1970s ESP Navigator SP-01 Esparto

An advertisement in the September 1976 issue of Music Life magazine featured the line, “Navigator Catalog Vol. 2 now available.” I recently managed to acquire that catalog and confirmed the Esparto model’s listing and its official model number. By the 1980 catalog, however, the Esparto name had already disappeared—although a photograph of the model still appeared on the back cover. This suggests that while the catalog manuscript was being prepared, the Esparto still existed but was soon discontinued. It’s therefore reasonable to conclude that the model was produced roughly between ESP’s founding in 1975 and around 1980.

The finish is thin and easily prone to scratching. Although the catalog specifies ash for the body wood, in hand it’s virtually indistinguishable from sen (Japanese ash), and I strongly suspect it’s the latter. It’s a solid-body construction, but in those days, having a one-piece body didn’t necessarily imply a higher grade. The beautiful sunburst finish is striking—perhaps the work of Mr. Nishimori, the legendary early ESP finisher whose “NSB” (Nishimori Sunburst) is now spoken of with reverence. Interestingly, the routing appears to have been done after finishing. Another quirk: this particular Esparto features a Phillips-head truss rod adjustment screw, reminiscent of early Fender designs.

The assembly has been replaced, but traces of the original pickguard screw holes remain underneath. The pickups are stamped “SD 2 93,” which research shows to be a Seymour Duncan APS-1 manufactured in February 1993. The tone is distinctly vintage—warm, open, and particularly suited to clean, percussive rhythm work such as funk or classic R&B.
Weight: 3.32 kg (including strings). (Updated December 14, 2025.)