After 8 years of searching....... (Yamaha 2024MX content)

[BB2000]

One day you'll find yourself a good BB2000, and settle down happily ever after

I ordered a BB2024 last year after having one on loan (very impressed with that one!) and it was a disaster, sounded absolutely crap (I had to drive halfway across the country and have a quiet word in some ones ear before the shop would talk it back). So I wouldn't buy another one blind from a shop.

If I'd seen this one before it had gone I'd have been sorely tempted, if there had been the slightest problem with it Peter would have pointed it out - he's a great fellow to deal with.

[Sean]

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1391856788' post='2361988']
I've no doubt that this isn't 'the best' Precision Bass, or even the best Yamaha Precision Bass, but I can justify my enthusiasm in pretty clear terms.

I have - as the pages of BC will testify - owned an awful lot of basses, mostly the work of, or derivatives of the work of, Leo Fender, and for a brief period some by Ric and Modulus. Whilst I've often gushed about nearly all of them, and whilst most of them were very good instruments for what they were, all had limitations if I looked beyond the 'what they were' argument. By this I mean that my c64 and v63 were outstanding Rics and outstanding instruments, they did the Ric thing incredibly well, but there are times at which the Ric thing isn't right. Likewise most of my Precisions did the Precision thing very well, but on occasions I needed a little bit more. My late '90s Modulus Flea was the most playable and powerful bass i've owned, but it's core tone was a little Jazz/Stingray, when the core tone I look for is more Precision/Ric. In short, for a long time I've been looking for a bass that is more than what it says on the label - Precision, Jazz, 4001, Ray or Flea.

The obvious approach given my preference for the Precision tone has been to look for a good P/J. Probably the closest I got were Sadowsky P/Js but they just didn't quite do it, I found the J-PUP a bit tame and needing a lot of active grunt to make it work alongside the P-PUP, and to be honest, I prefer passive instruments. The Fender Roscoe Beck was amazingly versatile for a passive bass, but despite all that I read about it on here and Talkbass, I couldn't really get the Precision tone I wanted out of it.

In fact I wanted this.

1. A core tone very close to that of a traditional Precision (like most - but not all - of my Precisions)
2. Versatile (like my Bongo, my Wals and my RBIV)
3. Simple controls and circuit (like most of my Precisions and my Rics, unlike my two Wals)
4. High build quality, structurally and functionally 100% reliable (like my Wals and Sadowskys)
4. High playability (like my Modulus Flea),
5. Passive (as were most of my Fenders, and my Rics, I just don't really like active instruments as much as passive)
6. Classic looking (like most of the above, unlike the Bongo)

Now the Yamaha ticks all of those boxes, and it's the first bass I've owned that does. Moreover, unlike any P/J I've owned, not only is the J-PUP powerful and sweet soloed, but it works incredibly well with the P-PUP, producing a tone that is unique yet highly useable. I think it's fair to say that with pretty much every P/J I'd owned previously, I'd use the P-PUP for some songs, the J-PUP for others, but rarely the two combined, in fact on many P/Js the combined tone is weak to the point of being unusable, or with some active basses, too synthetic for my tastes. On this bass - as was the case with my c64 - I start with both PUPs on full all of the time with the tone fully open, and make small changes from there. In fact, a huge amount of the versatility of this bass comes from the power of the PUPs, which really respond to what my hands are doing, and the sheer playability of the thing, meaning that I can get the hands in question to be a whole lot more expressive and versatile than on many other basses.

And over and above all of this, it's built like a tank. Furthermore, and interestingly to my mind, whilst it feels and plays like a £2500 bass, it looks like a £500 bass. This is the opposite of a few Fender Custom Shop basses I've played which looked like £2500 instruments but felt and played like a £500 model. I don't like gigging with basses that look really valuable, so I find this an asset.

All in all, as basses and me go, this is as good a pairing as I've had to date. Of course I'm not naive enough to say it's 'the one', and even if it was, things change. I am however bloody happy with it

C
[/quote]

I'm really glad you got there and I'm glad you understand it the same way I do :-D

[Sean]

Oh, and I know exactly what Noel means about the old BB2000 however I prefer a bolt-on; it just feels a bit more like I'm in control and I know we're getting into magical mystical subjective nonsense but through-necks just aren't me, really even though I love my BB1300 (rare beast or what!). I do think that Yamaha ought to do more options on the Japanese models though, like reverse P or mudbucker.

