Al Krow

Congrats on the new purchase! And Paul, I love the fact that you're sharing how you're finding it 'warts and all' - makes it sooo much more useful hearing what you have to say - so thanks very much for that.

I do. And I now have this Stylophone arriving tomorrow as well too Had a debate with the filter and synth boys as to whether it made any sense to get this bit of kit and the conclusion was pretty much "yes" in the same way it makes sense for me to get a TC Spectracomp before ever considering graduating to a Becos CompIQ Stella. Next gen software upgrade for the FI is due out shortly, will hook it up to the PC at the point for sure. You defo should get an FI, you'll have some fun. And you know you want to 😉 Roland keys synth will likely be in hibernation for wee while.

Haha. You obviously had much better Stylophones round your parts then, than I had as a kid!

+1 ^^

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I really liked Sandbergs before we met. In fact a TM4 was my goto bass, but have abandoned them since getting to know you. In terms of 'brand Cuzzie' love of Bergs is the thing (to me anyway) you are most famous for. I note you lurking with intent quite a lot on the Yammy thread these days. Wise move, I might add. I've not bothered with the half-cocked approach of drop D tuning, you're a fan of, but gone straight to 5 strings. I note you have finally come around to getting a 5er. I view 12 string basses and dUg Pinnic, in particular, as a touch bloated in reputation. So no, not always, my friend... 😂

Well I would suggest getting the best piece of kit that your budget allows https://www.thomann.de/gb/solid_state_bass_combos.html?sid=e98cb9023f3a4f81f116535bcb64b3f1 My suggestions would be as follows: Ampeg BA-210 V2 Tech 21 VT Bass 200 Fender Rumble 200 (not 100) And one budget one, which is very good value: TC BG250 2x10 The Eich BC112 (Tecamp no longer being made) is Euros 985, so would not fit your budget.

Well actually it's more straight forward than you might think! I hope this doesn't bore you and anyone else reading it too much, but here goes... The 'other' are all specific and currently just for home use, as are two of the three Ibbys. The BB 425 is out on loan (and as a fyi, I'm more than happy to make this available to any London bassists who fancy a 'proper' try-out of a Yammy BB and are happy to collect / return in person). So the BB1025 is my only purely passive mainstream bass and appeals to the lazy person in me as I don't need to remember to unplug to avoid finding that the battery for the active EQ has been drained! So my main workhorse basses are just two. It was previously the BB 1025, but this has just been usurped by the BB 735A which is also P/J configured. If I fancy a change of tone and something more throaty / 'aggressive' (and a bit lighter to boot!) I'll reach for my Ibby SR 1825. Being able to go for a different sound actually keeps both the Yammy and the Ibby 'fresh' for me and not feeling stale. And finally my BB NE2. Well that's a bit of 'dream bass' for me and gets more admiring compliments (and offers to buy!) from fellow BC'ers than the rest of my herd put together! I'm sure it will get an outing or two to a wedding gig later this year

Just bought a bass from Nicco. Very smooth easy transaction and Nicco was very helpful / v good comms throughout. Nice to met him in person down in London to take delivery of the bass and he had a lot of useful tips regarding the instrument, which were all gratefully received!

Hi Philippe, To help us in giving you sensible recommendations could you let us know: Are you using the combo for home use only or with a band? Do you have a particular budget cap in mind e.g. the Tecamp 112 (now replaced by the Eich 112) is a lot more expensive than the Fender Rumble 100? Are you happy to buy used? If so, your budget will stretch a lot further (although you will likely need to persuade the seller to courier overseas, if you are buying from the UK)?

In my case definitely a conscious decision. Playing bass is my passion as I'm guessing it is for everyone on this forum. Basses are lovely instruments to own and to play. In terms of where my money is spent I can think of far worse things than spending on my main hobby / passion. I largely buy used and in vgc these days (only two / 10 of my current herd were bought new) and I find that, provided I look after them, they hold their value. Each one of mine brings something a little different to the party. Oh and I've got 10 (one addition to the herd, as of yesterday ) 4 Yamahas (BB425, BB1025, BB735A, BBNE2) 3 Ibanez (SR1825, SRF705, SR1206) 3 'Other' (Stagg EUB, Schecter Stiletto 8, Squier Bass VI)

Yeh - I'm sorely tempted. At just £116 on Amazon new (i.e. the same cost as many used dedicated single use bass pedals) I'm struggling to find a reason not to! Seems to work really well when triggered with a drum machine via midi - you've got access to your son's Volca Beats and I've got an Alesis SR-18 both of which should do the job just fine. I thought the following was a really good review (warts and all) for anyone interested, although it was apparently recorded nearly 100 years in the future in 2103 - haha! Also seems a really good way to get to grips with basic synth functions. Suspect I will be pulling the trigger very shortly!

You tried raising the pup height on your Ray so that it's closer to the strings? If not, could make quite a difference.

For almost exactly the same price as the EHX Bass Mono Synth, this looks like a LOT more fun

I was about to say +1 to what Steve is bringing to the party but probably an uglier version, in my case, which does literally make everyone else look good. But he's just deleted his post! Lol! Guess I'll need to come up with something original then. Oh wait no need...I'm in a covers band.

The B string on the Yammy BB735A seems to be just fine / sounds good; no issues or complaints from me on that score (or really any other at this stage! ). To be fair, I've never quite understood folks complaints about B strings. If the neck length is decent and the fretboard 34" or 35" and you've got solid tuners and no fret buzz, then if the B string feels 'floppy' I'd simply suggest getting a different B string! I guess there might be an issue around the pups and EQ, but we all know that Yammy do a damn fine job on that score for the money.

3 Whites

I have to agree with you. I was going to try to hold out in getting a a BB 735A until they made them available in white (in my case). And I would totally pay extra if they made them neck through like the older BB 1200 / 1200S models! But then one came up used for a good price with very few 'miles on the clock' and I couldn't resist! Two weeks in and I'm very glad I didn't try to put off buying; it's an excellent bass. I'll just need to get a colourful hand bag as a fashion accessory I guess...

No question the colours are limited on the 734/5. The tonal range is anything but, however! I guess it depends whether you're primarily buying your bass as a fashion accessory or to sound great? Each to their own of course 😂

Interesting, so visually little difference from the front. But both design features could be considered an improvement in the later model i.e. laminated neck = greater strength and string through arguably better than bridge for even string tension. Very little difference in price between the 414s and 424s these days.

@AndyTravis et al Just had a mate ask me if the bass he was looking at was a BB414. Looked like it to me. But visually and construction wise what are the key differences between the 414 and the 424?

I got my BB1025 new (end of line) from the Yammy store in London for £550 when most places had been selling them for £675 😛

I'm pretty sure that pretty much all the UK bass players on this thread will have got their Yammy BBs from UK suppliers (or Thomann UK) when they have bought new.

Hah! Just realised you were referring to the lack of position markers on the Yammy BB734/5A EQ knobs. The Ibby is much more considerate: