Al Krow

The B1-4 screen should power up with just an external power supply (i.e. computer usb or 9v adapter) connected. With internal batteries, the screen only powers up with an the input jack from a guitar lead, to save on battery life. But that lead doesn't actually need to be connected to anything.

Was interesting - thanks for sharing. A very big Zoom fan here, but I'm not feeling any particular GAS to rush out and get the B6 - I'll happily stick with my B1-4 for now, based on the B6 blurb. If they get around to upgrading the B1-4 or B3N with the new chip in a more pedalboard friendly format, that would definitely be another matter! Definitely coming around to the idea of this pedal a lot - having now heard some more clips of what it's capable of!

"B1/4" = Zoom B1-4 multifx. The cheap-as-chips alternative to a HX Stomp.

Apologies for hijack, but I'm about to upgrade my Carvin with a 3 band Glockenklang (the current preamp was long past its sell-by when I got the bass). What was the issue with your 2 band Luke?

We always had to pay VAT on purchases of new goods UK <-->EU, it’s just that it's been extended to used goods too, now, which is a shame, but puts us in a similar position as VAT on imports of used goods from the US or Japan etc. There is an additional point to do with import duties which is usually a much smaller number than the VAT. No import duties on new goods that have a UK or EU source of origin, but if it is considered eg Chinese source of origin then import duties can apply. What the amount of actual local content to make something "locally UK or EU" varies, depending on the product, and is certainly beyond my expertise though!

My takeaway from some really excellent posts on this thread is that: - the woods used in a bass can certainly impact the tone and feel of a bass; - perhaps the most important aspect for tone is the woods used for the neck and fretboard but also whether it is a neck-through (for greater sustain) or bolt-on and also if it's laminated/single piece. That completely makes sense as the neck and fretboard have the most intimate connection to the strings; - the overall impact is, however, going to be relatively small and will be easily swamped by other features, namely: pups (make, P, J, MM etc), choice and age of strings (rounds vs flats etc.), whether it's active or passive and choice of preamp - and that's before you get to the rest of your signal chain (pedals, amp and cab) which can substantially change things up again. So I'm inclined to agree with those who have concluded that we shouldn't get too hung up on the woods in the bass in terms of tonal impact, but instead go for something that looks and feels great.

Great write up! Totally sympathise about the mute button - I've gotta five(!) similar push switches on my DG amp, one which is hidden from view by the bass lead (usually the one I forget about) and an ohm switch on the back, so it can feel a bit like a pre-flight check list sometimes making sure they're all in the right setting, lol! On your fBook page it says you're a one gig a month band. Is that something you strictly keep to?

That bit is definitely correct! 👍

Ah fair enough - totally agree that if you're primarily playing 4s, then there's no particularly point getting a premium 5er. Btw - do you agree with my dating of the eBay TRB 5Pii? Be good to get a second opinion!

Absolutely brilliant bit of kit and very wet! I do believe you've got my old one (which I sold on to the BC'er you got it from and before that belonged to @dodge_bass of this parish). Glad it's found an appreciative new home I've ended up with its more compact / less featured successor the 3Leaf Proton Mk4 (2020), which is the first filter I've had that's comparably good to the GR2 - and the only reason I moved my GR2 on. Like the GR2, it offers both upsweep and downsweep. The other filters I've had, in order of preference, after the GR2 and Proton Mk4 would be the: - Fwonkbeta (very good), - Aguilar Filter Twin (a little too polite for me - but had both upsweep and downsweep); - MXR M82 (two attempts at this one, I just found this a bit too harsh / brittle - but others on here clearly rate it highly); - Walrus Kangra (filter fuzz - I found the filter a bit meh).

He's actually said no reserve, but collection only from Brum. The seller has estimated the date of manufacture as being 2007 but from the serial number 0FK1096 I think it's a fair bit older at April 2000. The one in the FS has a QNM serial no. = (June) 2007 as stated by the seller. The eBay one is ash and ovangkol so may well be lighter than the, lovely but heavy, bubinga one in the FS here. @AndyTravis - you tempted by the one on eBay - could be a real bargain with limited buyers as he's not willing to courier and no reserve?

