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ESP LTD B-205SM Fretless Bass Guitar - Natural Satin

5-string Electric Bass with Spalted Maple Top, Ash Body, 5-piece Maple/Rosewood Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 SB-4 Humbucking Pickups - Natural Satin
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ESP LTD B-205SM Fretless Bass Guitar - Natural Satin
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Well-priced Fretless Bass with High-end Features

Bassists looking to step into the range of next-level instruments without the hefty price tag should look no further than the ESP LTD B-205SM 5-string Fretless Bass. This bass has a stunning natural satin-finished spalted maple top on an ergonomic ash body for a warm and cutting tone, good stage looks, and all-night comfort. A bolt-on 5-piece maple neck with ESP's Extra-Thin "U" profile and rosewood fingerboard give the LTD B-205SM Fretless a solid response and effortless playability. With two humbucking pickups with active EQ, a stable string-through bridge, and moody black nickel hardware, the ESP LTD B-205SM 5-string Fretless Bass delivers high-end features at an affordable price.

Distinctive tonewoods for focused lows and a cutting edge

The LTD B-205SM Fretless has a look and sound that's unique among basses in this price range. The ash body and bolt-on maple neck give this bass a decidedly American response: bright and punchy mids, a fast attack, and a focused low end. The stunning spalted maple top's natural satin finish gives this instrument an eye-catching look to suit modern styles of music.

Humbucking pickups with 3-band active EQ for modern color

ESP electronics have a sound that delivers for modern rock, metal, and fusion, and the LTD B-205SM 5-string Fretless stays true to this reputation. Onboard SB-5 neck and bridge humbuckers give this bass fairly moderate output with low noise for clean stage amplification and accurate studio sound reproduction. A powerful 3-band active EQ section provides diverse tone-shaping options to help your groove find its place in a mix. Sweetwater ensemble players love the LTD B-205SM's power to cut through and be heard!

Pro-level appointments at an entry-level price

The LTD-205SM Fretless boasts a spalted maple top and headcap, normally found on more expensive instruments, along with cool black nickel hardware that really contrasts nicely with the stunning maple cap. The string-through LTD BB-604 bridge provides a solid intersection between the strings and the body, preserving tone and ensuring long-lasting, clean performance.

ESP LTD B-205SM 5-string Fretless Bass Guitar Features:

  • 5-string bolt-on neck gives you an extra-low B string and snappy, fluid response
  • Distinctive tonewoods for focused lows with punchy mids and a gnarly bite
  • Attractive and unusual spalted maple in satin finish with black nickel hardware is visually stunning
  • SB-5N and SB-5B humbuckers with 3-band active EQ for modern color
  • LTD BB-604 black nickel bridge with string-thru-body design for worry-free performance
  • 24 fret markers aid hand positioning while empowering you to conjure that fretless magic

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • Number of Strings: 5
  • Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
  • Body Shape: ESP B Series
  • Body Material: Ash with Spalted Maple
  • Body Finish: Satin
  • Color: Natural
  • Neck Material: 5-piece Maple/Jatoba
  • Neck Shape: Extra Thin U
  • Radius: 15.75"
  • Fingerboard Material: Roasted Jatoba
  • Fingerboard Inlay: 12th fret inlay
  • Number of Frets: Fretless (24)
  • Scale Length: 34"
  • Nut Width: 1.771"
  • Nut Material: Molded
  • Bridge/Tailpiece: LTD BB-605 string-thru
  • Tuners: LTD
  • Neck Pickup: ESP Designed SB-5N Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup: ESP Designed SB-5B Humbucker
  • Controls: 1 x master volume, 1 x balance, 3-band Active EQ
  • Strings: D'Addario 45-125
  • Case Included: Sold Separately
  • Manufacturer Part Number: LB205SMFLNS

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Great customer service

Super fast shipping, great people to work with. I've owned a few instruments over the years. This is a really well built bass at this price. I paid for a set up, and flats. I highly recommend the set up I can't get over how well this thing plays, and sounds. I can't find anything to complain about with this purchase. The case is a must as well !
Rated 5/5

Awesome fretless for the price!

I was looking for a five-string fretless bass, and this model caught my eye due to the good looking spalted Maple top. I have had no experience in the past with ESP/LTD, but I decided to give it a shot anyways. I'm really glad I did, this bass is just awesome! It is lighter than most full body bases, the five piece neck is thinner than most five strings and has a satin finish that is very fast to play, and the electronics make the tone punchy and bright which is often lacking on a fretless. I play a more modern, slightly more aggressive style on the fretless with a lot of bite and slap and pop. I usually have to do a lot of work to get a new instrument to suit my style, but this thing came out of the box ready to go just how I like it. First of all, it came pre-installed with round round strings. This may not sound like a huge deal, but most fretless bases come with flatwound strings and the modern style is to use round wounds for the brighter punchy tone, and just developed calluses on your fingers that you can still slide properly. This instrument actually comes how the modern fretless player would want it. And then, let me talk for just a minute about the setup job that Sweetwater does before they send the instrument to you. This is the first guitar that I have bought from Sweetwater, so I really didn't know what their 55 point or whatever inspection was all about. The instrument really did come ready to play, with all adjustments that you would normally have to make on a new instrument already taken care of to a high degree of accuracy. I have a nice digital tuner, and the intonation was set as perfect as my tuner is able to detect.

So all in all, super happy with this instrument, it's now my main noise maker for the foreseeable future.
Music background: Local blues and rock musician.
Rated 5/5

Nice sounding bass

I really think this is a quality bass for a decent price. Looks as good in person as in the pictures. It is a bit heavy but definitely the best priced 5 string Fretless that I could find. The eq is very responsive and can really shape your tone. I've not noticed fretboard wear with practice daily for several weeks. Sweetwater did a great job packaging it for shipping. Even though ups was a bit rough with the outer box, the interior box and bass were in perfect condition.
Rated 5/5

Love it!

Played great right out of the box. I'll be changing the strings to DR's but that's my choice, not a problem with the bass. For the money, I don't see how you could do much better. Sweetwater was most pleasant to do business with as well! Thanks Eric!!
Music background: Retired life long musician.
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