1985 ESP Japan Custom Craft House Super Strat Rare Early Pre-LTD Birdseye Maple Floyd Rose White

This is one of the coolest early ESP Japan guitars we’ve had through the shop in a long time.

What we appear to have here is a very early ESP Japan “Craft House” era super strat dating to approximately 1985 — long before ESP became the large-scale production company most players think of today, and years before LTD even existed.

These early ESP guitars occupy a really fascinating space in Japanese guitar history. During this period, ESP Japan was still operating much more like a boutique custom builder and high-end parts manufacturer rather than a mainstream guitar brand. Many of these guitars were built in small numbers, often with semi-custom specifications, and catered directly toward serious players during the rise of the 1980s shred and session scene.

This guitar absolutely feels like one of those instruments.

The first thing that immediately stood out to us was the neck and internal markings. The neck heel is hand-marked “ESP Craft House,” and the neck itself appears to be dated 4-24-85. The pickup cavities also contain early ESP-branded LH-200 pickups labeled “Produced by ESP,” which are rarely seen today and help firmly place this guitar into that early pre-LTD ESP Japan era.

And then there’s the neck…

The roasted birdseye maple neck on this guitar is honestly stunning in person. The figuring throughout the fretboard and headstock is extremely high end and gives the guitar a boutique custom-built feel that you simply do not associate with lower-end production guitars from the period. The neck profile feels fast and comfortable without feeling overly thin, and the guitar has that unmistakable “high-end 80s Japanese build quality” feel the moment you pick it up.

Spec-wise, this guitar checks all the right boxes for a premium mid-80s Japanese super strat:

• Original ESP LH-200 pickups
• HH configuration
• Floyd Rose style tremolo system
• Black hardware
• Aged Olympic White / Cream finish
• Birdseye maple neck and fretboard
• Early ESP logo
• “ESP Craft House” markings
• Made in Japan
• Approx. 1985 production

The guitar has clearly been played and loved over the years, but overall remains in very good vintage condition for its age. There are cosmetic signs of use throughout including scratches, dings, finish wear, oxidation, and general honest aging consistent with a nearly 40 year old Japanese performance guitar. Please review all photos carefully for condition details.

The guitar has just been cleaned, restrung, and professionally set up here in our shop and plays fantastic. Frets still have life left and the neck feels excellent.

Early ESP Japan instruments from this era are becoming increasingly collectible, especially examples that still retain original pickups, early markings, and standout woods like this birdseye maple neck. Most players simply have never encountered these pre-LTD ESP builds in person.

This is not your average 80s super strat.

This is a genuinely rare piece of early ESP Japan history from the company’s formative custom-build era.

Does not include backplate.

Case: Soft

Scale Length: 25.5“

Nut Width: 1.64“

Fret Wear: 9.5/10

Action at 12F (6th): 5/64“

Action at 12F (1st): 5/64“

Weight: 9lbs 14oz

Overall Condition: 8.8/10

Cool Factor: 11 out of 10

USA Seller, check my feedback to see how I value my customers and see my other listings for more rare Japanese Guitars and other unique gear! I use recycled packaging for reduced environmental impact and ship all items 100% insured against loss or damage.

Internal Use (Bin) - Floor