ESP LTD B-204

24 frets, 4 strings, volume, tone control, active EQ with high, mid and low control, two EMG-HZ pickups, Mahogany body, rosewood fretboard, cheap finish, string through body, cheap tuners. The neck is in between a fender jazz bass and an ibanez cheapy bass. It comes with a hard shell case (rectangular). The features are top notch on this bass. Gotta love the 24 frets, 6 bolts holding the neck on and active electronics. What's crappy is the hardware which the metal is turning all kinds of colors. The hardware is this dark silver kind of color and the longer time goes on the more I can see that dark color coming off to reveal a lighter color underneath and it looks really bad.

If you want to play heavy metal with heavy gauge strings and high action, this is the only bass you'll need. I played this through a Mesa Boogie head and cab and this was putting out AWESOME grinding metal tones. This is also good for punk kind of music. The slapping sound is alright, but nothing like the metal sound.

Here's where it gets bad. The action is nasty with fret buzz in random places on the neck which is not corrected no matter how high I set the action. Since these are mass produced in some factory oversees it's not too accurate on all frets. I had to take this to a repair shop to get these small mistakes fixed so it wouldn't buzz all over the place. The tuner has a plastic piece that goes between the part you turn and the part that doesn't move. That broke one time when I was tuning (cheap tuners that get out of tune easily). The jack that you plug into falls apart all the time and I'm constantly having to screw it back on. There is no truss rod to adjust. The finish looks better in pictures than it does in real life. Once you get it and look close, it's very unimpressive and looks cheap (because it is). These are mass produced, so mistakes will be on the bass when you buy it and will need to be taken to a repair shop for small fixes.

The hardware is crummy and needs to be replaced. Like I said above, the tuner broke while I was tuning, the input keeps coming unscrewed and the hardware has some kind of finish or paint on it that's coming off to reveal the color under it. The neck and body are tough and this can be stepped on and dropped with no major damage occuring. I wouldn't count on this bass to hold up through a lot of live gigs. It breaks and needs lots of repair and I'm just jamming around the house. That's why new this is $400.

Never used.

This bass has its flaws, but for $400 new now what can you expect. It's comparable to the Ibanez soundgear and Fender Squier. If you're looking for an entry level bass this is a good choice because of the extra frets and active electronics. With the flaws in action, finish and hardware this is not for the advancing bassist. Save you money for something better.

2002 Korean Made...24 fret 4 string. Solid Mahagany in a trans-red finish w/ 5 ply bolt on maple neck and rosewood fretboard. through body strings. 2 EMG-35 pickups. 3 band EQ with volume and pickup select pot. Smallish body with a great neck. Everything a bass should be

I've had this bass about 2 months and play it a lot. I love the sound, I have yet to fail to get this bass to produce a sound I want. I do wish I could get a bit more of a mellower tone in some cases, but I have been suprised at all this bass can do. It does have a mellow side, but great on the attack or slap/funk. Warm, full, lovely bass sound, no noise. I have yet to record with it, but sure it will do fine

Action was great, the first guitar/bass I have EVER bought that I didn't give it a new set-up, nut, action adjustment, etc. Neck joint is perfect and no signs of filler. Lovely 5 ply neck that adds much to the look. Only complaint is that the the output jack's nut came loose, unscrewed and fell off. Sending the jack up into the body. Luckly I found the nut and fixed it with some lock tight. For that I dock it a point.

As good as any bass I've seen

Never dealt with ESP, but I've always found Mars Music stores to the helpful

I've been playing the bass for a few years, and guitar for as long as I can remember. When looking for a bass I wanted something that was a good price, tons of goodies, quality, and could achieve a variety of sounds and tones. The B-204 is all that. I looked at Fender but liked the look and feel of the ESP better, I love EMG's. I you want one bass the won't blow the budget, and can do almost anything...this is it. If it were lost or stolen I would be very pissed, and would most likely buy it again, or maybe the 5-string version, but definitly stay with ESP LTD

2002 Korean bass
24 jumbo frets w/ the model name at the 12th fret.
it has an active EQ w/ passive EMG pickups (don't put it through a active input, because it will sound shitty, use the passive input instead)
Mahogany body with a beautiful glossy black finish
String through body construction

I ordered it from ESP through DeWitts guitar source in overland park, kansas. they were all very helpful and ESP was prompt.

I wish it came with a gigback or a case or something, thats why i rate it an 8

it matches my playing style very well (all of us play ESPs)
I play it through a Hartke 3500 head w/ a 410 Transporter cab. I haven't completely figured out everything about the EQ, but the EMG pickups are very quiet (not noisy) but are able to get very loud.

Its a very good looking bass, although i hear that glossy black is hard to take care of
the mother of pearl inlays look much better than the plastic ones on most other basses and everything is built extremely solidly. i doubt that i'll have to use a backup when i play this on stage (although i'll put a new battery in and change the strings).

I only have ONE major problem with it. I play very deep and heavy on the strings, so i need my truss rod adjusted a little tiny bit. there isn't enough bow in the neck, but i think its probably just coming from my particular style.

I think it will definatly withstand playing live. the pickups are in there really well and the inside is clean and everything is soldered well. i've only had the bass for a couple of days, but from what I hear and have noticed from playing it, i can't imagine having much trouble with it for a very long time.

this will be my main playing bass, although i'm going to keep my older, shittier bass for writing.

I haven't dealt with them directly, but they did send the bass promptly and in tune. Like I said about the truss rod, I don't think i'll count them off, since other people played it a little bit and didn't seem to have the buzz.

I've only been playing about 9 mos., but i think i'm a very good bassist and i know what i'm talking about. i really like this bass a lot, and it makes me sound a lot better (i used to play a used Musicman knockoff). the only thing i wish it came with was a hardshell case, but i'll live.

if this bass was stolen, i'd hunt down whoever stole it, kill them and their family, then pawn off all of their belongings and move up and buy the next level of ESP bass. and i'd keep the one i bought.

If you are looking for a very good $400 bass, this is the way to go. i mean, this is such a great bass and i do believe that i'm in love with it. from what people say, ESP makes very good basses for about $150-200. and from what i've experienced, i've no reason to say differently.

Good job ESP.

This is a year 2001 Korean Made model with 24 frets. It is made out of mahogony(really light) and has a see-tru red finish( really nice).It Has 2 Active EMG-35 Hz Humbuckers with a 3-band active EQ(Awesome). Rosewood Fingerboard and slim neck which allows for fast playing.It also came with a Lifetime warrenty and a cable.This bass is so good it should have come with a gigbag.Oh well..

I Like to play a lot of Punk rock and funk, but this bass is so versatile it could fit in really well with whatever type of music you want.The active EMG's and 3 band active EQ Give you a variety of different tones from a dark growl, to a bright punchy tone and everything in between.Not noisey at all. Once again the pickups kick ass!

The action was a little low when I got this bass, and the truss rod needed a slight ajustment but that was quickly fixed, free of charge right when I bought the bass, now it plays like a dream.I did not detect any flaws in the finish and exept for a few minor ajustments(mentioned above)it was well set up.

The neck is bolted on using six big bolts.And even though its light(which is good) its also sturdy.The strap buttons are WIDE and everything is really well built.I would gig it without a backup.

LIFETIME WARRENTY.

I looked into MANY basses before purchasing this one and I must say,For under $600 NO OTHER bass has it beat. Killer sound , killer looks, and its rock solid.The EMG active pickups are just awesome.
It kicks large portions of ass...nuff said...

LIGHT AS HELL! It has a mahogany body and luthite backing. It was 24 frets, the most I've seen, and the ones in the teens and 20's are surprisingly easy to get to. The pickups are emg-hz and active, it comes with the 3-band equalizer, and 2 other knobs that I just turn all the way up, the eq gives a ton of shaping. The fretboard is nice and fast. I dont see much missing from this bass unless you absolutely need a pickguard.

I usually play prog. metal, old school metal, hard rock, and punk rock and the kick ass EMG-HZ pickups shape the sound for just about any style. I can even get a nice jazz sound out of it for popping and slapping. Overall its a very metal-sounding bass. Nice and grinding. EMG's KICKS ASS! I will not settle for anything else.

The pickups are in perfect position, much better than the ernie ball stingrays that make it difficult to pluck and pop because the pickups are too high up and almost hit the strings. There were no defects that I can find, it inspected in the USA if that makes a difference. The finish is sweet, see thru-red. You can also get it in natural gloss, or see-thru black.

I havent played a gig with it yet, but even though it is light it's not fragile at all. The strap button is fine, and the finish (I got it see-thru red) kicks ass, it just has a lot of fingerprints on it which is no big deal unless youre in a glam rock band where image is more important than sound (pussy!)

Never dealt with them, ESP or EMG.

I've been playing seriously for a little over 2 years, its my second bass, and its a great improvement over my 1st one. I'm waiting to buy a rig until I find a group compatible to play shows with, for now I have an Ampeg BA112 (50 watt), it produces no static or buzzing at all, and its LOUD! If it were stolen, I'd hate myself, and get another one! I think it kicks Ibanez's ass, I've never really been fond of their basses anyways. If youre looking for a really up front, versatile bass, I highly recommend it. If you want more of a mellow sound, you should be looking for a fender p-bass. I dont see myself getting rid of this bass anytime soon, and for under $500, its well worth the price.

It has sealed tuners, mother of perl (as opposed to the more standard plastic) dot inlays. For electronics it has 2 EMG-HZ humbucking pickups and 4 knobs--bass, treble and a volume for each pickup. As with all EMG setups, the electronics are active. It's a six bolt bolt-on neck. It has a clear "satin" finish and no pickguard. It's also got a great body design that's quite light and balanced.

I play everything--funk, jazz, blues, rock--etc. I really like the bass's sound for upbeat stuff. It has crisp highs and deep lows. I like I sometimes get frustrated trying to get a mellow sound out of it and generally just end up using one of my other basses. It can be done to an extent, but it's not easy. I guess that's the trade off you make to get the EMG's.

I got it used and it really needed a setup. After adjusting the truss rod and the bridge hight, it's got a really nice action. The action does have to be set pretty high if you want to get out ALL of the buzzes. The fretboard is just a smidgen off in its alignment with the neck. Also a couple of my knobs were a little loose, but once again, this may have been because it was used. I was able to adjust them too with no problem.

It seems sturdy enough. I've done quite a few gigs and one album with it and haven't had any problems yet. I don't forsee having any structural problems in the near future.

Haven't dealt with them.

I've been playing bass for six years and this is my third bass. This is a great bass for the price. I like it a bit more than the Ibanez Soundgears, which are it's closest competitor. It's a great looking bass with some nice features and a good sound. It's one of my favorite basses in the under $600 range. If I have it stolen and didn't replace it with another one it would only be because I decided to step up to a Warwick (generally more than $1000).