1987 / 1992 - ESP MX-220 & Eet Fuk

ESP MX-220

Called also MX-220II or MX-220-2 --> ESP M (Metallica) X (eXplorer) - 220 (price in yen) II (2 pickups)

- year: from 1989 to 1992 (1987 first prototype made only for James Hetfield), Japan Custom Shop - Special/Custom Order

- MSRP: Y220/250/270 ~ $3000/3300
- shape: between the Gibson Explorers 1958 and 1976, but with headstock like a "banana"
- construction: set neck (the first made have a step where the neck joins the body, similar to a Gibson explorer)
- neck: mahogany
- body: mahogany
- fingerboard: rosewood 22 frets XJ with pearl dot inlays, 24.75" scale (628mm)
- electronics: active EMG 81 (bridge) / 81 (neck), 1 Volume, 1 Tone, Toggle 3 way selector
- hardware: Gotoh tuners, ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar
- logos and serials:
-- front of headstock: "ESP Custom" light grey/gold glittered logo for black guitars, black/gold glittered for white guitars
-- back of headstock: XXXXXXXX (8 digits) serial number stamped in white or black (NO "ESP Custom Guitars" circle logo). Some of the early models have nothing (no serial) on back of the headstock.

For now I've tracked only this guitars:

1989 - 080190XX - BLACK;
1989 - XXXX9XXX - GREY SPARKLE;
1989 - 270690XX - GREY SPARKLE (No step, square input jack plate)

1990 - (no records till now)

1991 - 080513XX - BLACK
1991 - 230814XX - BLACK (with 250 headstock)
1992 - 140522XX - WHITE with trem.
IF YOU HAVE AN MX-220 PLEASE CONTACT ME!

colors and other features: olympic white, black, grey sparkle
- notes: This is the most rare Esp Explorer...hard to find today...

The body style of the old ESP Explorer (MX-220, MX-250, EXP) was retired due to Gibson Lawsuit, and a new body style was introduced in 2000 (EX models). Only in Japan you can still find (if you're lucky) or order the old shape called now MX-2. It's hilarious that Gibson in 2012 release the "Epiphone 1984 Explorer EX" copying control pot configuration of ESP MX-220/250, a sort of revenge...

Here you can see a pic with the shape comparison between first original Gibson Explorer "EXP 83" together with ESP MX-220, ESP MX-250 and ESP Snakebyte. Is interesting that MX-220 is less "pointed" respect Gibson and also all ESP are very different compared to the original Gibson... I don't understand how Gibson could have won the lawsuit against ESP, perhaps maybe only because of the MX-250 headstock which is the only thing similar to Gibson shape.

LIMITED EDITIONS

1989-1991 - "EET FUK" (Limited Run about 25 pieces)

In 1989 ESP start to produce a replica of the first ESP guitar made specifically for James Hetfield in 1987, an MX-220 called "EET FUK" for the write that James made on tape in the upper corner. This guitar have special raised middle finger inlays (designed by James Hetfield) and come only in olympic white color. In the ESP catalog is called "MX-220 Artist Series". ESP had to produce about 125 guitars, but James told them to stop making a guitar like his one, so they made only about 25 pieces. Unfortunally no one knows exactly how many guitars were made...

- front of headstock: "ESP Custom" black/gold glittered logo;
- back of headstock: 6 or 7 or 8 digits serial number stamped in black (NO "ESP Custom Guitars" circle logo)

All the other characteristics are the same as the MX-220 production model.

There's 2 different version of the EET FUK:

1st version - 1989 - rounded bell truss rod cover, flat neck to hedstock joint and step where the neck joins the body;

2nd version - 1989/1991 - pointed bell truss rod cover, curved neck to headstock joint and no step where the neck joins the body.

Tracked ones:

01 - 1987 - James Hetfield's one!

02 - 1989/04/22 - 220493XX - 1st version - softbag

03 - 1989/04/24 - 240493XX - 1st version - OHSC (blue)

04 - 1989/04/24 - 240493XX - 1st version - ?

05 - 1989/04/26 - 260494XX - 1st version - softbag

06 - 1989/05/09 - 090594XX - 1st version - OHSC

07 - 1989/05/10 - 100594XX - 1st version - ?

08 - 1989/05/13 - 130594XX - 1st version - OHSC (blue)

09 - 1989/06/08 - 080697xx - 2nd version - REPAINTED by ESP in 2015 --> T15385XXR

10 - 1989/06/09 - 090697xx - 2nd version - (NO OHSC)

11 - 1989/06/13 - 130697xx - 2nd version - softbag
12 - 1989/06/14 - 140697XX - 2nd version - OHSC (purple)
13 - 1989/06/16 - 160698XX - 2nd version - softbag - REPAINTED (serial covered)

14 - 1989/06/16 - 160698XX - 2nd version - OHSC (purple)

15 - 1989/06/23 - 230699XX - 2nd version - (NO OHSC)
16 - 1990/09/17 - 03750X - 2nd version - OHSC (purple) + ESP CHECK CARD

17 - 1990/09/19 - 190903XX - 2nd version - (NO OHSC)

18 - 1990/12/06 - 61207XX - 2nd version - (NO OHSC)

19 - 1990/12/06 - 61207XX - 2nd version - (NO OHSC)(serial after the one above)

20 - 1990/12/12 - 121208xx - 2nd version - (NO OHSC)

21 - 1991/01/11 - 110110XX - 2nd version - (NO OHSC)

22 - 1991/01/11 - 190110XX - 2nd version - OHSC (purple)

23 - 1991/01/31 - 310110XX - 2nd version - (NO OHSC)

24 - 1991/02/02 - 020210XX - 2nd version - (NO OHSC)

25 - 1991/02/14 - 140211XX - 2nd version - (NO OHSC)

26 - 2000 - Armand Krump's one custom ordered 1 of a kind (the only one with ESP black circle logo on the back of the headstock)