ESP B-105

2002 B-105. My particular bass was a B-Stock from American Musical Supply, so some of the flaws I mention later might have something to do with that. It has a basswood body with a thick transparent blue finish and passive electronics. It has two tone controls, one of which is supposed to be a "mid-control." more on that later.

Standard 34 inch scale neck, with one of the most comfortable neck profiles I've ever played. One of the features that keeps me coming back to this bass. Also has a very meaty bridge, which is something that you rarely see on a bass in this price range.

I'm giving this bass a 10 for features, mostly because it had everything I expected. The places that LTD could have cut corners on this instrument were of good quality, so it's all I wanted.

Originally I had a problem with the tone of this instrument. The bridge pickup was too bright, and the neck pickup sounded like a blown woofer. There is something wrong with the pickup blend knob, since the output drops when both pickups are on, which kept me from using it too much. The "mid" knob is essentially useless, since it sucks all the meat out of your tone when it it completely off. It's probably more of a "bass and mid" knob, since it seems to remove everything but the high end. I had never found a practical use for this.

Actually this bass was on the chopping block for awhile, until one bored afternoon I opened the control cavity and took a look at how this girl ran. After a close examination, I discovered why I was having problems with the way this thing sounded. The capicitors for this instrument are run in series to the output jack. Basically, the wiring goes from the pickup blend to the "mid" knob, then to the regular knob before going to the output jack. If this sounds like jibberish to you, let me try to simplify my explanation. This bass goes through two independent filters before ever hitting the amp. Most instruments with this configuration have an active preamp, which allows precise tonal shifts. Passive basses with two tones usually have one tone per pickup. The reason being that too many filters in your wiring chain makes a muddy mess of your sound.

So I sat down, pulled out the stock capacitors (which had strange values I had never seen before,)insereted some good ol' 473K's, and rewired the bass to have a tone per pickup.

The difference is immeasureable. This bass breaths more. There is more bass response the bridge pickup, and more overall definition to the neck pickup. I have to add that for a cheap knockoff pickup, the neck soapbar on this thing has some serious growl to it!

I'm giving it an 8 because I adore this bass, but because I also had to work hard to get it. Most cats out there want a bass to play good out of the case.

The neck does tend to do a lot of traveling. I have to make regular adjustments just to keep the thing comfortable. Also, my particular instrument has a unbearable degree of neck buzz on a couple of frets. But this is only happening on my A and D strings, so it may be bad frets. It could also be me too, however.

The finish on this thing is a rock! It took me 2 years to put a dent in it, it's real thick. The maple on the neck is mighty durable too. The pointy tip of the headstock has put big gaps into $1000 Gibsons without taking an ounce of damage itself.

There is a strange discoloration on the neck however. It appears that no finish was applied to where the headstock meets the rest of the neck. However, that could be the element that made this bass a B-stock.

This bass is an unusual animal. It's actually more reliable when I'm playing, than when I'm not. I've gigged this bass several times, and recorded in a variety of situations and never had a problem with it. It seems like when I let it sit on the stand for a few days does the neck start to dive. The hardware on this bass has been very durable since I got it three years ago. I've never had any real problem with anything.

I've never dealt with ESP. They seem to be real hard to get ahold of. Not long after I purchased this bass, they started making the same model out of Agathis and using active electronics. All the things I hate. I have no real intention of buying anything from them in the near future

I've been making music for over a decade now. I've worked with, and screwed around with a variety of instruments, including Fenders, B.C. Rich's, Ibanez's, and Jacksons. I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I like a good sound, and feel fairly confident in how to achieve it.

If this bass were lost or stolen, I don't imagine I'd pick up another one, unless a stray ended up in a pawn shop or something.

This bass is comfortable, has an amazingly comfortable neck, and sounds great. But I did have to spend some time getting it to the point where it became something great.

Like I said a lot of you out there expect a great sound when you plug it in the first time. I can't say I blame you either. You pay good money for an instrument, you shouldn't have to work to make it useable. For a lot of first timers, this bass won't be all that great. But, if you've got some time, a few bucks, and a soldering iron, who knows? This could be the bass you've been waiting for.

