Navigator Esparto 1976 or 1977 - Natural Sen

Folks this is a REALLY SWEET mid 1970's Japanese ESP Navigator Esparto with a Sen body. Sen is a type of Japanese Ash that is an incredible wood for electrics, and also has really cool aesthetics. The grain in Sen is like Swamp Ash but much tighter. Check out the pics. They are all of the actual guitar you will happily unpack.

So this is, in essence, a super early vintage ESP. Navigator is one of the highest and best regarded brands in Japan. It is the ORIGINAL brand ESP started selling their own guitars under bak in 1976 and continues to be their top brand for traditional model guitars in Japan. Back when this guitar was built they were made to be better than what Fender was producing. It was also ONLY sold domestically within the Japanese market. Since most Japanese guitars at the time were intended to be cheap copies for export, ESP launched this Navigator brand specifically to be better than what Fender was producing at the time and for the domestic Japanese market.

The body here is a two piece center seam Sen. Weighs a solid 8 pounds on the nose. Nice solid maple neck with the perfect amount of chunk. Beautiful board that looks like it is Brazilian Rosewood. Guitar is perfectly setup.

Appears to be all original including the electronics. ESP started out building custom guitars for professional musicians so the TWO 3 way switches (for myriad combinations) were likely an original part of the custom order. Schaller style tuners.

Nice shape overall, a few minor body dings (see pics) but nothing that impacts play in any way. The pictured case is included, which is not original but is a Fernandes case from the same period and functions perfectly. Original trem bar is not pictured but is included.

I would also welcome you to drop by the renovated showroom in Levittown and take any guitar, pedal or amp for a test drive! The final pic is our new electric wall. What do you think of it? Also check out my close to 3,000 five star feedbacks on Reverb and know you can buy with confidence!!! On Insta @monstermusic.ny