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ESP GC-P4

N

NallaBlack

Oct 11, 2015
7
2
39
#1
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Has anybody played one of these, or have you read or watched a review you could link me to? Aesthetically, this bass is amazing. I love the black on black with the contrasting maple fretboard. I also like that it's a string through PJ, with no tone pot, and a three-way toggle. I just want to know about the quality of it before I buy one.
 
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#3
NallaBlack said:
287kc3c.png

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Has anybody played one of these, or have you read or watched a review you could link me to? Aesthetically, this bass is amazing. I love the black on black with the contrasting maple fretboard. I also like that it's a string through PJ, with no tone pot, and a three-way toggle. I just want to know about the quality of it before I buy one.
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I haven't played "that particular" bass but I can tell you that just about everything ESP makes is pretty awesome and they are tremendously underrated.

I'm sort of the designated ESP cheerleader in here because I have a couple and I'll never part with them because of how well they play, and their durability & versatility.

Last thoughts: don't believe all the hype about only being good for metal, ESP's can play anything, any day, all the time.........well!!!!!!!
 
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#4
Nothin' comparable, lettin' looks alone, to the Frank Bello bass (Ltd MIK model)

Frank Bello bass counts on a pair of emgx active pickups with passive electronics (you just have volume, balance, tone there)
the combination of emgx and ebony fretboard make it a somewhat scooped and bright bass (believe me) with lotta attack, growl and definition

I recorded specials, bridges - peculiar fills - with it on basslines initially completed with more traditionally passive basses, for its dead quiet electronics and precise touch

I only tried Gabe Crisp sig bass out in a shop and it felt far more familiar with way less definition and character, yet more punch and an overall traditional kinda flavor, but I'm in a bad money situation in this very moment (infact I recently sold the Frank Bello bass I mentioned) and that second bass needed better pickups and strings, just to begin with, and the absence of tone control is not that silly... I experienced that on FSR Fender Precision jr. on Fender Frank Bello Jazz bass and on G&L SB2: no tone control doesn't mean "I always keep it open, I don't mind"... means a way more flat n'thin kinda soound... so I passed

So: bad strings on Frank Bello bass but overall quality, electronics (and price) are sensitively higher (always talkin' Ltd MIK version here, right?); bad strings and bad pickups on Gabe Crisp bass (at lower price) so take these things into consideration if you're goin' to buy it

Cheers,
Wallace
 
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#5
Very interesting I wasn't familiar with the LTD GC-P4. Based on price, specs and look, I'm betting it's a vietnamese bass directly derived from the LTD Vintage 214 model.
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I reviewed the 214 here and much of it should be directly applicable to the GC-P4
ESP/LTD Vintage 214 Fretless | TalkBass.com

The GC-P4 has the same body wood, hardware (though the P4 bridge has string-through-body) and pickups as the 214, so the question is whether the $120 upcharge ( 214 $380) is worth it for:
-Maple neck with no inlays (very striking)
-String through body option
-Black hardware and headstock
-V/Toggle control arrangement.

I've got the fretless version of the 214 and I'm very happy with it. Personally, I think the upcharge would be better spent on pickups. The Stock "ESP Designed" (built by G&B) pups are actually quite good, but the Geezers I put in my 214 are better. However if you like the maple neck, black head and hardware and control layout, then $120 seems like a very reasonable upcharge for those features.

As far as Bello, the new FB-204 (the lower priced Viet version) is probably a better comparison.
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At $450 it's a $70 upcharge on the base-model 214 and for that you get a boost preamp , satin black body and head and MOP inlay/dots.
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The pickups are covered, but they're listed as passive "EMG Designed" LDP and LDG just like the Vintage 214. Controls are Volume, Balance and Tone boost. Sounds nice enough, but I personally really like having two volume knobs so I can keep one pup up full and bring the other in incrementally to add just the right amount of flavor.

Lastly, a pic of the GC-P4 just for easy comparison of the 3 models.
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I do hope that these artist models are a sign that the 214 is catching on and we'll be seeing new versions in the future. It's really a great platform that more folks should be aware of.
 
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#7
Inertialsky said:
I think the signature 204 basses are built in China or Indonesia.

The Vintage 204 have been coming out of both China and Vietnam.
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The 204 series was discontinued a couple years ago. The 204 number is only used on the Frank Bello entry level model. As the FB-204 and GC-P4 are listed as"new" models and share most all major specs and equipment with the 214, my guess (could be wrong) is that they're all coming out of the same factory, either Vietnam or China at this point.

Anyone know the current origin of the 214 series? Mine is Vietnam, but it's also a 2013 model and the origin may be different now.
 
#9
Looks like China for the Gabe. Anyone know where the 214 is coming from?

I note that it has a bent metal base for the tuners a'la Fender. My 214 has a similar exposed gear but with a cast metal base. I'm not really sure which is preferrable.

Of course if they're all made in China now and some things have changed it might explain the change in tuners why the 214 fretless (at least according to a buyer on TB recent posting) now has dots only at the frets that would have a dot between them (still on the fret position though) instead of at every fret position like mine.
 
#10
I think the only 214 still in the 2015 line up is the vintage P style bass. I've seen them from both China and Vietnam.

The J-204, Stream 204 are in the current offerings. The J bass is China\Vietnam and the Stream basses are China\Indonesia. The Stream 204 seems to be the best quality 2** series LTD that I've seen.
 
#13
Just discovered the Gabe Crisp model. I really like everything about it. Just need to plug one in and see how it sounds. It looks like the pickguard is just clear plastic, from what I can tell. Haven't seen one of these in person yet.
 
#15
lewink said:
Let me know what you think when you do. I'm still thinking about this bass, not much chatter on it.

Good luck.
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I will. I think my main concern at this point is if I can add a EMG PJX set to this Gabe Crisp bass? I noticed the bass only comes stock with 2 knobs but the EMG PJX set comes with 3 control knobs.
 
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#19
Man, what a great bass. I would think that this is a terrific bass even if I paid $700-$1000. But getting it brand new (demo) for $399 makes it that much better. The stock pickups sound pretty good going through a SWR Bass 350 and a Bag End 15. I'm sure it will sound much better with an EMG set. I'm not sure why more people don't have this particular LTD model?
 
#20
NallaBlack said:
287kc3c.png

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Has anybody played one of these, or have you read or watched a review you could link me to? Aesthetically, this bass is amazing. I love the black on black with the contrasting maple fretboard. I also like that it's a string through PJ, with no tone pot, and a three-way toggle. I just want to know about the quality of it before I buy one.
Click to expand...
I own this bass and it's terrific :)
 

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