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ESP LTD B205 Fretless Electric Bass (5-String)

The LTD B205 bass from ESP has a rosewood fretboard designed for quick maneuverability.

(4) Read 2 reviews for this product | Rate and Review This Product

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Product Description

zZounds is an
authorized ESP dealer

5-string bassists rejoice! the ESP B205 introduces amazing features like an Ash body coupled with a Spalted Maple top giving you that low grind you deserve. A 5-piece maple/rosewood neck has been paired with a sumptuous rosewood fretboard for quick fret maneuverability. ESP ABQ-3 active electronics perfect round out ESP SB pickups. zZounds is an authorized dealer of ESP products.

- Construction: Bolt-On

- Scale: 34 in.

- Body: Ash

- Top: Spalted Maple

- Neck: 5 Piece Maple/Rosewood Neck

- Fingerboard: Rosewood

- Nut: 45mm Standard

- Contour: Thin U Neck

- Hardware: Black Nickel

- Tuners: ESP Tuners

- Bridge: ESP DB-5 Bridge with String-Thru-Body

- Pickups: ESP SB-5 (Bridge and Neck)

- Active Electronics: ESP ABQ-3 3-Band Active EQ

Dimensions and Weight in Packaging
Natural Satin: Shipping Weight: 13 lbs; Shipping Dimensions: 49 x 17 x 4 in

ESP Warranty

ESP Warranty

If you have additional warranty questions, please call the manufacturer at 800-423-8388

zZounds is an
authorized ESP dealer

Our extended 30-Day 100% Satisfaction Guarantee applies on this product. Buy it, and if it isn't just right for you, return it!

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What Our Customers Are Saying About zZounds "I love zZounds' Play as you Pay installment plan. It enables me to get better gear and pay over several months with no hassle. My orders are always processed in a timely manner and their shipping is fast." - customer on May 6, 2013

New, Natural Satin

$399.00

or 4 payments
of $99.75
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List: $570.00

Savings: $171.00 (30%)

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Customer Reviews

5 out of 5 (4 ratings) Rate and Review This Product

Read 2 ESP LTD B205 Fretless Electric Bass, 5-String Reviews

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us. "A Good Fretless Bass at a Suprisingly LOW Price"

Sound: The stock strings are SIT roundwounds. They're far too "zingy" for my taste (it's a BASS, not a baritone lead guitar) and the B-string is junk. Also, the fingerboard is rosewood, which is less hard than traditional ebony. The roundwounds might help you sound like Jaco P, but I'm pretty sure they'll chew into that rosewood after a while. I replaced the SITs right away with D'Addario Black Nylon Tapewounds and am SHOCKED at how bright and articulate and versatile they are. Those strings plus the onboard 3-band EQ let me get any tone I want, from Dark Thump to more high-mid Jaco "mwah" than I can stand. And I can imitate an upright bass pretty convincingly, too. VERY IMPORTANT: The black tapewound stings appear to do ZERO damage to the fingerboard! I could not be more pleased with the sound. Feature: Good tone woods. Very attractive spalted maple face veneer over swamp ash body. Amazingly thin neck (measuring from back to front). I'm no expert, but the pickups seem well suited and the 3-band EQ provides a LOT of tonal adjustment. So does the pickup pan pot. The SIT roundwound strings are the only thing I didn't like (and they've been replaced) Ease of Use: I thought FRETLESS bass was going to hugely difficult. Not so. It does take more finesse than playing fretted (you have to hit each note at exactly the right point on the string/fingerboard rather than simply play behind the intended fret), but after a month, I'm very pleased at how similar playing this fretless is to playing its fretted twin. And the fretless can make sounds the fretted bass never will. Very expressive. The neck appears to be set completely flat, so there is some string buzzing. But it's such a joy to play it this way that I haven't been able to force myself to make the necessary adjustments. I think raising several saddles slightly will remedy the buzzing, or I might have to introduce a bit of neck relief (bow). Either way, I doubt it will alter the excellent playability much. BTW, these adjustments have been necessary for EVERY guitar I've ever bought. - so no criticism of these LTD basses intended. Quality: Appears to be VERY well built. The finish is excellent and the neck-to-body fit is very precise (6-bolt neck, too). Even though the neck is very thin (back to front) it's made of five laminated strips and has a reputation for being very stable. In my case: so far, so good. Small issue with the knobs: Some knobs were mounted too low, so the underside of the knob wanted to scrape the face finish. I caught this early on, and remounted all knobs higher on the pot shaft. Other issue with knobs/pots: A set screw holds the knobs onto their shafts. Two of my setscrews were overtightened at the factory - so they deformed the split pot shafts. This results in a knob that does not sit straight on the shaft. The knob appears to wobble when turned. I corrected this by forcing a knife blade between the split-shaft's halves and reforming them straight. Remounted the knob and applied less pressure to the set screw. Seems okay now, but seems to indicate too much focus on SPEED and not enough on quality during production. I would also say that the fretted B-205sm purchased several months earlier looks and feels slightly better built... perhaps less rushed during production... Value: EXCELLENT VALUE. I searched and searched and search some more, and found NOTHING to compare with this instrument in its price range. A very nice 5-string fretless bass for under $400 is surprising. The fact that I could obtain MATCHING fretless and fretted basses in this price range DOUBLES or TRIPLES the value to me. This is "The Smart Choice" Manufacturer Support: NA relative to this purchase. But I've spoken with Tim in ESP/LTD Customer Service several times regarding other instruments, and he's always very helpful. The Wow Factor: I think it looks, plays and feels GREAT. It does EVERYTHING I want it to, and I have a matching pair of fretted and fretless 5-string basses for far less than many spend on one single bass. For me, that spells W-O-W . Overall: I'm on a tight budget. I need a 5-string fretless bass for recording demos, and a matching fretted bass. I don't need a "prestige" name on the headstock, nor do I need "stunningly good looks". I just need a solid, VERSATILE bass that's easy to play and sounds good.

