Hi there, New to this forum, and would like any views/opinions on this particular bass. I'm looking to buy a 5 string, and have just tried a Tobias Pro5 and a Schecter Stilleto Custom5. Both played and sounded good and are considerably cheaper than the ESP. Thanks for any views! Andrew
I can't give you any info on the b-255, but I own a b-305, a b-204 and a b-104. I think they're all great. I use the b-104 the most because of the passive pickups and eq, but the others sound great too. I'm sure the 255 is a quality instrument even though ESP seems to get bashed a lot around here...
I had Fender in mind when I was buying my first bass but I couldn't find one I liked in my price range and ended up with an LTD B-204. It was well made, very light and comfortable, was easy to play, sounded pretty nice, and the 3 way active preamp made it pretty versatile. I'm not exactly a metal head (not putting down metal heads, just saying that's not me, I'm not a jazz guy either) and I kind of associated ESP with metal, but I was pretty surprised by it. It worked well for me in the time I had it. Not too long after I eventually found a five string Fender I liked and got rid of the ESP, but it wasn't because of any fault with the ESP. I just found what I was looking for in the first place. I'd say play it and compare it to the others you know you already like. If the ESP does it for you, who cares what anyone else thinks and just buy it. If it's one of the other two then go with that one. In the end, the bass that feels, plays, and sounds best to you is the one you should buy.
IMO, ESP is the best bang for your buck brand out there. You should definitely test drive any bass you plan on buying, but I'm sure the ESP will compete with anything close to it's price range. Schecters are pretty sweet, too. I hear they're made in the same factory as ESPs. Personal preference will ultimately be the most important thing. That said, I havn't found anything I would trade my ESPs for. Good luck.
