2007 ESP Vintage Four Bass Review

Howdy!

Today we are looking at a cool ESP Vintage Four bass guitar. The Vintage series was introduced in 2007, and it was not a very hot seller for the company. This was probably because they were just too expensive, plus they were saddled with an overdone phony relic look. But in today’s used market they are pretty cheap, and the appearance is the only major gripe I have, as it is a great bass.

For starters, this one is a real live ESP bass, that was made by craftsmen in Japan, not an LTD model put together by little kids in some third world country. And every ESP bass (or guitar) I’ve had has been a great player with no cosmetic or functional flaws.

This Vintage 4 is no exception; it is a super smooth-playing bass, and the build quality is first rate. The neck is spot on with perfect fretwork and a great action, even eight years later.

The body is alder, and it has the traditional Precision Bass shape. As I said, it has a relic look, which some genius in the design department decided to cover in clear lacquer. It looks very contrived.

The hardware is very good, with a Gotoh high-mass bridge and vintage-look tuners. ESP carried over the trussrod adjustment at the base of the neck and no cutout in the pickguard to access it. Again, pure genius. The maple neck also gets the relic treatment, but it is still very cozy. I like the ESP inlay at the 12th fret, which hearkens back to the ESP 400 models that inspired this bass.

The electronics are first-rate, as ESP sourced Seymour Duncan P and J pickups. The wiring and joints are very neat, and the cavity is nicely coated. The controls are two volume pots and a master tone control. The Vintage 4’s electronics work well, too, but then again I have always been a sucker for P/J-equipped basses. I find it easy to get any tone from Motown thump to gnarly loud fingerstyle, and everything in between. This bass can do most anything you need from a 4-string bass, if you can get past the way it looks.

This one was well cared for and the relicing has softened a bit with age, so it does not look quite as bad. These basses originally shipped in a black ESP deluxe tolex hardshell case, which was to be expected in this price range, and this one still has it (though it is a bit worse for wear). That initially high price was probably the real deal-killer for these basses when they came out.

Though the dollar is strong now it was very weak in 1989, and ESP needed a lot more dollars to make the same amount of Yen. The list price for the ESP Vintage 4 bass was a nut-shrinking $2499, and I did not see new ones for any less than $1499 online. That was Sadowsky Metro series money at the time, so you can see why ESP had some trouble moving these. There were a lot better values for your money at the price point if you wanted to buy something new then. But now they are the same price as a used Fender Japan P-bass, which makes them a true bargain. If you ever see one, give it a try – trust me!

Mahalo!

1967 Fender Custom Shop Relic Telecaster

Sugoi!

I am usually not a big fan of “Custom Shop” instruments. They seem a manufacturer’s scheme to bump the price of an instrument up exponentially while providing only an incremental improvement in quality. This 1967 Fender Custom Shop Relic Telecaster seems to fall squarely into that category, with a list price of $3800 and a street price of $3195.

That is a metric ton of money for a very simple guitar.

Well, I didn’t pay that much as it came to me in a trade deal for the equivalent of $1200, which puts this guitar back into the game for me. And, this one is a real peach.

This Custom Shop Telecaster has a great unplugged resonance, so you can feel strings vibrating freely through the neck and the body while you play. This resonating interaction between player and guitar really adds to the playing experience, not to mention the how it contributes to the plugged in sound. It sounds like a great Tele should: twang, snap, growl, shimmer, all there.

There is plenty of sustain when bending strings, and lots of ring to the strings when they are strummed open.

The quarter-sawn maple neck is as comfy as you can find, and it has a really nice balance between chunky and thin. It has the classic radius with a 1960s C-shape. The neck’s vintage tint finish is worn just so, so it is very nice feeling and feels great to play. There are the typical relic wear marks on the fret board at the typical places, but there is no fret wear at all.

I also not a big fan of relc’d guitars, but this Telecaster is "tastefully" done in my opinion. It does not look like it has been absolutely trashed through the years, but instead well played and cared for with realistic lacquer checking in the nitro and a few strategically placed dings and gouges.

Nothing sounds like a classic vintage Fender other than, well, a classic Vintage Fender, and these custom shop time machine guitars. And, it is ready to rock as it sits today. Much unlike a vintage 60's Tele is likely to be.

Oh yeah, and it is very light. It weighs in at 7.09 lb., which makes it one of the lightest ones I've come across. Of course it also came with a super nice case and accessory kit, as well as that desirable Custom Shop Certificate of Authenticity.

Does anybody need a Fender Custom Shop Relic? No. But I have to admit that this guitar just feels and sounds right, and could be worth it if you are willing to pay a super premium to get exactly the *right* guitar for you.

Mahalo!

ESP Vintage Plus Guitar

Hi there!

Today I want to tell you about a solid guitar: the ESP Vintage Plus. This Stratocaster clone is a quality guitar that is made by craftsmen in Japan, not by little kids in some third world country like the LTD models. But…

I do not care much for factory-reliced guitars, and this ESP is no exception. The whole process of wearing out a guitar on purpose seems contrived to me. But, then again, people buy them, so what do I know?

While I am ranting about things I do not like, if this is supposed to be a “vintage”-looking guitar, there are a ton of inappropriate features on it. Want to hear my list? Of course you do:

1. Gotoh tuners. These are fabulous tuners that hold well and work smoothly. But their shiny-assed modern look is completely out of place on a reliced strat copy.

2. Wilkinson bridge. Ditto all of the nice things (and bad things) I said about the Gotoh tuners and add in some brownie points for adjustability. But it looks wrong – we need bent steel saddles, dang it.

3. The cut-away neck joint and plate. No no no no no no no. Cut that goofy stuff out right now, ESP designers.

I am complaining a lot, but I started out saying what a great guitar this is. Well, it is a great guitar despite these gripes. When you play it you can forget about all of that poo I just wrote about. This is one of the smoothest and easiest playing 6-strings I have run into.

The build quality is tremendous, with a perfectly fitted neck. The nut and fretwork are spot-on and the frets are leveled to a degree that Gibson can only dream of.

The neck is as comfortable as they get, right out of the box. It is pretty thin from front to back, and the frets are huge.

The electronics have no hum, and the Seymour Duncan SSL-1 pickups are very good. ESP lost none of the classic Stratocaster sound when they designed these guitars.

These guitars ship in a black ESP deluxe tolex hardshell case, which is to be expected at this price.

I picked the one you see here from a local shop a few years back. It was pretty light, coming in a little under 8 pounds, and when I owned it I had it set up with .010 Ernie Ball Slinkies. I only used the tremolo a few times, but it held tune well and I did not have any problems with string breakage. I only ended up selling it because I really did not care for the overdone relic look.

Should you go looking for one of these, brace yourself as it has been a while since the dollar has been strong compared to the yen. The list price for the ESP Vintage Plus is a mind-blowing $1869, and I did not see new ones for any less than $1399 online. There is really stiff competition at this price point, and you can probably find a better value for something else if you want to buy something new.

On the bright side, the used market for these is horrible, so if you can find one of these used on eBay (For around $700 to $750), you can get a great guitar for small money.

Mahalo!