NBD: LTD B-1005SE MS also question about radii

[Plastalmonus]

So I have been in the market for a Dingwall NG2 or Combustion and have put my name on the waiting list at my local dealer however I stumbled across the ESP LTD B-1005SE Multiscale 5 string and just had to grab it.

I am now reading up a bit and have noticed something I didn't see before I pulled the trigger on it. Mainly that the fingerboard radius is 16" (400mm). My question for people more experienced than me is "is this going to be hard to get used to?".

I ask mainly as I currently play a Rickenbacker 4003 (10" radius) and a Squier Deluxe V (12" radius). I find the Squier comfortable enough but the Ric is a lot more comfortable (being the smaller sized and rounder neck). I don't think I have ever played a 16" radius neck before, at least one that wasn't compound 10"-16".

The Dingwall, I believe, is 9.45" so it is actually rounder than the Ric.

It will turn up in a couple of days so I guess everything will be answered then, however in the meantime has anybody gone from a 10"/12" to a 16" and found the transition easy?

Oh and this is the LTD I bought

Cheers!

 

[milo]

 

[milo]

 

[socialleper]

So I have been in the market for a Dingwall NG2 or Combustion and have put my name on the waiting list at my local dealer however I stumbled across the ESP LTD B-1005SE Multiscale 5 string and just had to grab it.

I am now reading up a bit and have noticed something I didn't see before I pulled the trigger on it. Mainly that the fingerboard radius is 16" (400mm). My question for people more experienced than me is "is this going to be hard to get used to?".

I ask mainly as I currently play a Rickenbacker 4003 (10" radius) and a Squier Deluxe V (12" radius). I find the Squier comfortable enough but the Ric is a lot more comfortable (being the smaller sized and rounder neck). I don't think I have ever played a 16" radius neck before, at least one that wasn't compound 10"-16".

The Dingwall, I believe, is 9.45" so it is actually rounder than the Ric.

It will turn up in a couple of days so I guess everything will be answered then, however in the meantime has anybody gone from a 10"/12" to a 16" and found the transition easy?

Oh and this is the LTD I bought

Cheers!

I found out about this model just a little while ago. How is the weight and the neck? Any dive? I prefer 5 string necks that are closer to a Ibanez than a Fender. Would you say this is on the slimmer or fatter side?

A lot of the demos have a lot of fret buzz. Is that them or their playing, or is this a "bright" bass?

 

[Plastalmonus]

Well turn out I had nothing to worry about, it is easily one of the most comfortable basses I have played.

Also I haven't noticed any fret buzz. It does seem to sound its best when the bass is up in the eq and the blend is a hair more towards the neck pickup, but still nothing untoward when the treble is up. May just be bad demos.

 

[FingerDub]

It wasn't until I got an LTD PJ that I fully realized the benefit of playing on a lower radius fingerboard. Mine is 16" and the flatter board lends it's self to players who have much better technique...I.E. keeping your fingers straighter and lower to the board, and awareness of your economy of motion. I have found the flatter radius to be much better for precision movement and playing, while a rounder radius may be more forgiving to some.

I have replaced my Fender P (7.25) radius, with a Spector with a 16" radius as my main bass and it feels to be the most comfortable bass in all aspects I've ever had. Weight, balance, neck, - it's a fantastic instrument. The flatter radius is becoming something I'd look for on my next big purchase bass.

 

[Plastalmonus]

I have to say that I am really surprised at how comfortable I am finding the 16" radius to be. I had initially thought it would be quite the opposite. I am now finding my Ric 4003 neck to be a bit cramped in comparison.

Still in the honeymoon period so holding off on giving too much praise just yet. Will see how much I like it in a week or so

 

[FingerDub]

I have to say that I am really surprised at how comfortable I am finding the 16" radius to be. I had initially thought it would be quite the opposite. I am now finding my Ric 4003 neck to be a bit cramped in comparison.

Still in the honeymoon period so holding off on giving too much praise just yet. Will see how much I like it in a week or so

So nice.

 

[Solarmist]

Beautiful bass - I'm a sucker for nice wood grain tops - congrats!
That's a nice pic with the Orange amp.

 

[brandonschex]

I am currently looking at this bass as well. Of course there aren't any in my area to play. I'm in between this and a Dingwall Combustion, however I can't stand the colors of the NG2 and the little selection of finishes of the regular Combustions. Much more looking for the woodgrain as well without getting into the multiple thousands. I also have looked into the Ibanez SRFF805 also, but again have none around me to play. Currently I play down tuned on a cheapo Sterling SUB bass, but looking to get a better bass.

How are the pickups on this thing?? Are they like a budget edition of Nordstrand pickups?

 

[Plastalmonus]

I am currently looking at this bass as well. Of course there aren't any in my area to play. I'm in between this and a Dingwall Combustion, however I can't stand the colors of the NG2 and the little selection of finishes of the regular Combustions. Much more looking for the woodgrain as well without getting into the multiple thousands. I also have looked into the Ibanez SRFF805 also, but again have none around me to play. Currently I play down tuned on a cheapo Sterling SUB bass, but looking to get a better bass.

How are the pickups on this thing?? Are they like a budget edition of Nordstrand pickups?

Personally I really like the LTD however to put it into perspective it hasn't made me cancel my pre-order for a Combustion in Black Burst (originally had the NG2 on order but found I prefer the pickup positioning of the Combustion).

