ESP USA M-III GT Guitar, Blueberry Open Grain
Player's Perspective
When we opened the case, this ESP USA M-III GT in a truly unique Blueberry Open Grain immediately called to be picked up. The satin shades of blue, orange, and purple sunken into the grain is extremely eye-catching in person, while we appreciate the smooth feel of both the body as well as the neck. We found it particularly cool how the abalone inlays seem to match the multicolored finish.
The workmanship is flawless as you would come to expect from ESP USA's North Hollywood workshop, including the beautifully-done stainless steel frets that make fretting and bending feel effortless. The neck shape itself is a nice middle-ground of "modern thin" whilst still having enough volume to wrap your hand around.
We especially like the tonal formula of the Seymour Duncan pickup set and the Gotoh EV510 tremolo, which provides the axe with both acoustic clarity as well as what we found to be an extremely responsive and versatile tremolo. Both R&B and metal guitarists alike here at the shop agree that the tones offered by the Seymour Duncan pickups to be in a "sweet spot" output range of "a little more than vintage, but not too hot" to cover any genre.
For the discerning player looking for a world-class guitar that's both a visual standout and tonal workhorse, this M-III fits the bill as a more-than-viable option.
Item Specifics
Built with care and precision by ESP USA's renowned luthiers in Southern California, this USA M-III GT appeals to a wide variety of players seeking a high-end instrument that combines contemporary feel with vintage-modern tone. For this particular guitar, ESP USA chose a versatile Seymour Duncan H-S-S pickup set comprised of Classic Stack noiseless single-coils and a Saturday Night Special humbucker that offers players an endless palette of tones on tap when combined with the 5-way switch and push-pull coil split for the humbucker on the tone control. The satin-finished slim U-shaped quartersawn maple neck with jumbo stainless steel frets and a 12" radius plays fast while remaining familiar to players of vintage-style instruments. Rounding out the M-III GT's high-end specifications is the choice of the venerable Gotoh EV510TS-FE 2-point tremolo bridge, a well-cut bone nut, Sperzel locking tuners, & Dunlop strap locks. To top things off, ESP includes a premium hardshell case to protect the guitar nicely.
Special Features
Graphite Neck Reinforcement Bars: Get maximum strength and stability from your guitar’s neck, with higher long-term reliability. All ESP USA models are made with two high-strength bars of carbon fiber.
Drop Top w/ Natural Masked Binding: The droptop design on ESP USA models allows for the beauty of a figured top that’s bent over the arm contour, adding a little brightness to the overall sound while retaining the warmth of the body wood. The natural masked binding edge adds amazing visual contrast.
3-Piece Neck-Thru Body: ESP USA models that offer a neck-thru-body design incorporate a three-piece laminated neck design. This increases the strength and stability of the neck, leading to better long-term reliability along with excellent tone and sustain.
Specifications
BODY
- Model: USA M-III GT
- Color: Blueberry Open Grain Satin
- Body: Ash
NECK
- Construction: Bolt-On
- Fretboard: Maple
- Neck Wood: Quartersawn Maple Maple
- Fretboard Radius: 305mm / 12"
- Nut Width: 43mm
- Nut Type: Bone
- Neck Contour: Extra Thin U
- Frets/Type: 24 XJ Stainless Steel (Jescar FW57110)
- Scale: 25.5"
ELECTRONICS
- Pickups: Seymour Duncan STK-S4 (neck and middle) and Saturday Night Special (bridge)
- Controls: Volume, Tone (push/pull for coil-split)
- Pickup Selector: 5-Way Blade Switch
HARDWARE
- Strap Locks: Dunlop Dual Design
- Tuners: Sperzel Trim-Lok
- Bridge: Gotoh EV510TS-FE Tremolo
- Hardware Finish: Chrome
MISCELLANEOUS
- Strings: D’Addario NYXL SUP LITE (.009 - .042)
- Case: ESP USA Form Fit
- Serial #: US22236
- Instrument Weight: 7.5 lbs.
Overall Condition
Music Store Live is proud to be an authorized dealer for ESP. This USA M-III is 100% brand new and is being sold with a full manufacturer's warranty. Photos are of the exact guitar you'll receive.
Our in-house guitar tech will inspect, test, set up, and clean all of our instruments on site prior to shipping. All of our instruments are guaranteed to be fully functional upon arrival.
Along with our in-stock inventory, we can custom order any USA or Custom Shop ESP guitar you'd like. Please don't hesitate to reach out and we'll help get your dream guitar into your hands.