One of only a few bands of ANY genre that are truly household names anywhere in the world. Not much more you can add to that. Basically the first five albums are essential listening. Everybody wants to be James Hetfield. Everybody secretly wouldn't mind being Lars Ulrich either.
A special note about ESP Guitars
Here is a key concept to note: ESP as a Japanese company, generally splits its markets into two- the Japan domestic market, and Export~the rest of the world (USA is a market on its own, but for simplicity will lump in with the rest of the world as being outside Japan). Many casual fans or collectors ignore or have no understanding of this. Actually the JDM market is huge, perhaps larger than the whole rest of world combined. There are many domestic-only models and artists unheard of outside Japan who generate huge domestic sales for ESP. But for some reason, especially in the 90s to 00s, JDM vs Export versions of the same model would have some slight differences in name, specifications, markings, COAs, etc. Not to knock export; if you could find a mid-90s EXP it is a solid guitar, but was priced cheaper and with seemingly lesser specs to a comparable MX250 which was only available in Japan. Don't ask me why, (potential litigation is one but not the only reason) but JDM products were generally more true to the artists' vision. There were like 3 Alexi Laiho models for the rest of the world and like 6 for Japan. They were even shaped slightly different. Even the Custom Shop had different tiers! All very confusing for the average buyer. However, this also cuts both ways. There are many special runs or one-offs that were ordered for the US and other markets, which are highly desirable anywhere. For example, not many people realize that the JH-1 and JH-2 were created primarily for the export market. They aren't even in the Japanese catalogs of that era! Of course a small 'official' number would have been allocated to the huge Japanese market, but the specs weren't typical of what the Japanese fans were used to. What is a JH-2 but an EXP with a metal plate slapped on it and fancier tuners? They probably weren't expecting to sell that many at the time, but if they did.. are they truly strictly limited to 100 or 200... across all markets? I can't answer for their business model, but I will say this, having been to Japan many many times over the years, with their roots primarily as a Custom Shop, and their business being to sell guitars, don't be surprised to see something that you never expected, that will question your 'knowledge', when you walk down the guitar street in Tokyo.
Metallica has everything to do with the popularity of this brand, but I doubt even they could have predicted the massive explosion of interest into the minutiae of their ESP guitars. Perhaps the only equivalent rival in terms of fan interest for their 'signature gear' would be Slash or Eddie Van Halen. As recent as say five years ago, nobody outside of hardcore guitar nerds were referring to an ESP Explorer as an MX250 (Japanese designation). Not even Metallica themselves. Now the parlance has solidly entered the mainstream vernacular. Metallica's publicity dept even refers to 'MX250' in their online content, since apparently 'Explorer' will not suffice. There are roadshows and exhibitions dedicated to their instruments. In other words, in recent years fans have really come to care about this shit, and the suits at ESP and Metallica have started to take notice.
Metallica has everything to do with the popularity of this brand, but I doubt even they could have predicted the massive explosion of interest into the minutiae of their ESP guitars. Perhaps the only equivalent rival in terms of fan interest for their 'signature gear' would be Slash or Eddie Van Halen. As recent as say five years ago, nobody outside of hardcore guitar nerds were referring to an ESP Explorer as an MX250 (Japanese designation). Not even Metallica themselves. Now the parlance has solidly entered the mainstream vernacular. Metallica's publicity dept even refers to 'MX250' in their online content, since apparently 'Explorer' will not suffice. There are roadshows and exhibitions dedicated to their instruments. In other words, in recent years fans have really come to care about this shit, and the suits at ESP and Metallica have started to take notice.
ESP 'Metallica Japan Special Interest Group' Man to Wolf Explorer 1992
Here is a real ESP Man to Wolf Explorer. In the guitar-collecting community the term "rare" is used quite widely & superlatively by anybody to describe something that they own. However even the most jaded collector must agree that this here is beyond "rare". This is the kind of thing that for over 2 decades previously was only rumoured to exist outside of the Black Album concert tour.
As far as i know, aside from the original made for James Hetfield, now retired from action, at this point in time only 3 others are known to exist, or have so far been 'discovered'.
