out of ESP parts? Somehow under the authority of ESP? I don't really get it. I emailed ESP with pics. Maybe they'll know. Not that I really care. MIJ would be fine by me.
 
Yeah it's an odd blue. Wouldn't have been my first choice but it's not bad. I don't really care for matching headstocks but it looks pretty good.

You think so?

Yeah? The guy at the store was telling they bought this and a guitar from someone who said it was from the 48th street ESP shop. I've heard of this but I don't know what that means. Someone's building basses made out of ESP parts? Somehow under the authority of ESP? I don't really get it. I emailed ESP with pics. Maybe they'll know. Not that I really care. MIJ would be fine by me.

Here is what may be the P/J version from a bit earlier run, the listing says it's from the 80's, perhaps yours is from the late 80's or early 90's.

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I remember "back in the day" 48th Street Custom Guitars was like the only place in NYC to get an ESP...
I'm. It sure if they were the only retailer, or if they actually built them there...
I do know that you could get a fully custom built guitar from the 48th St shop...they were somehow affiliated with ESP, and back then all ESP's were high-dollar hand made goodness...
 
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I remember "back in the day" 48th Street Custom Guitars was like the only place in NYC to get an ESP...
I'm. It sure if they were the only retailer, or if they actually built them there...
I do know that you could get a fully custom built guitar from the 48th St shop...they were somehow affiliated with ESP, and back then all ESP's were high-dollar hand made goodness...

If memory serves ESP was Electric Sound Products and basically they produced high quality vintage spec Fender bodies, necks and hardware . As quoted 48th St. was a dealer and started building complete ready to play instruments from these components . At some point complete instruments were built in Japan and marketed.

I'm by no means final authority on these but I do know they are great playing and sounding and excellent values when they are for sale.

I have 2 ESP Vintage 4s and a fretted and Fretless LTD p/j and they are my most played in my collection .
 
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All I know is the 80s surveyors were basically ESPs fender clones and really good ones at that and I believe they were made in Japan. I don’t remember seeing the Jazz body but I have seen plenty of the old p body ones. In fact the now discontinued fb-4 signature bass was basically a recreation of Franks favorite bass from the 80s which was a surveyor. The 90s ones with the Emg pickups are pretty good basses basses as well I just think they didn’t sell that well because they looked kind of plain.
 

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