[GreeneKing]

That's an interesting journey Chris and a great post in response to some mildy cynical replies

My own 'road to ruin' has been very different and I suppose that active basses have been predominant. All electric basses are amplified, some onboard some outboard. I'd agree that onboard amplification has it's own 'characteristics'.

I have got through one huge number of basses in the 20 years I've been playing. I'm too embarassed to try to count. My No1 bass is definately my stunning ACG Uber spec Finn with multi coil pickups and filter based pre. This is for good reason. It's hand made and I specified the woods and contruction. It plays beautifully and sounds immence with great clarity and a huge range of tones that no passive bass could hope to emulate. It's the bass that I feel I have finished 'a' journey with.

I know that to some people a beautiful bass like the Finn is no more that a piece of pretty furniture with a preamp they can't 'get their head around' and a tone that isn't to their taste.

But given that I have my perfect bass, I can still pleasantly dabble elsewhere because life's like that and it's okay (unlike my perfect woman where I've no such disloyal inclinations).

Most of my basses are active and in a live environment, playing the sort of stuff we do I like a 'heavy on the low mids' tone that drives the song and cuts through the mix.

With my active basses I prefer a 3EQ and even better is a sweepable mid.

In terms of playability I'm versatile. Image isn't important for me. Actually that's a lie as I'd not want to gig a Squier or an Epiphone and that's pure snobbery. Most of them play better than I can. I love my 90 Thumb NT as much as my Sterling (Rita) or my Gibson EB.

The RBIV doesn't really 'do' the P bass thing you are right Chris, no real surprise there. I do really appreciate the P bass tone and always have. It's vital and earthy, quite unique. But my immediate reaction on hearing and appreciating it is 'how can I add just a little more mids' The RBIV with the neck pup solo'd and in series does something else quite good too:)

I have a 'cheap as chips' Vintage Tony Butler signature with a Kiogon circuit, a decent nut and £100 worth of fret dressing that produces a great P bass tone from it's Wilkinson hardware and it plays like butter. It's worth nowt, looks and sounds lovely and if times were hard would probably do everything I need but I'd always know it's 'only' a Vintage and that makes little sense.

As of last week I popped into a local music shoppe (Promenade Music) to buy some new strings and the bass guitar sales man who is a pretty impressive bassist and fine bloke showed me his CIJ 70's reissue Fender P bass that he's looking to move on. It's got a Bare Knuckle pickup (I'd guess a 65) and a Badass II fitted and to be honest it blew me a way a bit. I sat with it a while and the tone, neck, playability and pure 'Fenderishness' really grew on me. I walked out with new D'Addario Nickels 40 - 100 for the RBIV and a P bass! It's a beauiful 3T Sunburst with a maple neck, black block inlays and a black pickguard that's currently with Howard who's crafting a red tort celluloid plate for it. I'll post a RBIV and a P bass photo.

A bit of a rambling post as I sit with a couple of glasses of red wine and a knackered laptop but what's my point? My point is that we are fickle beasts and as bassists we wend our weary way through life moving around tones, instruments, styles, urges, makes, inspirations, mistakes, infatuations and opinions but it's all okay and a part of the rich tapestry of life. It makes the whole experience what it is, simply wonderful.

Peter

[timmo]

I have seen these basses around, and i really like the sound. Do they come in lefthand verssions. I have looked, but can`t find any

[LukeFRC]

I've had a few fender precisions down the years and played even more of them.
The '70s Yamaha BB1200 I picked up almost by accident knocks the socks off them - it can kinda do precisiony - but it's so so so much more musical an instrument.

[Horizontalste]

[quote name='GreeneKing' timestamp='1391890701' post='2362406']
That's an interesting journey Chris and a great post in response to some mildy cynical replies

My own 'road to ruin' has been very different and I suppose that active basses have been predominant. All electric basses are amplified, some onboard some outboard. I'd agree that onboard amplification has it's own 'characteristics'.

