Esp Ltd 6 String Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

Where can I start about this Bass?? Awesome all the way, great woodwork for blending 3 different types of wood. It feels great to play, I'm able to get all the sounds and tones I look for in one Bass. Musician's friend came through for getting me this Bass right before my gig and was able to use it for the first time and fell in love even more of this Bass playability. The neck through design is hands down amazing when hitting those low keys. All in all, you get a lot of bass for the money and it was worth all the wait. Thank you to all the Musician's Friend costumer service personnel for keeping me updated at all time, great professional group of men and women.Ronnie the Bassman

I bought this bass because it was reasonably priced yet included several features I felt were very important to me. The neck is milled from the same built up block of Merbau wood as the body so there is no bolt on neck junction. The results are a very smooth, stylish and uniform piece from neck to body. This makes for a very thin and playable upper register, a very thin D shape to the neck and very flat fingerboard which I find easy to play on all strings. The fret work is great. The tuners are excellent. I had to adjust the action some and then readjust the intonation but now it is perfect and stays in tune for more than an hour of solid playing. The electronics are active-only but I see active/passive sets for sale and may switch out the factory wiring so I have the option of playing passively when I need the added tonal qualities. The overall active tone is very rich with plenty of range for adjustments to taste. I think the factory pickups are just fine but I have read some players upgrade to U.S. EMG's – I don't see why that would be necessary. I haven't played it through any pedals yet as so far, I love the sound straight up. Overall, after playing it only two gigs, I think it's a great bass and very easy to play for a six string. I'm happy I bought it.halvmbs5

So I originally wanted to buy a Taylor T5 because they feel so good and sound so awesome. This guitar sounds just as good as a Taylor T5 and about the third of the price. And its appearance is just absolutely beautiful. I was all set to upgrade the strings and set it up to my own preferences but once I started playing it it was just perfect. Vendor was excellent to work with. Very professional. Very efficient. The guitar was delivered a day earlier740*gn

This is my first classic style guitar. Its heavy, really heavy, I thought it would be light to pick up. Its really well made. The pick up are great and very bright. Shipping strings are good. No case or cover, box was well done, awesome even. Has a nubone nut, had to lube quite a bit for tuning. I feel like its a bit over priced, but that might just be me. Again, its solid, like you can smack someone with it and it won't care. I love the head stock. I got this because my hands are falling into ruin from diabetes. I'm trying really hard to find a falt for it, its just a beefy hard core classic style guitar. Volume is pretty low. If your getting into nylon strings i'd recommend it. I honestly can't find any faults for it. Heavy, beefy, Rawr.Meatpopsicle

So after about 40 years of playing music and traveling everywhere I had never actually owned and played a hybrid acoustic guitar. I wanted a Taylor T5, so sweet. $2000 was more than I wanted to give to add to my collection of 30 guitars already. My I caught this gorgeous ESP Telluride acoustic electric guitar. Playing it acoustically was nice but running it through an amp I was extremely impressed with the overall sound quality specially wearing a suit of quality headphones such as you would use in a recording session. I had about a third of the price of the T5 the quality is exceptional, not as good as a T5 before the price it is well worth it. I love this guitar and since I've bought it I rarely play anything else. Awesome guitarGary

Lightest bass I have picked up. The finish killed it and finish isn't a major deciding factor for me.everything seemed good, I just couldn't get past how cheap the finish was. It looked as though someone painted on the poplar Burrell.Jim

This is the first 6 string Bass I've ever owned. Nothing to compare it with, but so far I'm enjoying playing it. Great tone and feel. The only con is, it is definitely heavy.honestsoul99

I recently recieved my LTD B-206SM and absolutely love it. It is well constructed, solidly built, and heavy. It has a incredible thick, punchy tone. The controls give a variety of tonal capabilities. Because of the mass of the body and 6 strings, I would suggest getting a large FretWrap to cut down on string vibration. If you play standing up, I would also suggest getting a wide, padded bass strap such as the Gruv Gear Neo 4" strap. I sit down most of the time when playing, but use a wide strap anyway. The case in my photo is the Ibanez MRB500C and it fits perfectly. The B-206SM is an excellent bass and an incredible value with a not too high price. I would recommend it highly.RJD

