Up for sale, a 1990s ESP 901 in exceptional, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. The rare model was developed by the ESP Custom Shop in Düsseldorf, Germany, produced in limited quantities in Japan exclusively for the European and Japanese markets from 1990-95. The 901 is best known for its association with Richard Zven Kruspe of Rammstein, who played several of these guitars extensively during the early years of Rammstein throughout the ‘90s. This particular 901 (likely an early example, given the control configuration and pickups) is very aesthetically similar to the one played by Kruspe in the music video for “Engel,” featuring a quilted maple top with a gloss Tobacco Sunburst nitro lacquer finish and matching headstock.

Tonewoods include an alder body with a smooth belly contour and “queen cut” heel, three-piece maple neck, and bound 24-fret rosewood fretboard. The pickups include an SH-100 Powerrail single coil-sized humbucker at the neck and an LH-200 humbucker at the bridge; the LH-200 is warm and full, with focused lows, responsive to picking dynamics. The SH-100 Powerrail features ceramic magner construction, delivering tons of power with cutting trebles and punchy mids. The two-way Series/Parallel mini-toggle for the neck pickup's coils has a snappy sizzle when engaged. This ESP 901 weighs 7lbs 10oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 9-42 strings, slinky action, and spot-on intonation.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Maple (three-piece)
-Shape: Slender D, full shoulders, measuring .730” 1st fret, .830” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Rosewood, 24-fret, offset abalone dot inlays (“901” inlay beyond 24th fret)
-Frets: Medium jumbo, faint wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-3
-Scale Length: 24 3/4”
-Nut: 1 11/16”, locking
-Tuners: ESP
-Serialization: Inked on back of peghead

Body Specs:

-Wood: Alder, quilted maple top
-Pickups: SH-100 Powerrail single coil-sized humbucker, LH-200 humbucker
-Controls: Volume, Tone (push/pull, instant low-pass), Three-way pickup selector mini-toggle, Two-way Neck Series/Parallel mini-toggle
-Hardware: Floyd Rose-licensed ESP tremolo, dome-top knurled knob
-Plastics: Three-ply black pickguard

The gloss Tobacco Sunburst nitro lacquer finish highlights the dynamic figuring in the quilted maple top, and cosmetic wear is limited to light scuffing along the pick path, faint buckle rash on the back primarily constrained to the cavity cover, and just a few faint scratches and tiny nicks on the body as a whole. The satin finish on the neck profile highlights subtle flame figuring in the maple.

A faux leather padded gigbag is included.