ESP B-50 4-String Bass

I've been playing bass professionally since 1967. I was looking for a basic instrument to use at outdoor concerts where weather will be doubtful and security questionable. I like a P/J combo altho my everyday bass is an upgraded Geddy Lee Jazz. Understand that I own a dozen basses, everything from a one-of-a-kind custom Dan Armstrong to a $150 Ibanez 200 I leave in our warehouse for practice. The B-50 struck me as being a great instrument concept-wise: P/J pups, active electronics, 24 frets, 1.5" nut width. I played it in the store for a half hour and couldn't find anything wrong with it, except...

... the tone control was very touchy. Wide open the sound is big beautiful and full. Anywhere south of the "9" position the volume began to drop as well as the brightness. At the 0 position it was lifeless and very quiet. There's a sweet spot around the 3 position that -- while still quiet -- brings in enough high end to open the gates (so to speak) slightly. I can live with this as my rig is very flexible and I'm able to leave the B-50's tone knob at "10" and dial in the overall tone I'm looking for with my EQ.

Style-wise, the band I'll use this bass for requires me to play everything from ballads where I go for a Jazz fretless sound and feel, to funk slap, to plain old classic rock. Some songs I play with a pick, most with my fingers. Even with the action lowered I'm not getting any fret buzz or percussion rings (that drive me nuts with some basses). This may have something to do with the stock strings which appear to be 100 round wounds. I'll leave them on for a bit then probably put a set of DR Black Beauties on it.

I'm guessing that a new preamp will be in order if I decide to keep this bass for any length of time. The single-coil J pickup will have to go too, probably replaced by a Bartolini. Spending another $250 on a $200 bass seems silly, but if it looks like a $200 bass the odds of it "walking away" are probably lower. :)

From the store the gloss black finish was great and the action was OK. I eyeballed the neck and figured I could straighten the neck a hair more for even nicer action. That worked out well.

It's a basic instrument, so, short of deciding to playg Pete Townsend with it some nite, I expect it'll last as long as I need it to. :) Maple neck is heavier than my Ibanez so hopefully it won't need to be adjusted that often. I never travel with only one bass. I keep fresh strings on my axes and all, but even so, breaking a string mid-song is a huge bummer if you can't whip one guitar off and grab another within a two-bar framework. People do NOT want to stop, songing, dancing or alling in love with the music during a performace.

I may call them to see if the tone control issue is normal or a problem. Other than that I'm not expecting to interact with them.

Great value as a player's instrument, but if you expect to plug it in and get everything from P-bass thump to Rickenbacker tone, look elsewhere. The capability is there but the execution seems a little shy of where I expected it to be.

ESP/LTD B-50 is a 4-string bass with 1 P & 1 J pickups (passive). It has two volume knobs and 1 tone.
The electronics are quite poor performance as the J pickup (or its electronics) produce a small buzz (sound) on my amp when put on high level.

It suits my music style (rock mainly). It is noisy as described above. The sound overall is very good especially when taking under consideration the low price. Very nice and deep sound which I would expect to get from a more expensive bass guitar.

The bass was ready to play just after it was delivered. Never had to make any adjustments. Very good finish and nice style.

Absolutely good comments on this part. Super reliable/never let me down. Solid construction and after hundreds hours of playing it still looks the same as the first day.

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I have this bass for 2 years already. It was my first bass guitar ever. If I had to buy a low price bass again I would probably go for the same brand/model. It is perfect for begginers but if gigs are in mind then consider spend a little more money(I bought it for 190 Euros).
It is a solid construction with nice/deep sound but with poor electronics. This is the ESP B-50.

I have all stock hardware, pickups, etc. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.

The larger frets make it easier to play.

I play a little bit of everything, so the tonal range is great.

I'm playing through an old cheap fender amp and it sounds good

Very clear sounding harmonics.
Good resonance.

One one small complaint: the black finish shows every little fingerprint and scratch.

The store completely setup and intonated the bass. If there's any flaws, I haven't found them!

I've used it at rehearsals, gigs, and church with no problems.

I have had any problems, so I have not used customer support.

At $199, it's a great deal. If I were a full-time performer, I would look at a better bass, but this suits all myu needs.

It has a basswood body, a rosewood fretboard, and a beautiful black finish. It's got dot inlays at the basic places (3/5/7/9/15/17/19/21/24 I believe) and the model name on the 12th. Its got 2 volume and 1 tone knobs.

