Upgrading a Yamaha BB404 - worthwhile?

[solo4652]

Hi,

I have a Yamaha BB404. Here's the spec.: [url="http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,6373,CNTID%253D2546%2526CTID%253D224200,00.html"]http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/Conten...D224200,00.html[/url]

I've been looking to spend about £200 to move on to my next bass, but I'm struggling to significantly improve on the Yamaha's quality. So I thought - why not spend the money on upgrading the Yamaha, rather than end up with 2 mediocre basses?

Does it make sense to upgrade the pups? The bridge? Anything else? If so, what would you recommend?

Is there anybody in Manchester area who could do this work for me? ("DIY" in my case stands for "Destroy It Yourself"...)

Or am I simply at risk of trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear?

All advice and suggestions welcomed,

Steve

[Machines]

If you were to do so - you need a goal in mind. What about the BB404 do you dislike that you feel needs to change ? They are decent basses and well made like most Yamahas.

[stingrayfan]

I changed the bridge on my BB614 to a Gotoh I got from somebody on here but by the looks of things, the bridge on yours is fairly chunky. Otherwise, Yamahas are pretty good.

Change whatever you don't like but - as the old saying goes - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Plus on the whole, modified basses (like cars) tend to be less desirable than original ones. Don't spend more than the bass is worth, you'll never see the money back.

If you're looking for a project, you might want to think about "pimping" a P bass. Either get a Mex P or Jazz and get hotter pickups and new scratchplate or buy on the cheap SX copies that people on here rave about.

Good luck - and tell us what you do!

[solo4652]

[quote name='Machines' post='234271' date='Jul 7 2008, 04:33 PM']If you were to do so - you need a goal in mind. What about the BB404 do you dislike that you feel needs to change ? They are decent basses and well made like most Yamahas.[/quote]


Well, I like the mid-to-top end range, but it seems to lack a bit of bottom-end punch. I'd like to beef that up a bit. Also, the controls seem to have very little effect - using the dial to move bewteen the 2 pickups doesn't appear to do much. Neither does the tone control. So, I'm sort of struggling to achieve an array of sounds and tones

[Bigwan]

I'd go as far as a bridge change and maybe a new set of pickups and electronics. As has been said, Yammies are decent basses so really it's up to you. Either of those upgrades could make the difference. Start with the cheapest though!

Edited July 7, 2008 by Bigwan

[paul h]

Just to be controversial....go for a new bass, especially if this is your first one.

I can fairly certainly predict a lifetime of swapping gear around looking for "that" sound so you might as well start now. There are so many different styles, pickup combinations, construction methods etc. etc. available that In my opinion it's best to experiment.

You might be missing out on your dream bass, purely because you haven't looked hard enough! If you upgrade this bass there is a good probability that you will want a new bass sooner or later anyway, and then you will be stuck with a non-original bass that may be hard to move on.

Paul.

ps. I am probably completely wrong.

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='solo4652' post='234296' date='Jul 7 2008, 04:58 PM']Well, I like the mid-to-top end range, but it seems to lack a bit of bottom-end punch. I'd like to beef that up a bit. Also, the controls seem to have very little effect - using the dial to move bewteen the 2 pickups doesn't appear to do much. Neither does the tone control. So, I'm sort of struggling to achieve an array of sounds and tones[/quote]

So your basically looking at new pups and electrics... you have to weigh up if spending a wedge on upgrades will give you the bass that you want and bear in mind that you will 'not' recoup what you spend on upgrades. Upgrades generally make a bass a bit more desirable but you'll be lucky if they increase the value of the instrument by 10% of the value of the upgrades (not the total value of the instrument).

If the actual bass skeleton of the bass is exactly what you want and you 'know' that upgrades will definitely get you the tone you desire then fair enough but if you can't be certain of these things, I'd suggest selling and getting a used example of a bass that will give you what you want.

So speaketh the person who has spent wedges of money doing exactly what I've told you not to do... do as I say not do as I do

[lee4]

I had one of these years ago.Pups were low output but otherwise it was solid.

