ESP LTD B-205SM FRETLESS - Overview and Best Prices
- 1 Prices - New from $649 >
- From ESP LTD's 2023 B Player Grade series
- Made in Indonesia
- 5 strings
- 34"'' scale
- 15.748" Fretboard Radius
- Spalted Maple top
- Ash body
- 5Pc Maple/Jatoba neck
- Roasted Jatoba fretboard
- Bridge pickup: ESP Designed SB-5B (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: ESP Designed SB-5N (Humbucker/Passive)
- 2 volume and 3 tone Dome knobs
- LTD BB-605 w/ String Thru bridge
- Bass Thin U Bolt-On neck
- 24 Fretless frets
- LTD tuners
- Weight between 9.5lbs (4.3kgs) and 9.625lbs (4.4kgs)
- Side-By-Side Comparison
Show Specs
| ESP LTD B-205SM FRETLESS | ||
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | ESP LTD | |
| Year: | 2023 | |
| Configuration: | HH | |
| Strings: | 5 | |
| Made in: | Indonesia | |
| Series: | B Player Grade | |
| Colors: | Natural | |
| Left-Handed Version: | No | |
| Body | ||
| Top: | Spalted Maple | |
| Type: | Solid Body | |
| Body Material: | Ash | |
| Bridge: | LTD BB-605 w/ String Thru | |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Bolt-On | |
| Tuners: | LTD | |
| Fretboard: | Roasted Jatoba | |
| Neck Material: | 5Pc Maple/Jatoba | |
| Decoration: | ||
| Scale Size: | 34" | |
| Shape: | Bass Thin U | |
| Frets: | 24 Fretless | |
| Fretboard Radius: | 15.748" | |
| Nut: | Plastic | |
| Nut Width: | 45mm (1.772'') | |
| Electronics | ||
| Bridge Pickups: | ESP Designed SB-5B (Humbucker / Passive) | |
| Neck Pickup: | ESP Designed SB-5N (Humbucker / Passive) | |
| Switch: | 0 | |
| Knobs: | Dome | |
| Volume Controls: | 2 | |
| Tone Controls: | 3 | |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | |
| Hardware Color: | Black | |
Our Scores and Tone Evaluation
- Heavy Metal
- Hard Rock
- Jazz
- Blues
- Funk
- Country
ESP LTD B-205SM FRETLESS
- 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 $730, which means that the ESP LTD B-205SM FRETLESS is around 11% cheaper than the competition. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 5 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in Indonesia.
These are affiliate links. We may earn a fee if you purchase after clicking. These prices are prone to error. Make sure you're buying the right product after clicking on a link from our site. We are not liable if you buy the wrong product after following these links. As an Amazon Associate site we earn from qualifying purchases.
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
VoteHand Size Comfortability
After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the ESP LTD B-205SM FRETLESS'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 B-205SM FRETLESS meets 2 out of our 6 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's not recommended for complete beginners. 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 B-205SM FRETLESS- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
Videos
How Lightweight is it?
We found that the ESP LTD B-205SM FRETLESS weighs between 9.5lbs (4.3kgs) and 9.625lbs (4.4kgs). This was recorded from some online retailers that publish the weight of the instruments they sell.
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 B-205SM FRETLESS'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 B-205SM FRETLESS 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 B-205SM FRETLESS has the same radius across the board.
Playability compared to main competitors
Nut Width
The ESP LTD B-205SM FRETLESS has a nut width of 45mm (1.772''). This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 5-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 B-205SM FRETLESS has 24 frets. A lot of people mistakenly believe that having more frets will always be better because it gives you a higher octave. This is certainly an advantage, but there's also a disadvantage to this.
Since the fretboard will be longer, the neck pickup will need to be placed closer to the bridge. And as you may know, the further away the neck pickup is from the bridge, the warmer it sounds. This means you'll have a brighter-sounding neck pickup when using a 24-fret bass, even if you use the same pickup on a 22-fret bass.
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 B-205SM FRETLESS's frets are Fretless size. This offers the advantage of greater pitch flexibility, allowing for smooth slides and microtonal variations. They can produce a unique, warm tone. However, they require precise finger placement, making them less forgiving for beginners and potentially leading to intonation issues.
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
Ash Body: The most popular Ash wood for guitars is swamp Ash. It has a really light color with beautiful patterns, which makes it perfect for a natural-looking finish. It's not as lightweight as Alder, but also not as heavy as Mahogany. It's known for producing a bright tone with solid mids and lows.
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 B-205SM FRETLESS's configuration is HH. With this pickup combination, you'll get warmer tones and more output than using single coils. Humbucker pickups cancel the noise that single-coil suffer from, which also results in a warmer tone. This pickup combination isn't only for high-gain music like Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. Their warmness is also popular for Jazz, Indie, R&B, Blues and more.
More with the same pickups
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 5 strings, Solid Body bass with HH configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Heavy Metal 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 B-205SM FRETLESS 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 BB-605 w/ String Thru: 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 B-205SM FRETLESS 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.