I've had one for about a year and a half and I can't say enough about this beautiful beast. I got it because I wanted to have one bass flexible enough to provide any tone I'd need for 4 hours of rock/blues/country covers. With some 6 string basses, the output and tone can be terribly inconsistent from string to string, particularly if you have a run that uses all 6 of them. This one, however, has an extremely focused and consistent tone and level no matter where you are on the neck. Playing power chords on the 3 treble-side strings sounds clean and almost guitar-like. I'm a tech and a luthier, so naturally when I buy a bass, I go over it with a fine-toothed comb, adjusting and looking for inconsistencies. The setup was already near-perfect and the cavities are tidy and well-shielded and grounded. Yes, it's heavy. It's a serious bass that uses its weight well. strap balance is great, and i got used to the weight and enjoyed the sustain and resonance that solid weight can bring. There are basses with higher end preamps, more sensitive pickups, more exotic woods, but you will not find a better one than this for twice the money. Exceptional finish, build, balance, broad palette of tones, sustain, and playability. Not to mention the wow factor every time someone new sees it. The price has gone up since I bought it, so pick one up before ESP wises up and charges what it's worth.Jamison

I've had this guitar for about 10 months, and it's great! It's everything you'd come to expect from the ESP LTD line. But the big question is, "How's that bridge?" My motivation for buying this specific guitar was my unending frustration with the floating tremolo on my previous guitar. We started jumping back and forth between standard and dropped D in our set, and making that work with a FR was a nightmare. With that, I had set out on finding a non-FR or fixed bridge, since I rarely used the trem' anyway. I had always wanted an ESP and the idea of each saddle being independent of one another was compelling. It can take a little to get used to, though. Tuning is done at the bridge, and the tension on the strings is adjusted by the tuning pegs. Once the string has the right amount of tension, that saddle will be "activated" in what is referred to as "zone 2". Here, the springs will counter any additional tension applied to that string up to a given point. This means that you cannot do bends or change the pitch in any real or easy way. Some people may like this, but it feels very odd, and the people at Evertune know that most people don't play like this. So, to get the best of both worlds, you will need to apply enough tension on the saddle to bring it right up to the edge of zone 2 by turning the tuning pegs. What I found to be helpful here is to not just listen for the note to change, but to pull on the string and visually inspect movement in the saddle. Once this is set, it feels like a normal guitar with just a tad more tension on the strings. The guitar will come with 10-gauge strings. I gave that a shot for a while. Only recently did I switch them out for some 9s. I think it feels a lot better with a lighter gauge string, especially considering that tad bit of tension. A tip I learned regarding Dropped D was to tune the guitar down by default. Then tune up the low E, which puts that saddle into "zone 3". This is far easier than the reverse and stiJohn Q. GuitarPlayer

I recently recieved my LTD B-206SM and absolutely love it. It is well constructed, solidly built, and heavy. It has a incredible thick, punchy tone. The controls give a variety of tonal capabilities. Because of the mass of the body and 6 strings, I would suggest getting a large FretWrap to cut down on string vibration. If you play standing up, I would also suggest getting a wide, padded bass strap such as the Gruv Gear Neo 4" strap. I sit down most of the time when playing, but use a wide strap anyway. The case in my photo is the Ibanez MRB500C and it fits perfectly. The B-206SM is an excellent bass and an incredible value with a not too high price. I would recommend it highly.RJD

I've had one for about a year and a half and I can't say enough about this beautiful beast. I got it because I wanted to have one bass flexible enough to provide any tone I'd need for 4 hours of rock/blues/country covers. With some 6 string basses, the output and tone can be terribly inconsistent from string to string, particularly if you have a run that uses all 6 of them. This one, however, has an extremely focused and consistent tone and level no matter where you are on the neck. Playing power chords on the 3 treble-side strings sounds clean and almost guitar-like. I'm a tech and a luthier, so naturally when I buy a bass, I go over it with a fine-toothed comb, adjusting and looking for inconsistencies. The setup was already near-perfect and the cavities are tidy and well-shielded and grounded. Yes, it's heavy. It's a serious bass that uses its weight well. strap balance is great, and i got used to the weight and enjoyed the sustain and resonance that solid weight can bring. There are basses with higher end preamps, more sensitive pickups, more exotic woods, but you will not find a better one than this for twice the money. Exceptional finish, build, balance, broad palette of tones, sustain, and playability. Not to mention the wow factor every time someone new sees it. The price has gone up since I bought it, so pick one up before ESP wises up and charges what it's worth.Jamison