A couple of criticisms I have of the LTD are:
It is heaver than a Dingwall (Approx. 10lb compared to 8lb)
It can get aggressive in the mids when really played hard. This is actually also a Pro for when you want it but just means you need to watch your right hand when it isn't desired.
The Preamp in it doesn't seem as tight for the 5th string compared with the EMG or Darkglass preamp on the Dingwall.
The bottom corner of the nut is a little sharp so on fast runs at the end of the neck I sometimes feel it.

Pros:
Sounds great for aggressive playing especially with a Darkglass B3K
The Nortstrand Big Single 5s are great. Not a budget model at all. Don't let the LTD title make you think they have cut corners on this bass.

All up I am pretty happy with it however I find the Dingwall Combustion a bit more what I am after. I won't be selling the LTD however even after my Dingwall turns up. So yeah, take that as an endorsement

 

[brandonschex]

I really appreciate it! Yeah it looks like a quality build for the money. Good to know about the pickups too. I generally play down tuned aggressive music, but nothing fast. Mainly with a Big Muff. I could always use my Sterling for the other genres when I feel the need. I'd still like to play both to compare, but not shelling out for both haha. I may end up with the LTD.

 

[Plastalmonus]

I really appreciate it! Yeah it looks like a quality build for the money. Good to know about the pickups too. I generally play down tuned aggressive music, but nothing fast. Mainly with a Big Muff. I could always use my Sterling for the other genres when I feel the need. I'd still like to play both to compare, but not shelling out for both haha. I may end up with the LTD.

Quick correction, they are the Nordstrand Big Spits, not the Singles. I always forget which are which as they look very similar

Big Split 5

 

[doublehorn]

As a Canadian prairie kid, I'm a bit embarrassed to have never played a Dingwall. I happened to find a B-1005SE going for a good price online, so snapped it up sight unseen and so far that's going very, very well, as follows.
Full disclosure, I'm still in the honeymoon also, but I'll say this is a lovely instrument in every way. All components are premium grade and the rosewood top is a joy to look at and touch. The Nordstrand Big Splits sound amazingly fat and juicy, kind of in the spirit of a P split coil, but much more robust, even in passive mode - more windings than an average Fender P pickup maybe? I generally prefer the sound of a passive pickup through a nice, outboard high impedance preamp, which is how I had planned to play this bass, but the onboard preamp actually sounds very good. It's kind of a toss up between passive and active tone for me. They're both good, probably because of the premium quality Big Splits, the outstanding tension on the bigger strings and the heavy body. And it is heavy, no question, but the balance is quite good. There's no noticeable neck dive, like my Yamaha BB which dives like crazy. The multi-scale took really no time to get used to, but I also own and play a few 35" scale 5 strings with huge, flat fretboards, so it might be more of an adjustment for a 4 string Fender guy, for instance. The fanned frets actually feel very natural, except right down by the nut on treble side. That bottom corner definitely feels different, but does that section of the fretboard realistically see a lot of action? And I'll agree that the treble side of the nut is a tripping hazard that deters me from going near that corner anyway, like others have reported. The flat radius also feels pretty nice, but definitely rewards big hands. There are some titanic stretches to be made on the 37" B string, so I'm finding some upright left hand technique sneaking in while down at the nut end of the bigger strings.
All in all, the tone of this beast is exceedingly aggressive and nasty when spanked - it might even be a bit much with the stock round wound strings - but can also lay back in the mix when caressed. It could easily be confirmation bias, but I'm finding the low, low end much cleaner in the mix than shorter scale instruments, even 35". Those sub-bass pitch changes are clearly audible, there's no doubt about which note you're playing or if the B string is in tune. Surprisingly, even the tone up the neck is cleaner where other instruments get muddy. There's just more string, therefore more usable neck to work with I guess (?).
Anyway, I have no regrets so far. This is just a splendid, versatile instrument to play and will probably result in the sale of 2 others from my fleet. Now if only I could find some half round strings to fit this oddball scale, any suggestions? Also, does anyone know if activating the passive circuit will disengage the onboard preamp power to preserve the onboard battery? In other words, is flipping over to passive the same as unplugging the cable? Not sure how to go about testing that behaviour.

 

[B-Lo]

^^ Good question about the passive circuit. I'm not exactly sure, but I do know I get good battery life in my B1005se and I keep it in passive mode when I'm not playing and I generally have a VOX amPlug in the jack.

 

[Christian N]

Personally I really like the LTD however to put it into perspective it hasn't made me cancel my pre-order for a Combustion in Black Burst (originally had the NG2 on order but found I prefer the pickup positioning of the Combustion).

A couple of criticisms I have of the LTD are:
It is heaver than a Dingwall (Approx. 10lb compared to 8lb)
It can get aggressive in the mids when really played hard. This is actually also a Pro for when you want it but just means you need to watch your right hand when it isn't desired.
The Preamp in it doesn't seem as tight for the 5th string compared with the EMG or Darkglass preamp on the Dingwall.
The bottom corner of the nut is a little sharp so on fast runs at the end of the neck I sometimes feel it.

Pros:
Sounds great for aggressive playing especially with a Darkglass B3K
The Nortstrand Big Single 5s are great. Not a budget model at all. Don't let the LTD title make you think they have cut corners on this bass.

All up I am pretty happy with it however I find the Dingwall Combustion a bit more what I am after. I won't be selling the LTD however even after my Dingwall turns up. So yeah, take that as an endorsement

So, did you ver compare with the Dingwall? Thoughts? What tunings do you play in?
I have an NG2 but intrigued.

Also, have you played a Thumb before? Some of the woods are similar on the LTD, so I wonder if it's like a fanned fret Thumb lol.

Thanks.