I'm now kinda intrigued as to why you have to palm mute on your 424? It's not something I came across with my 425 and not something other folk have mentioned about their 424s previously. What are you finding happens if you don't palm mute? Just wondering if there is something about the set-up that could fix this easily for you?

Not sure I got your Q, Dean - could you elaborate for me please? I'm certainly not using any external dampener or needing to palm-mute unless I deliberate choose to for effect.

I've been looking forward to trying the Marquess out with a full band but that's been delayed due to the fact that the B-stock Marquess that Thomann previously sent me unfortunately had a bashed top of the headstock (my pic was carefully angled to avoid displaying that!), which was a lot more than would be expected from mild wear & tear on a B-stock bass and given that the packaging was undamaged, it was clearly either something done in-store or by the previous owner and Thomann didn't spot. Thomann kindly agreed to provide a replacement including paying for the return postage, which is what they always previously did. It took a little while for the replacement to come through - delays with Customs on the way back and a bit of chasing my end, but arrived safely yesterday and they were very responsive throughout. Another thumbs-up for Thomann. Thought it might be useful to re-confirm the weight: the previous one came in at 4.2kg, this one is a shade heavier at 4.3kg (9.5 lbs) but still a very comfortable sub-10lbs for me, particularly when combined with a decent strap. Had a nice exchange with another BC'er, who is a pro-bassist, about me "downgrading" my kit to really good quality but cheaper gear (basses and amps in particular). He made the following comment, which I hope he doesn't mind me sharing, but hit the nail on the head for me: "I’m really appreciating the charm of cheaper stuff too. Not sure if it gets to a point where you’ve had the high end stuff and realise that the difference isn’t that wild, or when you’re gigging and realise that, for all the niceties of handmade stuff, cheaper gear can still do a top job." Combine that with not having to worry about getting a high-end piece of kit damaged in a pub gig so you can just focus on playing the thing, and I'm loving returning to high quality but more budget gear.

There's a stunning TRB5 Pii currently in the FS. But the weight at 5.04kg / 11.1 lbs was the deal breaker for me - too much for me to comfortably wear over a 2 hour set. I'm not sure they ever come much lighter, but you might be comfortable with the weight. I've also just discovered how outrageously good the Yamaha BB 2005s are, particularly for the money - they've been the best kept Yamaha secret from me till now! 85% of what my BB NE2 provided at 30% of the cost - very, very happy with it. If you get a chance to try one of these, definitely worth giving it a spin.

@Hellzero - thanks very much for sharing that Sadowsky post. When someone of Roger's calibre is prepared to go into print on a topic involving bass construction it's gotta be worth giving him our ear, right? I've dug out the pdf if anyone wants to download it. Wood & Sound - Sadowsky.pdf

Cheers @Hacksawbob! I know exactly what you mean about the cravings the BB 2005 model seems to induce in some of us - it's done that to me on several occasions! It is a beautifully designed bass and although I do particularly love a white finish on a Yamaha, the natural wood finish also allows the mahogany stripes in the neck-through to be seen and not masked as is the case with the white and black. Have you previously owned one of these? @martfitz - I think I came across a post recently which mentioned you had a BB 1500A, a BB 2005 and previously had a BB 2004? You're clearly way ahead of me in discovering the delights of the BB JJ series!

I think we're just all adjusting to what folk are willing to pay and given they ain't making these "2-Series" Yamahas anymore and the 424/5s are clearly great basses, it's not surprising that prices are creeping up. They were temporarily going for £270 to £280 new four years back as retailers looked to clear them off their floors and knocked the prices right down in end-of-line sales. That had a direct knock-on to used prices which saw vgc used ones going for the £200 mark. But those days are now long gone.

