From Wood Selection to Finished Guitar: Inside the ESP USA Custom Shop

Our guitar department traveled to the ESP Guitars USA Custom Shop in California to hand-select the woods for a special group of custom guitars built for Chuck Levin’s.

In the video, our team explores ESP’s woodroom, compares quilted and flamed maple tops, uncovers a rare group of Tamo ash sets, and works directly with the Custom Shop team to determine which woods and finishes would bring each instrument to life.

The selected tops became a collection of ESP M-II DX FR USA guitars in Cranberry Sunburst, See Thru Black Sunburst, Tiger Eye Sunburst, Dark Purple Sunburst, Aqua Marine Sunburst, and See Thru Black Cherry. The project also produced a limited CHUCKSCLUSIVE Tamo Ash run, created from hand-selected Tamo ash sets discovered during the visit.

Watch the video to follow the process from rough wood to completed instrument—and see why choosing the right top is such an important part of creating a truly distinctive custom guitar.