ESP Guitars (Navigator, Edwards and Seymour Duncan Models)
ESP (Electric Sound Products) has been making high-end guitars in Japan since the 1970’s. While many guitar manufacturers
focused on producing “lawsuit” guitars to meet the demands of the Japanese at lower costs than Fender and Gibson, ESP set
out to rival Fender and Gibson straight away. Instead of copying their guitars at lower costs, ESP decided to take all the
ingredients and surpass what Fender and Gibson made, with a spare-no-expense attitude.
Navigator Models
Navigator guitars are the highest-end of all ESP guitars. The Navigator series Fender and Gibson replicas are made at costs
that exceed those even of Fender and Gibson’s own Custom Shops! They range in price from $4,000 - $8,000 and are the
pride of ESP. Sounds like a crazy idea destined for failure, but what many people want nowadays is a quality guitar, made
with the utmost attention to detail and don’t really care what the headstock says. Navigator guitars have the exact dimensions
of Fender and Gibson’s, but have amazing details that Fender and Gibson don’t even put on their own guitars.
For example, Navigator Stratocasters have individual fret binding that comes up to meet the ends of each fret! Carved
straight from the neck by hand, that’s 42 little raised bumps. Can you imagine the time it takes to do that? Well, that’s just
one thing. They are made with the same gauge fret wire as Fenders and Gibsons and have identical proportions. They use
true nitro finish, 1-piece or 2-piece bookmatched woods, and Antiquity or Seth Lover pickups stock. I have 6 Navigators in
my own collection that would shame any Fender or Gibson you put it against in a showdown. Yes, I paid more for them than
Fender or Gibson Custom Shops would have cost, but I have a quality instrument made with dedication and craftsmanship
you won’t find on any other production model. There is nothing out there that can rival a Navigator.
*Recently, the Navigator line has undergone a complete revamping of their model numbering system, for inflation reasons.
For example, the early 2000's N-ST-300 Stratocasters are now being sold, with the same specs for the most part, as
the current N-ST-380 models. An $800 price hike, roughly. Even their cases went up in price & model #.
Edwards Models
Edwards guitars are the most under-rated guitar brand in Japan to date. They use bookmatched woods, nitro top coat
finishes, Fender and Gibson-size fret wire, identical dimension-matching, and have Seymour Duncan SSL or SH series
pickups stock. They cost anywhere from $850 - $1,200 new. They are designed as the lower-cost version of the Navigator
series, but they are really not that much lower in terms of craftsmanship, only price. Edwards guitars are made as Gibson
and Fender replicas as well, but at a price most people can afford, and they are the real rivals of the Fender and Gibson
guitar, because they are in a price range that is a little less. For what you get, Edwards brand is the best value in electric
guitars today, in my opinion, if you are looking for a Fender or Gibson clone and don’t want to compromise tone by
searching for older, used vintage Japanese guitars that can sometimes be noisy. Anyone who has ever purchased an
Edwards guitars has made a comment about how taken-aback they were at the quality and bang-for-the-buck. I agree,
Edwards makes arguably the best low-cost guitar in Japan.
Seymour Duncan Models
ESP luthiers also made a lesser-known brand under the name of “Seymour Duncan," from the mid-1990s until 2004.
You won’t find them in any ESP catalog or anywhere on-line, except maybe in Japanese guitar shops that specialize in used
guitars. Seymour Duncan is written as the actual logo on the headstock of these guitars. There are two different series of
Seymour Duncans; the "professional series," which sold between $2,000 - $3,000, and the "traditional series," which was
marketed in the $900 - $1,500 price range. The traditional series featured SD SSL-1 pickups while the more expensive
professional series came with SD Alnico II single coil pickups. If a guitar is from the traditional series, it will say so on the
headstock. If it just says “Seymour Duncan,” then it is the more expensive model. ESP only made Fender replicas under the
Seymour Duncan brand. The most common model numbers were DS-100, DS-180, DS-200 and DS-280Pro for Stratocasters,
DT-100, DT-200 and DT-280Pro for Telecasters. Bass guitar models were DPB, for the Precision Bass line and DJB for the
Jazz Bass line.
As I mentioned, ESP discontinued Seymour Duncan Fender replicas in 2004. ESP continues, however, to make bass guitars
using the Seymour Duncan logo, but these bass guitars are not Fender replicas like their predecessors, although they uphold
their tradition of being exceptionally nice bass guitars.
Grassroots Models
ESP also makes a cheap, entry-level guitar brand for beginners under the name "Grassroots." These guitars are made well
considering their cheap prices, although I do not think they are very good instruments. They do look nice but have cheap
finishes and cheap electronics. For a beginner, it is a great brand, but not for professional musicians or collectors.
For more information regarding these aforementioned brands of guitars and basses, follow these links...