I've had this guitar for about 10 months, and it's great! It's everything you'd come to expect from the ESP LTD line. But the big question is, "How's that bridge?" My motivation for buying this specific guitar was my unending frustration with the floating tremolo on my previous guitar. We started jumping back and forth between standard and dropped D in our set, and making that work with a FR was a nightmare. With that, I had set out on finding a non-FR or fixed bridge, since I rarely used the trem' anyway. I had always wanted an ESP and the idea of each saddle being independent of one another was compelling. It can take a little to get used to, though. Tuning is done at the bridge, and the tension on the strings is adjusted by the tuning pegs. Once the string has the right amount of tension, that saddle will be "activated" in what is referred to as "zone 2". Here, the springs will counter any additional tension applied to that string up to a given point. This means that you cannot do bends or change the pitch in any real or easy way. Some people may like this, but it feels very odd, and the people at Evertune know that most people don't play like this. So, to get the best of both worlds, you will need to apply enough tension on the saddle to bring it right up to the edge of zone 2 by turning the tuning pegs. What I found to be helpful here is to not just listen for the note to change, but to pull on the string and visually inspect movement in the saddle. Once this is set, it feels like a normal guitar with just a tad more tension on the strings. The guitar will come with 10-gauge strings. I gave that a shot for a while. Only recently did I switch them out for some 9s. I think it feels a lot better with a lighter gauge string, especially considering that tad bit of tension. A tip I learned regarding Dropped D was to tune the guitar down by default. Then tune up the low E, which puts that saddle into "zone 3". This is far easier than the reverse and stiJohn Q. GuitarPlayer

Great bass. I picked it up to re-record some bass parts that I played on some of my songs with a guitar tuned down an octave. It definitely helped the overall feel of the songs quite a bit. I don't know much about bass guitar and didn't want to get a cheap one, so I figured I'd get this one. It did not disappoint. I think the overall price point and sound/playability makes this instrument great for any application, be it as a higher end student instrument or as a more professional gigging bass. It's a bit on the heavy side even for a bass, so get a good strap to go with it. Don't cheap out on one.Eric, S

Overall: Let me start by saying "Thanks to zZounds" for an awesome program for buying instruments. I've been playing bass for many years now. I know quality when l see and hear it. The Esp B205sm is an awesome bass! zZounds has the best on time delivery in the world. litterally the next day l got my Ltd five string w/case. l open the box and sat back to just look at this bass. The craftmanship is spot on with the attractive maple and ash body. its a thing of beauty for the price. What l usually do when I pick up a bass is listen to the bass wood tone and the neck action before plugging into an amp. listen how the bass resonate, the sustain of the wood and the bridge adjustments. My bass was spot on right out of the box. I didn't have to make any adjustments. "Perfect" I want to give a shout to the engineer that set up my bass. The active three band EQ is just right, but not to much that it sounds thingy. I'm very much pleased with the spalting wood top, the curves, this is a sexy bass. My buddy that plays for various professional bands couldn't put my bass down. He said "the neck action and the string position feels really good". He will purchase one for his up coming tour. when I plugged the bass in "Wow" I personally recommend this bass!!!Jess

This is the first five string I have ever played or owned. That being said one week with this bass and I ordered a Stingray Five. Hooked on a 5 now. I have an American Jazz and MM Stingray 4 as well. This bass has a very solid sound. I purchased it directly off the hanger at the Guitar Center her in Tulsa. For such an inexpensive bass with somewhat tired strings this thing sounds wonderful. I added a little bass and mid on the EQ and rolled the pickups to about 60/40 rear. Fantastic tone. Ash body and a humbucker are the way to go. It does need a bit of set-up and intonation but playability is there in stock condition. If you are looking for a snappy, bright jazzy Jaco type sound this probably isn't your bag but I love it. Easily worth $100-200 more.Jim

Overall: I own other ESP guitars, all incredibly nice, but in their price range, unbeatable!! Having said that, I was just amazed at the quality of this instrument. I'm picking up bass again after a bunch of years not owning one. I can't imagine a better guitar to get my chops together with. I've been doing this a long time, being in the retail end beginning in the late '60's, and have appraised MANY instruments, but if someone were to hand this bass to me, my estimate would have been WAY off!!The other reviewer of this bass said it looked like it should cost THREE time what it does. He speaks the truth!!Gary

