I was looking for a solid bass that would handle all genres and styles of music and in general be a very versatile bass. My search ended with the ESP LTD B-206 SM . The aesthetic beauty, the finish and the tonality of this instrument is very striking. The bass was setting up just right and one could play it right out of the box. Tweaking the volume and tone knobs allows one to get a range of sounds from the instrument like that warm, smooth tone reminiscent of jazz to that rumbling growl typical of hard rock. Again , I would recommend without reservation this bass to anyone looking for a versatile, quality instrument and looking to get into the intricacies of 6 string bass playing. Thanks Bajaao!Regards,Vidyashankar