Yamaha BB 2005 - Quick Review I'm loving the Yamaha BB 2005 I picked up a couple of days back – turned out to be a very cheeky wedding anniversary present! It’s a June 2004 build and now has pride of place as the oldest bass in my herd. I’ve previously been tempted to get one on the relatively rare occasions that they have come up for sale but couldn’t really justify it when I had my NE2. If someone said to me that I could have 85% of a BB NE2 for 30% of the cost I would have probably laughed at them. But this bass is it and to find one in such good condition for such a good price and from such a great seller (thanks Rich!) saw me snapping it up on the day it was listed - super happy that I did! I gave it a decent work out through my BF BB2 / Bugera 1001M rig at band rehearsal last night and it sounded great. The bridge J pup adds to the grit of the Bugera amp and cuts through well; I'm tempted to describe the tone it delivers as "woody" but that probably means completely different things to different bass players! But it’s the neck pup where it really shone for me: a rich, warm, punchy tone that sat very well in the mix. The solo’d P pup on my 1025 is great at home but can sometimes struggle to cut through in a band mix and I typically then switch to PJ or solo J on the 1025; the J on the 2005 is more like the 1025’s P on steroids - really loved it! Like the NE2 it has a similarly powerful low end - definitely don’t need to boost the bass EQ! The treble EQ on the 2005 has a decent range and like the BB 604/5 and BB NE2, the sister basses in its range, it sports the variable NE mid cut. My 2005 weighed in at a fraction under 10 lbs, which is pretty much at the top of end of my herd these days, but it balances beautifully with no neck dive whatsoever which is outstanding for a 5 string bass in my experience and meant that “wearing it” for a couple of hours was unexpectedly comfortable. The Yamaha BB JJ range Must admit I’ve not previously looked in any detail at the full range of BB’s that comprise the Yamaha BB “JJ range”, headed up by the BB NE2, partly because the NE2 is the only one of the series still in production. They seem to have a similarity of thinking to the purely passive 424/5, 1024/5 and 2024/5 PJ range, with the purely active 604/5, 2005 and NE2 being the broadly equivalent basses. The budget 604/5 have a bolt on neck whereas the 2005 and NE2 are neck-through (plus other refinements as we move up the range). Just to keep us on our toes the BB 2004 is not JJ but the much sought after reverse-P/J config! With its reverse PJ, neck-through, NE2 shape and 24 frets, it looks great - particularly in white 🙂 - and ticks a lot of boxes for me. If I was still regularly playing 4 strings I’d certainly now be very tempted to get a BB 2004 too! For those of you who have never quite got comfortable with the more traditional Yamaha BB shape, but always wanted to try a Yamaha bass, this could be just the ticket...just need to find one!

Rich sold me a Yamaha BB 2005 in lovely condition, having decided that 5 strings are not for him and being very content with his BB 1024 (for good reason!) We met half-way, in time honoured fashion, having kept enough fuel in our tanks to side-step the fuel shortage! Super easy transaction and a wonderful (and inspiring!) chap to deal with. Cheers, Bas

Great job!

Very true. But if God had meant bass players to have just one bass, She wouldn't have given @ped the idea of Basschat!

I have to say I sympathise with that statement a lot! They might be willing to have a listen out as to how different settings are working in the mix - in my crew, our drummer has a decent ear, the rest almost certainly don't seem to hear any small bass sound changes in the mix! Two tips then from me: - as mentioned earlier make sure that you don't have a volume drop or spike when engaging the pedals; - secondly try giving the mid EQ a slight boost on your amp (or bass if it's active), to help you cut through the mix a bit more.

Hi Paddy - is it when the rest of the band are playing in rehearsal that effects seem to lose their edge? Or are you hearing the difference through the TB500 and BF SC even when playing solo and without the rest of the band? If it's in the band mix, then not being able to hear the nuances of the bass tones when in competition and overlap with the rest of the band is not unusual. If it's even when playing solo, then worth checking that your volume settings on clean by-pass are the same as when you have your pedals engaged with your full rig - this may well differ from what you have them set on with the practice amp and headphones.