The Yamaha BB mega-thread

[AdrianP]

24 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Sadly it won't be the inherent magical properties of the bass

That’s a real shame 😪. I was hoping it was the magic pixie dust sprinkled on it at the factory, or something! The action is, I would say, medium low. About the same as my US Jazz; set up just a bit lower than Fender recommended settings. I was thinking of dropping the action slightly but, in case that breaks the magic spell, I’ll let sleeping dogs lie.

Whatever it is, it just plays like an absolute dream and I couldn’t be happier.

[Cuzzie]

Drop the action, see what happens, you can compensate with shaping the neck how you like via the truss rod.

Nowt wrong with a little buzz - adds to harmonics

[Al Krow]

40 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Drop the action, see what happens, you can compensate with shaping the neck how you like via the truss rod.

Nowt wrong with a little buzz - adds to harmonics

Cuzzie I'm sure you would agree - go slowly and carefully when adjusting the truss rod! 

[Misowaki]

On 17/03/2019 at 01:28, AndyTravis said:

This is my late night viewing 

I've started sanding down my 425X with a view to staining it and hopefully end up with this colour...

[AndyTravis]

7 minutes ago, Misowaki said:

I've started sanding down my 425X with a view to staining it and hopefully end up with this colour...

There’s nothing wrong with that - it’s a stunner.

want a nice dark tort on it.

[Misowaki]

Just noticed the knobs too, got a couple of them kicking around already.  It's a sign!

 

[AndyTravis]

1 minute ago, Misowaki said:

Just noticed the knobs too, got a couple of them kicking around already.  It's a sign!

 

Haha. I love the sucked sweetie control knobs

[Cuzzie]

Not going gung-ho with a truss rod is a given, I left it open as to account for his preference of bow/straight.

Drop the saddles, if it’s still not low enough and you have run out of room on the screws, shim the neck - it’s really easy to do at home.

Just don’t forget intonation

[Al Krow]

15 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Not going gung-ho with a truss rod is a given, I left it open as to account for his preference of bow/straight.

Drop the saddles, if it’s still not low enough and you have run out of room on the screws, shim the neck - it’s really easy to do at home.

Just don’t forget intonation

"it just plays like an absolute dream and I couldn’t be happier."

=> or maybe in this case just leave the thing as it is 😊

[Cuzzie]

Or lower the action

It will still play like a dream or better - don’t like it, raise the action again - 2 min job

[Al Krow]

BB 735A vs BB 1025 (first impressions review)

I've had the 735A for just a few days now, but managed to give it a bit of a spin including at band rehearsal on Thursday night and I'll also gig it tonight.

Thought I'd share first impressions on this vs my BB 1025, which I'm very fond of. The 735A has newer strings and this would account for the 735A sounding a little brighter overall.

Solo P setting - treble dialled off (passive)

• This is a classic 1025 "subby" / vintage tone and a much loved sound from this bass. It's not really something I've found any other basses I've played so far have done as well (other than, I guess other members of the BB passive family of basses, be interested if others agree?).
• The 735A in passive (but not so much in active) mode comes pretty close - it sounded a little brighter, less muddy, but that could be just down to the newer strings.
• With the treble back up for both basses, the 735A continued to feel a little brighter.

735A Passive vs Active

• With the 3 band EQ at neutral there was almost no difference between active and passive for 735A, which is a good sign. 
• In terms of the EQ, bass cut worked to tighten the sound. Bass boost was less effective in increasing the low end thump (in the way that the Ibby SR EQ and, in especially, the BB NE2 delivers in spades). Mid cut to give a scooped tone or mid boost to cut through the mix both work well and the treble provides a decent range from very (too!) bright to nicely dialled down. As noted above for the most 'subby' tone I needed to switch to passive mode. The combination of passive and active modes delivers a significantly wider tonal palette than available with my BB 1025.

Overall impressions so far

This bass is growing on me very quickly. I love the fact that I can get pretty close to the vintage sound of the BB 1025 in passive mode and then, at the flick of a switch, get a much more modern punchy (or indeed scooped if I ever want it!) tone. I found myself making use of the both passive and active modes a fair bit at band rehearsal. This is not the case with my Ibby SRs where I have the bass just  in active mode; the passive mode is just a nice emergency back-up should the battery ever fade mid set.

The overall tone was a little sweeter than the BB 1025, but I'm not sure how much of that is simply down to the older strings on the 1025.