Really enjoying this bass. It’s light weight makes me carry it around more, and therefore play and practice more. The stock strings are D’addario, which sound great. Really nice touch on a sub $500 instrument. I’d normally drop $45 on Chromes the instant a new bass comes, but not time. Quality is impressive, spalted maple is really nice looking. Overall made me consider ESP guitars/bass as another option (I’m all Fender, aside from this instrument).Justin

Absolutely love this bass. The EMG pickups have great attack for fast metal that I play but still allow diverse dynamics and play styles. I also love the style, it feels like a Fender but plays more like a modern bass, so it has the best of both worlds. Only downside is the weight, to me it seems heavier than most other ESPs or Ibanez basses I have played.MICHAEL

This bass is absolutely fantastic for rock and metal, the single pickup design is nice and simple and sounds fantastic, bass is very durable and feels great and the luminlay side dots are a definite plus for playing live, the tone of this bass paired with some good overdrive sits great in a mix, only con would be that it doesn't sound very great when used in different genres but is still useableGash S

Overall: This is serious kick ass bass that is made for metal. Great sound and vibe, even when not plugged in. The combination of tone woods is unbeatable. Top that off with EMG pups and you got a well rounded low end metal machine. If you like EMG then this is a sure hit for you.Sotero

Overall: For me this was a tricky purchase as there was not a lot of reviews to watch. Let me tell you the black is gorgeous in person, the sound is tight and punchy. I typically play a lot of Fenders and this ESP 87 sounds just as good. Little on the heavy side. Out of the box it needed some adjustments, truss rod nut needed some oil, string height adjustments. It sounds great. If you're on the fence grab it. You won't be disappointed.Jeremy

Overall: This bass is very polarizing to me. To start with the good, it's beautiful. The white has a slight sparkle to it that makes it drop dead gorgeous in person. Next, the neck is near perfect. It's a thin p-bass neck. So you get all the nice string spacing without having to grip a baseball bat. The fret work was also on point. It sounds amazing. The Seymour Duncan vintage pickups have an amazing tone and work exceptionally well with fuzz. The only downside is the p-bass pickup is micro-phonic. Some people like it but it's a bit of a turn off for me. Now for the bad, when this bass arrived it was filthy and did not include the tools. The lack of tools is an instant 10% restocking fee for zZounds due to a mistake made by ESP. Next, there were so many little details that should have been caught during inspection. Rough wood around the headstock and pickup screws were not screwed in (near string height) just to name a few. All of these issues above pail in comparison to the biggest issue, the tuners. Just judging by the shape they look like rebranded Wilkinson. Which makes the next bit all the more disappointing. When I received it, the E-string clover was falling off. To ESP's credit they are sending me a new one. However, there's still another issue. They slip all the time. When I leave it overnight, a few of the strings are nearly a semitone lower. I have to tune nearly every 15 minutes while playing. I'm still on the fence whether I will return this bass. I've emailed all these issues in to ESP and I hope they stand by their products and that this is just a lemon.Andrew

This bass is absolutely fantastic for rock and metal, the single pickup design is nice and simple and sounds fantastic, bass is very durable and feels great and the luminlay side dots are a definite plus for playing live, the tone of this bass paired with some good overdrive sits great in a mix, only con would be that it doesn't sound very great when used in different genres but is still useableGash S

Overall: This is serious kick ass bass that is made for metal. Great sound and vibe, even when not plugged in. The combination of tone woods is unbeatable. Top that off with EMG pups and you got a well rounded low end metal machine. If you like EMG then this is a sure hit for you.Sotero

