ESP USA M-III Custom

Sometimes a guitar's name tells you everything about its personality. The ESP USA M-III in Tabasco Burst doesn't just reference Southern Arizona's love for spicy food - it promises the same kind of bite and character in your guitar tone, and it delivers on that promise with serious authority.

When only three ESP luthiers in North Hollywood are responsible for your entire American production line, you know each instrument gets the kind of attention that mass production simply can't provide. These are essentially masterbuilt instruments, crafted from American woods to exacting Japanese specifications. That quartersawn maple bolt-on neck with extra thin U carve feels like pure '80s speed and comfort, while the mahogany body with flame maple top provides the sustain and visual impact that serious players demand.

Here's where the M-III really shows its versatility: that HSS pickup configuration covers more musical ground than most players will ever explore. The Seymour Duncan STK-S4 Classic Stack Plus pickups in neck and middle positions give you genuine single-coil tone without the hum that plagues traditional Strat-style guitars. Whether you're playing crystalline cleans or crunchy rhythm parts, these pickups deliver authentic single-coil character without the noise penalties.

The Custom Shop '78 bridge pickup provides the perfect contrast - clarity and pick articulation with grinding mid-level output that pushes your amp into sweet spot overdrive. This isn't a super-hot metal pickup; it's designed for players who understand that great tone comes from the interaction between pickup, amp, and playing technique.

That Original Floyd Rose tremolo ensures you can dive-bomb and flutter without losing tuning stability, while the 24 XJ medium frets and contoured heel provide comfortable access across the entire neck. This guitar handles everything from delicate fingerpicking to aggressive power chord chugging with equal competence.

Quartersawn Maple Neck, Bolt On Construction
Mahogany Body
Flame Maple Top
Natural Binding
Ebony Fingerboard
Abalone Dot Inlays with Custom 12th Fret Inlay
25.5" Scale Length
24 XJ Medium Frets
Extra Thin U Neck Carve
Original Floyd Rose Trem
Seymour Duncan STK-S4 Classic Stack Plus Neck and Middle Pickups
Seymour Duncan Custom Shop '78 Bridge Pickup
Open Wheel Truss Adjustment
Contoured Heel
1 Volume, 1 Tone, and a 5 Way Blade Selector Switch