The forte of ESP when it first begun as a small shop in Japan called Electric Sound Products abbreviated to ESP is to make high quality custom replacement parts for guitars and basses. This changed when it begun exporting the parts to the US and soon started assembling custom shop instruments for local New York artist in 1984, growing to a full-fledged musical instrument company producing a standard line and signature series. When it moved its headquarters to Los Angeles, ESP expanded byintroducing affordable models with the LTD brand.
Part of the long list of guitars and basses LTD makes is the ESP LTD B Series B-204SM that also comes in a five and six string version, the ESP LTD B-205SM and B-206SM. These three bass guitars are similarly made when looking at them on a broader perspective with parts modified only to fit more strings in the nut, bridge, tuners and the pick-ups configuration used in each bass including the left handed version.
Affiliate Disclosure
constantinecruz.com is a participant of Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. It is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide websites a means to earn money by advertising products by linking to Amazon.com.
This post contains paid links: If visitors of the site uses the links to buy items. “As an Amazon Associates I earn from qualifying purchases” at no extra cost to you. Learn more
- Contoured double cutaway body is crafted in ash wood with a spalted maple top
- Neck has a thin U-shape profile made of 5pc maple/jatoba combination
- 24 extra jumbo frets roasted jatoba fingerboard with dot inlay markers
- Set of LTD design tuners
- Bridge is ESP designed String-Thru LTD BB-604
- Passive ESP designed SB humbucking pick-ups controlled by a master volume, balancer for using the neck, bridge in full or just in between and active 3-band EQ bass, mid & treble
Body and Neck: The contoured double cutaway body is crafted in ash wood with a spalted maple top, available in natural and see thru black finish without a protective shield. Its ash and maple body is medium in weight or maybe heavy to some and looks great in both finishes. Tonal characteristic of ash on a bass as its main tonewood is deep when blended with the pick-ups, airy and clangy for a metal kind of sound.
Neck has a thin U-shape profile made of 5pc maple/jatoba combination, then it is connected to the body using screw minus a plate. The fingerboard is also made out of roasted jatoba with 24 extra jumbo frets adding extra notes on the high frets with inlay dots markers.
Pick-ups: Pick-ups used on this bass placed near the bridge and neck are passive ESP designed SB humbucking pick-ups controlled by a master volume, balancer for using the neck, bridge in full or just in between and active 3-band EQ bass, mid & treble. Depending on the number of strings, the pick-up poles varies.
Hardware: Holding the strings on the bridge side for the four strings ESP LTD B Series B-204SM is ESP designed String-Thru LTD BB-604, the 5-strings is the String-Thru LTD BB-605, and 6-strings the LTD DB-6. Bridge is optional for the four and five strings models to place the strings just on the bridge or string-thru the body, while the 6-string model doesn’t have that option. Machine heads are LTD tuners.
Final Thoughts: In this B-series model alone, it already offers players to choose whether to go four or max it to six strings with just a slight adjustment in price, yet still affordable to consider it a great purchase. The aesthetics of the bass depends on preference of players because unlike other natural finish, the grain on this bass pops out extremely almost like the bass has no finish at all.
Related Topic: