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Going from traben to esp, need advice

As you've read a bunch of times already that is ALOT of money for that bass. There's so many good options out there for much less. I can't help but think you'd also get sick of the ESP body style at some point. I used a MIA Fender Jazz Deluxe in a heavy band which I loved, I use a Stingray HH now, which I love, and I have even used an Ibanez SR300 which sounded good. Don't fall under the impression that expensive = better because it's not always true. Also, my advice would be to buy used. When it comes to instruments I've never bought anything new. To me, it's not worth the price difference as most of the time people have taken care of their gear and just want to sell it for something else.
 
As you've read a bunch of times already that is ALOT of money for that bass. There's so many good options out there for much less. I can't help but think you'd also get sick of the ESP body style at some point. I used a MIA Fender Jazz Deluxe in a heavy band which I loved, I use a Stingray HH now, which I love, and I have even used an Ibanez SR300 which sounded good. Don't fall under the impression that expensive = better because it's not always true. Also, my advice would be to buy used. When it comes to instruments I've never bought anything new. To me, it's not worth the price difference as most of the time people have taken care of their gear and just want to sell it for something else.

good points, the ESP is expensive but im looking at other options around that price point too. The warwick double buck, music man HH and the spector euro 4 lx. Those basses have proven to have outstanding tone and are well made. Im curious about the esp because it seems to be well made and hand-crafted ect.. but I feel like its not a wel known brand and im just curious about their basses
 
good points, the ESP is expensive but im looking at other options around that price point too. The warwick double buck, music man HH and the spector euro 4 lx. Those basses have proven to have outstanding tone and are well made. Im curious about the esp because it seems to be well made and hand-crafted ect.. but I feel like its not a wel known brand and im just curious about their basses

Dude, if you're interested in a Musicman HH someone is listing one on here for $925. It's the exact one I have and I think the bass is excellent. I'd at least give it a look.
 
good points, the ESP is expensive but im looking at other options around that price point too. The warwick double buck, music man HH and the spector euro 4 lx. Those basses have proven to have outstanding tone and are well made. Im curious about the esp because it seems to be well made and hand-crafted ect.. but I feel like its not a wel known brand and im just curious about their basses

If you're willing to buy used you can have any of those 3 for almost half of what the ESP goes for, and be able to sell it for around the same price if you ever decide to.

ESP was a very well known brand, moreso for guitars. They used to have their shop on 48th St in NYC, and they churned out some really nice instruments. To this day the best guitar I've ever played was some custom shop ESP. I have been trying to hunt it down for a good 15 years. No dice.

Once they introduced their LTD line, they priced their really good stuff so high that it was difficult to afford.

Their 80's-90's stuff is great for the most part. As for the newer stuff, most people just buy LTD. It's not the same as ESP.
 
I had an SR5 HH (now I've just got an SR4 single H, 2 band). It was awesome and sounded killer. I'm pretty sure that I recorded by bands demo with it, but I don't remember.

Between the Ray, the Spector, and the Wick...any of them will be great as long as they get you a tone you like. EBMM consistently puts out a killer production bass that rivals some boutique stuff. My Spector is easily one of my favorite basses. It's got a really aggressive and punchy tone that fits in very well with heavier music, but it does just fine with anything.
 
Yeah it seems like they marked up their prices sadly. Gonna go for the music man hh for the best value and sound

I have an ESP just like that, straight from the custom shop with the OHSC. Still has the plastic wrap on the pick guard, and the fretboard protector. I think its an amazing sounding and feeling bass, better than any Gibson Thunderbird I've ever played. I came across it in a business deal, but I usually only play 5 string basses. Although, I have used this ESP for some recordings because it sounds so sweet.

Let me know if you are still looking at one of these.
 
Lots of options nowadays. I would suggest ttying as much stuff as you can before buying. If you trust yourself to baby each bass, you could even get stuff from musiciansfriend.com or samedaymusic.com and send it back within 60 days if you dont like it.

Also checkout the used section. So much rad stuff gets postd here every day. And people often buy to try in the ued section and turn around and sell it if they dont like it, for the same or similar price.

I wouldnt worry about resale value if you make sure to get something you like. and as a performer, you should probably focus on feel first and looks second. A bass that hangs with its headstock at ten or eleven is a big deal for me and i dont even play shows. As much as i love the tone of my Fender Jaguar, i have to hold that thing up when i stand, which bothers me. My current project is an Ibanez SRT800DX. Its very similiar to a Spector. Although its american EMGs and vari-mid pre-amp gave me plenty of ballsy punch and clarity, i just dont like the EMG tone. So im awaiting some custom pickups from SGD.
 
A bit late here, but take it from me, a big ESP promoter. The pre 2006 ESP line is ridiculous band for the buck(200 series and above). For a couple hundred, you can find a great bass with high quality finish and parts. For me $1800 is too much for any bass. There is no reason for me to pay that much money for something I can build or have built for me. What are you really paying for? Mahogany and maple arent costly woods. The EMG 35DC set is $260 straight from EMG, but you can find a set for much cheaper in the classifieds or on ebay. I owned an [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] and the build quality is really nice, but not nice enough for me to buy full price for it. Go through my albums in my signature. Youll see that Ive fitted cheap basses with the same electronics that are found in more expensive basses with great results. Forget that ridiculous ESP, and get something like this LTD which not only has the 35DC's but a good preamp in it. So look away from that expensive piece of equipment and look towards something like this, throw some 35DC's in (same shape) and if you want the Spector sound, throw in a tonepump preamp. Here are some horrible soundclips ive recorded showcasing the sound of my mods. If you listen through your amp or nice speakers or headphones, you can get the full effect of how much damage the Epi P/J can cause
 
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