1984-86-ish ESP M-1 Deluxe

[metalchurch]

I just scored this off of ebay. The seller wasn't aware of what he had, so I got it for cheap. I've been searching the net relentlessly for info and specs, and what I've gathered is that it's an early M-1 Deluxe from 84-86. The reason being is that it has a recessed Original Floyd Rose, and a square neck plate, (as opposed to the newer off-set bolt pattern).

It was more than likely ordered/spec'd out at ESP's famed 48th Street shop in New York.
I've only found a few M-1's with 1 humbucker and 1 volume. Most of them have an H/S 1V/1T configuration, so it's a very rare model for right or left handed.

As you can see, it's seen it's better day and it's very beat up, but it has an OFR and an old EMG-81. I see that there's a ground wire connected to the trem claw, and it has a mini toggle, so that leads me to believe that it was originally equipped with a passive pickup, and a coil tap. Most likely a Seymour Duncan JB.

I ordered a new water slide ESP logo for the headstock, but I have alot of work to do before that goes on. It's missing some of the binding around the headstock and it's just plain beat up all around.

I'm tempted to leave it alone and use it for a beater, but on the other hand, I kinda want to restore this being how rare it is.

The pics were taken from the ebay ad, so they are rather grainy and hard to see. I'll take some more when it gets here this Friday.

I'm so excited and I cannot wait to get it. It started @ $99.00 and was holding at $100 for most of the auction. I honestly thought it was gonna take off once people saw what it was, so I kinda half heartedly threw a bid up just to see. I was the high bidder @ $105.00, and once I saw that I threw up a max bid of $450 just on a whim, thinking the whole time I'd get out bid.
I ended up getting it for $118 plus $30 S&H. Can't beat that with a strat. LOL

[old Skool]

Nice score Joe.

[metalchurch]

Thanks Kenny, im so stoked about this guitar! Its supposed to be here friday, so im very excited to get it and see it up close. Im having a very hard time finding details about the early ESPs, so maybe ill find some markings or something to help me date and identify it. I know that it is a very rare guitar being lefty, so thats a given. Also being it has a recessed trem puts it at 84-up, the square bolt pattern puts it around pre-1989. I noticed that the neck plate has no serial number, and the headstock logo is long gone and apparently painted over. I'm most likely going to leave it as is because it just looks so bad ass all beat up and stuffs. My buddy is going to nominate it as guitar of the month on the lefty forum, so that would be kinda cool, but i highly doubt that it will make the cut because there have been alot of nice guitars showing up on there the last couple of weeks. I havent had an ESP in a long time so itll be nice to have. I've been buying alot of guitars lately so im starting to get my stock built back up again after having sold a bunch of them a few years ago. I have 2 more coming next week, and I found 3 more that im prob gonna grab up including a 92 Jackson Stealth EX, Gibson V, and another 87 Kramer Pacer.

[metalchurch]

Here is a much better quality pic...


I'll take more as I progress with the build

[old Skool]

I'm digging the vibe of this thing. I'd keep it looking on the "rough" side, really gives it character. Seem like one of those guitars with that "old mojo" going on. Very cool.

[metalchurch]

Thats what I'm thinking as well Kenny. Thats really what made me want it in the first place. I'd almost cringe at the idea of taking all those years away from it with the initial hit of the palm sander.
I think I'm just gonna play the hell out of it and enjoy it for what it is.
I get tired of pretty guitars...

I'm not going to abuse it, and I will treat it with respect, but if it happens to bump over my coke tray or hit my neighbor's dog upside the head, (in no particular order, but you see where I'm going with that) I wont lose any sleep over it.

[metalchurch]

I finally got it done last evening, but I didn't get pics until just a few minutes ago.
This thing was in very bad shape, but I was able to save it with alot of work and time. I tore every single thing apart and cleaned and rebuilt it, so it's still 99% original. It's ugly as hell, but it's totally solid and it plays like a dream and it sounds so awesome, and has a tone that's just as good as any of my guitars. Most of the work involved in this was in the neck and the floyd.
Concerning the neck and what was involved, I re-glued the binding that was peeling, and then put a dab of glue in all the corners just to ensure it will stay in place.
I leveled the frets,crowned, and polished them, and I cleaned and oiled the fretboard. I sanded the back of the neck to not only remove the dents and nicks, but to also remove the clearcoat, and slim the profile down a little bit more. I didn't mic the thickness, but it's as thin as my 550 or my 93KV2, so I'm very pleased with it now. I sanded it with 80grit, then 220,320,600,1000,2000, then I oiled it heavily and let it soak and raise the grain (which it always does) I then went over it again with 2000 and rubbed another application into the neck with a soft cloth, but I ran it up and down the neck from end to end, then I used my hand to really get up in there. Anyway, it turned out really smooth and it's very slick and silky feeling. I do that to most all of my guitars actually.

The Floyd was rusty, corroded, and covered in filth, old oil, lint, crud, you name it...
I stripped it down and soaked the saddles in WD, I took the long allen screws to work and cleaned them up on a wire wheel, then wrapped them in a rag that was damp with WD-40. So they are a bare/oiled finish and they contrast nicely with the pitted black, and worn brass that the rest of the floyd has. LOL
Looks like shit, but it's just as good as new! I also did a Schaller collar conversion on the OFR.
It's set-up with 2 trem springs and D'addario 9-42's in Eb.
I kept the old school EMG-81 in it, but added new wiring,pot,and jack. So, the wiring,pot,jack, and 4 pickup ring screws are the only non-orig parts on it.

I had an EMG waterslide decal for it, but it was junk, so I'm ordering a gold esp decal, and clearcoating over it. (Probably next string change)

I'm making a control cavity and trem cover out of polished stainless steel this weekend hopefully, or possibly monday. I already have the material and it I have it marked up. Ready to cut then drill. Shouldn't take but 20mins or so, but I have alot to do this wknd.
Here's some pics to enjoy until then.









The headstock looks like I sanded it, but that was some kind of gay pick holder that was double sided to the headstock. That's just how clean and unfaded the neck should be. As you can see where I sanded and oiled the neck, that's the true grain color, and that's why it looks like I sanded the rear of the headstock.

[bassist_25]

The tape holding the battery in is what truly makes this guitar rock, Joe.

[metalchurch]

Thank you sir!
Im making covers tomorrow or Monday.

[metalchurch]

I got the trem and cavity covers made earlier this week. I'm not so sure I'm too keen on them. I dont even use a trem cover, so I dont really know why I wasted my time to be honest.
I'm probably going to dig through my stuff and find an old black pickguard to use as material for another control cover.
The stainless kinda clashes with the beat up look the guitar has. The trem cover is super handy for doing lines however.

[metalchurch]

Paul, this is a little better than the painter's tape isn't it? If you look closely you can see a little bit of tape on either side of the stainless. And if you look even closer you can see that I'm wearing a pink shirt that says "I heart Rob Halford" LOL