1 in Europe, 1995 custom order* by an ESP executive for his personal collection. Unlike original, has Sperzel tuners and circle logo
1 in Japan, 1992 Special Interest Group owned by Tetsuya of Metallica Japan Official Fan Club
1 in Japan, at the ESP Museum above the ESP Craft House in Shibuya, Tokyo. Looks to be original '92 SIG run
* under scrutiny has less detailed inlays, in fact merely an approximation of the original. Perhaps the original inlay templates were lost/destroyed. Or some less talented people did it. Or they just couldn't be arsed. Here is a pic comparing the quality of the original run with the reorder replica and you can judge for yourself.
As far as i know, aside from the original made for James Hetfield, now retired from action, at this point in time only 3 others are known to exist, or have so far been 'discovered'.
1 in Europe, 1995 custom order* by an ESP executive for his personal collection. Unlike original, has Sperzel tuners and circle logo
1 in Japan, 1992 Special Interest Group owned by Tetsuya of Metallica Japan Official Fan Club
1 in Japan, at the ESP Museum above the ESP Craft House in Shibuya, Tokyo. Looks to be original '92 SIG run
* under scrutiny has less detailed inlays, in fact merely an approximation of the original. Perhaps the original inlay templates were lost/destroyed. Or some less talented people did it. Or they just couldn't be arsed. Here is a pic comparing the quality of the original run with the reorder replica and you can judge for yourself.
The history of this model is shrouded in legend as I know it. I'm not an authority on the subject but I have been collecting MXs for some time with regular trips to Japan so if anything is not 100% accurate I think it makes for a pretty good guess until such time more facts surface.
Back in 1991-92, when James was using this guitar extensively on the Roam tour, ESP in Japan made a special limited run of these guitars called the Metallica Special Interest Group. (I found an ESP ad from 1992 for "MX Special", below ) Today, 25 years later, how many were actually made is unknown, but I have been told by a senior builder from the time who is still at ESP today, that it is about 10... max. Apparently some that were made were recalled before they were sold. If you wonder, "why on earth did they not make more in all that time?" I can think of a few reasons. Firstly, it was very expensive for its time (300,000 yen as listed in the ad). The casual headbanger would not be expected to buy it, and guitar snobs with the dough would never touch such a heavy metal-looking guitar. The "signature guitar" market as we know it today did not really exist, and the ESP guitar company itself, was much smaller. Secondly, they were available to the domestic Japan market only. Thirdly, as was the case with the MX220 Eet Fuk, it may have offended James to know that his creations were being sold to the masses and so ordered ESP to desist.
This guitar is in very good condition for its age though it shows some playwear. The type of hardware used is similar to that found on early MX250s. The body is lightweight compared to later MX builds. The serial number points to it being a 1992 original and is in sequence just days apart from the one currently privately owned in Japan.
In the first pic, one can observe the excruciating level of detail on the inlays. Remember the original design was for James Hetfield, the frontman of the no.1 rock band in the world at the time, and so I would imagine no corners were cut in its making. I have had to obscure the rest of it, since you and I well know there is plenty of counterfeit activity surrounding this guitar. There are many websites from China promising 'replicas' for $300, or others offering some kind of custom inlay work. To those potential buyers: I can assure you that any hope of getting something other than 'kind of resembling' the genuine item is quite wishful thinking, because they sure as hell do not have an original to base it off of, and I do not believe there are enough high-def pics out there of an actual Man To Wolf guitar for people to copy and produce accurate counterfeits. You'd be better off saving that money towards a real guitar, which will play well and actually have some kind of resale value. I have not seen even regular MX250s copied to exactly correct specifications, after all these years, forget about the inlays. Now, what anybody else wants to buy or sell or do with their own money and time is not my business, but I've actually had people message me asking for detailed photos, scans, blueprints etc in order to make their own copies! As if it should be natural for anybody to do so.
