Ltd 5 String Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

I've been playing bass for 18 years and have only played a few basses this nice. I just can't put it down. It's easy to play and has excellent tone control. I jammed on it for 3 hour the first day I got it, playing everything from Mozart to Slipknot and it all sounded great.Demon Speed

I have been playing bass for 34 years and have played everything from 50 dollar cheapies to thousand dollar high end. This bass beats the snot out of all of them. I got mine used, set up the neck, restrung with fresh 45 to 125s and went to practice. Awesome neck, awesome tone, awesome variations of tone and well balanced. I play everything from country to Motorhead, this instrument covers all the bases. If you want an awesome bass that should cost 2 or 3 hundred more than it does, buy this one from Sam Ash, you can't have mine, git yer own, don't think twice.Glide Dog

I bought this bass from Sam Ash, and i'd say their price is equal to any others. This bass is extremely durable. The strap i had on it fell off (because it was a low quaity strap) and the bass dropped a good 4 feet. It's paint chipped, and that's it. The action is a bit high, but, like most 5 strings, it's not so bad.VTPR

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

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

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

After the initial COVID lockdown I landed a gig where I had to have a 5 string bass. So like a red blooded American I took my cash down to the local GC store to buy a fender 5 string American jazz. There wasn't any. I looked for an Ibenez. There wasn't any. I looked for anything and we'll there wasn't any. As the date grew near for our first show, I happened in and they had this one. I was disappointed that this was all there was, but out of desperation, I bought it thinking I would trade it once something I wanted became available. It took me about two months and 10 gigs later when I realized I love this thing. 9 months in and I don't know how many dates later, I wouldn't want to live without it. It plays awesome after a quick and minor setup on the action. The tone is big on the bottom and the mids and highs are as shapable as you want. It is a dream to play and guess what, when I finally got to put my hands on the fender I wanted, I didn't want it anymore. This bass is very much like the high end Ibenez basses. Probably too much for Ibenez's liking actually. I run through a 800w mark bass head with a 2×10 cab and a 1×15 cab. It sounds incredible. The big thing for me is when I run through my amp using the direct out in bypass, it sounds amazing. It is like having a sans amp in the bass. The electrics are that good. I have gotten tons of compliments on the tone and questions about how I got it. I literally just plugged it in. Also I can play it all night and even though it is a five, I am less fatigued then when I play the four fender American jazz I already own. The string spacing and scale I believe is responsible for that. If you are serious about playing a 5 string, at any level, then this bass is one you should look at. I am not super crazy about the esthetics but I get a surprising amount of complements on it. So if that is your thing then rock on I guess. I am getting over the fact that I was a fender snob. Also I believe Jackso is made by fender sooo….Chris

My one only bass for the past 20 years has been a Ibanez SR405 (2001 year model). I feel like I've purchased a big upgrade with this Jackson X Series Spectra. In comparison to the Ibanez, the Jackson's neck is fatter, lower fret sizes are slightly wider and the string spacing is slightly wider. The playability is a lot smoother for my larger fingers/hands. The pickups and active EQ systems are powerful. Need to have some amp/di box control to contain the powerful output when in smaller venues. I use the passive pickup control when in smaller venues and small churches. I feel that what sets this apart from other basses I've tried is how great it sounds to play the d and g strings as well as going above the 12th fret. The stock strings (D'Addario) sound really pretty when playing the higher octaves. The Elixir strings I'm currently using give the B string a BIG SMOOTH THUMP. For those worried about setup out of the box, I live in high altitude. Setup post manufacturer is usually a must because of that. I have been able to get fairly low action without fret buzz after casually messing with adjustments.Zach

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

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

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

This is supposed to be a blemished bass ,but I have not found anything wrong.The wood is beautiful, it came set up pretty well,and sounds great.Love it,would buy it again.Big Ron

