ESP M-1, help appreciated

[jackson1]

An ESP M-1... do you know this model? Any info much appreciated, like when it was made, where it was made, anything you know about it, thanks!

[toejam]

Wow, that's an old one!

[jackson1]

More more, Joe!

[toejam]

I don't really know much more, but those Strat bodies and Explorer banana headstocks were on older M-1s compared to the Dinky-type body and pointy headstocks of today. Some also had the pseudo Strat headstock like the George Lynch M-1.

[jackson1]

I wonder if the gold logo "say" anything about the guitar. Could it be from around 1985-1988? Same quality as the Mirage? Hmmm... i'm an ESP noob.

[Seventh Avenged]

wow, nice axe.

that said, i've never seen an M-1 with a banana headstock, but there were ESPs that did have that, i've seen a New York-Neck-Plated (JAF Box #, then NY10116) "The Hybrid" that was a one-hum, with a volume/tone, with a headstock like that.

i agree with toe^, i think its an way older model. I don't really know ESP's dates too well, so, i apologize.

by the way, did M-Is come in One and Two humbucker models?

i never understood why i've seen some with two hums...wouldn't that just be an M-II?

[jackson1]

I guess it's a bolt on, so the neck could have been from another model. Or this body could perhaps NOT be an ESP. Maybe a back shot could help decide that.

[Seventh Avenged]

yeah, can you take pics of the Backside?

we can usually tell if its an ESP from the control cavity.

body looks to be ok though, and the headstock matches it, but of course that may not mean a whole lot...

What kind of Floyd is on that? an ESP, Schaller, or OFR?

[toejam]

by the way, did M-Is come in One and Two humbucker models?

i never understood why i've seen some with two hums...wouldn't that just be an M-II?

Hmmm, now I'm confused about the M-II models as compared to the M-Is. I thought the M-IIs only had the Dinky-style body and not a Strat body, but I could be totally wrong.

[Seventh Avenged]

good point, i've never thought about that. I've never seen an M-II with a strat body, but i've seen M-I's with Dinky bodies.

then again because there seems to be no info on these old ESPs, everybody calls them something different.

[jackson1]

1986
On tour in Tokyo, George Lynch of Dokken (and later Lynch Mob) visits an ESP store to purchase a replacement neck. Upon learning that they made custom guitars as well, he sat down with ESP’s luthiers and ordered the first now-famous Kamikaze guitar.
ESP introduces the M1 Standard, M1 Custom, and Horizon Custom guitars, and the Surveyor bass.

Found at: http://www.americanmusical.com/item-...--bd-esp-.html

Here's the back:

[Seventh Avenged]

well, from the looks of the backshape, it is an ESP, from the shape of the control cavity.

as already stated, it is quite old because of the non-slanted cutaway neck heel.

killer looking guitar though, neat how the neck's painted like that.

what's the story on this one? or is it something you just picked up?

[toejam]

Interesting. Kinda makes sense, since George was with Kramer before ESP, but ESP made all the old import Kramers anyway. The story I read was George was supposed to have an endorsement and get some more USA Kramers made, but the Kramer guy arrived late at the airport and George didn't want to wait around for him and took off.

[Seventh Avenged]

yeah ESP produced a lot of kramer parts back in the day. interesting story about George...seems to have a bunch of weird stories involving him.

[toejam]

I know I've actually seen an LTD M-I like that in an old ESP catalog from '95. I've gotta dig through some magazines and stuff and see if I can find it with other ESP and LTD models like that.