[solo4652]

Well, that's interesting. Seems like the consistent advice here is to not upgrade the Yamaha, because it's pretty decent already. I rather like the advice to "buy a new guitar"...

But I only have about £200. Anybody got a half-decent mexican precision??

[Soulfinger]

[quote name='solo4652' post='234296' date='Jul 7 2008, 05:58 PM']the controls seem to have very little effect - using the dial to move bewteen the 2 pickups doesn't appear to do much.[/quote]


Unless the bass has been modded, it has vol/vol/tone. You´ll find that turning up only one volume knob at a time will make a significant difference in sound. I´m happy with my BB404, with the right setup it has plenty of lows.

Maybe a good set of new strings is all your bass needs?

[johnnylager]

[quote name='solo4652' post='234560' date='Jul 7 2008, 10:25 PM']Well, that's interesting. Seems like the consistent advice here is to not upgrade the Yamaha, because it's pretty decent already. I rather like the advice to "buy a new guitar"...

But I only have about £200. Anybody got a half-decent mexican precision??[/quote]
[url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/squier-vintage-modified-precisi/71000"]Squier VMP[/url]? Played one, want one, but have observant wife.

Edited July 8, 2008 by johnnylager

[synaesthesia]

I bought one of these overseas when I was away for a stretch, and was invited to sit in with some mates where they were performing- I'm lefty so I bought a lefty one - these were the only budget lefties in the shops - , I CAN play upside down borrowed righty for pop or blues, but not Giant Steps at 220bpm.

I brought it back here and tested some J pickups on it. They were invariably too bright for this bass. I even put Alembic Activators in it one time, and it was the first time I heard the Activators being harsh. The stock pickups match this bass to a 'T'. They are darker sounding on their own but they get a nice tone on this instrument, not a J tone, but a useable tone. The neck on this instrument is very nice, I like the profile. So far I have done all sorts to it, changed the pickups, put a badass bridge on, etc but I've found that the stock combination worked best and returned it to the stock condition. If you want something else, maybe go get a different instrument.

[Prosebass]

Pm'd

[tauzero]

[quote name='solo4652' post='234296' date='Jul 7 2008, 04:58 PM']Well, I like the mid-to-top end range, but it seems to lack a bit of bottom-end punch. I'd like to beef that up a bit. Also, the controls seem to have very little effect - using the dial to move bewteen the 2 pickups doesn't appear to do much. Neither does the tone control. So, I'm sort of struggling to achieve an array of sounds and tones[/quote]
It might be worth keeping the stock pickups and splashing out £25 or so on an Artec active tone control. An Artec SE-2A would give you blend, volume, and concentric bass/treble (just like my Warwick, in fact), so no extra hole-drilling, and you can get one off That Ebay for £19 inc P&P.

[ZMech]

I'd say sell the yamaha if you can get a decent price for it, and then using what you get from that plus your £200, see if you can get a decent second hand somethingorother

[rjb]

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=21589"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=21589[/url]

A Status bass going for £200 on this very board. They're quality instruments. The colour might not be your thing, but it would look great with a replacement black scratchplate.

[escholl]

going against what (seemingly) everyone else has said, i'd say upgrade it! i spent about 190 pounds on my yamaha, which is actually a lower model then yours, upgrading literally everything but the body, neck, and tuners. did all the work myself, and the difference has been huge! i don't intend to resell it, ever, so for me the value loss/gain wasn't a problem. the bass is built really well, the neck is smooth and even etc. (at least in my case) so it was worth it just to upgrade everything else. i feel, although i may be wrong, but i feel that to get a bass of similar quality and tone to what i have now, i would have had to spend about 500 pounds new, or 200-300 used.

still, its up to you, i'm good with my hands and with a soldering iron, and know how to properly set up action/intonation/relief/etc, so it was all simple and easy for me to do if not a bit time consuming.

[7tenths]

I realise this is an old thread....I have a BB404 fretless and the stock set-up is pretty darn good imho.