ESP USA M-I NTB NT Guitar, Ebony Fretboard, EMG 89X Pickup, Solar Flare

PLAYER'S PERSPECTIVE

It's always a treat to get a beautiful USA-made ESP into the shop. Built in ESP's USA factory right here in California, these instruments are top-of-the-line instruments on par with their renowned, artisan-made Japanese Custom Shop guitars. This stunning M-I NTB NT in a stunning Solar Flare patterned finish is a great example of both ESP USA's quality as well as ESP's legendary design ethos!

The M-I exemplifies what ESP has come to be known for - the no-nonsense Superstrat capable of tearing heads off with both its tone and its looks. The striking finish and reverse headstock complement each other well with both beauty and aggressiveness, and the black hardware provides a nice contrast. Unlike a lot of guitars of this type that feature bolt-on construction, the neck-thru body construction really helps to increase sustain and help the guitar just feel more stable overall.

The workmanship is flawless as you've come to expect from an ESP of this caliber, 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. All kinds of legato can be pulled off with minimal effort and expressive vibrato is always at your fingertips.

This one's loaded with a single EMG 89X active pickup. While obviously capable of dishing out the heavier tones, this pickup is designed to be incredibly versatile and can almost serve as two different pickups in one with the switchable voicing control. Both single-coil and humbucking tones are on tap, and they're phenomenal. This pickup really does straddle that happy medium between passive and active tonal signatures. There's really no genre that you wouldn't be able to tackle with this guitar.

For the discerning player looking for a world-class guitar that has the quintessential ESP look and is a fully capable hard rock workhorse, the M-I NTB NT is an awesome choice!

Details

Crafted at our ESP USA facility in Southern California, the USA M-I NTB stands for “neck thru body”, and that’s exactly what it is… a shredder’s dream for those who love the stability and sustain of guitars with neck-thru construction. It offers an extra thin U-shaped three-piece maple neck with mahogany body wings. Optional premier-quality figured-wood tops are available on the USA M-I NTB NT including flamed maple, quilted maple, lacewood, zebrawood, and koa, with a variety of amazing translucent gloss and satin finishes to choose from, as well as an ebony fingerboard with mother-of-pearl offset block inlays.

The parts and components on the USA M-I NTB NT are second to none, and include 24 extra-jumbo Jescar stainless steel frets, a TonePros locking TOM bridge with string-thru-body design, a bone nut, Sperzel Trim-Lok tuners, Dunlop strap locks, and a variety of high-end Seymour Duncan or EMG pickups, with a push-pull coil split control on the volume knob for passive pickup models. The USA M-I NTB NT includes a high-quality ESP USA form-fitting hard shell case.