ESP LTD AP-204 - Overview and Best Prices
- 2 Prices - New from $599 >
- From ESP LTD's 2019 AP Player Grade series
- Made in Indonesia
- 4 strings
- 34"'' scale
- 15.748" Fretboard Radius
- Mahogany top
- Mahogany body
- Maple neck
- Roasted Jatoba fretboard
- Bridge pickup: ESP Designed LDJ (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: ESP Designed LDP (Single Coil/Passive)
- 2 volume and 2 tone Dome knobs
- LTD DB-4 bridge
- Bass Thin U Bolt-On neck
- 21 XL Jumbo frets
- LTD tuners
- Side-By-Side Comparison
Show Specs
| ESP LTD AP-204 | ||
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | ESP LTD | |
| Year: | 2019 | |
| Configuration: | PJ | |
| Strings: | 4 | |
| Made in: | Indonesia | |
| Series: | AP Player Grade | |
| Colors: | Black | |
| Left-Handed Version: | No | |
| Body | ||
| Top: | Mahogany | |
| Type: | Solid Body | |
| Body Material: | Mahogany | |
| Bridge: | LTD DB-4 | |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Bolt-On | |
| Tuners: | LTD | |
| Fretboard: | Roasted Jatoba | |
| Neck Material: | Maple | |
| Decoration: | White Dots | |
| Scale Size: | 34" | |
| Shape: | Bass Thin U | |
| Frets: | 21 XL Jumbo | |
| Fretboard Radius: | 15.748" | |
| Nut: | Plastic | |
| Nut Width: | 38mm (1.496'') | |
| Electronics | ||
| Bridge Pickups: | ESP Designed LDJ (Single Coil / Passive) | |
| Neck Pickup: | ESP Designed LDP (Single Coil / Passive) | |
| Switch: | 0 | |
| Knobs: | Dome | |
| Volume Controls: | 2 | |
| Tone Controls: | 2 | |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | |
| Hardware Color: | Chrome | |
Our Scores and Tone Evaluation
- Heavy Metal
- Hard Rock
- Jazz
- Blues
- Funk
- Country
ESP LTD AP-204
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Active Preamp
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Retainer Bar
- No Strap Lock
Price Overview
Its average competitor's price is $550, which means that the ESP LTD AP-204 is within the average price asked for this kind of bass. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 4 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in Indonesia.
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User Reviews & Feedback
Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!
Weight
VoteTuning stability
VoteNeck speed (thickness)
VoteNeck access to high frets
VoteNeck profile shape
VoteFret edges
VotePickups noise
VotePickups power
VoteOften Compared With
Hand Size Comfortability
After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the ESP LTD AP-204's construction is balanced for most hand sizes.
Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this bass—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.
Beginner Friendliness
The ESP LTD AP-204 meets 3 out of our 6 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's not bad for beginners, but it could be better. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players to get used to.
New Player Friendliness
ESP LTD AP-204- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
Videos
Playability
Scale Length
Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.
Here's the ESP LTD AP-204's 34" scale length compared to other common sizes:
This is considered a long scale bass, and it's the most popular choice for several reasons. Even though it might be more difficult to play than short scale basses due to their increased string tension, their punchier low-end results in a clear and defined bass tone that can cut through in a mix, making them well-suited for genres like rock, metal, and funk.
Neck Profile
The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.
It has a U type neck. This shape usually has more 'shoulders' than a C neck. It's great for guitarists who love the feel of a vintage neck. Most of them are thick, which makes it better for people with big hands. However, some of them can be thin like a C neck but with more mass to the sides for a better grip.
Fretboard Radius
When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.
The ESP LTD AP-204 has a 15.748" fingerboard radius.
Here's an image comparing this fretboard radius to other popular choices:
Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the ESP LTD AP-204 has the same radius across the board.
Playability compared to main competitors
Nut Width
The ESP LTD AP-204 has a nut width of 38mm (1.496''). This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 4-string bass. This is what most players find as a balanced width for both playing chords and single notes across different strings. If you have an "average" hand size, or you're not sure what nut width you'd like, this is a safe bet.