I have got through one huge number of basses in the 20 years I've been playing. I'm too embarassed to try to count. My No1 bass is definately my stunning ACG Uber spec Finn with multi coil pickups and filter based pre. This is for good reason. It's hand made and I specified the woods and contruction. It plays beautifully and sounds immence with great clarity and a huge range of tones that no passive bass could hope to emulate. It's the bass that I feel I have finished 'a' journey with.

I know that to some people a beautiful bass like the Finn is no more that a piece of pretty furniture with a preamp they can't 'get their head around' and a tone that isn't to their taste.

But given that I have my perfect bass, I can still pleasantly dabble elsewhere because life's like that and it's okay (unlike my perfect woman where I've no such disloyal inclinations).

Most of my basses are active and in a live environment, playing the sort of stuff we do I like a 'heavy on the low mids' tone that drives the song and cuts through the mix.

With my active basses I prefer a 3EQ and even better is a sweepable mid.

In terms of playability I'm versatile. Image isn't important for me. Actually that's a lie as I'd not want to gig a Squier or an Epiphone and that's pure snobbery. Most of them play better than I can. I love my 90 Thumb NT as much as my Sterling (Rita) or my Gibson EB.

The RBIV doesn't really 'do' the P bass thing you are right Chris, no real surprise there. I do really appreciate the P bass tone and always have. It's vital and earthy, quite unique. But my immediate reaction on hearing and appreciating it is 'how can I add just a little more mids' The RBIV with the neck pup solo'd and in series does something else quite good too:)

I have a 'cheap as chips' Vintage Tony Butler signature with a Kiogon circuit, a decent nut and £100 worth of fret dressing that produces a great P bass tone from it's Wilkinson hardware and it plays like butter. It's worth nowt, looks and sounds lovely and if times were hard would probably do everything I need but I'd always know it's 'only' a Vintage and that makes little sense.

As of last week I popped into a local music shoppe (Promenade Music) to buy some new strings and the bass guitar sales man who is a pretty impressive bassist and fine bloke showed me his CIJ 70's reissue Fender P bass that he's looking to move on. It's got a Bare Knuckle pickup (I'd guess a 65) and a Badass II fitted and to be honest it blew me a way a bit. I sat with it a while and the tone, neck, playability and pure 'Fenderishness' really grew on me. I walked out with new D'Addario Nickels 40 - 100 for the RBIV and a P bass! It's a beauiful 3T Sunburst with a maple neck, black block inlays and a black pickguard that's currently with Howard who's crafting a red tort celluloid plate for it. I'll post a RBIV and a P bass photo.

A bit of a rambling post as I sit with a couple of glasses of red wine and a knackered laptop but what's my point? My point is that we are fickle beasts and as bassists we wend our weary way through life moving around tones, instruments, styles, urges, makes, inspirations, mistakes, infatuations and opinions but it's all okay and a part of the rich tapestry of life. It makes the whole experience what it is, simply wonderful.

Peter
[/quote]

What a nice read.

[Dingus]

[quote name='BB2000' timestamp='1391886889' post='2362359']
One day you'll find yourself a good BB2000, and settle down happily ever after

I ordered a BB2024 last year after having one on loan (very impressed with that one!) and it was a disaster, sounded absolutely crap (I had to drive halfway across the country and have a quiet word in some ones ear before the shop would talk it back). So I wouldn't buy another one blind from a shop.

If I'd seen this one before it had gone I'd have been sorely tempted, if there had been the slightest problem with it Peter would have pointed it out - he's a great fellow to deal with.
[/quote]

Could you tell us more about what was wrong with the one you returned? These basses have a reputation for being very consistent , so I am intrigued as to what was defective about the unfortunate one you received. Was this a recent event? Is this evidence that the new ones aren't as good as the old ones? I am very interested to hear about the perceived shortcomings of the bass you were lumbered with.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Dingus

[BassTractor]

[quote name='madshadows' timestamp='1391860642' post='2362051']
Really enjoyed reading this post, great explanation of what you want from a bass and how the new one fits your criteria, glad you are enjoying
[/quote]

+1

[Beedster]

so, a month in and I'm in something of a quandary with this bass. Specifically, I love it's playability and I love its sound, but I'm also playing in a band in which the aesthetic doesn't fit at all, but in which the aesthetic of what I consider to be the only real alternative to this bass in tone terms, a Ric C64, does.

