tonyf Posted May 31, 2007 Posted May 31, 2007 Hi All, Has anyone replaced the pickups in either of the Yamaha BB series or RBX series basses? The soapbar shaped humbucking ones? If you have, anyone suggest a possible replacement? I've been looking at the Bartolini M5 series and I guess the EMG 45 would fit but it's the "ears" on the current Yamaha pickups that cause them to "look" longer than they actually are. Cheers Tony Quote
Sean Posted May 26, 2014 Posted May 26, 2014 Zombie thread alert! The new super BB pickups will be a superb upgrade. If you contact Yamaha, they are usually pretty helpful with this: Contact details as below and the bass guy there is Alex (can't remember his surname. Sherbourne House, Sherbourne Dr, Tilbrook, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK7 8BL 01908 366700 Quote
Ghost_Bass Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 [quote name='Sean' timestamp='1401119869' post='2460251'] Zombie thread alert! The new super BB pickups will be a superb upgrade. If you contact Yamaha, they are usually pretty helpful with this: Contact details as below and the bass guy there is Alex (can't remember his surname. Sherbourne House, Sherbourne Dr, Tilbrook, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK7 8BL 01908 366700 [/quote] Hey Sean, just some quick questions. Are the 1024/5 pickups the same as on the 2024/5? If not, would it make that much of a difference upgrading? Can you say how much you've payed for the pickup set? Cheers Marco Quote
Horizontalste Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 I believe they are the same pickup's but with different part numbers for their different applications. A member here bought some (Ruck) and if I remember correctly they were close on £200 each so not a cheap upgrade at all. Quote
Ghost_Bass Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 [quote name='Sean' timestamp='1401291515' post='2462125'] Yes, they are the same pickups. [/quote] Ah, i'm about to pull the trigger on a 1025X, so the only diference between this and the 2025X is the wood treatment (and manufacture facility)? All the parts/components are the same but put together... er... in a "different" way? Quote
Sean Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 (edited) Don't kid yourself that the differences are few. One is mass produced, the other hand built by a master luthier in Yamaha's custom shop in Japan. It's not just wood treatments that differentiate the two ranges. There's a world of difference and it's outlined and detailed in a few threads. Hand selected woods, better species of wood, high quality paint finish, better fret job etc. The BB202x basses are absolutely exquisite pieces of kit and are built to extremely high standards and are at least the equivalent of Sadowsky, Masterbuilt Fender, Sei etc. my two are the best instruments I've ever played bar none. They're also very good value for what they are and mega-bargains used. The BB102x basses are excellent mid-priced instruments and compare well with Lakland Skyline series and similar. Nice instruments but wouldn't pass the blindfold test. Edited May 28, 2014 by Sean Quote
Horizontalste Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 (edited) [quote name='Sean' timestamp='1401291475' post='2462122'] I thought they were £200 for the pair? [/quote] You could well be right Sean, it was a while ago. *edit. The 20's have nicer rounded contour's to the body instead of the straight ones of the 10's & 4's Edited May 28, 2014 by Horizontalste Quote
dannybuoy Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 [quote name='Sean' timestamp='1401291515' post='2462125'] Yes, they are the same pickups. [/quote] Yet have different model numbers and prices! ...? Quote
Sean Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 [quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1401311864' post='2462446'] Yet have different model numbers and prices! ...? [/quote] Maybe. Don't be smug about it... Quote
dannybuoy Posted May 30, 2014 Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) Not being smug, just genuinely confused how they are priced differently when rumour is that they are the same thing. I've not seen an official statement from Yamaha the matter, just hearsay on forums that they use the same pickups. Here's the email I got from Yamaha when enquiring about these pickups. This was 3 years ago so prices are probably not the same. Note it's £10 more for a BB2025 front pickup than the BB1025! I replied asking about the difference but did not get a response. Who knows for sure if they are the same. [quote]Orders for Yamaha Instrument spare parts can be obtained from the following locations: For UK Customer's: Yamaha UK Spares - 0844 811 1116 (Option 4) or via your local Yamaha Music Dealer. For Republic Of Ireland Customer's - Yamaha UK Spares - (0) 15262449 (Option 4) or via your local Yamaha Music Dealer. The part you have requested Part numbers for the BB1025X Front Pick-up - WP917300 not in stock it could be 6 weeks delivery on this and it is a retail price of £122.32 inc VAT Rear Pick-up - WT766600 not in stock it could be 6 weeks delivery on this and it is a retail price of £79.51 inc VAT Part numbers for the BB2025X Front Pick-up - WR251000 not in stock it could be 6 weeks delivery on this and it is a retail price of £132.66 inc VAT Rear Pick-up - WR254200 not in stock it could be 6 weeks delivery on this and it is a retail price of £81.62 inc VAT Kind regards Yamaha Customer Support Team ----------------------------------------------------- Please note the following. All prices quoted are excluding P&P. Please confirm this price when ordering. Yamaha Music only advise qualified personal to attempt to repair any Yamaha Product. For any questions regarding these parts, please contact Yamaha UK Spares directly.[/quote] Edited May 30, 2014 by dannybuoy Quote
miles'tone Posted May 30, 2014 Posted May 30, 2014 Thanks very much dannybuoy, that's brilliant! Quote
Horizontalste Posted May 30, 2014 Posted May 30, 2014 Car manufacturers do it all the time, same part, made in the same factory but with different part numbers because they are for different applications. I guess the price difference is reflection of the bass they are intended for. I guess we'll never know. Quote
miles'tone Posted June 3, 2014 Posted June 3, 2014 Well, I contacted Yamaha to see if I could get some Super BB pickups and as of yesterday (typically) you can't get replacement pickups from them directly anymore. They put me in touch with a company called Sontec, based in Norwich, who does all the Yammy spares now. Annoyingly, the P pickup from the BB2025/1025 (same parts code according to Sontec) is not available to buy anymore but they can still get the Super BB J type bridge pup for £55. I only wanted the P pup. Arse. Quote
dannybuoy Posted June 6, 2014 Posted June 6, 2014 Damn. Oh well, good to know they are in fact the same then! I wonder if this indicates the basses may be being discontinued... Quote
Sean Posted June 6, 2014 Posted June 6, 2014 Disappointing. I was thinking of buying a P to put in my BBingray. Best zombie thread in ages though :-) Quote
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