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share your experiences with ESP's

H

hery123

Sep 29, 2008
25
0
#1
You ever used an ESP bass guitar?
what about sharing your experiences about it??
as there are so few people that i know who used ESP's so i m afraid of buying one..as i search too much about them and i couldnt find any tone examples..

thx for replies and thx for sharing..
 
#2
hery123 said:
You ever used an ESP bass guitar?
what about sharing your experiences about it??
as there are so few people that i know who used ESP's so i m afraid of buying one..as i search too much about them and i couldnt find any tone examples..

thx for replies and thx for sharing..
Click to expand...

ESP produces some nice basses. They really feed off of being a "metal" company. I owned an F404 Black Cherry (and this was last years model, so it had a nice tribal inlay, which they seem to have done away with). Their pricing is fair, and they have some neck-through models for not a lot if that's what you want. Their tone is shaped very much so by the EMG's, so they tend to sound similar to schecters, spectors, with the differences being in the build quality. As far as that goes, they are solid, put together nicely, and I remember the action needed a slight tweaking (lowering) out of the box.

The one I had was a 35" scale neckthrough. Sounded good, lots of output, but after a while of playing it, it wasn't for me. Neck was too thin (Extra thin U they call it, basically a soundgear neck with a wider nut) and I prefer bolt-ons and 34" scale anyway. Really, in this price range, look at the ATK700. It has a nice tone and it can be aggressive like the ESP but sounds better for slap. That being said, ESP LTD Surveyor is also very nice, although heavy and again, neck is too thin for me.
 
#3
I've had some limited studio experience with an ESP J5.

It was a nice, well made bass that was quiet and recorded generically ok...until you got to the B string and then it just didn't have "it".

I wish I could be more specific but I can't. Some basses pop on tape and some don't and cost really has nothing to do with it. That one didn't.

I has my Tobias Classic and Sad PJ5 with me, the engineer said "Let's try this one" (Studio bass). Took a couple of passes and it was a pretty quick, "Meh." Go back to the Sad.
 
#4
I currently own my first and only ESP. It is a Vintage 4 in 3 tone sunburst with rosewood board. It plays like a dream and sound oh so similar to the Pino Palladino Custom Shop Fender that I really wanted at $3000. Couldn't afford the Pino...the ESP handles the sound and handles it exactly. I was looking for a well made "p-bass" type and when I saw the ESP Vintage I was immediately drawn to it. The fit and finish is perfect...better than any MIA Fender I've owned over the years and easily comparable to my Mike Lull 5 or Modulus basses I've owned. I would recommend the Vintage series of ESP to anyone!
 
#5
I got a steal with a buy it now a year or two ago of the bay. It was Trans -cherry red 4 banger active. I dont remember the model but it looked like alot of the production ESPs. It needed new strings and a setup but was a loud nice playing bass that fit metal to the tee. I traded it in and got good credit thru GC for a Fender active jazz.
 
#6
I own a 2003 ESP LTD Deluxe J-1005, made in Korea with 35" scale. It has EMG P40 P & J pickups, and the BTS preamp. The body is ash with a quilted maple top and abalone binding. The neck has a rosewood fingerboard, and graphite stabalizing rods. It also has goldtone Hipshot tuners and bridge.

I got it in trade, and have honestly been extremely surprised at the quality of the materials and workmanship. I'm extremely happy with it and put it's quality right up there with my Lakland Skylines. I wouldn't be surprised that they were made in the same plant in Korea, since ESP, Schecter, and Cort have the same parent company.

On the downside, when I got it, it wouldn't intonate correctly on the B string, but Bill from Hipshot made a custom saddle for the A Bridge which allowed enough travel to get it intonated correctly. I also converted the preamp from 9v to 18v.

It is very similar to the Schecter Diamond Series California Custom Jazz Bass, which is popular here.
 
#7
I briefly owned an LTD-B204 but exchanged it soon after I bought while I was still in my return window. It was pretty nicely made, sounded good, had versatile electronics, and was very comfortable to play. Honestly, I'd have to say I didn't give it a fair trial before returning it. I was kind of attracted to it at first because it was a little it different from what I expected to buy (at the time, most likely a Fender) but I started having second thoughts and eventually gave in to them.

But to be honest I think it was actually a nice bass for the money.
 
