The ESP Guitar Company

Hey,

Do you still have it for sale?

Cheers

Hi Steve, 

I have a similar guitar (see my albums). I really love it for regular stuff. It is really good quality (as always with ESP), has a very warm tone. I have had an USA Strat and from my perspective it is at least equal in terms of used materials, quality, sound and playability. 

Pricewise, guess it will do around 500...700 EUR depending on the condition. 

Hope the following info helps you a bit. 

Cheers from Netherlands.

I found some background info on the internet (forgot the site) which was really complete:

The 400 Series, and The Traditional Series. 
ESP (Electric Sound Products) 400 Series guitars were manufactured in Japan during the 1980’s. 
The 400 Series were named for their suggested list price: $400.00. 
They made excellent copies of vintage Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jazz, and Precision basses. 

The earlier batch of 6-string (400 Series) guitars had: 
Black & gold ESP decal on the headstock.
21 frets.
ESP stamped on the saddles. 
The headstock had a ‘rounder’ profile than the later models. 

The later models had: 
Solid black ESP decal.
22 frets.
Blank (non-stamped) saddles. 
The headstock had a ‘sharper’ look/shape. 

The Fender copies might not have been produced beyond 1987-1988. 
There is no evidence that they were manufactured in the 1990’s. 
The first batch (of strats) was: 
S454 - 2-tone sunburst w/maple neck & single-ply pickguard.
S465 - 3-tone sunburst w/rosewood neck & 3-ply ‘green’ pickguard*. 

Telecasters were: T453 (blonde, maple board), T463 (3-tone sunburst w/rosewood board). Precision basses: P457 (2-tone, maple) and P464 (3-tone, rosewood): and the J464 Jazz bass (3-tone, rosewood.). The S454 and T453 had one-piece ‘V’-shaped necks. The later Traditional Series had ‘U’-shaped necks. Other standard (no extra charge), appropriate-vintage ‘Custom Colors’ offered were: Black, Olympic White, Lake Placid Blue, Surf Green, Candy Apple Red, etc., and J464’s in Metallic blue or red w/matching headstocks. Prices around 1986 were $495.00 for guitars and $550.00 for basses. 
Double-bound ‘Tele Custom’ bodies cost an extra $75.00. They all featured period hardware, vintage replica bridges and saddles. They feel, play, and sound like the real things, and aside from the headstock shape, the only noticeable difference from a vintage Fender was an extra fret, 22 instead of 21. Locking tremolos, locking nuts, and Humbucking pickups were neither standard, nor optional, on the 400 Series models.