ESP Telecaster

Updated
ESP Telecaster

Can anyone help with this serial # 02547 Blonde Tele. Rosewood neck

Nathan S.

Need more and better pics than that for someone to give you much info on it. Logo looks like crap to me, but could be bad angle or lighting. More pics, body, headstock, fron, back, etc.

 

Sonny R.

See if this helps.

Nathan S.

Someone that knows the really old stuff better than I is going to have to chime in, but I'm not buying that logo.

Sonny R.

I hope These help Thank for the reply.

Big Daddy B

Headstock shape looks off to me.

Sonny R.

Not sure what you mean. I have owned this guitar since 1996.I do not remember who I bought it from. My interest is in finding out it's heritage. The head stock is the same as the day I bought it. Still interested in finding out about this. I am not a collector but have been a musician/actor for over 45 years. I own this electric and a 1972 Guild D-50. Just using my retirement and cataloging.

CLT-ESP

Hey Sonny. I've got more information for you regarding the "Series" ESP's. I have many of the old original ESP catalogues from the old original 19th Street and 48th Street shops that were the US shops in the 80's in NYC. Let me pull them back out and I'll get back to you. They only made the "Series" for a couple of years, so it won't be difficult figuring out what you have. I also have a Series Strat, and the headstock and logo on your guitar is correct. I'll try to get that to you later today if that's okay. 

Sonny R.

That would be great. Thank you for that.

 

CLT-ESP

Hey Sonny. My pleasure. Do not take that gem apart if she's never been apart unless you absolutely have to. Just my $.02. 

Sonny R.

Clint. Took the neck off. This is what I found

Any ideas?

Sonny

CLT-ESP

In the meantime, here's a picture of my Series Strat's headstock and logo. 

Nathan S.
CLT-ESP wrote:

In the meantime, here's a picture of my Series Strat's headstock and logo. 

 

Good to know that is a legit logo, never seen their logo in just single color before. Post up some pics of those old catalogs you have when you get them dug out. Would be cool to see.

CLT-ESP

Yeah, you don't see them often, but they're around. All of the super early ESP logos were actually just one color. Many call them "pre-golden years" since they didn't have the prominent gold shadowing that followed in the mid-80's. Also something obvious as you get up close to those older guitars, many ESP logo's were simply a decal that was applied to the headstock, many known for peeling off over the years. If you ever run across one of those and question its authenticity, you can flip it over and look at the back of the headstock to see if it has the old school ESP block letters pressed into the back of the headstock. If that's not there, pull the neck off, and there should be a period correct ESP "Electric Sound Products" or Craft House/Custom Shop stamp on both the back of the heel of the neck and often in the neck pocket. See the pictures I uploaded to see a few examples. The Purple/Sunburst Tiger body was one of George Lynch's early Tigers. As you can see, the neck pocket doesn't have the ESP stamp, however as noted by JT76, it has the clear markings typical of the 48th Street shop, the same shop who assembled and customized guitars for the best of the best ESP artists back in the peak of 80's rock and metal. Those artists ranged from Lynch to Vernon Reid to Vito Bratta to Paul Pesco. 

jt76

Same guitars as the 400 series.   The 400 series followed these but they are speced the same.  When the 400 series came out the started making a fancy model.  I think off the top on my head maybe 800 series.  They had transparent finishes and nice looking wood grain.  Before this they had a fender shaped.  Theses were the first to have this shape. Still a bit rounded. It was the first design.  It is correct i have played two others with that shape and they were both labeled series.  The early 400 series started looking closer to the modern shape.  The last few years of the 400 series switched to the current shape.  Almost certain this came from 48th street.  If you are comfortable taking the neck off. They marked most of the necks with a date. And 48th.  Would look hand written like pen or pencil not a stamp.

Sonny R.

Good idea. I might wait to see the old catalog piccs first, but the neck has never been off the body so I think I'll wait a bit. Thank you.

CLT-ESP

The "SERIES" guitars were a number of different guitar series to include the 400, 600, Mirage, Horizon, Hybrid, Eclipse, Design Series...the works! They just didn't begin labeling them as such until later, 1984 being the first year of the "labeled headstock" version of the "400 SERIES". I believe yours to be a 1983. Here are the relevant pages from the catalogue along with a few bonus pix. This is one of the NYC shops pre-infamous 48th Street. Hope this helps. Enjoy!!! 

CLT-ESP

Regarding the questions around headstock profiles, the first picture below is directly from the 1983 ESP Replacement Parts Catalog. Over the next few months or so, I'll start looking through all of my catalogs, price lists, etc. Won't be too hard to answer a lot of questions that are out there regarding the vintage stuff. I know the serial number questions pop up constantly, but perhaps providing pictures of examples will help. I have quite a few vintage ESP's in my collection from all sorts of years beginning in 1980. I also have somewhat of a "graveyard" of older (and newer) model ESP necks, neck plates, bodies and parts I've collected over the years. ***None of these are for sale by the way...I bought these to do my part to ensure these don't land in the wrong hands and fraudulently matched with aftermarket bodies and misrepresented as real ESP's.*** 

I'll try to put together a decent thread to at least get us started and get everyone's input. If there's already one or more I'm not aware of, please point me in the right direction. Here are some pictures of those examples:

CLT-ESP

Closer shot of the 1983 ESP headstock options. I apologize for hijacking your thread, Sonny! 

Big Daddy B

Great information. I had seen the Fender style headstock and the current style but had never seen this transitional one before.

Sonny R.

Thanks everyone. 

Sonny R.

After much contimplation I have decided to see what my telecaster might be worth. Any ideas?

Thanks for all the helpful posts.

Sonny

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