I picked this one up last month. ESP/Ltd Surveyor '87. It's a really great player and the tone is amazing.
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Official ESP club
- Thread starter funkmasterflex
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I picked this one up last month. ESP/Ltd Surveyor '87. It's a really great player and the tone is amazing.
I ordered this used (they rated it as excellent and it like-new) D-4 online last week from another GC and picked it up yesterday at the local GC. Liking it quite a bit so far after I swapped out the old strings (which were a bit sticky, rough and noisy) for some EB hybrid slinkys I picked up at a local shop nearer to home.
LoveThatBass
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Sweet D-4 @PinkFloyd60 . The updated D-5 is something I GAS for. Pity there isn't much out there yet about those basses.
Anyway... I just got my new-to-me early-2000s F-205 (that I last posted about) back from the shop a day or two ago. It got a fresh setup (it played great even with the old 'n dead 40-125 D'Addario ProSteels strings that were originally on it, but intonation was starting to go), and I had the tech install Dunlop Straplock ends and replace the mismatched chrome tuner with a properly oriented black Gotoh.
I had it strung up with Dunlop SuperBright steels 40-120, and though they feel and sound amazing, next setup I think I'll go back to the 40-125 D'Addario ProSteels. Still, I wanted to try the Dunlops since they're highly recommended here and are priced very well. "String-pokemon" (gotta try 'em all) GAS got the better of me, haha.
I love the instrument's "midnight purple" (according to an old ESP catalog) finish. It looks more wine red in the photo, but in other light it looks more magenta. If I ever get a financial windfall where I can afford a custom shop ESP, I want that finish.
Anyway... I just got my new-to-me early-2000s F-205 (that I last posted about) back from the shop a day or two ago. It got a fresh setup (it played great even with the old 'n dead 40-125 D'Addario ProSteels strings that were originally on it, but intonation was starting to go), and I had the tech install Dunlop Straplock ends and replace the mismatched chrome tuner with a properly oriented black Gotoh.
I had it strung up with Dunlop SuperBright steels 40-120, and though they feel and sound amazing, next setup I think I'll go back to the 40-125 D'Addario ProSteels. Still, I wanted to try the Dunlops since they're highly recommended here and are priced very well. "String-pokemon" (gotta try 'em all) GAS got the better of me, haha.
I love the instrument's "midnight purple" (according to an old ESP catalog) finish. It looks more wine red in the photo, but in other light it looks more magenta. If I ever get a financial windfall where I can afford a custom shop ESP, I want that finish.
Quick question for members of the ESP club...
I've heard it said that ESP's house-brand soapbar pickups (such as those on the LTD D-5) sound pretty good. That they're their take on EMG-HZs. I'm an anomaly here on TalkBass in that EMG-HZ soapbars are among my favorite pickups. Even when wired passive, they sound good to me. Do the ESP soapbars have comparable output to the HZs?
I've heard it said that ESP's house-brand soapbar pickups (such as those on the LTD D-5) sound pretty good. That they're their take on EMG-HZs. I'm an anomaly here on TalkBass in that EMG-HZ soapbars are among my favorite pickups. Even when wired passive, they sound good to me. Do the ESP soapbars have comparable output to the HZs?
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I always wanted one in purple, but could never find one. I've never even seen one in person. I was lucky enough to have found a titanium one in 2000 at a local mom and pop shop that I still have to this day and it is still in pristine condition even though I gig it a lot.
And even to this day I still get a lot of compliments on it on both tone and looks. I liked it so much I also ended up getting a 2009 F-4e and an F-414FM which I still have in pristine condition as well. Anyway, lucky you for getting that purple F-205. More pictures would be great.
Forgot to mention that the newer ESP soapbars do not sound like the HZ's on your F-205. The volume output is probably louder, but they do not have that pristine clean, articulate, defined note. The ESP soapbars are more gritty and midrangey. Not a bad thing, just is what it is.
I actually changed the soapbars on my F-4e to EMG HZ35's to try to get it closer to the F-204 and I am not a Modder. It got close enough that I left the preamp alone. I also had a B-4Z with the ESP soapbars and it also was more gritty and midrangey. IMHO, IME, but YMMV.
Beautiful! I'm a traditional kinda guy and love the P bass look.
I really dug the look too. The playability is unreal on this bass. It almost feels like I'm cheating.
And that's what I love about ESP/LTD basses- there's something for everyone. A traditionalist can find a great instrument, as can someone like me who prefers modern and non-traditional styles.
I never thought the F style body shape would be the one that nestles the most comfortably against me, but if it feels "right" it feels right.
I never thought the F style body shape would be the one that nestles the most comfortably against me, but if it feels "right" it feels right.
