Has anybody played the ESP LTD B5e? What did you think? I am giving serious thought to it for my 1st 5 string. I have a B-50 and love it, I was thinking that the neck through would be something new to try. 
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ESP LTD B5E
- Thread starter trigger happy
- Start date
LowNloud1
Commercial User
- Jun 11, 2012
- 711
- 1,100
- Disclosures
- I am a hobbyist making stone picks that I sell but mostly give away. They made me do this anyways.
I have the B55FM. The neck was a bit narrower than I expected. After playing a wider 5, it took a little time to get used to but I did. My initial reaction was a little negative. I thought they used a 4 string neck but now I am using it as one of my performance basses. Better tone range than my other Squire V Jazz.
Get the 4005 Multi Scale instead. Since they have gone fanned frets by now, the low B is to die for! I have their 4 string variant tuned to BEAD.
It cost a "little" more than LTD B5e though...
It cost a "little" more than LTD B5e though...
Get the 4005 Multi Scale instead. Since they have gone fanned frets by now, the low B is to die for! I have their 4 string variant tuned to BEAD.
It cost a "little" more than LTD B5e though...
I do have my eyes on that one as well. Baby steps though. I don't quite have a grand to drop on one. I also am looking at the Ibanez srff805 as well. One day I will hopefully find a shop that has both to make a comparison.
I have my B5E for several months now and it's great. The neck is fast and narrow which is perfect if you're used to 4 string basses. Its well made, looks great, and the electronics are solid. I would definitely reccomend it if you're looking for a mid cost 5 stringer that is gigable right out of the box!
I cannot recommend the ESP B5E more highly. I've been a working/recording bass player for all of my adolescent and adult life. Style of playing goes from rock to funk to jazz.....both with fingers and thumb with a little use of a pick. I wouldn't be considered a metal or grunge bassist by any means. With a stable of 4 and 5 string basses, I found myself needing a "backup" 5-string bass to take to gigs. My main gigging bass is an MTD Z5 (19mm string spacing) and my main recording instrument is a Pedulla Thunderbass (17.5mm string spacing). I wanted something that would give me a little bit of a different sonic pallete with at least 17mm string spacing (I like wide string spacing to allow me to get my thumb under the strings when slapping) but that wouldn't break the bank....after all it was going to be my "backup" bass. I also like wide yet shallow (depth) necks with a relatively flat fretboard radius. I auditioned inexpensive Yamaha, Ibanez, Schechter and Cort basses but found that the necks were either too narrow, too thick, or had too tight string spacing. I played an ESP B5E and found that it met all of my criteria at an unbelievable price. The fact that it was neck-through, had very wide sonic pallete thanks to its electronics, and looked great was icing on the cake. Neck was wide (45mm at the nut), had wide enough string spacing, and had a shallow neck profile with a relatively flat radius fretboard. Workmanship was superb and the bass was setup perfectly out of the box. Clearance at the 1st fret and neck relief at the 5th/7th fret were right on and the action was nice and low without fret buzz. For my money, it was the best choice I could have made.Has anybody played the ESP LTD B5e? What did you think? I am giving serious thought to it for my 1st 5 string. I have a B-50 and love it, I was thinking that the neck through would be something new to try.
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I had a B155, but did not like the thick "D" style neck, and it was sold off. If you're looking for a bass with a nice slim neck like Ibanez SR ... the LTD isn't it.
If you can at all try one out first - do it.
If you can at all try one out first - do it.
Thanks Guys. I still don't have a B5e, but my LTD stable has grown substantially since then. 
I have owned 14+ Bass Guitars and I keep coming back to the ESP LTD B5E. Gets played 99.5% of my playing. Can not get away from neck thru design. I own (4) 5 string and (1) 4 string neck thru.Has anybody played the ESP LTD B5e? What did you think? I am giving serious thought to it for my 1st 5 string. I have a B-50 and love it, I was thinking that the neck through would be something new to try.
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In my opinion, you can not beat the ESP Bass Guitars for the money. I own (2) right now, ESP LTD B-5E and the ESP LTD B-405-SM. The Ibanez BTB 575FM is pretty good for the money too.Has anybody played the ESP LTD B5e? What did you think? I am giving serious thought to it for my 1st 5 string. I have a B-50 and love it, I was thinking that the neck through would be something new to try.
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I'm looking to add a fiver and am seriously considering the LTD B-5E. I also have an LTD B-206SM and really like it. I think the LTDs are great basses for the money.
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