ESP M-II Deluxe, made in Japan 1994, custom order black splatter finish. These 90s era bold-logo ESP guitars are increasing steadily in value and renown, owing to their exceptional build quality and lightning quick playability. The M-II is the trimmed down HS version of the classic Mirage superstrat shape. First up, that neck: oh golly, it's quite something. It's a little hard to capture in the pictures, but there's some really beautiful grain in the three-piece maple neck. It's a slim profile with a flat back, as per the usual with guitars in this genre, but the rounded edges are a little more friendly and intuitive to the hard-flat-D you see on a lot of Ibanez guitars. It feels absolutely magic: slick on the back for quick for movement, arrow-straight and sturdy as they come and just... so good. The body is very light and resonant, and the carves and curves add further to the ergonomics allowing for fast and free movement all over the neck. I spent a decent bit of time dialling the Floyd-style trem in just right and getting the action in that super low zone, so it's playing like a dream. The pickups are great too: the neck pickup splits to a single via a push/pull for a pretty convincing Strat-ish clean lead tone, or in HB mode it's full and thick with plenty of attack and definition. The Duncan JB in the bridge is all sorts of excellent: full and rich through the mids with singing sustain and creamy rich harmonics, big beefy bottom end for thick rhythm parts and a balanced slicing sizzle on the top end. If you're frequently oscillating between breakneck-leads and nihilistic chuggs, this has your bases well covered. Now, the finish... it's a custom order job, so it's certainly unusual. Let's have a 'choose your ending' to this description, okay? Option one: this is the worst finish I've ever seen, it's hard to decide how to describe it, but it's somewhere in the mouldy granite bathroom territory... no thanks. Option two: that's the best finish I've ever seen, it's like the stone axe of a Norse warrior, the texture adds depth and the natural wear lends it a battle-hardened vibe... so much cooler than a regular black and I can't wait to add another 1000 hours to it. One of those two answers is you, right?

Model: ESP M-II Deluxe
Made: Japan, 1994 approx (serial 17086)
Finish: textured granite splatter over black, custom order finish
Body: alder
Neck: maple, rosewood board, slim U-shape, jumbo frets, 25.5" scale, 15" radius
Weight: 3.110kg
Mods: none
Pickups: Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB humbucker (bridge, stock) ESP SH-100 rails mini-humbucker (neck, stock)
Case: basic non-original gig bag

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has some minor marks on the end as well as some dimples near the logo. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples and glossing from play on the back only. The back has a little bald patch along the belly carve, some minor chips in the elbow area and some widespread light rub wear mostly around the cavity, nothing nasty. The sides have some scuffs on the top horn, a couple of little chips and dimples and some rub wear in the elbow area, some little chips and dimples near the input jack and some minor chips on the bottom horn. The front has some little chips on the bottom edge near the controls and on the bottom horn, a little bit of discolouration in the elbow area and rub wear above and below the strings. It's worth noting this finish doesn't really show marks in the same way as a regular solid finish, so from a foot away it's hard to see the marks. Overall: good condition (7/10).

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good. All electronics tested and working properly. The frets are looking good, 8/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 10-46 strings and tuned to standard.