ESP Explorer MX220 1989
Here is the MX-220, crudely nicknamed the 'Eet Fuk' Explorer, of which 30-40 are thought to have been made until discontinued. Though that is hearsay. Judging from the years that it was in production and the regularity with which I have seen examples pop up, I personally would estimate closer to 80 in existence. Just a guess- and still not very good odds for you to snag one by chance.
This is a well-known and adored guitar; more or less the holy grail to guitar-playing Metallica fans, the image of Jaymz lashing out the action on his Eet Fuk with broken headstock imprinted as if through a crash course in brain surgery in many a headbanger's brain, indeed turned into obsession. As seen all over the Live Shit video and pictures from the Justice era. Given its ultra-popularity with the fans, innumerable Chinese-made fakes abound, while the battered original is displayed alongside the Man To Wolf at exhibitions, or otherwise kept under lock & key as a significant part of Metallica history. The hysteria has extended to people demanding silly money for even refinished examples.
When you see certain wannabe individuals spam social media with dozens of embarassing posts of the same thing, and flood auction sites with the item at overinflated prices just to gain i don't know, some kind of credit or fame, honestly, now you can understand why Hetfield didn't want his designs being sold to the general public don't you!
Now I shall be the custodian of this rare example in unbelievably clean, well-preserved condition (with plastic still on the control cavity cover). Sorry I had to watermark these as well as I don't wish for this to appear on some counterfeit website as an 'example'.
This is a well-known and adored guitar; more or less the holy grail to guitar-playing Metallica fans, the image of Jaymz lashing out the action on his Eet Fuk with broken headstock imprinted as if through a crash course in brain surgery in many a headbanger's brain, indeed turned into obsession. As seen all over the Live Shit video and pictures from the Justice era. Given its ultra-popularity with the fans, innumerable Chinese-made fakes abound, while the battered original is displayed alongside the Man To Wolf at exhibitions, or otherwise kept under lock & key as a significant part of Metallica history. The hysteria has extended to people demanding silly money for even refinished examples.
When you see certain wannabe individuals spam social media with dozens of embarassing posts of the same thing, and flood auction sites with the item at overinflated prices just to gain i don't know, some kind of credit or fame, honestly, now you can understand why Hetfield didn't want his designs being sold to the general public don't you!
Now I shall be the custodian of this rare example in unbelievably clean, well-preserved condition (with plastic still on the control cavity cover). Sorry I had to watermark these as well as I don't wish for this to appear on some counterfeit website as an 'example'.
ESP custom Explorer MX250 1993
ESP Explorers from Japan aka 'lawsuit model', were discontinued due to a lawsuit from Gibson guitars and are still very much sought after for their association with James Hetfield. As they unfortunately cannot be sold outside of Japan anymore, and the relatively few that they made sold for high prices even in the day (new about US$2000 in 1990, about $5500 today) you would need deep pockets and some luck to obtain one in good condition, though the advent of ebay has made things much easier today. Although a certain design spec sheet exists for the MX, as a custom shop ESP did and still do produce one-offs with slight variations from the norm. I have owned a few different variations over a decade, black, white, or natural, and old to recent. I prefer the older ones, as they have a thinner nitro finish, but I do believe you can't really go wrong with a real MX, new or old.
Shown here are 2 early 1990s original MX250s from the Black Album era, black with classic style truss rod cover, and white one with rosewood board. Hetfield's aged white with rosewood MX220 can be seen in the video for "Nothing Else Matters" and in the Some Kind of Monster documentary (or youtube= Metallica Kimo's gig). White 'Papa Het' MX250 seemed to be used pretty regularly in the late 2000s.
The later iterations of MX250 called MX250-II have the same body shape, but slightly different stock hardware.
Shown here are 2 early 1990s original MX250s from the Black Album era, black with classic style truss rod cover, and white one with rosewood board. Hetfield's aged white with rosewood MX220 can be seen in the video for "Nothing Else Matters" and in the Some Kind of Monster documentary (or youtube= Metallica Kimo's gig). White 'Papa Het' MX250 seemed to be used pretty regularly in the late 2000s.
The later iterations of MX250 called MX250-II have the same body shape, but slightly different stock hardware.
