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ESP Bass Advice

F

fasttheo

Guest
Apr 12, 2014
18
4
Ebensburg, Pennsylvania USA
#1
I was at the local guitar shop to buy cables today, and I ended up playing an ESP P/J bass (through an Ampeg BA series amp). To my ears, the ESP sounded pretty good. I've been thinking of picking up a P/J for a while. Any ESP players out there who could give their two cents? This was a made in Vietnam model, selling new for $350.

Also, the Ampeg sounded pretty good with a flat EQ. I think it was a 1x10 50 watt amp.
 
#2
fasttheo said:
I was at the local guitar shop to buy cables today, and I ended up playing an ESP P/J bass (through an Ampeg BA series amp). To my ears, the ESP sounded pretty good. I've been thinking of picking up a P/J for a while. Any ESP players out there who could give their two cents? This was a made in Vietnam model, selling new for $350.

Also, the Ampeg sounded pretty good with a flat EQ. I think it was a 1x10 50 watt amp.
Click to expand...

I just can't say enough about ESP's and by now I know I've driven a lot of people crazy with my constant endorsement of them but they truly are remarkable bass guitars.

I was on the hunt for an Ibanez SR300 when I accidently (literally) stumbled across an ESP B-104 in a pawn shop. (I wasn't even looking for a bass there)

The midnight purple caught my eye, and as soon as I took it off the wall hanger and had it in my hands - I knew there was nothing else for me.

I completely forgot about the Ibanez, took her home, cleaned her up, put some new D'Addario nickel round wounds on her, had a professional set-up done, and we've been inseparable since then.....seriously.

Later I bought their B-4E which is a neck-thru model, and I'm absolutely gaga over the both of them.

Their necks aren't as thin as the Ibby's but pretty close, and I like the fact that they have a pinch more meat on them to give you a more "tank-like" feel without the neck being a truly chunky neck.

I have small hands so it's perfect.

These are pics of mine......

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I can tell you verifiably that ESP makes a fantastic bass and they are extremely underrated, and don't let all the talk about them only being "metal" bases fool you, they can play any type of music and play it well.

Good luck with whatever you decide.....
 
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#5
I'm in love w mine too. I have a LTD Vintage PJ. The nut width is 40mm which is exactly halfway between a standard P and J. I have pretty big hands and I normally don't like smaller necks, I'm usually P width all the way but this is an incredibly great feeling neck. Yesterday I had an epic 5 hour jam session with it and I hadn't played it for 3 weeks (Ive been playing my new Stingray HH). It was still in perfect tune and didn't need tuning at all for the whole session and I was really digging in. I love them too, and it's only a matter of time before I get another, like Neveragain's B4E.
 
#9
Esp puts out a huge range of instuments. From meh to spectacular. I do think the majority of their good basses tend to be the basses that are clones or hybrids. For example their j and p bass copies are a great value, the surveyor (now discontinued) was a hybrid of a stingray and a P bass with EMGs and was also a good value. Their 8 string is pretty decent and is cheaper than anything that's close to being as good. The newer E-II AP5 is a great sounding bass but for nearly 2k I think it deserved better finishes and maybe a unique pickgaurd. I mean heck if Musicman can produce HH stingrays in California with so many different finishes and pickgaurds, then ESP should be able to pull it off also.
 

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