ESP 400 Series Bass

This is an early 80's P-Bass copy, pretty high quality bass made in Japan to compete with the early 80's Fenders. Let's put it this way--these basses are more consistent than comparable Fenders of the same era, but beginning in 95, Fender started to make quality stuff again. So it's really a toss-up, even though in the early 80's, EVERY Japanese company was out-Fendering Fender.

This is where the bass falls flat. Really thin, brittle highs and artificial, boxy-sounding mids. If you're looking for the smoothness of a P-Bass, forget about it. I installed a Dimarzio Model P pickup, which helped a little, but it still sounds pretty bad. I was very disappointed with this part of the bass, and despite the fact that this bass is finished and assembled well, I can't stand its tone.

Like I said, they did a pretty good job. This was made when ESP was a relatively small company, taking pride in its work. It compares favourably to any of the LTD stuff they're making nowadays. Too bad it sounds so horrible.

Pretty durable, and pretty heavy. It's dependable, but like I said, you have to live with the tone (or lack thereof)!

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This bass was just not worth the money. From the dates on these reviews, it seems like all of a sudden, people are writing lots of reviews on this bass. I have to disagree with this sudden majority by saying that I can't recommend any bass that sounds as horribly as this one. It's a real shame too, because of its high build quality. I tried a pickup swap, and that didn't seem to help either, which is kind of strange. I can't give it higher than a 2 overall. This bass is useless.

1980's Japan, 4 string p-bass. my esp 400 series came with a blue finish and a white pickguard. just as everyone else...i have no clue what the body is made of.

i like to play rockabilly, jazz, blues, punk, anything interesting. i have both a crappy Peavey amp and a fairly new Ampeg SVT classic head that I run through an Ampeg 8x10 cab. the peavey really shows what this bass is capable of....making a crappy amp sound good! i really like this bass a lot more than any other p-bass i have played....seems like everyone else who has written a review agress. I just want to know how ESP made such an excellent bass. the sound quality is superb, sounds like a p-bass but better.

I dont know how this bass was set up from the factory, it is about 20 years old. everything is great in this category! very playable

I think it will outlive me...i always gig with multiple basses, so the backup thing does not apply to me....though i'm starting to weed my basses out in favor of this one.

been playin bass for 5 years. i own some cool stuff but nothin beats this bass. it tops my G&L SB-1 which is a very expensive p-bass. in fact it tops all of my basses...such a rich sound i cannot believe they only cost about 600-700! though I suppose that is a reasonable price considering that nobody knows about them and they are not willing to pay more....well they should know! this is the p-bass to end all p-basses! if you can find one for under $700 i advise you to buy it. I will love my bass till death do us part! e-mail me if you find one of these or if you have any questions about one. i love to talk about my ESP so don't hesitate!

This bass was made in the early 80's in Japan. Standard p-bass fare here, no more, no less. The neck is a little different though, a bit thinner than a p-bass neck, mine is all maple.

I play old school rock n roll, alternative, old school r&b (not the new-fangled electronic junk..shouldn't even be called r&b), 80's new wave and motown. Wow, what a sound! This bass is the best bass I could get my hands on for under $1,500. I tried out a bunch of 60's & 70's fenders, but this one was just as good. Folks...I really don't see why you should spend enormous sums of money on vintage Fender's when you can have one of these babies for about $700! I really love this bass, I'll never need anything else.

The action is about what I would expect from on old P-bass. It's pretty good, not perfect. I have no problems at all playing it. The finish is good, it only has a couple chips and it's nearing 20 years!

Well...this is a passive p-bass. I'd say it's built like a tank, but I'll spare you.

I've heard they're good, but I don't need them.

I've been playing since the 70's...too long ago to remember when I started. I own lots of crap that is now made obsolete by this bass, namely my fairly new Fender Custom Shop P-Bass...well I wasted my money on that one now that I have this. They sound IDENTICAL! If you can manage to find one, buy it!!!! I'd spend over $1,000 for a bass like this!

I bought my ESP used 9 months ago. I think it was made in the early 80's in Japan, not sure what year though. It's got all of the things it needs to make it a p-bass. I don't know what the body is, adler maybe becasue of the average weight, it's got a black finish with a white pickguard. The neck is maple, and mine came with a rosewood fretboard.

I play any type of music you could think of. I'm in a rock band, and this bass suits everything. If I want a biting precision sound I crank the tone knob, if I want something bassier I just ease off of it. Thats the beauty of p-basses, simplicity. I don't get any noise from her, must be well sheilded and soldered. The bass is like a Fender but better. I was looking for a great vintage insturment, but didn't have $1,000, so I happily payed the $700 for this better sounding bass.

The bass was setup really nicely when I got it. No buzz, good low action. It's in great condition.

As I said before, it's a precision bass. Of course it's relliable. It's been around for about 20 years and I forsee no problems.

Never dealt with them, don't plan on dealing with them.

I've been playing bass for 14 years. I currently own an Ibanez EDB600, a G&L L1000, an Ibanez TR500, an Ibanez ATK 300, a 98 Fender USA Precision, a japanese 62 Jazz RI, an Ampeg SVT II Pro head, an Ampeg 8x10 cab, and a crappy Peavey amp for practicing. I am a gear head, I've seen and played it all. I'm really into Precision basses and this one takes the cake. Nothing beats the sounds that come out of it. If it were stolen I would probably go on a killing spree. You just don't find these basses anywhere. If you find one, do whatever it takes to get it. I have no regrets about the price I paid, and would double it for a bass like this.