Playing it through my amp for the first time, I wasn't completely satisfied till I played around with the tone knob. I found that the sound I like the most is where the "1" position would be on a numbered knob. With that I get a great deep fat sound that completely satifies my needs. Although I get a buzzing sound when I have the bridge pickup on full volume, so I like to keep that one off most of the time, but I recently found that I can keep my deep, fat sound if I have the bridge pickup's volume around a "3" position. Overall, if you know the sound you want from a bass you can get it with the ESP LTD B-50.

This bass looks like it was crafted by excellent crafters, I really wanna thank the guys at ESP for putting a lot of hard work into making their fine instruments. It's kind of like you expect ESP to make greatness because, they are greatness! The pickups are aligned perfectly I don't think you could get a better sound if you tried adjusting them. This bass has no flaws, bottem line.

Well I've only had it for about two weeks and I've played about two shows with it, and I can say that this bass could withstand a second Woodstock. I think I could use it without a backup at any gig. THe hardware could withstand a lot of abuse but you couldn't get me to abuse this baby.

I haven't had to deal with the company after buying it but I do have one big complaint. When I first went bass shopping the guys at the store said that they were going to receive a big shipment from ESP, and they said that this bass would be in it. Well come time of that big shipment, all they received were about a 160 guitars, and no basses. The guys at the store called ESP and they said that they would be sending the basses in about a week. A week later and still no sign of ESP basses at the store. Around this point I got kind of pissed that I had to wait for something that was supposed to have been in the shop for a little more than a week. Anyway after a total of a week and a half after the basses were supposed to be in the shop, I get a call from the shop saying that they had just received one (1) B-50 bass and that they would hold it for me till I got there. A week and a half may not seem like much but to me it was inconvienient since I wanted to gig with a buddy of mine since middle school and still didn't have a bass to play with. The guys at the shop didn't mention a warranty, but a guy I know who used to work there says that they'll do work on it for a discounted price if you have the right connections, Mr. Minton if you're reading this, thanks.

This bass is finely crafted. I bought it brand new and I felt like crying when I first played it at the music store. I love it and I don't want to trade it for anything else, except maybe for a 5-string, I like a lot of wiggle room to play with. If I lost it I would find it cause that's $219 that I worked hard for, and if I couldn't I'd buy another. If it were stolen I'd track down the theif and kill him.

I got this baby about a year ago as my first bass guitar. Its a 2001 I think, 21 frets(big ones), four strings, you know, pretty basic. It comes with some solid PJ pickups, which I have had no problem with but may replace sometime. The neck is a little on the wide side, but I decided not to shave that sucker down and its warmed up to me a lot. This ESP is made from basswood, which is pretty durable, although i haven't given it much opportunity to get banged up yet. If you get the black finish like I did, youll want to wipe her down every now and then. No big problems here.

She gets used with a Peavey Micro-Bass 20 amp, which is pretty dinky. However, after experimenting with the knobs you can make pretty much any sound come out of this guitar. Its a solid choice if youre into metal, rock, funky stuff, pretty much the works.My only complaint here is that on the low strings it tends to buzz every now and then, whicj may or may not have anything to do with those crazy jumbo frets. Ive tried slapping and she sounds great.

Ive had no problems with the action. My only nag here is those ^%&%# strap screws wont stay in place if you jump around a lot, which I guess is kind of to be expected. Also if you want to keep her looking sexable you have to wipe her off once in a while, which is no biggie.

I havent tried live playing yet, and Im sure she would hold up fine, but if youre into doing shows you might want to pick up a backup. All Ive used her for is messing aroung with my friends, which this guitar is perfect for. Shes also incredibly durable, which is cool if you take her with you. I EMPHASIZE THIS: ONCE YOU TUNE HER SHE STAYS PUT. It feels great not to have to tune her every time you let her see the world. But for her to love you, you must love her. Please do not smack and throw her around. If you want to look cool smashing something against the floor, get a cheap fender. Abuse is something I do not partake in with my baby.

I ordered this beauty through a local music company. DO not do this. I waited for a month and a half for my precious to come in. Order online if possible. Especially if you live in the east states like me. Because these ESPs come from CA. And I have been told that is far, far away. I have never had to deal with the company, but she came with a warranty that I was satisfied with.

I have been playing for less than a year, and I feel at home with this guitar. It may not fit everyone's tastes, but I came in with reasonably high expectations, and have not been seriously pissed off with her to date. I may sound like a loser, but I have a special bond with this instrument, and probably hunt down the thief and beat them senseless with a stick if they stole my baby. Then i would put her on, and feel the warmth of the neck in my palms. Then I would shed tears of happiness.

