Description
ESP Edwards E-AM-150QM
Why we love it
Expertly crafted made in Japan high value-for-performance active jazz bass with boutique touches punching way above its price point.
Condition
This bass is in Very Good condition. There are scattered light scratches or pick marks scattered around the body and pickguard. There are a couple surface scratches and dings on the front of the headstock (pictured). There is a light scratch near the bridge visible from certain angles (pictured). There are some light scuffs and surface scratches on the back of the body near the strap button (pictured). The neck shows no signs of warping or waviness. The frets show few signs of wear and have plenty of life left. Truss rod operates as it should with plenty of adjustment room. D’Addario EXL 45-105 strings are currently installed. This bass is set up bass for medium-low action (around 2.25mm E). The neck is adjusted for optimal relief, pickup height has been set, and intonation is dialed-in up and down the neck. This bass includes a very nice ESP gig bag with thick padding.
Overview
Up for grabs is this eye catching 2015 ESP Edwards E-AM-150QM in Black Aqua finish. If you are not familiar, Edwards is an ESP Japan-only cost performance brand. Edwards instruments are made in Japan by ESP and have exceptional build quality. This includes immaculate fit and finish, a real bone nut, Gotoh hardware, and Seymour Duncan pickups. These basses sport a majority of the fit, finish, and performance of ESP high end/custom shop for a significantly lower price.
The quilted maple top on this bass is highly figured, looking like a deep ocean pool with the Black Aque finish. Ash is used for the back of the body, helping reinforce quick, detailed response, punchy bass, and good brightness. The all-maple neck takes a familiar shape with a 9.5-inch radius, 1.5 inch nut width and C-shaped profile and sports a matching dark aqua quilted maple veneer. Lightweight and excellent quality Gotoh GB11W tuning keys are used. At the other end, an excellent Gotoh 404BO-4 bridge is used. This is a plated heavy brass bridge which helps provide great sustain and offers substantial adjustability. The instrument is well balanced and plays fluidly.
Electronics and Tone
If you play a variety of styles and need considerable tonal flexibility to go from aggressive, punchy, and bright to big, round, and warm, this bass can be a chameleon to fit the occasion. The onboard Yuta preamp is incredibly transparent to my ear, letting the tone woods be the star here, not the active circuitry. There is plenty of bass and treble adjustment range available to shape low and high frequency content to your desire. This bass presents focused and punchy lows with great mid and treble clarity thanks to the maple fretboard and ash/maple body combo.
According to Seymour Duncan, the SJB-1 pickups “are a faithful recreation of the Jazz Bass single coils of the early 60s. Our Vintage Jazz Bass pickups stay true to the originals by capturing that warm tone with just the right amount of midrange… The neck model is full sounding, and brings in a nice, rich bottom end without being boomy. It is wound RWRP so that it will hum-cancel when used together with the bridge pickup. The bridge model is smooth and punchy and delivers a brightness that is a perfect balance for the warmer neck model.” These are great sounding pickups, and with the Yuta preamp, they are even better. The neck pickup can sound aggressive or nice and round and the rear pickup can punch and growl without too much honk.
Specifications
BODY: Quilted Maple Top, Ash Back
NECK: Hard Maple
FINGERBOARD: Maple, 21frets
RADIUS: 9.5” / 240R
SCALE: 34 in / 864mm
NUT: Bone
NUT WIDTH: 1.5 in / 38mm
INLAY: Black Acrylic Dot
NECK JOINT: Bolt-on
TUNER: GOTOH GB11W
BRIDGE: GOTOH 404BO-4
PICKUPS: Seymour Duncan SJB-1n(Neck), Seymour Duncan SJB-1b (Bridge)
PARTS COLOR: Chrome
CONTROLS: Master Volume, PU Balancer, 2BAND EQ (Treble, Bass)
Country of Manufacture: Japan
Year of Manufacture: 2015
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