This ESP P-Bass copy was made sometime in the 80's in Japan. 21 Frets, 4 strings, standard P-Bass stuff...1 volume control 1 tone control. Split P-Bass pickup (passive) in neck position. I'm not sure what the precision style body is made of but the neck is a precision style maple with maple fretboard. It has a vintage cream finish that looks really nice and a white pickguard. I really prefer this to jazz style necks, but thats just my personal preference. My bass came with a Fender hardcase which I thought was an awesome deal. I give a 5 because its just got the average p-bass stuff.

This bass really doesn't suit my music style, but it sounds damn awesome..I play fast aggressive punk rock and this pickup is good for anything but that. I swapped the pickup for a Dimarzio model P, that thing has some serious mid-range attitude. I currently run this bass through a Sansamp Bass Driver into a Peavey Combo 115, not so great for mids...which is why I'll be buying SVT equipment soon..The bass is silent though on any setting. I get a nice full warm sound with the stock pickup. I think it sounds much better than any Fender P-Bass, but thats my opinion. The sounds from this thing are much higher quality. My only complaint with the sound is that I can't get that aggressive mid range punch that I get from my Dimarzios.

The only problems here were because of previous owners. The action and intonation weren't too great, but I took care of that and it's all great now. I'm swapping out the bridge for a gold Badass II, but thats because mine is clanky from old age and much use. I later plan on swapping all of the chrome hardware with gold stuff and the pickguard with a black one (this however is only personal taste, nothing wrong with the chrome stuff) I'd give it a 10 if it wasn't for the bad bridge.

This bass seems built to last, mine has lots of dings but thats happens with any bass. As I said before the bridge sucks...but thats easily remedied. The finish should last, I see no signs of fading except a very few belt scratches. Hardly ever goes out of tuen and I confidantly gig without a backup.

I talked to a guy from ESP on the phone to give me some info on the bass. He's the person that confirmed that I had a genuine 400 series. I had my doubts due to the fact that the only way you can access the truss rod is to remove the neck. He said that this is a standard thing on their older basses. I had to leave a message on his answering machine the first time I called and he got right back with me in about an hour. ESP's customer support is great.

First off, this bass is next to impossible to find..I got extremely lucky to find it, and even luckier that it was only $275.00. A little story about this bass: It came from a jazz/blues club in northern New York. The owner of the club held open sessions and let the guys jam on this bass. Everyone thought it was amazing, and they were professional musicians. In my short playing career I've owned a Johnson Jazz (yuck) a G&L L2000 (extremely nice), and now my ESP 400 series. I rank my ESP above all of these in terms of sound, appearance and everything else. The only reason I'm not giving it 10's in every category is that I had to change the bridge and pickup. Nothing compairs with the resonance of the body and the action of the neck... If this bass was stolen I'd be pissed but I'd get over it and buy another used P-Bass and drop some Dimarzios in it. I also wouldn't have a problem with selling this bass for the right price. The neck and body are awesome and I don't think it could be adequetly replaced...My only wish is that I could access the truss rod without removing the neck, well that and I wish that the stock pickup was more aggressive. I suppose not everybody plays punk rock though...it's a shame.

It's a basic Precision-style bass guitar with maple neck/maple fingerboard, one split pickup, a tone knob and a volume knob, etc. Butterscotch blond finish like a '52 Telecaster, with a gold anodized pickguard.

Killer sound. The body is resonant and the pickups are just right. A rich, woody sound comes out the amp. I've never had any desire to tinker with the pickups because I am 100% thrilled with the sound.

It's a solid bass guitar. No gripes in this category.

Built like a battleship.

Never had any contact with the company.

I bought this bass used as a back-up bass for my then-main bass, which was an Ibanez five-string bass with active electronics. The ESP bass quickly became my main instrument. I loved the more organic tone of the instrument more than anything. Once I bought this bass I never daydreamed about someday owning a better bass. I always felt like I had a fantastic, profesisonal instrument that sounded and looked great. I still do.

This P bass has your basic every day set up. Two knobs, one for volume and one for tone. The brass plating is a very nice touch. I'm not exactly sure what kind of wood it's made from. The salesman told some sort of rainforest wood that probably killed off the last of some unknown species. The body is the same as Fender's P-bass stlye and has a see-thru finish that shows the unknown wood. Looks Sharp.

When I first got it I wasn't so sure about the sound, but when I change the strings the beuty came out. The strings must've been acient because this thing sounded crystal clear and had awesome bass. This baby can do anything.

I don't exactly remember how the action was, now it's just about as low as it can go without the strings pounding against the fret board. The pickups are the same color as the guitar a kind of light tan in color. The finish is a high gloss clear coat over a see-thru paint job.

You can find plenty of dings in this baby, none of wich effect the performance. The finish will not wear off but does chip if the bass falls from a proped postion a few times. The strap buttons are very solid and I can depend on this bass anytime, even without a backup handy. The brass plating seems to be prone to rust though.

I've never had to deal with ESP. I don't think i'll have a problem.

I've been playing for 6 years and have play a lot of basses. I wouldn't trade this for any of them....well maybe another ESP. what is really nice about this bass is everyone seems to like it and everyone want to play it. If it were lost or stolen...I'd probably cry. I've heard some active basses that sound just as good and even look better than this guitar, but I can't stand batteries. No other bass will be my favorite, I'm sticking with this.