Quick question to the ESP/LTD club:
My F-205 (which played for its first audience this past Thursday: "Gig" report (if you can even call this a gig...)) is one of the rare ones with a 34" scale. I love it, it fits me perfectly, first position is exactly where I like it when the bass is strapped on. A part of me kinda GASes for another F-series, but they've been 35" scale standard for a while now and I'm curious if anyone's played both and can speak to how the 35" feels in comparison to the 34" scale. Does the neck in the 35" scalers jut out further making first position a bit of a stretch?
(In looking at basses from other manufacturers I've played, I've experienced 34" and 35" scale basses where first position felt like a mile away and I've played others where it felt fine. And it's not easy these days to find a 35" F-series bass to actually get my hands on to try out).
My F-205 (which played for its first audience this past Thursday: "Gig" report (if you can even call this a gig...)) is one of the rare ones with a 34" scale. I love it, it fits me perfectly, first position is exactly where I like it when the bass is strapped on. A part of me kinda GASes for another F-series, but they've been 35" scale standard for a while now and I'm curious if anyone's played both and can speak to how the 35" feels in comparison to the 34" scale. Does the neck in the 35" scalers jut out further making first position a bit of a stretch?
(In looking at basses from other manufacturers I've played, I've experienced 34" and 35" scale basses where first position felt like a mile away and I've played others where it felt fine. And it's not easy these days to find a 35" F-series bass to actually get my hands on to try out).
I would like to join the ESP/LTD club, please. After much wheeling and dealing, my two main basses and my retired bass are all LTDs. Although my instrument needs are met, my GAS want is a Japanese ESP 5-string.
My retired bass: A heavily modded LTD HTB-600
My favorite bass: A 34" scale F-205 in the midnight purple finish:
My newly acquired workhorse bass: A new-old-stock D-5. (This was a birthday gift to myself I just got today. I turn 44 tomorrow):
I tell you, over the decades I've sampled and/or owned all kinds of basses from several brands from budget to mainstream to boutique. I never sought out to be an ESP/LTD guy, but I love 'em. They fit me.
My retired bass: A heavily modded LTD HTB-600
My favorite bass: A 34" scale F-205 in the midnight purple finish:
My newly acquired workhorse bass: A new-old-stock D-5. (This was a birthday gift to myself I just got today. I turn 44 tomorrow):
I tell you, over the decades I've sampled and/or owned all kinds of basses from several brands from budget to mainstream to boutique. I never sought out to be an ESP/LTD guy, but I love 'em. They fit me.
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The two ESP/LTD C-304 basses I have both have 35" scale lengths. I feel like the neck might be a little longer but they also have bridges mounted pretty far away from the neck. It seems like they kind of split the difference between moving the bridge back AND made the neck longer by a little.
My other basses have 34" scale lengths and I don't even notice the difference when switching between the two.
I know this is from an older post but if you still need the info, this is my take on it. Hope this helps!
Thanks.
And, as an aside, I will say that I rather like the ESP house brand pickups and preamp on that D-5. I never quite understood some bass players' need to immediately swap them out. I've tried passive soapbar humbuckers from other manufacturers over the years and the ESP house brand ones are up there.
My favorite passive soapbars are Duncan SSBs. They're on my Swirl bass and it's my best sounding bass.
After that, I like these ESP soapbars. It's too early to tell if they'll top the Duncans I've spent years with.
Third would be EMG-HZs; they're a good bread-and-butter soapbar, but the ESPs seem to have more personality.
Last place is Bartolini MK-1s. Yeah, I know they're not "real" Barts and I can't compare, but I once had a bass modded with Bartolini 59CBJDs and I didn't like those either. I guess I'm just not a fan of the Bartolini sound.
And, as an aside, I will say that I rather like the ESP house brand pickups and preamp on that D-5. I never quite understood some bass players' need to immediately swap them out. I've tried passive soapbar humbuckers from other manufacturers over the years and the ESP house brand ones are up there.
My favorite passive soapbars are Duncan SSBs. They're on my Swirl bass and it's my best sounding bass.
After that, I like these ESP soapbars. It's too early to tell if they'll top the Duncans I've spent years with.
Third would be EMG-HZs; they're a good bread-and-butter soapbar, but the ESPs seem to have more personality.
Last place is Bartolini MK-1s. Yeah, I know they're not "real" Barts and I can't compare, but I once had a bass modded with Bartolini 59CBJDs and I didn't like those either. I guess I'm just not a fan of the Bartolini sound.
I don't have much experience with the ESP stock pickups. One of my C-304s had EMG-HZ 35EPs and I swapped them out for active EMGs.
The other one I bought used and it had Duncan soapbars in it. Those were really nice pickups but I ended up changing those for active EMGs too.
Sometimes I wish I had held onto the Duncans since that bass is fretless and the Duncans had so much character.
Oh well. At the time, I was playing quite aggressively and needed a modern bass tone.