Frets
The ESP LTD AP-204 has 21 frets. Even though 24 frets has become really popular, there's still a good reason to get fewer frets; the pickup at the neck position will be further away from the bridge. This makes the neck pickup achieve a warmer tone. You might want this if you're playing Jazz or similar genres.
However, if you don't care about the warmer neck pickup, more frets will always be better. It's always nice to have the option to play higher notes if you want to.
It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.
Fret Size
Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.
The ESP LTD AP-204's frets are XL Jumbo size. These are extra-large frets, which are perfect for people who truly want the least resistance for techniques like vibrato, bending, tapping, and just playing fast in general. You won't be able to feel the fretboard with these frets, so if you press too hard you'll get the notes out of pitch. It might take a while to get used to them because of this.
Playability Score
Tone
Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.
Wood
Mahogany Body: This is the type of wood found in many top-of-the-line guitars, so that's a positive point for the build quality. This red-looking wood Mahogany is found in Africa and Central America and has great sustain and a warm tone due to its high density. The downside about this type of wood is that it's relatively heavy.
Maple Neck: This is one of the most popular types of wood used in all kinds of guitars. It's heavy, strong and compact, which makes it great for necks. However, it's also used for fretboards, bodies and tops due to its light color, resistance and beautiful patterns. When it comes to tone, it highlights the mid and high frequencies.
Jatoba Fretboard: It's an exceptionally hard and dense wood that emphasizes the mid-lows, giving a fuller, more round sound than, for example, Mahogany. However, it also has a lot of clarity in the top end.
Pickups
This bass comes with pickups from one of the top brands: ESP. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.
These are passive pickups, so you can expect a rounder sound and a moderade level of output.
Preamp
The preamp is an electronic circuit that serves as an intermediary between the bass's pickups and the amplifier. Its primary function is to boost and shape the bass's raw signal before it reaches the amplifier. This allows for greater control over the bass's tone, volume, and other sound characteristics. Preamps often include tone controls, equalization settings, and sometimes even onboard effects, enabling bassists to tailor their sound to their preferences and the musical context.
This bass has a Active preamp. Unlike passive basses, which rely solely on passive pickups and tone controls, active preamps require a power source, typically a 9-volt battery, to operate. The active preamp offers several advantages, including the ability to boost or cut specific frequencies, resulting in a more versatile and customizable tonal palette. Active basses are favored in genres where precise tonal sculpting and extended tonal options are essential, such as jazz fusion or progressive rock. However, they do require occasional battery replacement or recharging to ensure optimal performance.
The ESP LTD AP-204's configuration is PJ. It offers a versatile tonal range by combining the warm, punchy sound of a Precision-style (P-style) pickup with the brighter, more articulate tones of a Jazz-style (J-style) pickup. This makes it a great choice for those seeking tonal flexibility.
Versatility
Unfortunately, it doesn't come with more options for coil split or coil tapping. This makes it less versatile than some competitors.
What music genre is it good for?
As a 4 strings, Solid Body bass with PJ configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Hard Rock or similar. However, you can use almost any bass for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.
Sound Score
Build Quality
Country of Origin
Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.
The ESP LTD AP-204 is made in Indonesia. Many people prefer the quality of an Indonesian guitar over a Chinese. Respectable brands like Epiphone, Ibanez and Schecter are building in this country because of the great quality and lower price. Some people like to compare them to the ones built in Japan during the 80s, when Japanese guitar makers made a name for themselves.
Bridge
LTD DB-4: The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.
Nut Material
Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your bass. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.
In this case, the ESP LTD AP-204 has a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.
Neck Joint
The neck joint is the part where the neck of the bass meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.
This bass has a Bolt-On neck joint. Even though this type of neck was looked down upon for a long time, nowadays bolt-on necks are well built and provide just as much sustain as any other join method. First of all, it's cheap to make because it consists of simply 4 bolts that attach the neck to the body. And you can travel with the guitar more easily, swap out the neck if you damage it, or upgrade to a more comfortable neck later on.