PJ pickups. The stock ones are pretty good, but being a tone freak I switched them out for Dimarzio set. Basic Vol, vol, tone, controls. Got mine in satin black with black hardware. Looks great. Basswood body. Nice shape, lightweight. The neck heal is rounded inward which makes uper register playing nicer then on regular squared neck heal. Excellent passive bass with the dimarzio' pickups added (Some might prefer Seymor Duncan pickups). Thinks its better bass then most of the other passives I've tried. If I wanted it active, would just buy EMG set and install myself. Less expensive that way too. Lol.

Excellent sound, though gives excelent rather then pretty good due to having replaced the pickups. There is a slight quirkyness to sound that at first thought was string buzz, but it isnt. Finds its from bridge as best can tell. May replace the bridge later, but does find the quirk pleasant and useful. Gives it a 7.5 for with the stock pickups. Plays metal to ambient. Plays thru pair of peavey minx, uses Zoom Player 3000B for effects.

Bought thru american musical supply, so was checked and set up well. Did adjust bridge to personal taste. Adjusts as low as possible with no string buzz. Likes the finish, the satin black gives it a kewl gothic look. Action is very good. I personalize the action for other bass & guitar players fairly regular, just little adjustments. As long as factory or store set action isnt overly high, I dont complain. Since makes little adjustments myself anyway on any instrument I get.

As long as you take care of it and dont go whacking it against stuff, it'll hold up fine. Added circular extension to strap buttons. Cause like most standard strapbuttons on instruments, their narrower then I prefer. Straplocks or very wide cap on strapbuttons should be standard for all guitars & basses imo. Has only adjusted truss rod when useing diff brand & guage strings. Generally uses light guage. Since most basses come with med guage stock, small readjustment of trussrod is standard. I'm picky, goes for straightest, minimum air between neck and 12th fret with string depressed at top & bottom fret. Uses in gigs without backup.

No repairs have been needed. Had it about a year. Lifetime warranty.

Been playing since was 14, so played awhile. If lost, broken, or stolen would prob buy again. Looks, feel & sound very nice. Only thing doesnt like bout stock is strapbuttons. But same goes for most of the strapbuttons I find on most brands stock. Compared it to passives by Spector, Ibanez, BCRich, Dean, & Shector. Picked the ESP. Overall I think looks feel and sound are most important factors in instrument. That said, if the looks & feel is a 10 to you, but sound not quite there, then just replace the stock pickups rather then spending more on an instrument that sounds better stock but doesnt look &/or feel as good to you. But play it with your preferred strings first. Since some string brands that are used for stock dont sound good to me anyway. lol. (Doesnt like GHS).

I bought this bass in March 2001 not sure what year it was actually made.

The bass is made of Basswood, which is a softer wood, which if you don't take care of your instrument will probably dent easily, I haven't put any dings anywhere other than the neck, do to my own carelessness. The finish is a beautiful semi-gloss. Mine is black and although it is very smooth it is not glosses or shiny, kind of a chalky look, it looks and feels GREAT! The size of the body is on the smaller scale, that combined with the Basswood makes it VERY light easy to handle. It's much easier to jump around while playing this bass.

The neck / fretboard is a maple / rosewood. The frets are HUGE!, they're called "jumbo frets". Which is PERFECT for moving around and getting a great sound on very single fret. This also makes it easier to familierize your self with each fret, and where they are all located.

Pickups include deluxe P and J, pretty basic, but great for creating a variety of tones. 2 Volume controls (1 for each pick up) and 1 tone control.

The bass sounds good while playing any style of music, but it being a pretty basic bass it's best complimented with a decent amp.

I was using a Peavey Basic 60 (50 watt amp) when I purchased the bass. It sounded great, but the amp just wasn't allowing the bass to expand it's abilities.

I later purchased a 200 watt tube head along with an old Fender Bassman cabinet 4x12s. And the bass can now play the way it was ment to. Sounds great!

Action, fit and finish, PERFECT!

So far this bass has proven to me that it will be that bass that I have for the rest of my life that is always ready to play, no matter what. That's one thing I lve about this bass. It can take a beating.
I keep it in a soft case, which takes a beating as well. I've had to actually re-sew the case, as it's ripped in a couple of places.

