cocco Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 So I've been watching YouTube videos! According to James Lomenzo, Glen Hughes, Nathan East, Leland Sklar and various other big names there is little point playing much else other than a BB. If all this is true why have I never seen anyone play one? Having never played one it's hard to judge. Do we have any enthusiasts, players, owners, ex owners, haters or lovers in our community? I love the look of them but have never had the pleasure Share your experiences....... GO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I played one of the BB2024s late last year at Bass Direct for a while, and it was undoubtedly a very very high quality bass, and pretty much what I'd look for as a top-line Uber-P/J-bass. Are they worth the money? I dunno, it depends if you've got it... Apart from not having £2.5k to splurge on a bass, they only do them with rosewood boards, which rules me out - if I was gonna spend well into four figures on a bass, I don't want to be compromising [i]anywhere[/i], and they just don't look good enough for me. As for the celeb endorsements, I'd take those with a massive pinch of salt - Glenn Hughes spouts on at length about how good they are, and then in another interview reveals that for recording the BCC album it "just had to be the 65 P-bass". And then he's gigging with the 62 Jazz...bet Yamaha were delighted with that one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Ed Friedland does quite a good review on youtube. If you search for 'bass whisperer' it should come up with his channel. As far as endorsements go, and despite how much I love Yamahas, you've gotta remember that they are a HUGE organisation with lots and lots of money. I'm sure if they offered any of us free basses and a load of cash we'd happily endorse them ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megallica Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I've owned the BBN4, BBN5 and the BBG5S and they are well made and fairly inexpensive, the BBG5S I gigged for about three years and it never let me down. I know these are the cheaper end of the BB range but they still work well as gigging instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Forgot to add, I've had a BB3000A from brand new in, erm, 87...I think...yeah, probably... and it's a fantastic bass. Rosewood board, tho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AttitudeCastle Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 All the BBs are amazing! Every single one i've played, dating from the 80s to 2011 (And i was only born in the 90s!) The 2024 is very very very good. I wouldn't say perfect because of a few things, but it is without a doubt one of the best basses i have ever played, amazing neck and equally amzing tone! My only gripe is no Maple finger board option, (though it looks great with rosewood and helps keep the sound smoother overall) and the single coil hums, which i'm fairly sure isn't the case with the 424... can't remember though! Also i prefer neck throughs but thats me! I can vouch for these basses and Yamaha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AttitudeCastle Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 All the BBs are amazing! Every single one i've played, dating from the 80s to 2011 (And i was only born in the 90s!) The 2024 is very very very good. I wouldn't say perfect because of a few things, but it is without a doubt one of the best basses i have ever played, amazing neck and equally amzing tone! My only gripe is no Maple finger board option, (though it looks great with rosewood and helps keep the sound smoother overall) and the single coil hums, which i'm fairly sure isn't the case with the 424... can't remember though! Also i prefer neck throughs but thats me! I can vouch for these basses and Yamaha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 If something's worth saying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I've just bought a s/h BB615 for a back up and house noodling bass and I love it to bits. I've not used it with the band yet but it sounds lovely through my Tascam BT. Staggeringly good value - I'm seriously considering blowing some mahoney on a better preamp for it, maybe a new bridge and then it'll be a stonker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Yes, the BB range is very good. I had a BB1100s in the late 80s, must have done 1000+ gigs on it, with no backup, never had a problem. Great playability, very versatile, highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocco Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 Good news!! So if I was to look around for a tidy second hand one preferably active, preferably (but not a massive problem if not) bolt on, what models should I be looking for? I really wouldn't want to spend more than £500 and wouldn't want to buy new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Theres a BB1100s for sale on here at pres, for £250. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=112782"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=112782[/url] P/J pickups, active/passive, with bass/mid/treb on the actives. Exactly the same as my old one. Its a lot of bass for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ras52 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Another BB fan here. Currently have a BB350F fretless, love it. I tried a white BB414 a couple of months ago and it was hard to walk away from it - one of the best sub-£500 basses I've played. I'm a big fan of passive P/J, but for active you might like the 614 - I think they're £500&something new so would fit nicely in your price range S/H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 [quote name='ras52' post='1157128' date='Mar 10 2011, 08:14 PM']Another BB fan here. Currently have a BB350F fretless, love it. I tried a white BB414 a couple of months ago and it was hard to walk away from it - one of the best sub-£500 basses I've played. I'm a big fan of passive P/J, but for active you might like the 614 - I think they're £500&something new so would fit nicely in your price range S/H.[/quote] +1 on a s/h 614 or 615. All of the 414s and 415s I've played have been pretty damn good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapiro Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 [quote name='niceguyhomer' post='1157014' date='Mar 10 2011, 06:24 PM']I've just bought a s/h BB615 for a back up and house noodling bass and I love it to bits. I've not used it with the band yet but it sounds lovely through my Tascam BT. Staggeringly good value - I'm seriously considering blowing some mahoney on a better preamp for it, maybe a new bridge and then it'll be a stonker.