Product Description

A spalted maple top and ash body combine for beauty and tone on the striking ESP B-206 6 string bass. ESP pickups at the neck and bridge with volume and balance controls are complemented by active 3-band EQ for maximum tone tweakability. 24 XJ frets and abalone dot inlays on a rosewood fingerboard. Maple-walnut neck has a 35" scale.

Case sold separately.

Ash body with spalted maple top Bolt-on maple-walnut neck 35" scale Rosewood fingerboard Standard 54mm nut 24 XJ frets Abalone dot inlays Black nickel hardware ESP-LTD tuners ESP DB-6 bridge ESP SB-6 pickup set Volume and balance controls ESP ABQ3 3-band active EQ Case sold separately

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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,
ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass Spalted Maple
.This is the first 6 string bass I have ever individually owned and I have to say, compared to my passive Fender P-Bass, this thing plays like an angel.

Pros- The string spacing is fantastic. The problem I had with some of the Ibanez sixers I played is the crazy large amount of space between the strings and the thickness of the fretboard. That problem isn't there with this ESP. The fretboard, while still enormous, isn't so big that it's impossible to play. I can reach the B string with no problem. Another pro is the epic tone and 3-Band EQ. I play in a metal band and the active pickups allow me to output that crazy dark tone with a necessary amount of twang that's just perfect. I also love the finish, but the description is a bit misleading. The top is not spalted maple, it's regular maple that's painted and stained to look spalted. I don't have an issue with that but some people might.

Cons- This bass is by no means perfect. The stock action is extremely low, and as a result, there is lots of fret buzz. This problem can be pretty easily fixed with a few twists to the dual truss rods. In some spots, the maple wood doesn't feel like it was sanded at all. Several spots on the back of the body feel very rough. Even though this doesn't affect playing, it bothers me a bit. Last but certainly not least, the thing that makes this a recording bass in my book is how unbelievably heavy it is. It weighs well over 10 pounds. If you're going to play this live, strap locks are basically required because the weight of this thing will cause it to fall out of the strap for sure.

Overall, this bass has a fantastic sound. I would not recommend using it in live shows on big stages since you'll most likely be moving around a lot and it will be tiring and you risk it falling out of the strap. If it is to be used live, I would say try and limit it to smaller venues. For a recording bass, or if you're looking for sound and size and weight is no issue, I say this is easily the best 6 string available for the price.
ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass Spalted Maple
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I've had one for about a year and a half and I can't say enough about this beautiful beast. I got it because I wanted to have one bass flexible enough to provide any tone I'd need for 4 hours of rock/blues/country covers. With some 6 string basses, the output and tone can be terribly inconsistent from string to string, particularly if you have a run that uses all 6 of them. This one, however, has an extremely focused and consistent tone and level no matter where you are on the neck. Playing power chords on the 3 treble-side strings sounds clean and almost guitar-like.

I'm a tech and a luthier, so naturally when I buy a bass, I go over it with a fine-toothed comb, adjusting and looking for inconsistencies. The setup was already near-perfect and the cavities are tidy and well-shielded and grounded. Yes, it's heavy. It's a serious bass that uses its weight well. strap balance is great, and i got used to the weight and enjoyed the sustain and resonance that solid weight can bring.

There are basses with higher end preamps, more sensitive pickups, more exotic woods, but you will not find a better one than this for twice the money.

Exceptional finish, build, balance, broad palette of tones, sustain, and playability. Not to mention the wow factor every time someone new sees it.

The price has gone up since I bought it, so pick one up before ESP wises up and charges what it's worth.
ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass Spalted Maple
.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.
ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass Spalted Maple
.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$. This is a really nice looking and sounding 6 string for the price with better than average value.
ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass Spalted Maple
.This bass absolutely blew me away. It was the cheapest 6-string I could find that consistently got good reviews, so on a whim I picked it up off ebay for about 400$. 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!
ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass Spalted Maple
.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
ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass Spalted Maple
.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.
ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass Spalted Maple
.I just got this beast earlier today and couldn't be more in love with it. If you're even thinking of trying a six-string, go with this. It plays much more nicely than the Spectors and Schecters that I've handled. The only adjustment I had to make out of the box was lowering the pickups a touch and raising the B string saddle, but the thing plays like a dream otherwise. It's very bright, be forewarned, but that translates to a great low-end growl. Buy. This. Bass.
ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass Spalted Maple
.As I recently left the east coast for LA, I purchased this ESP B206 as my backup 6 (being reluctant to take my boutique monster for the initial journey). The B206 is a fine-quality, well-made, completely pro instrument with a nice bunch of tones and a killer price. Good woods, a strong neck and decent hardware round out the package. 2 things aren't 100% right about it for me, but PLEASE NOTE that these are SUBJECTIVE and do not reflect upon the overall quality. The neck heel is quite chunky, and could've been a lot more streamlined in the design stage. Also, as I have what's possibly the widest fretboard on any signature production instrument (a moment to bow our heads here, for Anthony), the B206 spacing obviously took quite a bit getting used to. This is not to say that this baby's unprofessional at all, it's merely tight- possibly tighter than a Jazz at the first fret, and it doesn't flare out very much toward the 24th, either. HOWEVER.. if you come from 4 string-land and want to test the waters, or need a solid pro backup-6 and can deal with a narrow neck, this is the one to get.
ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Bass Spalted Maple
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