Esp Ltd B 4E Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

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

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

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

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

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: 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

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

I bought this as a backup for my 2017 Schecter Stiletto Custom-4. 5 minutes after I unpacked it, the LTD GB-4 became my main instrument. It has a good, solid, heavy-but-not-too-heavy feel to it, and the neck profile encourages a little extra speed and precision that I didn't have before. I am a gigging musician in a metal/punk outfit, and the GB-4 has a nice, mean look and versatile sound that fits the style of music. This instrument was made in Indonesia, but appears to have been inspected twice (once overseas, and once in the USA) and was set up nicely – It even arrived in tune. If you like the styling and want a little extra quality, you can spend an additional grand on the ESP E-II, which is made in Japan, comes with a case, and probably has better tuning keys and other quality features. But for someone like me who just wants a solid, good-sounding, fast-necked bass to bang around at shows, this thing rules. Totally recommended for the price.Xon

If you love slap and pop tone than this bass is a must! The LTD GB-4 is super fun to play and delivers a tone that begs for slap style playing. The price point of this bass is perfect as well.Mike L.

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

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

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

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

I play in a metal band and this bass defiantly gives me a deep heavy sound. I play in drop C tuning and this bass handles it very well. plus this bass looks freaking wicked! you get some compliments with this one. I play through a GK head , i just turn down the balance all the way down on the bass and control my sound with the boost function of the amp. Very fast playable neck. Hardware is very solid. The only con is that if you are a bass player like me who also likes Funky music than you will need a different brand to produce that desired sound.You couldn't get a much better deal than this though. If you want metal sound on a budget with quality as a concern go with this for sure.Ben the Bassist

I bought this bass a good month ago and have played it every day since. I take it to school with me, and it's seen its fair share of play over time. I think it's fair to say that this thing can take some serious punishment. It has been dropped a few times and not even the paint shows it. Quality craftsmanship is clear in this bass. The sound is amazing, I can play anything from funk to classic rock to Jrock to metal, all without serious knob-turning. The range on this thing is amazing, and you can out-low any other bass out there. This thing looks absolutely amazing. The picture on the page doesn't do it justice. The black model has an amazing gloss finish that you can see yourself in. It's extremely resiliant and can take a good amount of punishment. The body shape is wicked without being too radical and hindering playabillity. It's weighted nicely and won't nosedive on you while you're playing. The only thing I don't like is the active pickups, but that's preference any way.TaiKitsune

This is my 3rd bass. I got this bass 6 months ago, and it's still in great shape and still maintains great sound. It has 24 frets and a wicked design. The volume knobs are nice, and there's a notch in one of them to keep track of where they are. It picks up the low frequencies nicely and has better pickups than other basses around this price. Like I said, it has 24 frets and that's really useful for playing those high solos. Other than that, it's just a standard bass. Nothing devastatingly unique about it, which gave it the 4.5 in features and value. It's a good standard bass with extra range and a nice design.mikee

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

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