[/quote] Agree, I have a 615 as my main Work horse at the moment. Bought new though! only downside with the yamaha, i broke the top nut by not filing it enough when i went for a thicker B string. Yamaha said 5 months for a replacement, so had to go get a luthier to make one.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I've had a 414 (which I put a gotoh bridge and aguilar preamp in) and a 614 fretless, both of which were fantastic for the money, but then I'm a massive yamaha fan anyway. However, if I had enough money to buy a 2024 I think there would be a lot of basses above it on the wish list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocco Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 Anyone got any more experience of the 1100s? I'm quite taken by it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Admiral Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I've owned a BBG4AII since 2000 and it's an amazing bass. I had to order it at the time as it was a non stock model, and you don't see many of this particular model in the UK - most of the ones I have seen for sale are in mainland Europe and the USA. [attachment=74501:Yamaha_B..._Reduced.jpg] The engineer recording it at a local studio was enthusing about it recently, as it had - in his opinion, such a great tone compared to a lot of the stuff he records. It won't (obviously) compete with a custom bass costing thousands, but for the money - I think they are incredible value - and the basic models are excellent instruments for learners. Why anyone buys a Squier when you can pick up a Yamaha RBX new for £140 I can't fathom, beyond of course the issue of image/brand. I actually managed to buy a 'spare' BBG4AII, in the exactly the colour I wanted - Amberburst, on eBay for £116 recently, and it was immaculate. I couldn't believe I won it for the price, but it was the best bargain I've ever had on eBay. BC member '4 string thing' was selling a blue/green one on here recently and whoever got that will have had themselves a bargain too. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_B Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I've got a BB414, which I like alot. Very high build quality, fast neck and a distinctive sound. The only thing it lack is the ability to blend the P and J pup as you can with a standard P/J-type bass. You only have the option to switch between each solo pickup or have both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I've never played one myself, but I've never heard a bad sound come from one! And hey what's wrong with rosewood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizontalste Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMkbnLUovXs&feature=relmfu"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMkbnLUovXs...;feature=relmfu[/url] Maple! don't know if its custom though. I can also vouch for the 614 too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 The 2024x remains top of my list. I'm saving, oh so slowly, towards one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 [quote name='Horizontalste' post='1158007' date='Mar 11 2011, 01:18 PM'][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMkbnLUovXs&feature=relmfu"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMkbnLUovXs...;feature=relmfu[/url] Maple! don't know if its custom though. I can also vouch for the 614 too.[/quote] Yeah, it's a custom. And not one you can buy, either. On the other hand, Glenn doesn't use it much (see my earlier post) so he might take an offer for it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 (edited) [quote name='cocco' post='1157265' date='Mar 10 2011, 09:31 PM']Anyone got any more experience of the 1100s? I'm quite taken by it[/quote] I paid £150 for mine on eBay a couple of years ago. At that price, you can afford to tinker with it, although I do believe it was quite an expensive bass when it was new (mid-1980s). When I bought it, I also had a very early Fender JV Precision and the tone was comparable. I sold the Fender because I preferred the neck on the Yammy (and was facing a large dental bill). I measured the pickups and found they were both underwound. So I put some vintage Duncans in there and that produced an even fatter sound. I've really never seen the point of a rear Jazz pickup - it always sounds so anemic. The best Jazz pickup sound I got was with a Duncan 1/4 pounder, but even then it was only useful if you wanted to sound like Jaco. So I bit the bullet and replaced the Jazz pickup with a Duncan alnico MM humbucker. Wow! (shades of Pingray) Now I can choose between a thuddy P-Bass tone and a growly Stingray tone and anything in between. I'm currently messing with a Delano MM pickup just out of interest. I haven't touched the active circuitry because, as far as I'm concerned, it's completely transparent and I find replacement preamps a complete rip-off. It's 3-band, ultra-quiet and can be switched out - what more do you want? The pots are high quality and the cavities are properly screened with aluminium and copper foil. It was originally uncomfortably neck heavy, but a set of of lightweight tuners sorted that, and it's now nicely balanced. I tried a few different bridges and ended up with a Gotoh, although I couldn't swear that made any real difference to the sound of the bass (although it might have). I'd still prefer a lighter bass (at around 4kg with the Hipshot Ultralites, it's about average), but I think I'd have to move into rarified territory to improve on the sound or feel of the bass now. Edited March 11, 2011 by stevie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 [quote name='cocco' post='1157265' date='Mar 10 2011, 09:31 PM']Anyone got any more experience of the 1100s? I'm quite taken by it[/quote] Yep - had one for 25 years - bought new in 1984 for over £400! They were not cheap basses. I used this bass a lot and did thousands of gigs with it. Built like a tank and was in fab condition when i sold it. Never ever let me down. Active and Passive, great hardware, nice balance. Medium neck i would say and a bass that was loved by engineers in studios for some reason. For £250 its a steal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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