Product Overview
This ~1983 Navigator Custom Order SC demonstrates the companiy's attention to detail, even in the earliest of days. The standout part of this piece is the "Magician" Tremolo system, one of the earliest copies of the FRT-5 Floyd Rose tremolo. It is suspected that the tremolo was only in production for a few months towards the end of 1983. Not only is the tremolo itself rare, the gold finish is also an even rarer feature. The stock 80s EMGs provide a unique tonal profile.
BODY: Hard rock maple
NECK: Maple
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, 22 frets
SCALE: 25.5"
NUT (width): 42.35mm
THICKNESS AT 1st FRET: 21.75mm
THICKNESS AT 12th FRET: 28.25mm
INLAY: Pearl dots
JOINT: Bolt-On
BRIDGE: ESP Magician FR Tremolo
PICKUPS: (Neck) EMG SA (Middle) EMG SA (Bridge) EMG SA
CONTROLS: Master Volume, Tone, Tone, 5-way Pickup Selector
WEIGHT: 4.2kgs
NECK GRIP SHAPE:
There are a few very minor scrapes and scratches to the guitar. The finish can be seen as at one point being pearl white, however age has yellowed the finish over time, and there was some sort of stripe or sticker stuck to the body that was clearly there for some time, as that spot is less yellowed than the rest of the finish. It is difficutl to capture in photos, however it looks to have been removed some time ago as the finish at that point has aged close to the rest of the yellowing. There is some cosmetic pitting and other rust damage, however this is expected for an instrument of this age.
The neck grip is a rounder grip shape, however accompanied with a very flat radius. The frets have much life left in them, and the fine tuners of the Magician tremolo have recently been replaced.
The instrument plays very well, just as is to be expected from any custom shop ESP guitar.
#vintageandused
