2019 ESP LTD: B-1005NS Bocote 5 String Bass – A First Look

With ESP’s 2019 offerings rapidly approaching here at Noisegate, we were lucky enough to get an exclusive look at one of the basses featuring in the lineup. The B series of basses have been a staple in ESP lineups for decades, a take on the classic double cut body shape ESP have made their own mark with the rolling edges and varying exotic wood choices available.

Check out the video below, we plugged in the bass and had a quick play. Instantly it was apparent this bass was pretty versatile and very easy to play, on top of that it looked sick with the Bocote top (I don’t think many companies use this wood on bass much?). These basses hit stores globally later in the month, definitely worth looking into for the bassist needing a tool with a heap of options!

The new LTD B-1005NS series is no exception to the rule, these basses feature a solid ‘Bocote’ top harnessed by a solid swamp ash body. What is Bocote?! It’s a dense, solid wood used for its stunning aesthetics and tonal stability. You can find Nordstrand’s ‘Big Split’ pickups onboard, this instantly telling us no corners were cut when it came to making this bass. These pickups are unique in the way they are physically split into two coils after the D string pole pieces but remaining linear in the mount. This gives the player a PJ variant of tones with a very clean, noise-free signal you’d expect from a boutique pickup of its type. A very comfortable 34’’ scale combined with the ESP ‘Extra Thin U’ profile on the neck make this a fast, responsive bass to play. The neck combines a Pau Ferro fingerboard with a five-piece construction. Purple Heart & Wenge woods are used on the neck to give maximum stability but also leave a striking aesthetic touch with the contrast in shades, another reason this bass is part of the Deluxe range at ESP.