This bass costs nearly as much as Fender Am Std Jazz V, but it came with a terrible factory set up that needed truss adjustment, saddle adjustment and pickup adjustment to eliminate fret buzz and get a decent tone. After basically a good set up, the bass wasn't bad, but did not have nearly as rich and full a tone as my Am Std Jazz with passive p'ups. The RB-1005 is very light weight at under 8 pounds, and the neck felt good, so if you want a fiver that is easy on the back, this bass would be a good choice. It does not come with a case at this price. It is nice looking if you want the modern, jazz player look….bobw

I love how this bass feels in my hands for all types of music. It took me a while to set up the action but once its complete it will stay in tune and become a professional studio quality instrument,dan6983

This is a wonderful bass. I bought it because I wanted another 5 stringer in my collection. I was surprised by the beautiful flawless finish (a little darker than the picture shows, but color was not the reason I bought it) The neck is a bit narrower than my other 5 stringers so it will take a bit of getting used to. Sound is good, not a lot of variety. But that is a taste thing. It doesn't get real boomy and the top end doesn't compare with my P-basses. That is not a critisisim, just an observation, it sounds great and can accomplish any kind of tone you will need….(unless you want it to sound like a screaming banshee, that it will not do). All in all a beautiful bass for a nice price. If you're looking for a great bass for a low price, this could be the one.chazborazbo

Over the years I have owned several bass guitars of varying quality and price range, some custom made and others hailed to be a top of the line model. This bass succeeds in playing, sounding and feeling like a top notch instrument. The electronics are very quiet, the neck feels natural for a 5 string and the weight is light comparatively speaking. The equalization offers a wide palette of tonal varieties and there has to be a sound to suit every bass player in this bass, even the most discerning. The low end is tight and expressive while the highs are clear and distinct. The Studio 5 is currently my favorite 5 string bass and I recommend this as a first choice instrument.denekawa

I bought this bass over 7 years ago and to this day I haven't felt the need to buy another bass. I've been on tour multiple times and played this thing all around the United States, and it has never let me down. Not even once. I run my own studio and about 70% of the bands that come in end up using this to record because it sounds better than almost every bass that a band might bring in. I've tuned it down to dropped F#, tuned it up to dropped B (B F# B E A) and it's handled everything, provided some modifications in string size. The only complaint I could possibly have with this gorgeous beast is that for whatever reason, if I rest my thumb on the neck pickup when it play (which is the most comfortable for me) it doesn't project very well on all the strings. It will project well on the lowest 2 or 3 strings, but not the D and G. I've changed the batteries, messed with the tone knobs, used compressors, nothing. No idea why it does this. If I rest my finger on the bridge pickup, then there's no problem, but it's not comfortable for me. If you play with a pick then this will not be an issue. One way or another this bass is the best investment I have ever made. I wouldn't be the person I am today had I not bought this instrument. You will not regret this purchase.B-REX

After the initial COVID lockdown I landed a gig where I had to have a 5 string bass. So like a red blooded American I took my cash down to the local GC store to buy a fender 5 string American jazz. There wasn't any. I looked for an Ibenez. There wasn't any. I looked for anything and we'll there wasn't any. As the date grew near for our first show, I happened in and they had this one. I was disappointed that this was all there was, but out of desperation, I bought it thinking I would trade it once something I wanted became available. It took me about two months and 10 gigs later when I realized I love this thing. 9 months in and I don't know how many dates later, I wouldn't want to live without it. It plays awesome after a quick and minor setup on the action. The tone is big on the bottom and the mids and highs are as shapable as you want. It is a dream to play and guess what, when I finally got to put my hands on the fender I wanted, I didn't want it anymore. This bass is very much like the high end Ibenez basses. Probably too much for Ibenez's liking actually. I run through a 800w mark bass head with a 2×10 cab and a 1×15 cab. It sounds incredible. The big thing for me is when I run through my amp using the direct out in bypass, it sounds amazing. It is like having a sans amp in the bass. The electrics are that good. I have gotten tons of compliments on the tone and questions about how I got it. I literally just plugged it in. Also I can play it all night and even though it is a five, I am less fatigued then when I play the four fender American jazz I already own. The string spacing and scale I believe is responsible for that. If you are serious about playing a 5 string, at any level, then this bass is one you should look at. I am not super crazy about the esthetics but I get a surprising amount of complements on it. So if that is your thing then rock on I guess. I am getting over the fact that I was a fender snob. Also I believe Jackso is made by fender sooo….Chris