#8
I had a five string ESP AP-SL5 that was a great bass! it sounded powerfull, with a great B string but very versatile at the same time. Only issue was that it was heavy... I had to sell it because 35" scale, 5 stringers are not for me...

s6p00x.jpg
 
#9
I have a Viper 404 which I love. It's an all around solid bass with a nice set neck. It also came with "real" EMG's loaded in it and a nice heavy duty bridge. The action is nice and low and the neck is comparable to my Stingray. It has a really nice warm sound, not so much of a metal bass as most people assume when they see it. I would compare it to the sound of my Stingray as well, but with much more tweakable midrange.
 
#11
Woow thx for all information guys
i wonder if any of you tried esp ltd b1005 coz it seems to be nice and i m planing to buy it but i cant try as my music shops here dont have it so i have to buy it from internet and i m nerveus about its tone and quality
what do you think?
 
#12
Here I go, late as usual.
Saw this when I was at work and didnt have enough time to chime in...

I own a LTD B-404SM and its great. This was the first new bass I bought in over 14 years and I cant see letting it go.
This is the first slim neck I've owned and I really enjoy it. Its also a bit lighter than my #1.
The EMG's give the assurance that I wont get lost in the mix with 2 guitars and a singer/keyboardist and the pre gives quite a bit of versatility-probably more than I'll ever use!

I have a total of 3 basses-all active and this one has the "quietest" pre out of them all-(least amount of noise when the treble is boosted)

I have to admit that what first drew me to mine was the spalted maple top :o. but I have to say-its a fun bass to play and its quite well-made. the maple/walnut neck is sturdy and the ash body keeps the weight down nicely.

In summation-its a player!!
 
#13
stingray56funk said:
I currently own my first and only ESP. It is a Vintage 4 in 3 tone sunburst with rosewood board. It plays like a dream and sound oh so similar to the Pino Palladino Custom Shop Fender that I really wanted at $3000. Couldn't afford the Pino...the ESP handles the sound and handles it exactly. I was looking for a well made "p-bass" type and when I saw the ESP Vintage I was immediately drawn to it. The fit and finish is perfect...better than any MIA Fender I've owned over the years and easily comparable to my Mike Lull 5 or Modulus basses I've owned. I would recommend the Vintage series of ESP to anyone!
Click to expand...

i have the same one and i agree - fit and finish is as good as anything out there. fretwork is impeccable.

JR
 
#14
These are mine. They are the now-discontinued C-304 model from 2001 and 2002. I bought the fretted, quilted maple one when it was new and it is the absolute perfect bass for me. Seriously, it looks, feels and sounds exactly the way I want it to. I recently found the bubinga one on E-bay and I had it defretted. Both of them have had the hardware and pickups upgraded, but they were both killer sounding basses before I made any changes to them. Together, they make the perfect pair for me and I can honestly say that I have no desire to buy any more basses.
 
#16
Well I own three of them....two "F" series and 1 "B" series i honestly can't see letting them go anytime soon. IMHO there isn't a better bass for the money to be had....(by that i mean that lets say for $600.00 dollars you won't find a better appointed bass for the same money from any other company out there or to put it better if you look around at other companies basses with the same construction and appointments they will cost you much more).....

They get a bad rap as a "Metal" company but there are plenty of Funk, Country, Blues and Pop guys that use them as well.

I say go for it!

just my two cents.
 
#18
Owned a couple of the ESP Ltd B series basses, one after the other, back in the late 1990's or early 2000's. First one had passive electronics that included master tone and mid control. Bolt on. 2nd was 5 peice neck thru body with mahogany wings, flame maple top, and 3 band active eq. Both had excellent build, hardware, fretwork and electronics overall. Pro qaulity though some would prefer other pups. For long while I concidered ESP LTD the best bang for buck basses in the sub $500 range. They both also had excellent high mass bridges and the 2nd one even had locking bridge saddles. The bolt on had their extended pocket 6 bolt design.

However their basses today while still very good imo dont have as good a qaulity hardware on them and the body woods arent my preferance. I did concider one of their neck thrus before deciding on the Traben, but disliked the bridge enough (the bridge saddle adjustment screw tops stuck out to high above the saddles and the bridge just wasnt nearly as good as they used to be), and the sound wasnt as good to me as the Traben Array Attack I decided on after concidering a few others.

That said, I do think theyre very good in their price range. Things to concider are: Do you like the body wood choice they have nowadays for its sound tweak to the pups and neck woods? And, Compared to others in the general price range, do you find it best bang for buck for you?
 

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