Ltd Bass Guitar 5 String 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

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

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

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

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

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'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

Ok… first off, the fanned frets are amazing. The extra scale is incredible… If you need it. The tonal qualities are insane! The pickups and electronics are on point. The finish is stunning. The neck… well… it took me a while to feel comfortable with it. It’s “chunky.” I had a hard time getting it set up to make it feel good. The string height from the factory Was really high!Bassgurl3369

I played one of these in a guitar shop in late 2019 and fell in love with it. This bass just fits my hands, plays effortlessly, and has perfect balance. You might think that the fanned frets would be an issue but if anything it adds to the comfort. Out of the box, it was set up really well and the intonation was spot on.Mark

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

All my life I've used 8 string basses, a custom Paul Hamer 8,and old Hagstrom 8 basses! This was s great deal for something different, great music store I've visited before Super communication, fast fast ship.. Approachable Management.. If ur looking for a different sound try out an air string bass, it's fairly easy to slip right into pocket!Bif33bifray

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.

Superb bass guitar, arrived as usual with the tension taken out of the strings for transportation. A quick tune up and away I went. The intonation is spot on, the tones available perfect and the playability top bananaAndy

I went from a new yamaha with active pickups to this jackson with passive pickups. I don't play much bass, so Literally I was looking for a cheap guitar to record with. It has a solid low end grunt but still maintains the mid bang "slap" as you might call it. No its not spotless, the wood is not colored along some of the seems and its not the prettiest style wise, but for someone who just wants an easy playing, solid sounding bass track, this is a great weapon.Jeremy

I give this bass 5 stars, not because it's comparable to a high end instrument, but because of the quality at this unbelievable price point. I was looking for a passive P-style bass that wouldn't break the bank; my expectations were that I would have to do some work to it (fret level, polish, sharp ends, etc.) However, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that none of those issues existed when it arrived, and it was even actually in tune! I lowered the action to my preference, as should be done with every instrument. The neck is extremely comfortable and fast. The plastic nut is cut quite well, bridge is more than adequate, tuners are sufficient and hold tune even with heavy handed attack. The real surprise though, was the strong sustained growling punch of the pickup! This bass actually sounds quite good! I wouldn't hesitate to gig with it: and it's an excellent backup or first bass, that you won't soon outgrow. For reference – I have been playing guitar for 32 years, bass for 25 years and have a MIM Fender Jazz V, and several Ibanez basses (mid grade – professional grade, 4, 5, & 6 string variations). This Jackson isn't in the same class as my others, but that doesn't really mean anything, because it still delivers exceptional quality and value. It is very fun to play, and the tonality is quite useable and shapeable. Bottom line is – this bass is a huge bang for buck!Shasal

This was the first bass I bought myself and im very glad I did. I bought this bass around last December and have been in love ever since. I bought this bass mainly cause of the price tag but also because I was wanting a bass with humbuckers. The epiphone thunderbird had my eye but wasn't exactly in my budget at the time but then I came across this bass. Great price tag and a familiar (body) P bass shape. Fast forward to today and this bass still rocks. The body was put together nicely along with it's finish but you can tell where quality was sacrificed which was the neck. Not terrible or unplayable but you can tell it's a fairly cheap neck. Otherwise the tone, playability, and feel is amazing.Brandon F

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

Overall: Just picked this up today from the FedEx Office location I had the delivery held at.I can't believe what a monster this bass is!The tone falls right in to your lap. I had to do a quick set up on it. There was a pretty nasty back bow on the neck. Easy adjustment. Raise the action just a touch. Lower the pick up height slightly. It took me longer to find my screw driver than the set up took. With stock strings, I took it from near standard tuning to drop B, and it still plays and sounds great… with the stock strings!45-105's.The bad:It ships with two Allen Wrenches. The truss rod hex key is fine, but the wrong size was shipped for the saddle adjustment. Or it possibly fell out and I couldn't find it. They were taped inside to the guitar box wall but the truss key fell to the bottom.Now for the real bad:The nut was not filed well. The strings stick to the nut very firmly. When I detuned, the tuning key would go completely loose, like it was broken, then the slack would snap back to the tension. Will be an easy fix. But it's not something that should need fixed on a brand new $999 instrument out of Korea. Overall, this bass is bad ass and I love it! I can't wait for band practice next week to really crank it up!I may buy 2nd Pheonix. I really dig it. By the way, it's a hefty bass. Lots and lots of weight in this thing. Not sure the exact weight, but it's got a lot of it.Shaun

Very happy with this purchase. 25 years of playing and I think it’s the nicest bass I’ve ever played. You can feel the quality right when you pick it up. The matte finish on the back of the neck is stunning and feels amazing to play. Highly recommended!!!JVR

Overall: The only star I gave less than a 4 is the Overall, I gave that a 4. Why? Because it feels like the price in the weight and appearance. That's not a bad thing because it plays and sounds Awesome!! I grabbed this because I was looking for something lite on the back for the 3 hour shows. When I first got it I was a little nervous thinking it was maybe for a beginner but once I plugged it in with the band it punched right through and the guitarist noticed a huge difference in sound compared to an Epiphone Thunderbird I was playing. I should mention that Epiphone costed me $300 more and this Ibanez seems to beat it in punch and overall sound. All that said I may buy another in black for the metal band. (Using the one I bought in classic rock etc..) That metal band sound? Think Lamb of God meets Slayer…I used it in that style of music and it punched right through. A problem I WAS having is whenever you play in metal bands the bass seems to drop out and more so during guitar solos. Well the reason I may buy a second one of these is because it performed well with that "Metal" test. So…If your looking for some punch, more EQ room and something that doesn't hurt your back for a GREAT price this is a great choice.Tony