Sound: As I mentioned above, I was skeptical about a single pickup configuration. However, this guitar's sound cuts through the mix, whether running through a chord progression riff or laying down a solo run. It's clear, concise, and articulated, even saturated with distortion. Response is immaculate, for my playing style, which varies, depending on the song we're playing. Features: Other than the Floyd Rose, given that I don't use a tremolo unit but very seldom, everything else, is perfect for the guitar. Mahogany is iconic for tone wood. I love the extra jumbo frets, as I like to bend strings when soloing. The controls are laid out nicely, conveniently, on the body. It is a comfortable guitar to play… nicely balanced. Ease of Use: Getting the sound you want is as easy and strumming or picking the strings. As with any guitar, a little dialing in, of the amp, and/or effects you're using, is always needed, given no two guitars have the same voice. It's fits seamlessly with what I use, (Marshall JVM410 through Marshall 1960 A and B cabs), and a few effects. Quality: The F is solidly constructed. I see years of trouble-free playing. Cosmetically, this is a beautiful instrument. Value: In my humble opinion, it's worth the money. I would, were anything to happen to it, buy another one. Manufacturer Support: I have not needed to consult the manufacturer. The Wow Factor: The F is a very appealing guitar. It has a look, a vibe, that appeals to the darker side of you. It speaks to a part of you, that is seldom given voice. Overall: Having been playing the F model, now, for a couple of weeks, I am impressed, something not easily done. Upon unboxing, tuning, and testing play, all that was needed… make the appropriate adjustment to eliminate a little fret buzz. The fit and finish is flawless, the look of the F screams METAL!!! The sound is amazing and it cuts through the mix. Playability is superb throughout the length of the neck.I had looked at the F on and off, being skeptical about a single pickup and a Floyd Rose, given the horror stories I've heard about tuning instabilities. However, my skepticisms proved unfounded. There is that unmistakable feel of a neck-through body guitar, unsurpassed by anything else, that cannot be matched. The F allows you to play it pretty, or as pretty as it gets with heavier, darker music or you can play it hard, dark, and dirty. The EMG 81 performs as you would expect and have come know, from the 81.The F's appearance, as I mentioned screams METAL. It has a sinister dark yet eloquent, (in a dark way), appearance, but will, definitely, catch the eye.Mikki

Overall: I own other ESP guitars, all incredibly nice, but in their price range, unbeatable!! Having said that, I was just amazed at the quality of this instrument. I'm picking up bass again after a bunch of years not owning one. I can't imagine a better guitar to get my chops together with. I've been doing this a long time, being in the retail end beginning in the late '60's, and have appraised MANY instruments, but if someone were to hand this bass to me, my estimate would have been WAY off!!The other reviewer of this bass said it looked like it should cost THREE time what it does. He speaks the truth!!Gary

Really enjoying this bass. It’s light weight makes me carry it around more, and therefore play and practice more. The stock strings are D’addario, which sound great. Really nice touch on a sub $500 instrument. I’d normally drop $45 on Chromes the instant a new bass comes, but not time. Quality is impressive, spalted maple is really nice looking. Overall made me consider ESP guitars/bass as another option (I’m all Fender, aside from this instrument).Justin

So I originally wanted to buy a Taylor T5 because they feel so good and sound so awesome. This guitar sounds just as good as a Taylor T5 and about the third of the price. And its appearance is just absolutely beautiful. I was all set to upgrade the strings and set it up to my own preferences but once I started playing it it was just perfect. Vendor was excellent to work with. Very professional. Very efficient. The guitar was delivered a day earlier740*gn

This is my first classic style guitar. Its heavy, really heavy, I thought it would be light to pick up. Its really well made. The pick up are great and very bright. Shipping strings are good. No case or cover, box was well done, awesome even. Has a nubone nut, had to lube quite a bit for tuning. I feel like its a bit over priced, but that might just be me. Again, its solid, like you can smack someone with it and it won't care. I love the head stock. I got this because my hands are falling into ruin from diabetes. I'm trying really hard to find a falt for it, its just a beefy hard core classic style guitar. Volume is pretty low. If your getting into nylon strings i'd recommend it. I honestly can't find any faults for it. Heavy, beefy, Rawr.Meatpopsicle

So after about 40 years of playing music and traveling everywhere I had never actually owned and played a hybrid acoustic guitar. I wanted a Taylor T5, so sweet. $2000 was more than I wanted to give to add to my collection of 30 guitars already. My I caught this gorgeous ESP Telluride acoustic electric guitar. Playing it acoustically was nice but running it through an amp I was extremely impressed with the overall sound quality specially wearing a suit of quality headphones such as you would use in a recording session. I had about a third of the price of the T5 the quality is exceptional, not as good as a T5 before the price it is well worth it. I love this guitar and since I've bought it I rarely play anything else. Awesome guitarGary