The only problem I've had is the bottom screw for the stap has fallen out, and I am assuming the wood has now become stripped were the scew once was. I don't blame ESP for this though, but that stupid "locking" strap I bought from musicians friend. Rogue makes a "locking" strap which the ends that hook onto your bass are made out of a plastic. The strap worked fine, wasn't too comfortable, but it did LOCK, YEAH AND IT RIPPED OUT MY SCREW!!! I've since just decided to duck tape the strap on, who cares!

This is great bass for anyone at any level of playing! It wouldn't hurt to own another bass maybe one that you play while at special events or shows, but this bass will become your baby! It will see you at your worst, your greats, it's going to be the bass that helps you write all those tight bass lines and great songs.

The best thing about this bass asside from it's affordable price is it's weight and size. The bass is so light! You'll be amazed at how easily you can manover and jump around while playing if you want. The frets are huge and there is 24 of them!!!

My friend has a Ibanez which in features and price is very simular to the ESP LTD B-50, but the ESP is SO MUCH BETTER!!! I picked up his Ibanez and it felt to tiny, the neck felt so skinny it was gross!

The ESP frets and the way they feel on your fingers and the way they neck fits in your hand, is so great, no brand offering a simular bass in price can beat this bass yet!

If you can only spend around $200 and you want a NEW instrument, get the ESP LTP B-50.

You can find out the features at www.esp.com or any other bass and guitar web sites.

This bass is very versitile. It can play pretty much all ypes of music and it doesn't sound that bad. All you have to do is play with the knobs a little bit. At first I used it with a small peavey- microbass, 20 wats. I did not sound to great on that amp, because it sucked, however its a good beginer amp. Then I moved up to a Hartke-kickback-115. (which is a awesome amp). When using this amp, it obviously made the bass sound much better. However, I find to be very noisy when I put my treble up. I would be embrassed to use this piece of work in the studio. It is good for small gigs and jamin with your freinds and practice mostly.

Well the bass was fine and everything was great for like 3 days after I bought it. Then it just got screwed up. The wirering was all messed up, I had to send it back a get it fixed. After getting it fixed, I had no problems for a long time,(about 5 months.) Then I started having a lot of problems with the wirering and to this day it is still screwed up. I also had problems with the hardwear. The screws kept comin out and the strap buttons sucked too. I did not want to re-screw all the holes, because then i would have to get all new hardwear. So it came to the point that i just filled the holes with super glue. I glued em in good. I never had a problem with the hardwear since. Exept with the jack. It was loose, but i can not glue that.
I HATE BASSWOOD, which is what this bass is made of. It is so soft that it dents very easily. The finish on this bass was a glossy black finish. It is a really bad finish. When using a pick, if you just lightly scratch the surface, it with leave a mark that will not come off.

I would say that this bass is ok for live playing. I would not play without a backup however. But I have played with out a backup many times , and i havn't had any problems. I'm just saying that because now I have a backup to use. I have had no problems with the tuners or the bridge. I have had problems with the knobs, (volume, bass, and treble.) They became very loose and I didn't know how to fix them. Whenever I played they would rattle. What I didn't realize, was that all i had to do is pull the knobs off with my hand and tighten them manually. The knobs come off easily and they are easy to tighten. They need re-adjusting once and a while.

It depends were you go.

This was my first bass, and I would only recomendit to first time players. In my opinion, this is a beginer bass only! If it was stolen I would be mad, because then I have no backup. I do like the other b-series basses. If you are looking to have your first bass for over a year and a half, then I would not recomend this one. I would get something a little better, for example, the ESP B-104. It will last a lot longer,TRUST ME!

Made:2000
Frets:24
Pickups:split J/P ESP
Bridge: ESP
Color:satin Black
Body: Fender precision or Jazz bass body
Knobs: 2 volume 1 tone

GREAT BUY AND BASS!

Greta sound with this guitar. Any amp I plug into it sounds great. Play on a Working Man's 12 combo. Has wide sound range with sharp high pitched to real heavy deep sound. Great jazz and precision pickup sound kindsa blend. Best of Bost worlds.

This guitar has great pickups and was setup great. I was really pleased with careful shipping . No flaws.

This guitar is a 25 anniversary bass by ESP and the finish strap buttons are all dependable as well as the hardware.

I would always shop at this store. great warranty and service. Got it in 2 days!!

I have been playing for about two years and I am pretty good now so I needed a good dependable bass with a great sound and great featuress. i wanted to chose a reliable maker and ESP was it. I was going to buy a Pilot but I would not trade my bass for anything now.