ESP LTD J-204/5 Jazz Bass

[BassMystic]

Hello Fellow lowender

I have seen these bass advertised
and a few videos on youtube.
Has anyone here played one
and has a review or comments
on their sound and feel.

I believe they are trying to go
up against squier at the same
price point and im wondering how
they compare to the the squier vintage
modified jazzes




(not me)

Im especially interested in the how the 5stringer
matches up against the VM 5 stringer...

 

[Metania]

I have an ESP Ltd 204 Vintage, and I also somewhere have an Affinity 5 string. The Aff sounds dull and feels heavy without quality. The 204 seems much better built, and after a simple, regular setup and a set of DR Hi-Beams, mine played really well. Of course the pups are not state of the art, and the aged look - looks a little strange in places. (neck is GREEN for ex) But at the same price I'd buy the Ltd. They make a 5 string vintage-looking bass too.

 

[DavC]

i have a ESP LTD J-1005 ... built 2003 ...

link here ... http://www.espguitars.com/esp2003/j-1005.html


i worked on leveling the frets and getting it set up ... plays very well now ... changed out the emg pups and electronics .. now has Basslines and a Carvin pre w/passive tone , like found on Sadowsky ...

it is a bit heavy ... nice chunk of Ash , w/quilt maple top ...

came out nice for what i have in it ...

what price range are you looking in .. ??

Dave C. Tampa Bay

 

[Deleted member 96522]

I wanted a passive J-Bass style instrument that I could use on gigs that didn't cost a lot of $$$. I got an J-204 that I bought from ebay for a less-than-street price, lucky me. Pros: Pre-CBS feeling J Bass, not heavy, thin/fast playing neck, good balance, good sound acoustically. I also like the unique twist on the trad J Bass body shape. Cons: Sharp fret ends, mediocre setup, muddy/buzzing pickups and electronics(even with both on). To be fair, the cons are typical for an Asian-built instrument under $300. But seeing the tone potential (and being a fearless DIYer) I tweaked the bass to my taste: I adjusted the trussrod, shimmed the neck pocket to lower the action on the upper frets, filed down the high fret ends, and replaced the stock pups with passive EMG JHZs(thanks again ebay). Much improved in terms of playability, tone, and less noise. Used it on a few gigs, no complaints from my bandmates or the sound engineers about the tone, works for me. This bass is more or less gonna be a test bed for replacement parts: Thinking of installing Graphtech saddles and maybe switching out the EMGs for Dimarzios or Fender Noiseless. We'll see, I'll let you know. If you are into modding your axes or have a guitar tech that does it, a J-204 might be worth your while.

 

[Deleted member 96522]

*******UPDATE*******

I recently received an inquiry from jdedl asking if I made good on upgrading the pickups on my J-204. I ended up making some major changes to the instrument. But I've been so happy with the end results that its become one of my two main gigging basses.

Initially I replaced the stock pickups with JHZs(see my previous post). Then I briefly tried some Fender SCNs(not bad, but not inspiring either) before switching back to Active EMG Js(EMG are definitely my sound) for several months. I finally settled on a set of JVs I found on ebay earlier this year. I also added a EMG BTC system(Vol/Blend/Stacked Bass and Treble). Cramming wires and a 9V battery into a J Bass control panel is always major pain, so I had a battery box installed on the back of the body. BTW, I'm really digging the sound of the JVs. They have a lot of that bite/growl you'd associate with vintage 60s J Bass pups, minus the hum/buzz. The BTC gives the JVs more power and tonal versatility plus a bit of that 'Marcus Millerish' slap thing when needed.

Another significant change I made was having the bridge pickup cavity re-routed and moved back to the approximate position of a 70s J. Bass, the hole was covered with pickguard material. This was hugely significant for me tonewise. I've always loved the 60s-style J basses for their warmth and fast playing necks. But being a longtime fan of 70s Soul/Funk I've found that prefer the more nasal-upper midrange slice and slap tone of the 70s-style J bass pickup placement. This bass now has both those characteristics, and I'm loving it.

As time goes on I'm also considering trying a few other things with the setup to see if coupling between the strings/hardware/body can be further improved. We'll see.

I may very well use these concepts as a prototype for a future build. Please bear in mind however that this isn't the first time I've modded a 'stock' instrument; I've been tweaking my axes for more than 2 decades now. Don't do something like this unless you are willing to take the risks involved in permanently changing an instrument.