Check out ESP’s website HERE
Check out Navigator guitar information, models and specs HERE
Check out Edwards guitar information, models and specs HERE
ESP (Electric Sound Products) has been making high-end guitars in Japan since the 1970’s. While many guitar manufacturers
focused on producing “lawsuit” guitars to meet the demands of the Japanese at lower costs than Fender and Gibson, ESP set
out to rival Fender and Gibson straight away. Instead of copying their guitars at lower costs, ESP decided to take all the
ingredients and surpass what Fender and Gibson made, with a spare-no-expense attitude.
Navigator Models
Navigator guitars are the highest-end of all ESP guitars. The Navigator series Fender and Gibson replicas are made at costs
that exceed those even of Fender and Gibson’s own Custom Shops! They range in price from $4,000 - $8,000 and are the
pride of ESP. Sounds like a crazy idea destined for failure, but what many people want nowadays is a quality guitar, made
with the utmost attention to detail and don’t really care what the headstock says. Navigator guitars have the exact dimensions
of Fender and Gibson’s, but have amazing details that Fender and Gibson don’t even put on their own guitars.
For example, Navigator Stratocasters have individual fret binding that comes up to meet the ends of each fret! Carved
straight from the neck by hand, that’s 42 little raised bumps. Can you imagine the time it takes to do that? Well, that’s just
one thing. They are made with the same gauge fret wire as Fenders and Gibsons and have identical proportions. They use
true nitro finish, 1-piece or 2-piece bookmatched woods, and Antiquity or Seth Lover pickups stock. I have 6 Navigators in
my own collection that would shame any Fender or Gibson you put it against in a showdown. Yes, I paid more for them than
Fender or Gibson Custom Shops would have cost, but I have a quality instrument made with dedication and craftsmanship
you won’t find on any other production model. There is nothing out there that can rival a Navigator.
*Recently, the Navigator line has undergone a complete revamping of their model numbering system, for inflation reasons.
For example, the early 2000's N-ST-300 Stratocasters are now being sold, with the same specs for the most part, as
the current N-ST-380 models. An $800 price hike, roughly. Even their cases went up in price & model #.
Edwards Models
Edwards guitars are the most under-rated guitar brand in Japan to date. They use bookmatched woods, nitro top coat
finishes, Fender and Gibson-size fret wire, identical dimension-matching, and have Seymour Duncan SSL or SH series
pickups stock. They cost anywhere from $850 - $1,200 new. They are designed as the lower-cost version of the Navigator
series, but they are really not that much lower in terms of craftsmanship, only price. Edwards guitars are made as Gibson
and Fender replicas as well, but at a price most people can afford, and they are the real rivals of the Fender and Gibson
guitar, because they are in a price range that is a little less. For what you get, Edwards brand is the best value in electric
guitars today, in my opinion, if you are looking for a Fender or Gibson clone and don’t want to compromise tone by
searching for older, used vintage Japanese guitars that can sometimes be noisy. Anyone who has ever purchased an
Edwards guitars has made a comment about how taken-aback they were at the quality and bang-for-the-buck. I agree,
Edwards makes arguably the best low-cost guitar in Japan.
Seymour Duncan Models
ESP luthiers also made a lesser-known brand under the name of “Seymour Duncan," from the mid-1990s until 2004.
You won’t find them in any ESP catalog or anywhere on-line, except maybe in Japanese guitar shops that specialize in used
guitars. Seymour Duncan is written as the actual logo on the headstock of these guitars. There are two different series of
Seymour Duncans; the "professional series," which sold between $2,000 - $3,000, and the "traditional series," which was
marketed in the $900 - $1,500 price range. The traditional series featured SD SSL-1 pickups while the more expensive
professional series came with SD Alnico II single coil pickups. If a guitar is from the traditional series, it will say so on the
headstock. If it just says “Seymour Duncan,” then it is the more expensive model. ESP only made Fender replicas under the
Seymour Duncan brand. The most common model numbers were DS-100, DS-180, DS-200 and DS-280Pro for Stratocasters,
DT-100, DT-200 and DT-280Pro for Telecasters. Bass guitar models were DPB, for the Precision Bass line and DJB for the
Jazz Bass line.
As I mentioned, ESP discontinued Seymour Duncan Fender replicas in 2004. ESP continues, however, to make bass guitars
using the Seymour Duncan logo, but these bass guitars are not Fender replicas like their predecessors, although they uphold
their tradition of being exceptionally nice bass guitars.
Grassroots Models
ESP also makes a cheap, entry-level guitar brand for beginners under the name "Grassroots." These guitars are made well
considering their cheap prices, although I do not think they are very good instruments. They do look nice but have cheap
finishes and cheap electronics. For a beginner, it is a great brand, but not for professional musicians or collectors.
For more information regarding these aforementioned brands of guitars and basses, follow these links...
Check out ESP’s website HERE
Check out Navigator guitar information, models and specs HERE
Check out Edwards guitar information, models and specs HERE