I can see that the ease of ability to access such a broad tonal palette on one bass is going to totally appeal to the convenience junky in me, and that the BB 735A is going to become a 'goto' bass for me. It's been an itch that I first had back in March 2017 when I wandered into the London Yammy store and  first started to seriously consider getting a Yammy bass. I'm very glad that I've finally got round to scratching that particular itch  

[gobasserk]

Please excuse my question ...I am not from England... there is a Yamaha store in London??? 

[dannybuoy]

34 minutes ago, gobasserk said:

Please excuse my question ...I am not from England... there is a Yamaha store in London??? 

There sure is!

https://www.yamahamusiclondon.com

[bigsmokebass]

12 hours ago, Al Krow said:

The overall tone was a little sweeter than the BB 1025, but I'm not sure how much of that is simply down to the older strings on the 1025.

Digging this review. Do you think the sound is perhaps from the tailored pickups for the bass, the mitre neck joint or perhaps a combination of a few things? 

Both fantastic basses 

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, bigsmokebass said:

Digging this review. Do you think the sound is perhaps from the tailored pickups for the bass, the mitre neck joint or perhaps a combination of a few things? 

Both fantastic basses 

Good question. 

I guess I'm a bit old fashioned and tend to assume that tone from a bass is driven by the following:

1. Type (P/J/MM etc) and make of pups

2. Position of pups

3. Quality of EQ including whether active or passive mode

4. Strings (and playing position). 

And then some way behind the above in terms of impact:

5. Variation in type of woods used. 

I suspect the the tonal difference between the two basses would be less if I was using identically aged same strings and I guess the simplest way to do that is to put a new pair of the same make strings on both, but I'm too much of a cheapskate to want to do that until the strings actually need replacing

Edited March 24, 2019 by Al Krow

[bigsmokebass]

@Al Krow I tend to review things the same. I guess in a lot of ways both basses are very similar in black and white, when looking at specs but the subtleties in difference seem like they make all the difference in sound and feel

 I love my BB1025 but have to admit that the thickness of the new necks is definitely a lot more comfortable, as well as the weight loss/reduced size bodies. They feel a lot more comfortable to play sat down or on a strap. 

Sound wise, I can't put my finger on why they sound ever so different but I wouldn't say it's dramatically different from my end. 

[MDWagstaff]

14 hours ago, Al Krow said:

BB 735A vs BB 1025 (first impressions review)

I've had the 735A for just a few days now, but managed to give it a bit of a spin including at band rehearsal on Thursday night and I'll also gig it tonight.

Thought I'd share first impressions on this vs my BB 1025, which I'm very fond of. The 735A has newer strings and this would account for the 735A sounding a little brighter overall.

Solo P setting - treble dialled off (passive)

• This is a classic 1025 "subby" / vintage tone and a much loved sound from this bass. It's not really something I've found any other basses I've played so far have done as well (other than, I guess other members of the BB passive family of basses, be interested if others agree?).
• The 735A in passive (but not so much in active) mode comes pretty close - it sounded a little brighter, less muddy, but that could be just down to the newer strings.
• With the treble back up for both basses, the 735A continued to feel a little brighter.

735A Passive vs Active

• With the 3 band EQ at neutral there was almost no difference between active and passive for 735A, which is a good sign. 
• In terms of the EQ, bass cut worked to tighten the sound. Bass boost was less effective in increasing the low end thump (in the way that the Ibby SR EQ and, in especially, the BB NE2 delivers in spades). Mid cut to give a scooped tone or mid boost to cut through the mix both work well and the treble provides a decent range from very (too!) bright to nicely dialled down. As noted above for the most 'subby' tone I needed to switch to passive mode. The combination of passive and active modes delivers a significantly wider tonal palette than available with my BB 1025.

Overall impressions so far

This bass is growing on me very quickly. I love the fact that I can get pretty close to the vintage sound of the BB 1025 in passive mode and then, at the flick of a switch, get a much more modern punchy (or indeed scooped if I ever want it!) tone. I found myself making use of the both passive and active modes a fair bit at band rehearsal. This is not the case with my Ibby SRs where I have the bass just  in active mode; the passive mode is just a nice emergency back-up should the battery ever fade mid set.

The overall tone was a little sweeter than the BB 1025, but I'm not sure how much of that is simply down to the older strings on the 1025.

I can see that the ease of ability to access such a broad tonal palette on one bass is going to totally appeal to the convenience junky in me, and that the BB 735A is going to become a 'goto' bass for me. It's been an itch that I first had back in March 2017 when I wandered into the London Yammy store and  first started to seriously consider getting a Yammy bass. I'm very glad that I've finally got round to scratching that particular itch  

Fantastic review, how would you compare the dimensions? I've got a 615, the neck is amazing, the body however is a little big as I'm 5' 3". I've been considering a 734 but there aren't any local for me to try before hand. 