Reviewing this bass for a friend that has it. Very familiar with it as I help him service it. It's the 2003 model, a 34' scale, 5 string, 24 Fret, medium frets, Maple neck w/rosewood fingerboard, two soapbar pickups. Active electronics with one balance, one volume, bass and treble control knobs. So it has a two band EQ. 9 volt powered pickups. When my friend and I looked at the website about this bass it said two tone and volume controls. When he got it at his house, I adjusted it up and stuff, opened the back and it did have a 9 volt battery for the pickups!! Guess ESP had a typo for the features!! The tuners needed some oiling the first, but thats minor mantainence and setup. The only thing that Could be better is the stock strap buttons. They are way to small and could cause you to drop it while playing. I prefer getting straplocks for any guitar I play.

Uses a Squire Bassman 15 watt amp with the Digitech BP200 pedal processor. With the active electronics you can pretty much dial in the sound that you want. The Low B is clear and tight. Even with a 34 scale a low B can have good tention. Its the materials that the bass is made from which decides the tention. 35' scale does help, but not much. For my friends punk style, its perfect for him. I play jazz, metal and old school 70's rock. When I play it, its satisfying to my feel too.

The action was setup very well when he got it. The pickups were set good and the neck was comfortable. The finish was a clear blue finish. Its such a sweet finish, better than my 6 string's finish. Its a clearcoat with the wood grain visible!! I like that better than my bass. One thing with that is the fingerprints are a pain. But thats where some good quality care time gets rid of those!! This sections gets a perfect ten!!!

Since it's not my bass I dont know the fine details. Concidering the construction I think it can hold up to normal wear and tear from live playing no problem. Strap buttons suck ass though. Not much adjusting needed for the bass as far as neck and bridge goes. Finish is sick and as long as no sharp objects hit it its fine!!!

Well MusiciansFriend.com which was the first place my friend and I ordered this bass from was a complete waste of time. For the sake of the review, all the swears and curses are neglected to be included. Suffice to say they suck as a company. They did not have the color (blue) that he wanted but all they had was the black. Yet when he ordered the bass, they had just stopped carrying the blue, but still had blue as an option. It kept on being backordered. We both called them aand they said it will be in stock in another week or two. We waited 2 months for the bass to come in and still nothing. So he cancelled the order with Musiciansfriend. ZZounds.com had the blue in stock, shipped in less than three days. Warranty I think was a year but unsure. This gets a ten for ZZounds.com great service ONLY!! They were very fast and prompt for delivery. Too bad this bass is discontinued. Soon after he bought it zzounds stopped carrying the bass all together, and ESP stopped making them.

Been playing 3 1/2 years. My friend Rob got this bass in search of a 5 string and he found a good one. With the minor design flaws with the small strap buttons its a sick bass. The first company he tried ordering from sucked ass, plain and simple, but zzounds was the shiznat!!! Great Value.

i dont know the brand of any of the parts, since this is a lower end esp ill assume its all esp stuff. its got soapbar pickups i think (man i know my stuff dont i). it has volume, pick-up fading, tone and another switch (bottom left) that you should just turn all the way to the left and never touch again. i dont know what its made oat of but its light, which is fairly ill. when i turn the tuners it goes in or out of tune, which is what its supposed to do so the tuners are good. i hate the neck, ill explain why later.

the tone knob i mentioned before makes this more versetal then alot of other basses ive played, but it should be a switch because its either all the way left and clear or all the way right and muddy (awesome for my corpse cover band SHRED) i use it through my hundred watt crate 15 inch with all them fancy effects that i lost the pedal for and dont use anymore. i would like the sound if not for the uzzing from the neck (read on)

F--- THIS THINGS ACTION. esp are smart, they make a cool looking bass with five strings and pick-ups that can sound kinda like mudvayne or like a deep muddy cannibal corpse/slayer sound to make little metal head kids save up ther 250ish dollars and buy them buy the billions, those bastards. a year ago i was a stupid metal kid, i had been playing for about a year and a half and thought i "needed" this bass to sound good like ryknow and jon myung. now im older (sure say "but its just a year you asshole", i matured alot in my playing so settle down) better and i realizr, hey wait a minute my bass isnt supposed to buzz all the time, im not that duesch fieldy. this whole paragraph summed up 10 in words: FIVE STRINGS NEED 35' NECKS IF YOU LIKE SOUNDING GOOD!!!!! i didnt think about that cause i was so excited that i was finally getting my 5 string, i hope someone from esp reads this and sends me a 35 inch neck, that would be ill of them.

i beat this thing, it works still, i think the g string snaps a bit to often but thats probably just cause my fingers are so jacked. im too much of a queer to adjust the truss rod cause i think ill break something. my whole buzzing thing could be because of that but i want to write this anyway as a warning to kids who dont know about adjusting there instruments and dont feel like having the scumba.... i mean guitar techs at guitar center set up there instruments for 100 bucks

when i bought it the jack stoped working a week or 2 later, guitar center resoldered it no questions asked so even thoughthat has nothing to do with esp that once again, was pretty ill.

i wish it had a 35 inch neck and i wish it was alittle more solid feeling (like a warwick). if it were lost or stolen and i didnt have to get it replaced sure id take it back but if i had to drive anywhere like more then half an hour away i probably would just tune my epiphone lower. like i just said i have an epiphone that looks like a iller j-bass and an older then me carlo robelli p bass copy which i for some reason love to play cause it has the best neck ever, seriously email me and ill meet you somewhere and you bring your bass if you think its better, ill ruin you, WHAT?!?!?!? i did compare it to other basses cause the day i bought it because it was the only black one and thats what i had to had cause i was a stupid metal kid, i might have developed a slight case of downs or something like that, maybe i grew an extra chromosome. ive been playing 2 and a half years so im new and this whole review is stupid cause inexperienced, BUT YOU STILL READ THE WHOLE THING!!!!!!

Made in KOREA. 5-string bass with ESP soapbox-pickups. Has 4 controls: volume, and 3-band equalizer. Bolt-on. Accessories included a cord and 2 Allen-keys. Body with STD-Black finish.

I play Megadeth songs. This guitar suits perfectly. The controls produce a variety of sound when you get used to playing around with it. Actually I have a BOSS Bass-overdrive pedal but I think I have no use for it now since the guitar's controls by itself are ok with me.

It had to be tuned since the factory didn't. No flaws were encountered when I got it.

I have bought it only this month and can't wait to play it on a gig. I think it will last on my band's jamming and gig sessions so I doubt if I'll need a backup bass guitar.

Haven't dealt with them so far.

This is my first bass guitar. I usually borrow my friend's RJ bass guitar and this ESP is obviously a great improvement. I also own a Fender Squire guitar (PLEASE don't buy a Squire! It's the same as hitting yourself in the head with it), Fender reverb-amp. If it were stolen, I'll hunt the guy who stole it and get it back. Hehe. Everyone should consider buying this bass.

I don't know exactly where this bass was made, but I imagine it was either Korea or Japan. It's 24 fret, 5-string bass. It has 2 EMG-HZ active pickups (humbucker/soapbars), and has 2 volume, and two tone knobs (one of each of the pickups). This bass was originally set up to be a high "C" bass instead of the low "B" that I use it for, but it works great either way which is a great bonus. I don't know for sure what woods it's made of but just from weight i think the body is made of basswood...not to light, not to heavy. The fretboard is definently rosewood. The body of the bass is like a stylish strat i guess...kinda like a ibanez RG guitar with bevelled edges. But its the really cool headstock that sets this guitar apart. A lot of Bass headstocks look kinda corny and out-of-place. The head stock on this guitar looks awesome, And gives this bass a totally unique look. All the hardware is black which matches perfectly with the paint job. The neck is bolted on with 6 bolts.

