Back to navigation


Faithful Re-creation of the ’87 ESP Surveyor Bass





This article was


Written By





Our Product Research Team





Get to know them!





Making its introduction in the 1987 ESP catalog, the Surveyor bass emerged as one of ESP’s most popular instruments, and vintage models have become highly coveted in collector circles. Featuring a classically shaped alder body and a 34-inch maple bolt-on neck, the Surveyor had a familiar feel with a contemporary edge. The ESP LTD Surveyor ’87 is a faithful re-creation of the original Surveyor, featuring the same P/J pickup combination, 21 extra-jumbo, nickel silver alloy frets, distinctive headstock, and striking black hardware. Premium appointments include a Gotoh 201-B4 bridge and LTD vintage tuners, for spectacular tuning stability, and a gorgeous Macassar ebony fingerboard that has caught the eye of bassists at Sweetwater. The Surveyor ’87 is a throwback instrument with an undeniable, timeless appeal.





Bone rattling tone and stellar playability





The LTD Surveyor ’87 is a total bone rattler. With a body cut from alder, it has a substantial low-end resonance, with a mid-frequency punch that explodes onto the stage. Capped with striking Macassar ebony, the Surveyor ’87’s maple neck projects a clear, crisp attack that sends notes leaping off the fingerboard. Sporting a Thin "U" neck profile and contoured armrest, the Surveyor ’87 is sublimely comfortable. Yet, it has a full-on rock ‘n’ roll attitude, punctuated by attention-grabbing deep black hardware. A Seymour Duncan Vintage P/Vintage Jazz pickup set bestows the Surveyor ’87 with flexible tone-shaping options, so you can craft your tone to fit any genre or style.





ESP LTD ’87 Reissue Series





Throughout the late-1970s and early-1980s, Tokyo-based Electric Sound Products grew a reputation for producing well-crafted interpretations of classic designs, under both the ESP and Navigator brands. In 1983, high-quality replacement parts from ESP started infiltrating the US market. Popular guitarists of the time, including Helmet’s Page Hamilton, Living Colour’s Vernon Reid, and The Rolling Stone’s Ronnie Wood, were so impressed they began to commission custom ESP guitars. Coming into their creative own, ESP expanded their design repertoire with bold new body and neck designs and hot-rodded electronics packages aimed at contemporary guitarists looking to push their sonic boundaries. In 1987, ESP launched its updated product line, introducing a number of imaginative guitars and basses that would become instant classics. ESP’s LTD ’87 Series pulls from the pages of the ESP 1987 catalog, faithfully re-creating the first full set of ESP instruments ? designs that would set the course for decades of design innovation.





ESP LTD Surveyor ’87 Bass Guitar Features:


Faithful re-creation of the ’87 ESP Surveyor Bass


Classically shaped alder body with a contoured armrest


Thin "U" profile 34-inch maple bolt-on neck with Macassar ebony fingerboard


21 extra-jumbo nickel silver alloy frets


Distinctive headstock and striking black hardware


Seymour Duncan Vintage P/Vintage Jazz pickup set


Gotoh 201-B4 bridge and LTD vintage tuners