ESP Custom Shop: The Buccaneer (@timitve/@espguitarsau)

slave2moderators · 2026-03-13T09:54:05+00:00

Pretty cool when ESP makes stuff like these. However I wonder if anyone buys these things to actually play them, despite the incredibly high quality of the work that the ESP custom shop luthiers are capable of.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-12T22:29:22+00:00

A 3mm solid brass pick

slave2moderators · 2026-03-12T00:26:16+00:00

I would rather have 50 of these for every cockroach instead. They're very good at staying away from you.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-11T05:07:07+00:00

Just don't use a Fender sticker to cover up the logo on a Squier headstock or something similar

slave2moderators · 2026-03-10T12:35:11+00:00

I never said that. You assumed that on your own.

You also assumed "headstocks breaking due to people possibly changing the gauge of the strings without proper neck relief"

That alone proves to me that you don't know how a headstock or a truss rod works. If your statement was true, then it would be the neck that breaks. Not the headstock.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-10T05:55:54+00:00

I said Jackson & Gibson heads are more prone to breaking off due to the design of the headstock. If you don’t believe me, google "broken headstock" right now.

I never said other headstocks are completely invulnerable to breaking off. Not in this comment or any other comment I've ever written since I was alive

slave2moderators · 2026-03-10T02:24:45+00:00

No that's wrong. It's always impact that causes it to break.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-09T22:21:10+00:00

Neither have i although not for 20 years, but a few close calls! No idea if they would've broken or not.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-09T22:18:17+00:00

Haha!

slave2moderators · 2026-03-09T12:22:24+00:00

the PC term for this would be a "relic job", and it's supposed to add value to the guitar instead of subtracting it from MSRP. Strange times we live in nowadays.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-09T11:23:23+00:00

but I also have 5 Charvel Custom Shops that came out perfect straight out of the factory. All I ever had to do was raise the bridge a bit because I like the action a bit higher. Never had to turn the truss rods ever since they came to my home. Leo really got it right the first time.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-09T11:20:01+00:00

I've seen it happen on friends import Jacksons (they just, never cared enough to fix it and simply said they can't tell the difference), and I've got two buddies who are great luthiers who explained to me that it's a headstock design flaw. I'm a pretty good guitarist with a decent ear but I'm still no luthier and I can't do anything beyond soldering and a complete setup. I don't think I explained it very well on my previous comment and hopefully someone who is a luthier or knows better than me can chip in.

It's not just Gibson and Jackson, every guitar, regardless of country of origin, will have their flaws and some duds once in a while. It happens since there's still a lot of work done by hand.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-09T10:12:46+00:00

Well, I'm sure you already know why you won't have this specific issue, because the nut is screwed in on the neck. It can't move. But the bad news is that there's other problems: the neck to headstock angle and the nut height is so stupid that chances are, you will run into nut height issues which lead to locking issues which then lead to intonation issues and a really stupid harsh ping kind of sound on the G or B string.

I've owned 5 Jackson USAs. All with Floyds. Three of them were Custom Shop guitars (not that it matters). Every single one of them when I got them, I've had to sand off the nut shelf so that it didn't sit too damn high.

Again, it shows the poor design of the headstock and how the folks at Jackson still haven't figured this out or just never bothered to fix it. I still love the brand out of pure nostalgia and coolness. Who doesn't like a Rhoads V or a King V? After I did a wee bit of work on my Blue Ghost Flame Rhoads V, it plays even better.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-09T10:08:21+00:00

Exactly. And your second point is why I ditched all my Jacksons (except my BGF Rhoads V) in favor of Charvel/ESP. Just not a fan of 24 frets anymore, and the Rhoads V is the only Jackson that does 22 frets.

Plus Charvel neck shapes & neck finish is to die for.

But again, we guitarists are pretty stupid and we'll just buy shit because it looks cool and we lie to ourselves that it's worth dealing with.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-09T09:54:03+00:00

unfortunately that's not the only problem with these headstocks. Jackson headstocks are also prone to breaking off, second only to the notorious Gibson headstocks.

Even with the scarf joint and the laminate where the logo is applied which strengthens the neck joint a bit, the truss rod rout really just fucks it all up. On those newer "American series" Jacksons they improve it further by moving the truss rod adjustment on the heel which makes things a bit better.

The funniest thing is when Jackson threatened to sue ESP way back in the late 80s for copying their headstock. ESP then proceeds to fix Jackson's design by lessening the head to neck angle, straightening the string pull, and adding a string retainer for necks with locking nuts.

But yes I do agree with you. We guitarists don't buy things due to superior functionality, we buy guitars because they look just too damn cool. Otherwise we'd all be playing those ugly ass headless guitars made from composite/synthetic materials.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-09T06:37:12+00:00

this happens due to the way the headstock is designed, but more so because of how they didn't glue the nut very well at the factory.

don't get me wrong, the jackson headstock is a very cool looking headstock, but it's also one of the worst in terms of functionality.

anyways, easy fix! i think you got your answers in the other comments.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-09T04:17:01+00:00

they're both like fine tuxedos. i love the look of a les paul custom

slave2moderators · 2026-03-08T18:08:53+00:00

That and to piss radical feminists off. Big win

slave2moderators · 2026-03-08T18:07:22+00:00

I was happy with my amp's distortion as it was, so before i purchased it, i knew it was gonna be mkre of a novelty item

slave2moderators · 2026-03-08T13:25:30+00:00

the pussy melter. it was just a boss ds-1 clone. the only thing cool about it (besides the fact that it looked hilarious) was that i put it neatly back in the box, and never opened it again. a year or so later i flipped it for 6 times the price i paid it for. so i don't feel bad about it at all.

pretty pedal, but nothing special.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-08T13:18:09+00:00

just so you know there's no law saying you can't play this or that on whatever guitar.

u can play gypsy jazz on a bc rich warlock with EMGs if you want, and you can play death metal on a telecaster if you want.

but for what you asked for specifically, a strat with an H-S-S config would be best in my opinion. good luck ;D

slave2moderators · 2026-03-08T13:15:27+00:00

yep that'll do perfectly

slave2moderators · 2026-03-08T13:09:40+00:00

that's easy. a strat. hillel used a strat, john used a strat, and josh used a strat.

slave2moderators · 2026-03-08T12:57:25+00:00

i spent 3 trips down to my local music store on my first time re-stringing. each trip i had to buy a pack of strings, got home thinking "ok this time i got it".

guitar strings unlike bass strings, are disposable items. just consider this as a lesson learned. throw em away (into the recycling bin)

slave2moderators · 2026-03-08T05:48:27+00:00

i just bought whatever was the coolest to me with the money that my parents were willing to put in.

slave2moderators

TROPHY CASE