My one only bass for the past 20 years has been a Ibanez SR405 (2001 year model). I feel like I've purchased a big upgrade with this Jackson X Series Spectra. In comparison to the Ibanez, the Jackson's neck is fatter, lower fret sizes are slightly wider and the string spacing is slightly wider. The playability is a lot smoother for my larger fingers/hands. The pickups and active EQ systems are powerful. Need to have some amp/di box control to contain the powerful output when in smaller venues. I use the passive pickup control when in smaller venues and small churches. I feel that what sets this apart from other basses I've tried is how great it sounds to play the d and g strings as well as going above the 12th fret. The stock strings (D'Addario) sound really pretty when playing the higher octaves. The Elixir strings I'm currently using give the B string a BIG SMOOTH THUMP. For those worried about setup out of the box, I live in high altitude. Setup post manufacturer is usually a must because of that. I have been able to get fairly low action without fret buzz after casually messing with adjustments.Zach

I’ve had this bass for a couple of months now and I’ve yet to find any big faults with it. The setup was fine out of the box, it arrived quickly and unscathed, and plays perfectly. The only problem I encountered was that the volume knob, which utilizes a set screw to keep it in place, was loose and came off about a week after I got it. The bass included a set of Allen wrenches, one of which fits the set screw on the knob, so that was an easy fix and a minor inconvenience at most. The blue burst finish is stunning in person and it was absolutely worth waiting for it to come back in stock. The stock pickups are pretty good for this price point, but I’m definitely looking into some options for swapping them out in the future. Not that it’s absolutely necessary by any means. I keep buying from AMS for 2 big reasons: the payment plans that can’t be beat, and fast, free shipping. AMS came through on both again!Mason V.

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

Quality control was quite bad on this bass from the factory. Truss rod was Way out. Neck had a hump it it. Several high frets. Almost stripped out the adjustment screws trying to lower the pickups. After leveling, filing frets, adjusting truss rod, tightening machine heads and retapping threads for the pickup screws it plays fine. Rather disappointedpartherian

This is more beautiful than the photo shows. My love of Slayer is the main reason for learning how to play bass. I tried tuning it right out of the box and broke a string. It needed a little bit of an adjustment on the neck and put new Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky Bass strings on it, they were delivered before my Dunlop strings got here. It's amazing and you should buy it! * * * * * * * SLAYERRRRRR!Natasha

Best sounding passive bass. I've owned 4 basses as of now, (Active) Warwick Corvette, Stingray RAY24, (Passive) Warwick Streamer 5's, and this ESP's. Just connect this with a MXR M80 and for sure you gonna love this bass!RickRos

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

Premium built guitar with very attractive price tag (sale). Beautiful maple top, comfortable neck with roasted maple fretboard, lovely sound. Only pots feel cheap and tone change pot in passive mode could be improved as it's far from the smoothness experienced on for example my other bass guitar which is Fender Precision.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Lovely instrument and much lighter than expected, wasn't expecting the finish to be quite as it was but hard to be sure when buying online. Very pleased none the less.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This bass is well built and it looks amazing, but the sound is so poor and the output is lower than the rest of basses. I thought it might have been the battery at first, but it wasn't that. It has basically half the volume of my J-Bass, P-Bass and SR405eqm and I need to turn up the gain on the amp like all of the way and all of the EQ knobs on the bass itself to even match the volume of my other three basses. If you can afford new pickups for this I'd recommend it, but stock, not really.PL