[Al Krow]

7 hours ago, MDWagstaff said:

Fantastic review, how would you compare the dimensions? I've got a 615, the neck is amazing, the body however is a little big as I'm 5' 3". I've been considering a 734 but there aren't any local for me to try before hand. 

That's very kind of you to say! 

I don't think there is a great deal of difference in dimensions and weight between the 1025 and 735A. The 735A has been slimmed a touch, but it's still very much a BB design bass - which I think you'll see from the pics I posted a page back in this thread, together with a rough 'bathroom scale' measurements of weight - it is also a touch lighter. 

If size matters - then I hate to say this on this thread(!) - and if you're after a smaller comfortable body, I'd actually consider getting an Ibanez SR. I'm also a big fan of those basses, particularly the Premium range as I really like the more 'throaty' Nordstrand big singles, although my Ibbys are all J/J rather than P/J configured pups. 

Having said that - see also @bigsmokebass's comments above about the subtleties of difference adding up (and there's, of course, also the not subtle at all addition of an active EQ, although he is not using that additional feature, but which I most certainly will be!).

Edited March 24, 2019 by Al Krow

[gobasserk]

In my opinion, the strings are an often underrated factor. THE most underrated factor!  When over here the "Musicstore" in Cologne got in the 734a, I tested it and was very pleased with its sound.

After some time, I went there to test it again, even brought my old Yami to compare but by that time the strings of the 734 were so done that to this day I could not manage to get the same impression out it.  It sounds very bad and I am happy that I played it when strings were new.  Writing this- I was in the store yesterday- the 734 could not convince me to buy it because it sounds so "bad" with old strings (for my ears) like any bass does. I like them fresh with as much highs as possible...  Out of experience (for my sound) I always tend to say: The best bass effect (pedal) is: putting on new strings!

[Cuzzie]

Agree Strings underrated

wood type underrated and overlooked

EQ will depend on the pots taper and whether it is linear, vintage, logarithmic all have their advantages and disadvantages and hence will form people’s preferences.

Its not just make of pick ups as each manufacturer will have a range of how they use the available materials, but certain manufacturers will have a ‘sound’

These are broad strokes of course

Yammy are good basses - they will always sound good so long as there is not a fault.

Edited March 24, 2019 by Cuzzie

[CameronJ]

I like the stock (D’addario EXL170-5?) strings on my 735a so much that next time I buy new roundwounds for any of my basses they will be the same! Really like the feel (and sound) of them.

[MDWagstaff]

3 hours ago, Al Krow said:

That's very kind of you to say! 

I don't think there is a great deal of difference in dimensions and weight between the 1025 and 735A. The 735A has been slimmed a touch, but it's still very much a BB design bass - which I think you'll see from the pics I posted a page back in this thread, together with a rough 'bathroom scale' measurements of weight - it is also a touch lighter. 

If size matters - then I hate to say this on this thread(!) - and if you're after a smaller comfortable body, I'd actually consider getting an Ibanez SR. I'm also a big fan of those basses, particularly the Premium range as I really like the more 'throaty' Nordstrand big singles, although my Ibbys are all J/J rather than P/J configured pups. 

Having said that - see also @bigsmokebass's comments above about the subtleties of difference adding up (and there's, of course, also the not subtle at all addition of an active EQ, although he is not using that additional feature, which I most certainly will be!).

It's not that size is a massive issue, I used the 615 as my main bass for 8 years before getting a trbx605 and the sound of the BB is to die for but it is something I take into consideration when picking a new bass.

[dannybuoy]

57 minutes ago, CameronJ said:

I like the stock (D’addario EXL170-5?) strings on my 735a so much that next time I buy new roundwounds for any of my basses they will be the same! Really like the feel (and sound) of them.

Same here, made the switch from Dunlop and DR after buying my BB!

[whamni]

After playing a MusicMan since 1980 it just got too heavy for me, so I got myself a BB734a and I'm loving it.

But  I changed the stings to Ernie Ball Flats and it made a big difference ( for me anyway), a nice P thump !

This is a great bass to play, fast low action and it's sound can cut through the mix big time, only gripe I have is the hum from

the bridge pup, but then it's a single coil and that will happen no matter what make of bass you have.

Has anyone changed the bridge pup, if so what make and model,   I love the sound but not the hum.

cheers 

 

[Cuzzie]

Loads of excellent hum cancellers or essentially stacked humbuckers out there

Seymour Duncan, Lindy Fralin, Ulyate, Joe Barden,  Haüssel, sandberg black label to name a few