ESP B-1

The bass is quite light and handy. It has a pretty thin neck and the neck seems to be a little bit shorter than normal necks. So it is perfect for playing chords. It is very well balanced and easy to play over the complete range of frets. It has two pickups with active electronics. The electronics are cleanly soldered. The sound can be set up with four knobs. I guess there could be more electronic possibilities, but for me it is more than enough, since I don't ever change the sound, if I found a good setup.

It can produce many different sounds from very dark, bassy to guitar like. Overall it sounds very good. I play it with a GK RB2000 and an Ampeg cabinet with 4*10" + 1*15" Speakers. I have tried different distortion effects and am currently using a H&K Tube Factor, which adds a nice tube drive. I have no problems with noise, so I think it's ok.

When I got it it was set up perfectly. No flaws whatsoever.

I have played it live a lot and it fell on the ground many times, but still no damage (except some minor scratches), no breaks or electronic failure. It is very reliable. Never needed any backup (except spare strings and battery of course).

Never had to deal with ESP, so I don't know.

I play bass for about 20 years now and have owned and played several basses so far (Ibanez Musician, Ibanez SGR, Peavy J-Bass style, Gibson SG-Z), but this one is by far the best ever. I play a lot of chords on the bass, so this one is perfect for me. You won't get tired playing it live since it is very light weight. What a pity don't built it anymore. I rate it 9, because they say, be critical, so I am. Since there are hundreds of bass models and I never played other classics like Musicman, Fender and so on I assume there might be even better instruments around. Nevertheless I never felt there must be something better and I will play this instrument until it breaks (hopefully never).

my bass was made in 1998. it was originally made for marcello diaz of soulfly. he must have gotten a new one and returned it to esp. it was then picked up by the bassist from snapcase who then sold it to joe orlando from buried alive. when they broke up he ran out of money and sold it to me for $400. it has 21 frets, black finish, 4 strings. the pick-up is a seymore duncan basslines music man style. it has an active pre-amp and non-stringthrough bridge. and i believe it has schaller tuners. the neck is thin, jazz style. and it came with a hardshell case

I play a cross between punk and almost death metal www.threebelow.com.
i use a sans amp bass driver DI to cut some of the mids from my amp. i did notice a little hum. i love the sound, it has sooooo much presence. I tune B E A D and the lows are very full and the pick-up gives plenty of attack. i have recorded and gigged with this bass. good for either application. the only thing i don't like is the hum.

the action was great, the neck was straight. it was pretty well buckle rashed, and there were a few chips in the paint. but that had to do with the touring it went through.

this bass went through hell. i have thrown it around and beat on it so bad. it took everything except when i threw it once and the headstock came off. until then it was the best bass ever. better than my warwick, musicman and ibanez sr3000. the only thing that ever was bad was the fact that i broke it.

ESP sucks as far as customer service. they will not sell replacement parts under any circumstances. i offered $500 to get a new neck. i'll never buy anything new from them because the shitty service isn't worth the price.

other than the company that made it, the bass is the best thing that i have ever played. i am always looking for more of them.

Not sure on too many of the details; bought it used. 34" 21 fret bolt-on maple neck on black-finished alder body, one Duncan humbucker in the bridge, no neck pickup. 1 vol, 1 treb, 1 mid, 1 bass, push-pull for active controls. Body has two short cutaway horns, which affects balance a little negatively: I have to use a leather strap to keep it where I want it, nylon straps let the head drop. I believe the tuners are Schaller, though I'm not certain. They're good, regardless. Bridge is solid, but not string-through. Came with hardshell case.

I only play through my SWR Workingman 12" combo with a 15" extension cab. I really liked the sound when I first bought it, but now I'm finding that the lack of a neck pickup is a negative for me. It's got great punch and good sustain (the neck tenon is nearly twice the length of a Fender, improving sustain). The active circuitry allows for pretty good dynamics. However, it really misses some warmth that a neck pickup would add. Getting a tube amp might help with the warmth, too, but I haven't tried that yet. It's great for slapping (at least the missing neck pup allows for better string access when popping). Still sounds great even lacking warmth. Better for rock and blues than jazz, though.

Can't comment on factory setup since I bought it used. However, all I had to adjust was the intonation on the G string. Everything else was perfect. Finish and neck and pickup alignment are perfect.

Well-built, solid instrument. Been gigged several times and only has a small chip on the headstock where I smacked it off a music stand (D'oh!). I replaced the strap buttons with Schaller straplocks (as on all my electric guitars and basses), so I can't comment on the factory ones. Haven't even had to tweak the truss rod once, and I live in the desert where most of my guitars need adjustment frequently. The only reason I would take a second bass on a gig was if I wanted one with a neck pup for different sounds.

Never used it

I've been playing guitar for 10 years, bass for most of that. This is my only "serious" bass, though I do still have my old Squire Jazz Bass. All the rest of my gear is rather high end (Gibson Les Paul, Fender American Strat, etc.). I really do like the bass, although in retrospect I'd have bought something with a neck pickup. Also, the lack of a long top horn does pull the balance off a little, making it somewhat difficult and uncomfortable to play without the right strap. But for what it is and what it cost, it sounds amazing, and that's what really matters. If I were looking to buy just one bass, this isn't it (unless I was only playing slap and hard-edge stuff), but I would probably still replace it if I lost it just because it has such great punch.

I dont know what year this was made, its pretty new though. Its ESPs top of the line bass. It has one seymour duncan basslines pickup. I have a black finish and 21 fret maple neck and fret board.

This sounds kick ass. i compare it to a musicman and it lines up in the sound category. love it a lot. Ive played on quite a few amps with this baby and its awesome.

The action is pretty good. Everything was set up nicely from the factory

This bass stands well. Used if for many gigs. Never had a problem

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I think this is an awesome bass and you should try it out if u have the chance.