The Fake ESP Thread

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    The Fake ESP Thread

    Pushead and I are here to help verify ESP and LTD guitars. If you have, or are looking to buy a guitar that you're unsure of, post pictures and questions in this thread. Please post clear pictures of the front and back of the headstock, the fretboard, and the front and back of the body. Preferably before you buy anything.

    Anyone else is free to offer suggestions on authenticity. If you answer a post, please tell us why you think it's real or fake.

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    Giorgi M.
    Giorgi M. wrote

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      Giorgi M.
      Giorgi M. wrote

      Hello please help is this real LTD M10 Korea? Thank you

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        Pushead
        Pushead wrote

        Hi Giorgi, it is real and legit.

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          Giorgi M.
          Giorgi M. wrote

          Why serial number is not searching 

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            Giorgi M.
            Giorgi M. wrote

            .

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              Pushead
              Pushead wrote

              It looks to be from 2002, which is when the serial number format was changing.

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                Pushead666
                Pushead666 wrote

                Hi folks,

                I need your help to Check if this used m-ii is legit before buying it.

                Thanks!!!

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                  Pushead
                  Pushead wrote

                  It's legit. A 2008 model.

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                    Pushead666
                    Pushead666 wrote
                    Pushead wrote:

                    It's legit. A 2008 model.

                    Thank you!

                    Reply
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                      Giorgi M.
                      Giorgi M. wrote

                      Hello, i bought this ltd m-10 but the pickups are absolutly garbage can anyone tell me why? and what pickups this ltd had? Please help thank you! LTD M-10 2002 Korean

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                        Giorgi M.
                        Giorgi M. wrote

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                          Giorgi M.
                          Giorgi M. wrote

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                            Giorgi M.
                            Giorgi M. wrote

                            i am thinking to upgrade it to Seymour Duncan Active Blackouts will it worth it? will it change anything? i like the tuning stability and also neck is really good but the pickups are really bad!

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                              Pushead
                              Pushead wrote

                              Giorgi, the "10" series guitars are the least expensive guitars ESP/LTD makes. In the 2002 era that your guitar was made, the M-10 sold for around $200usd. They used cost effective parts on the guitar, so the pickups aren't the best. The Blackouts you have cost nearly as much as the guitar did when it was new. I suspect replacing the stock pickups with the Blackouts will help the guitar sound more like you're expecting.

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                                Giorgi M.
                                Giorgi M. wrote

                                And was there paint like gloss and matte patterns ? Or my guitar is painted ? Because I bought it used and he said that this guitar had like this paint job.

                                Thank you

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                                  Marlon M.
                                  Marlon M. wrote
                                  Giorgi M. wrote:

                                  And was there paint like gloss and matte patterns ? Or my guitar is painted ? Because I bought it used and he said that this guitar had like this paint job.

                                  Thank you

                                  Hey Giorgi, they used to make both. It's like the Jackson Dinky JS Series. They're cheap but they have gloss or matte finish. In my opinion, if you like SD pickups, try the invaders or a JB/59 combo. The sound is killer and it will improve the tone greatly. Good luck!

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                                    Marlon M.
                                    Marlon M. wrote

                                    Hey Pushed, I got the EXP Diamond from a few months ago, and it sounds awesome. Clearly ESP Japan stuff. 

                                     

                                    I wanted to say thank you for helping me out since it was a $4K, and I wasn't ready to pay such amount for a fake; so I appreciate your help a lot!

                                     

                                    Also, I wanted to ask you, does this guitar look THAT fake? I know it's fake because it had a serial number on a sticker, everything is basically wrong, and I also bought this on a trip to China; but how fake does this EC-500 look?

                                     

                                    Bully this guitar as much as you like. Go for it, lol. Thank you

                                     

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                                      Giorgi M.
                                      Giorgi M. wrote

                                      The LTD Logo is large fat ?! Also headstock ;( Suspect I think someone who really know will tell you but I think it's looks fake

                                       

                                       

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                                        Marlon M.
                                        Marlon M. wrote
                                        Giorgi M. wrote:

                                        The LTD Logo is large fat ?! Also headstock ;( Suspect I think someone who really know will tell you but I think it's looks fake

                                         

                                         

                                        Yeah, Pushead already got the hand of this. Still, you saw the big issues, so that's a great step! I knew that this guitar i fake, and I really don't have any issues with it. I'm waiting on my mom to bring it to me to upgrade the hardware (it already has the solderless wiring from EMG, so that's upgraded at least).

                                        It's kinda sad that I fell for it when I was 14, but it's been my baby ever since. I don't mind at this point. Even Slash had a fake Gibson and James had a fake Gibson Flying V.

                                        If you ever need help with upgrading your pickups to anything, let me know. I have experience with electronics and I might be able to help you out. 

                                         

                                        Hope that M-10 is being used and loved. Have a great day my dude. Take care!

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                                          Pushead
                                          Pushead wrote

                                          Thanks Marlon. I'm just here to help.

                                          I'm probably not the best person to ask about how fake it looks. It's glaringly obvious that it's a fake to me. But, I'm surrounded by 16 real ones every day.

                                          If you're asking me to point out what I see without even resizing the photo:

                                          1) logo size is alarmingly huge on the headstock
                                          2) the shape of the headstock
                                          3) the size and shape of the inlays
                                          4) the spacing of the control knobs
                                          5) the horn shape

                                          The case is nice and likely legit.

                                          I'm also terrified about carrying a wah pedal in the space for the headstock. Seems a good way to increase the odds of breaking it off.

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                                            Marlon M.
                                            Marlon M. wrote

                                            Thank you Pushed. I was the one who put the wah pedal in the case lol. I moved from another country to the U.S around 3-4 years ago, and I left it there just to keep it "safe". The case is legit since my sister bought it directly from a guitar store.

                                             

                                            I think that I prefer the spacing on the fake one to the real deal just because my hands get in the way. But that's just personal difference

                                             

                                            PS: Here's a picture of the EXP with "upgraded pickups". It now has the Het set + the solderless wiring from EMG. Let me know what you guys think!

                                            Also those inlays look so nice...

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                                              Pushead
                                              Pushead wrote



                                              (Bigger photo because it deserves to be seen!)

                                              Looks great man. They did a great job on the inlay. I hope you play the hell out of it!

                                              If you want to see the inlay they did for me: https://www.instagram.com/p/CaNOk0VOR4j/

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                                                Marlon M.
                                                Marlon M. wrote

                                                Hey Pushead, I looked at this a couple of days ago, and I think I even followed you on IG. What a nice RRR! It looks amazing with that Lady Justice inlay.

                                                How did you get that Explorer though? How much was it?

                                                I came into terms that my favorite shape is the Explorer one, followed by the single cut Les Paul type. I have an EC-1000 from 2008 and it's comfy. 

                                                Hope you have a great day. Take care!

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