So, I'm hoping to be able to get a C64 into the studio in the next few weeks to A/B both that and the Yammie side by side through both my Ampeg and PJB rigs, ideally with the band (the Yammie really does the job tonally so I'd need to make sure that my recollections of the C64 are not flawed). I currently have the option of a C64 at a reasonable cash price, but if anyone out there has a C64 they might want to trade for the Yammie, please let me know.

Of course, I'm tempted to buy the C64 outright and keep the Yammie, but that's a cash heavy approach. I suspect that the wisest move in the long term is to keep the Yammie and forget the Ric and aesthetics. Wisdom has however never been one of my strong points.

[redstriper]

What band?
Have you got any links?

[pete.young]

Aesthetic? I thought that was some kind of artificial limb. Listen to your inner wisdom!

[neepheid]

Try and be wise. You love this bass, how it plays, how it sounds, how it feels. What else is there? Aesthetics? A flouncy distraction from what's important!

FWIW, I play basses I like the sound, feel and look of. Which is all of them, in rotation, at my whim. I'd leave a band that had a problem with that policy.

[Beedster]

[quote name='redstriper' timestamp='1393453275' post='2380620']
What band?
Have you got any links?
[/quote]

It's a 'back in that London' band mate, in Aber I wouldn't be so worried!

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1393453488' post='2380623']
Aesthetic? I thought that was some kind of artificial limb. Listen to your inner wisdom!
[/quote]

Inner wisdom says keep the Yammie and buy the C64,. Inner accountant says 'no', although I'm working on it

[redstriper]

London my arse - make your own style and fashion innit...
What's the worse that can happen if some cock doesn't like how your bass looks?
And you want to pander to these people....... c'mon Chris get a grip man

[Beedster]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1393454834' post='2380648']
FWIW, I play basses I like the sound, feel and look of. Which is all of them, in rotation, at my whim. I'd leave a band that had a problem with that policy.
[/quote]

Not a band thing, totally a me thing, I like the sound, feel and look of both basses 100%.

Aesthetics? Picture Lemmy with a Steinberger, Flea with a Hofner, Jaco with a Bongo and Mark King with a Ric.....?

[Beedster]

Should add that if you folks feel strongly that I shouldn't sell the Yammie to pay for a Ric, please feel free to start a whip round

To be honest, I'll probably find a way of getting/keeping both, but it will not be guilt free!

[redstriper]

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1393455235' post='2380655']
Aesthetics? Picture Lemmy with a Steinberger, Flea with a Hofner, Jaco with a Bongo and Mark King with a Ric.....?
[/quote]

Do you really think those players are only successful because of the brand of instrument they play?

I don't feel strongly about what bass or basses you sell or buy, as long as they look good in London

[neepheid]

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1393455235' post='2380655']
Not a band thing, totally a me thing, I like the sound, feel and look of both basses 100%.

Aesthetics? Picture Lemmy with a Steinberger, Flea with a Hofner, Jaco with a Bongo and Mark King with a Ric.....?
[/quote]

Yes, but they're not me and I'm not trying to be them. This is history. If Lemmy had decided he liked a Steinberger and played one for enough years then we'd be talking about how ridiculous he'd look with a Ric. Actually, that's got me thinking - are you trying to be Lemmy? Is this a full "dress-up, play the same types of instruments" tribute band we're talking about? If so, then that's a big hole in my argument, carry on and forget I said anything

I haven't played one particular bass long enough, to enough people to be saddled with a particular aesthetic

[Beedster]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1393455796' post='2380661']
Is this a full "dress-up, play the same types of instruments" tribute band we're talking about?
[/quote]

Yep, to a degree it is

[Clarky]

The New Rutles

[Beedster]

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1393456031' post='2380665']
The New Rutles
[/quote]

The Buttles

[Beedster]

Or as Mr Partridge put it "Wings, the band The Beatles could have been"

[Clarky]

OT but worth it: http://cms.springboard.gorillanation.com/embed_iframe/2653/video/772303/what003/whatculture.com/5

[redstriper]

So it's a tribute band that needs a Ric and only in London....... The Jam?