Old metalhead who purchased this model a couple of months ago . I do not gig  anymore and my band days are over.

I wanted a final bass for my collection ,that has killer looks , is very light weight and catches the eye . 
This ticks all the boxes..and then some ! At almost £2,000 it should do ! ( I managed to grab a ‘B’ stock from Thomann for a few hundred  less so all good !)

I was looking at spending up to £3,500 max as it would be mad to spend more if I’m just noodling in the front room or doing soundcloud recordings etc. Plus I couldn’t afford to anyway .

My preferred basses are headless , because I used to always use public transport and they’re quick and easy .

I have a Washburn status ,which had problematic active circuitry . It resulted in a guitar tech just making everything passive and I literally just plug and play !

This ESP bass is similar as iit just has a volume knob ! 

I was thinking of purchasing a Warwick vampyre , but they’re not very good if you’re sitting down ! 
I was going to get a kubicki with the black red burst finish I saw from the ‘80s ..however this new ESP has the finish ..and heavy metal design I wanted ! 
one other thing that is great about this bass , is where the jack socket is located ..at the side of the body ! Ideal for sitting down ! 

So, Plusses : The shape and red bust finish/ very light / one volume knob only / Jack socket at side of body . Playability is fantastic ! Great feel and slim neck ! 
Minuses: Nut should be brass ! One pickup only in slightly odd position / Foam fit case only ! Fantastic as it is , I would have preferred a quality gig bag as I live in small flat/ apartment , plus no room in the foam to put bass in there with a dimarzio straplock strap .

I am contemplating whether to take this to a guitar tech to tune B-E-A-D 🤔

Anyway ,I love this bass and recommend to any metal-head out there ! 😼👍