I basically stick strictky to heavy Metal in the veinds of Metallica, Megadeth, Deep, and Machine head. This bass is perfect for this stlye of music. The strings are relatively close together so moving from string to string quickly is extremely easy, and the smooth thin neck allows easy movement up and down the neck. The 2 EMG pickups are great! they give off such and incredibly full sound...not just at the low end but all the way to the 24th fret of the G string...there isn't a weak note on the fretboard. The only thing I can complain about on this guitar is that, since it's a bolt on neck it doesn't have great sustain. This bass is great for the studio...but it's stunning good looks make it a natural stage guitar. I get tons of remarks about how cool my bass is when i get off stage after everyshow. Even guys at music repair shows tell me how cool they think my bass is.

I bought this bass used, abd so i don't know how it was set up at the factory...but since I play metal and having to play as fast as I do I still had to lower the action a little but, but there is no hum or rattling at the first fret which most other bass do when set at this level. Since the pickups are EMG's...they are top of the line and I can't complain about anything as far as pickup quality goes...they are good and loud. Even though I bought this bass used, it was in great shape and had no nicks or scratches, and all the hardware worked perfectly.

This is a great live bass...Living in Texas I have subjected it to some pretty extreme weather. I have had to mess with the truss rod a couple of times after some outdoor shows in the middle of summer (around 105 degrees) and in the middle of winter (-10 degrees), but it has always bounced back. I have pounded the crap out of this guitar and it has taken every little bit of it and has very little to show for it in the way of scratches and nicks...the paint job is incredibly tough. The one and only thing about this guitar that bothers me is that the input jack occasionally come loose and has to be worked on. However, I would not put this passed the fact that I work my guitar really hard on stage, jumping and twisting around.

Since i bought this bass used it wasn't under warrantly, so i've never dealt directly with ESP...but my guitarist has and they take really good care of him.

I've been playing bass for about 7 years now, I own 2 other bass guitars...a Gibson and an Aria Pro II (both of with are awesome guitars). My Esp is by far my favorite. If I was to lose this bass or have it stolen...I would Imediately go out and by another one just like it. I love everything about this guitar...In my opinion there cannot be a better Heavy metal bass on the market. For the amount of money I paid i can not believe the quality performance i have gotten out of this bass. Listen people...Go out and buy yourself an ESP "B" series bass...you won't be sorry.

THis is a very nice bass. It is a five string with 24 frets, 1 volume, 2 tone, 1 midrange. THe pickups are great the put more depth in the sound and give it more punch at the same time. I have a 2000 model and its made in korea.

its great for any type of music styles, slap is harder only because the strings are closer together.I like every thing, the nut is kinds pointy and you should watch when you slide. I has a great sound that you can ply with on the tone knobs.

it comes ready to play(with the exception of tuning)the action is low and there were no problems what so-ever.

I would use it for any type of gig its great and i would use it without backup. its great and a very solid bass.

i havent dealt with them so i wouldnt know, but i'd assume its good

i have been playing for 5 yrs and this is my third bass and the best yet! i do think active pickup would be better but these one are good enough

Ultimate guitar of all time. This five string is a true looker. But it's looks arent all it has. It has 1 tone a volume pickup selector, and another knob but i can't figure out what it does.(It took it in the studio and played it directly through their equipment and it caused the lower strings to be stronger than th higher strings. When i took it to a band practice it changed to tone. In the closed position it sounds remarkably like an old rich. But in the full open sound it sounds very much like an active pickup. I recomend trying it out with your exact amp.)
I purchased mine for $200 new, it's a great deal on a bass. I bought mine locally but i think that musicians friend has it. ( www.musiciansfriend.com )
I've owned a couple of five string ibanezes but none of them compare to the tone range and the versatility of this bass. One thing i've noticed about ibanez is they aren't too reliable. They lose volume and the knobs somehow reset themselves while playing. I have no idea how this was possible but they slowly start turning by themselves. That particular ibanez is one of the new active soundgears.

the action is so low that you wont ever want another bass because they all will seem crappy.beautiful finish, and nicely balanced

never had to adjust anything but the truss rod. It's so strong I can't believe it's made out of wood.

Comes with a lifetime warranty but have never needed to use it.

EVERYBODY SHOULD OWN ONE!!!!!!!!