Dating LTD Guitars. According to the ESP website they maintain limited production records. Ezcap video capture software mac download. If you e-mail to customerservice@espguitars.com your name, the serial number, a short description, pictures and the location where it was originally purchased if known. For photos include close-up shots of the headstock front & back, back of neck plate and top of body to help with the dating. So the serial number '02112777' would indicate a guitar produced the 2nd day of November in 1982 OR 1992 and was the 777th guitar off the production line. Like some other serial schemes, this one may require you to know something about the ESP guitars of the period because the 'Y' digit could mean multiple years.

ESP history in short

The founder of the ESP company is Hisatake Shibuya.
He was born in 1937 in Sado on the island of the same name in Japan.
After graduating from Doshina University in 1961, he joined the guitar manufacturer Kawai. After 4 years he joined Yamaha and later the guitar manufacturer Fernandes.
During this period he gained a lot of experience and started his own company in Tokyo in 1975. The company where he employed 3 employees consisted of a shop and a workshop for repairs and making parts
for guitars. Guitars were also made here on a special order, which were built to the individual wishes of the customer.
The sale of the own-built guitars turned out to be a great success and the demand for them grew quickly. A few years later, the production facilities were therefore moved to larger premises just outside Tokyo.
The company expanded and from 1979 orders for customized guitars
were also produced worldwide.
In 1981 ESP established itself in the USA with an office in New York and in 1983 in Germany for distribution in Europe.
Also in 1983, Hisatake Shibuya started a 'guitar making vocational school', some graduates of which landed a job at ESP.
ESP already had several hundred employees, but that number grew after
a new plant was opened in 1986 in Sado Island.
In 1985 George Lynch of the heavy metal band Dokken discovered during
a tour in Japan that ESP also built custom guitars.
As a result, his famous ESP Kamikaze was created and ESP released this George Lynch's Kamikaze as his first signature model.
In 1990, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett visited the ESP Custom Shop with the idea of building a model based on the mysterious Ouija board game.
The first version was for Kirk only but had two spelling errors.
Instead of 'WILLIAM FULD TALKING BOARD', the Ouija body of this first version reads 'WILLIAM FUED TALKING BAARD SET'.
The first batch of the Ouijas with Kirk signature were neck-thru and were released in 1993, destined for the Japanese market. Later the Ouija was introduced as a Bolt On guitar.
The official introduction for export was in 1995.
ESP gained fame by making guitars for trash metal guitarists including
James Hetfield (Metallica), Scott Ian (Anthrax) and Jeff Hanneman (Slayer).
As a result, ESP has become one of the most popular suppliers of heavy metal guitars.
To keep costs down, the LTD series were now also made in Korea (later
also in Indonesia, China and Vietnam) from 1996 and the export to the
USA of the Japan-made LTD guitars stopped.
However, despite the now increased prices, ESP resumed the export of
the Japanese series to the USA in the early 2000s.

Hisatake Shibuya

George Lynch with ESP kamikaze
Kirk Hammett with ESP Ouija
The top-quality ESP guitars are made in the ESP managed and
operated factory in Japan, and the more affordable LTD line is
made in various locations in Asia.
The popularity and demand for ESP guitars continues to expand,
with a new factory opened in North Hollywood, CA, USA in 2014
near the new Los Angeles headquarters.
Here the line of ESP USA guitars is produced and was added to
the existing well-known series of ESP as LTD and E-II series.
ESP is constantly innovating both electric and acoustic models.

Serial Number Check?

K1249304

Hello all; would someone please let me know if this serial number is legitimate?

Do all signature series have the ESP logo on the back of the headstock? This one does not, and I feel like I got the deal of a lifetime on it. Grep for mac os.

Esp Ltd Serial Numbers

It feels great, has the certificate of authenticity, came in what appeared to be original packaging, has the logo on the case, and appears to have come from a legitimate dealer. Am I just being paranoid, or am I in good shape?

Thanks to all; Happy Holidays

About the Explorer I posted earlier, was the 'Made in Japan' a sticker too?
I'd have to trust the serial code and the guy's words, so?
I mean.. having checked the serial, I should be 100% sure, right?
Or is the 'made in japan' thing printed/carved in some place on the guitar?

It's a sticker. If it's still on the guitar, it would be on the head stock, and it would look like this. I'm fairly certain that ESP wasn't putting any 'Made in Japan' markings on guitars during that era.

ok, thanks again!

Ltd Guitar Serial Number Identification

Hi, I just need to know which year was this guitar produced in please
IW12103112

Esp Guitar Serial Number

2012

I just got an ltd and it has no truss cover or model number anywhere I just have serial and Vietnam ..ltd tuners and esp designed pickups

I am going to buy a ltd arrow 401. I asked the seller for the pic of the guitar head and he sent me only this pic. Is it legit? Should i buy it?

The serial number is W16020317, and the headmachine is GROVER.

And also, there is some kind of number on the 12th fret

With only one photo, it looks pretty good. A few more pics would help.

Hello, Can you help me? Someone is selling me a kh-602 but I don't know if is fake.
Can you help me to know if it's real?

Download bounce game nokia 3110c. it does't have the KH signature in the top, but on internet they are some that doesn't have it to..

Thanks

It's legit. From 2005.
Tell the owner that with the strings wrapped around the tuners the wrong way, and with as dusty as it is, he didn't deserve the guitar anyway.

Hi mate I'm interested in knowing more about my guitar it's an Ltd esp f 350 I want to know all the stuff that the serial number can provide it is L10038816

I hope you can help me

Sorry about the bad quality of the image

It's a 2010.

Hi I just bought this ltd ec 1000

Serial number is R0714029

The locking tuners do not have the LTD or ESP name on the them which is odd because the tuners on my other LTD guitars do.

I'm wondering what year it was made? Serial number also starts with an R all my other Korean LTD's serial numbers start with a W. That mean anything? Just curious

Hi, I brought LTD EC-10 guitar, the serial number is 17030882, please let me know is it original and in which country/factory it has been made, also is it original or not because i dont see EC-10 written on its 12th fret which is making me confused.

Thanks.

I'm wondering what year it was made? Serial number also starts with an R all my other Korean LTD's serial numbers sta

Esp Ltd Guitars Serial Number Identification