Style of Music: All genres. No limits.

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zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us. "ESP build basses right"

Overall: The fretless 5 is my second ESP LTD. I purchased the 8 string model several months ago. The first thing which drew my attention was the 6 bolt neck joint. This is an elegant solution which removes any doubt as to the lateral stability of bolt-on neck construction. I was very impressed with the fit and finish of these basses. The spalted maple natural finish is really eye-catching and looks rather exotic. I was very pleased with the action and setup right out of the box. I had to raise the bridge saddles a couple of turns of the screws to suit my playing style but the neck was straight and true without any truss rod fussing. I was also pleased with the profile and "fastness" of the neck. It is a heck of a lot narrower than my Epi T- bird Pro 5 but does not feel cramped for width in the least. 24 fret scale is of course always welcome and as a result of the neck joining the body further up the scale the body can also be made shorter and therefore lighter weight without sacrificing any sustain. This bass looks deceptively smaller and sleeker than my Jazz Bass because part of what would be body on a 20 fret bass 34" scale is neck on a 24 fret bass. Most active basses nowadays use similar pickup technology and the LTDs are no exception. The tonal range was as wide as I hoped it would be due to the 3 band active EQ. It should be noted that my Epi T-bird has only a 2 band active tone circuit. This bass provides great value at surprisingly low cost.

Style of Music: I play easy listening, classic rock, blues, Schlager and Rembetika.

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Read 2 ESP LTD B205 Fretless Electric Bass, 5-String Reviews

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When you checkout, just click the Play as you Pay checkbox to indicate which installment plan you wish to use.

Available on
orders $249+

learn more

Need it now but short of cash? All we need is the first payment up front and the rest in easy monthly payments!

Fast approval.: We approve everyone, with very few exceptions, as long as we can verify your identity.
No interest. Ever.: It's just as if you paid the whole amount up front!
No paperwork. Nothing to track.: No application to mail or fax, no bills to pay. We automatically charge the payments to your credit card.

We'll wait on your money so you don't have to wait for your gear!

When you checkout, just click the Play as you Pay checkbox to indicate which installment plan you wish to use.

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We'll beat any price: Really. It's not a problem for us. In fact, we'll thank you for the chance to live up to our lowest price guarantee!
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Simply click the Seen it for less? link: Next to the item you want, or give us a call at 800-zZounds (800-996-8637).

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Available on
orders $249+

learn more

Need it now but short of cash? All we need is the first payment up front and the rest in easy monthly payments!

Fast approval.: We approve everyone, with very few exceptions, as long as we can verify your identity.
No interest. Ever.: It's just as if you paid the whole amount up front!
No paperwork. Nothing to track.: No application to mail or fax, no bills to pay. We automatically charge the payments to your credit card.

We'll wait on your money so you don't have to wait for your gear!

When you checkout, just click the Play as you Pay checkbox to indicate which installment plan you wish to use.

on most orders $49+

Just $2.99 on
smaller orders

Really heavy stuff might cost you a
little more

learn more

Why fight traffic and pushy salesmen when we'll bring your gear straight to your home, free of charge?

zZounds free shipping is really free!: No hidden charges or hassles on returns.
Fast, reliable delivery: We have warehouses on both coasts, so most shipments arrive in 3 days or less.
We don't collect sales tax. Bonus!: Only NJ residents pay tax during checkout.

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