ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass 

Comments about ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass:

This bass is solid and heavy. You could use it to demo a brick wall and it probably wouldn't even go out of tune. This can be a negative due to its extreme weight. This instrument is very heavy even by bass standards.

The tone is warm with excellent sustain.

The electronics are responsive and offer a wide range of tonal characteristics.

Be prepared to do an exetnsive setup; string heights, intonation, pick-up height (min). I found that the fret-ends along the lower edge of the neck are very high and tend to grab my hand as I slide up-and-down the neck. After re-shaping the frett ends a bit this bass plays awesome.

Comments about ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass:

this bass is very well made, the details on the construction are nice. There are not flat frets or anything like that. In general an excellent bass for anyone looking to upgrade to six strings.

Comments about ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass:

Wow is all I can say ,I would sell all my fenders before selling this baby. Nice action.

Comments about ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass:

I wanted to get a 6 string since I've only had 4 and 5 string basses and wanted to try a 6 string out but didn't want to spend a lot. I looked at all the others in this price range and this is the best of them. It has a nice active 3 band electronics (as opposed to 2 band or just a Fat boost), nice EMG style pups and a great spalted maple top and solid tuners and bridge. I got one used in good condition and it only had a minor ding in the end of the head-stock - which i was able to smooth over with some fine sandpaper and then rub with a little wax to make it shiny. You can barely see it now. Also, it buzzed on the high C and high G at the first fret but i loosened the truss rods (yes, it has DUAL truss rods!) a quarter turn and the tiny bit of extra relief made the buzzing go away. The electronics are good - not a huge amount of change but enough boost to get more phat and more pop. The price is so low you can easily upgrade the pups and preamp if you want and still be out only about 1K$. This is a really nice looking and sounding 6 string for the price with better than average value.

Comments about ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass:

i gave it a nine overall because in order for you to really hear the sound you have to have a decent rig or you might just not like the sound :S, the second reason is that ive gone through a lot of strings on this bass, and about 4 out of 5 times its been the D string.....idk if thats just my bad luck or the bass, but in my opinion this is the best bass in this price range and better that some other pricier basses
this bass has the features you expect but executed in a great way, the 3 band eq is excelent and allows you to get any sound you might want or need. the tuners are good, bridge is good, and the pick ups are good as well
very well made for this price range, ive played other basses at locall music stores that are six strings and way more expensive and this bass holds up
cost effective bass, with a sound of a much more expensive one

Comments about ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass:

I resisted the temptation to buy a 5 or 6-string bass for the past six years.I have however tested a few made by Yamaha,Ibanez,Carvin and Fender,in music stores ,and owned by others in my country,Trinidad & Tobago, and have found none to my liking.I either didn't like the overall sound of the instrument,that is,pick-ups and electronics,the width of the neck,or string action, so i was happy with my Fender Jazz,until i saw the ESP LTD B-206SM ON this website, i was sold on the look. I ordered my instrument from another website(This website was out of stock),and received it in two weeks(i ordered a Hard-shell case as well,and took most of the time).My instrument arrived in mint condition,no blemishes anywhere,it was "gig ready" right out of the box,and is well balanced,the neck is narrow to my surprise,and the action,though a bit high for me,was easy to adjust with no problems.It has a single Truss rod,but it's a "Bi-Flex" Truss rod,which is very useful,as the neck can be adjusted in either direction,very useful in the tropics where i live.The acoustic sound of the B-206SM is unbelievably clear,whats even better,is that the ESP pick-ups and on-board preamp reproduces that sound accurately.It's three-band EQ is very easy to use and just as accurate,no sudden increase/decrease features,but rather a gradual more "natural" approach to sound shaping,and this is a feature i love,i also love the extra "heel" at the bottom of the neck,it sits inside of the body,i suspect it contributes to extra sustain.The B-206SM uses one 9-volt battery,as opposed to two,this i like not just for the economics,but because the preamp doesn't come across as overwhelmingly loud as other models,i'm using a GK 800RB,as my bass rig,and it sounds fantastic on it with little or no tweaking on the amp,the neck and bridge pick-ups give me a wide variety of tonal possibilities,and amazingly,with almost no damping,they sound just as clear as pole-piece pick-ups,amazing clarity for Soap-bar pick-ups,i was never a fan,but i am now,ESP did a great job with these.Alto Music tells me that all ESP guitars ship with SIT Strings,so that's what i'm using and they sound great!!.I use D'Addario EXL 170s with my Fender Jazz,and the SITs sound similar to those,at least to me.Finally,i have had the B-206SM now for almost a month,i've been playing it daily for 6-8 hours a day,preparing for a Gospel concert(the transition from 4-string to 6-string isn't easy for me),did the gig on the 29th of May with full Orchestra and singers, a two hour performance,and the battery held up,i had a spare,but thankfully,i didn't need it,i'm still using the same battery it shipped with.This is a great design by ESP,clearly a great item for the price,a 3-band EQ is rare on guitars in this price range.Check out ESP Guitars.com for additional info,and even a downloadable "Owners Manual".Thanks ESP,

Comments about ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass:

I've already reviewed two other ESP basses, so this should be easy as pie--This bass was set up in tune and perfectly set right from the box. The action is great. There is a 97% buzz-less fret board, aside from the 6th fret B string on mine. The pick-ups are great - EQ is great.Here's the quality problem. The back of the tuning heads are the color of a fairly (pale) rusted penny, and that's not affecting the sound, but it's annoying that they couldn't have checked. ASLO, the bolts that keep the neck and body attached are a tab bit discolored, and screwed on almost wrong. --All in all, this is a wonderful bass, the finish is great, the pickups sound great, it's easy to tune, and is (as much as I WOULDN'T have liked to know) very resistant to drops, even dropping it onto a steel girder, and then the floor.

Comments about ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass:

Following up to my previous review, i took the bass in to get the wiring problem fixed, and the short of it is, while i was disappointed that i had to take a brand new instrument in to be repaired right off the bat, now that i have had time to really get to know this bass, i would highly recommend it to anyone! Great action and response. Cheers.

Comments about ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass:

This bass absolutely blew me away. It was the cheapest 6-string I could find that consistently got good reviews, so on a whim I picked it up off ebay for about 400$. Stunning. Not only does it look fabulous, with a natural finish over beautiful wood-grain, it sounds unreal. The active pickups allow for so many tonal options it's hard to know where to begin, suffice it to say you can get ANY sound you want out of this thing! Mine shipped in tact too, it needs minor setup (buzzy frets here and there on the high C) but nothing I can complain about. I cannot recommend this bass enough, I've played a lot of basses in my time and have a very good ear, and this thing seems so miraculously under-priced for it's quality, it's hard to believe it's for real.Happy instrumenting everyone! As 6-stringers go this thing's a steal!

Comments about ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass:

I've played just about every type and brand of bass possible. Being an active musician for many years I've played numerous 4,5,and 6 strings. I didn't buy this bass from Musician's Friend but I absolutely love this bass. It sounds phenomenal, and can take a licking. I play metal and jump around and trash and I've dropped this bass, thrown this bass, done just about everything to this bass and it still sounds great, no damage, no tension rod problems...nothing. Absolutely the best 6 string available.