ESP JH-1
signature model limited to 200 pcs released in 1997. Interesting harpoon style headstock. Ninja star inlay that was introduced during the Load album era. I remember that this guitar divided opinion when it was first released. Much like the Load album and the band's dramatic reinvention. It was perhaps seen as a bit gaudy, coming off of the all-black imagery of the Black album and being a bolt-on guitar, people weren't too impressed. I remember even in the mid-2000s this guitar could still be bought used for $1500. "Bah..it's just a bolt-on guitar...I don't really fancy a V... I couldn't be seen in public with something like that..." Lol! You've probably read or heard people making statements like that. Where are they now
ESP JH-2
signature model limited to 200 pcs released in 1998. Diamond plate front, first fret inlaid with the 90s Metallica 'ninja star', and Sperzel tuners. I suspect these would have been based off of his black diamond plate Explorer with Elk Skull inlays, and another one with Chrome diamond plate. He also uses a couple of actual JH-2s. This guitar just screams late-90s Metallica. You won't be able to resist playing 'Fuel' and 'Bleeding Me' or something like that, and it sure as hell will nail the tone. You might suspect a guitar capped with a piece of metal would sound like ass, but in fact the tone is big and meaty.
ESP MM-270 'Zorlac' 1990 |
The infamous Zorlac as used on the "Damaged Justice" tour, with the lawsuit Jackson-style headstock, and vertical skull inlays. With ESP Sinclair trem
ESP KH-3 bolt-on, lawsuit
1994 KH-3 bolt-on version. This guitar may not seem particularly rare, except that it has the correct shape. The original built for Kirk was clearly based off a Gibson Les Paul Special or more specifically the Melody Maker type silhouette, i.e. flat top with rounded lower horn, and narrow, open book headstock. As has often been the case with ESP they then had to modify the shape to a sharp cutaway and rounded headstock to avoid a potential lawsuit. Therefore only those few made in the early stages of production are of the correct shape. Later revisions of the KH-3 description tries to gloss over this by referring to it as an Eclipse-style body. But that is incorrect as well because an Eclipse has a carved top. That is simply trying to hide the fact that they can't sell the actual body shape that Kirk used and did continue using well into the 2000s, while still calling it a 'KH-3'. However the neck-thru and correct shape was still available in domestic Japan over the years. In fact for so many years they weren't even known as 'KH-3' in Japan, but in their catalogs as MS-290. I'm very sorry to say, it was not all that difficult to get, for somebody who was determined; it would only have been expensive. So if you paid a huge amount of money outside of Japan for whatever Custom Shop neck-thru but with the incorrect shape or even worse, the so-called '30th anniversary' reissue, then... *shrug*
There's certainly nothing wrong with variations in spec of the same model, in fact it is common especially for ESP, and some changes may be seen as improvements, for example new pickups, better construction, hardware, etc. so , but the actual shape of the guitar? How about if they reissued the "JH-2 anniversary edition" tomorrow, but with the EX shape?
There's certainly nothing wrong with variations in spec of the same model, in fact it is common especially for ESP, and some changes may be seen as improvements, for example new pickups, better construction, hardware, etc. so , but the actual shape of the guitar? How about if they reissued the "JH-2 anniversary edition" tomorrow, but with the EX shape?
ESP 400 series Strat "Kirk Hammett One Video"
Not the actual guitar featured in the "One" video which sold for six-figures at auction, but it is a real vintage ESP 400-series Strat from late 80s/early 90s that was customised once upon a time to be very alike. Kirk's formerly owned guitar says "400 series" as well, but was certainly not an off-the-shelf piece but built-to-order for him, with a purposely unfinished look, i.e. raw wood. This would be cool if you are Kirk Hammett who would play it once and store it away for 30+ years. For the rest of the regular people an unfinished guitar is not feasible as dust and dirt would inevitably stick and seep into the wood grain. This guitar has been thinly clearcoated with lacquer to at least be waterproof. Light natural wear and aging over the years. Correct black hardware including top-mounted Floyd Rose (not recessed) like the original.
