6 string bass for chords composing (LTD vs Ibanez)

[mike313]

Hello, I am going to buy a 6 stringer mainly for composing with chords, arpeggios and some tapping. So I will be playing mostly in the upper neck and dont care much about the sound of the B string and low frequencies in general. I need a clean sound.

Ultimately I am down to choosing between 3 basses. I would like to know, based on the woods and how they are made, which one you think is the best for my scope.

1- ESP LTD B206:[list]
[*]Ash body with spalted maple top
[*]6-Piece bolt-on maple/walnut neck
[*]35" scale
[*]Rosewood fingerboard
[*]24 XJ frets
[/list]
2 - ESP LTD D-6:[list]
[*]Neck-thru-body
[*]34" scale
[*]Merbau body
[*]5-piece mahogany/maple neck
[*]Rosewood fingerboard
[*]24 XJ frets
[/list]
3 - Ibanez SR506[list]
[*]5-piece SR6 bolt-on neck crafted of jatoba and bubinga
[*]Sculpted mahogany body
[*]Rosewood fretboard with 24 medium frets
[*]34" scale
[/list]

They all cost the same and I dont care about things like weight or aesthetics, so it is really just a matter of which will sound best for the kind of music I will make. Unfortunately I have no opportunity to test the basses before buying, as I cant find any of them in any shop in my city.

I know nothing about woods and such things, so please help me!

Edited December 31, 2016 by mike313

[Graham]

Just to make things awkward, if you don't need the low B, have you considered tuning a five string E to C?

However, going on the specs alone of the three you've identified, I'd guess the second ESP would fit the bill best - through neck, exotic wood and 34" scale, which I think would be preferable for the upper register.

[mike313]

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1483184438' post='3205255']
Just to make things awkward, if you don't need the low B, have you considered tuning a five string E to C?

However, going on the specs alone of the three you've identified, I'd guess the second ESP would fit the bill best - through neck, exotic wood and 34" scale, which I think would be preferable for the upper register.
[/quote]

I thought about a 5 string E to C, but I cant find any bass sold with that configuration, so I should use a normal 5er and send it to the luthier to make the changes. The thing is I dont really trust the luthiers in my city for such a delicate job. I need the bass to have perfect tuning on the upper neck, decently low action and a consistent tone across the strings. I really fear a luthier converting a normal 5er to an E to C would mess up something, so I prefer to buy a standard 6 strings.

Yeah the second ESP is my favourite between the 3 basses, but I'll wait for some other opinion before pulling the trigger on that.

Thanks a lot and happy new year.

[therealting]

E to C is easy to do, you may not even need to change the nut. I used to go back and forth between BEADG and EADGC on my Stingray all the time with just intonation tweaks.

[Cato]

Have you thought about getting a classical guitar?

Tonally quite similar to a bass and a lot easier to play chords on than a six string bass.

[White Cloud]

I cant comment on the ESP but the Ibanez is a fantastic instrument for the price.

[Sibob]

Taking a 5er from B-G to E-C is easy, the most amount of work is changing the nut, and that's not always completely necessary.
It's not a 'delicate' job, and if a luthier can't do it.....they're not a luthier.
However if you want a bass that comes in that configuration to start with, try the Ibanez Volo:

http://www.ibanez.com/products/u_eb_detail.php?year=2016&cat_id=2&series_id=53&data_id=70&color=CL01

Si

[Guest ixlramp]

From BEADG to EADGC is easy and the nut will not need any work. Just restring and re-intonate the saddles.
Better though for your use is to restring a 6 EADGCF for more chord possibilities and higher notes.