The Yamaha BB mega-thread

[AndyTravis]

PEARLJAM.

 

sorry. Makes no sense, I had a mate who said “pearl jam” really weirdly - with an odd inflection/space between the words.

and that’s what I think when people say “head stock” or “scratch plate”...

Edited July 6, 2019 by AndyTravis

[dave_bass5]

1 minute ago, AndyTravis said:

Peal Jam.

Sounds like the name of a band 😄

[Al Krow]

PJS = PearlJam ('r') stinky poo/superb (??)

PJs = pyjamas

Oh dear, this is going rapidly off topic...😁

[dave_bass5]

Thought I’d do a quick update on my P34. Tomorrow is the first gig with it so this is just based on a rehearsal and 3 weeks at home. 

First off i love the tone. Its not quite as thick as my Fender P, but has a bit more mid poke, which is really cool. Ive always strived to get a finger tone, as i play mostly with a pick and don’t really like it a lot of the time. I can normally get close to sounding like finger playing with my BDDI, but this bass seems to get me very close without needing any effects. In fact i think this bass shines without needing my much loved BDDI. Ive always felt the need for a pre amp pedal in the past, but the P34 seems to not need it.

The notes are all very articulate and clear, which makes me play better. The notes also all seem very well balanced volume wise, and ive started to use the higher frets on the E string more. In the past these got a bit too thick and boomy. It sounds silly but i find i can groove better with this bass. Even the band said it made them sound better lol. I can now start to produce the tones and style ive tried to in the past, but without the compromises i kept finding. 

I’ve been struggling for two weeks to get this playing As good as when it arrived. Since changing strings it’s almost got to the point where when i sit down to play, i get the Allen keys and ruler out. Maybe I’m obsessing too much about the action, but my Fender has a 2mm action on the E, and I’d expect, maybe wrongly, that this bass can do it as well. 

In fact i put some EB Slinky’s on it and took them off two days later, they just felt very wrong. Ive never used them before though so its not a bass issues. Ive recently started using Pro Steels, which i love for thair tone and feel. 

Its probably more an OCD thing, but most of my other basses can get a 2mm action, yet this one struggles, even though none of the frets are high. In fact i cant find any faults with this bass at all, so i guess its just me and i will settle down. Same strings on my 425, Fender P and P34. The 425 ive not really bothered with, it plays fine and i dont think ill be using it much anyway. The Fender wont get used much as ive found a better P bass now. 

I notice Yamaha suggest 3mm action at the E/12th. Thats pretty high for me, but i can settle on 2.25mm.

one slight concern though, is the truss rod. To get a decent bow in the neck, say .013 - .015, the TR nut feels like its not even gripping. Its not rattling, and if i turn it th either way its working fine, but it just feels very loose. Never had a TR that felt like this before. I’m hoping its ok, and my one fear is the relief will change on its own. In fact I’m starting to think it is, and thats why i keep adjusting the bass. 

At the moment though its spot on and i played it for a sold 3 hours last night. I’d love to say ‘this is the one’, and once i get over the setup issues I’m sure ti will be. Ive never had such a perfect tone from a P bass. In fact I’d say there is a bit of that jazz snarl in there, and thats just from the neck pup. 

The one big negative is the finish on the back of the neck. I really hate it. I much prefer gloss, as i tend to slide my hand rather than just move it. Poor technique probably, and  Its not that i cant play it, but i find its very sticky. Ill probably get it glossed at some point, but for now ill live with it. 

Anyway, the feeling is i made the right choice getting this (thanks again Bas), and i has rekindled my interest in playing again. 

Gig report to follow tomorrow. Its at the Hampstead summer festival so a good starter. 

[dave_bass5]

24 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

PJS = PearlJam ('r') stinky poo/superb (??)

PJs = pyjamas

Oh dear, this is going rapidly off topic...😁

BJ = 😲

 

[CameronJ]

3 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

The one big negative is the finish on the back of the neck. I really hate it. I much prefer gloss, as i tend to slide my hand rather than just move it. Poor technique probably, and  Its not that i cant play it, but i find its very sticky. Ill probably get it glossed at some point, but for now ill live with it. 

This intrigues me as I feel the direct opposite about gloss necks. Playing them makes me feel like I’m wading through treacle! Goes to show, different strokes for different folks.

[Cuzzie]

15 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Thought I’d do a quick update on my P34. Tomorrow is the first gig with it so this is just based on a rehearsal and 3 weeks at home. 

First off i love the tone. Its not quite as thick as my Fender P, but has a bit more mid poke, which is really cool. Ive always strived to get a finger tone, as i play mostly with a pick and don’t really like it a lot of the time. I can normally get close to sounding like finger playing with my BDDI, but this bass seems to get me very close without needing any effects. In fact i think this bass shines without needing my much loved BDDI. Ive always felt the need for a pre amp pedal in the past, but the P34 seems to not need it.

The notes are all very articulate and clear, which makes me play better. The notes also all seem very well balanced volume wise, and ive started to use the higher frets on the E string more. In the past these got a bit too thick and boomy. It sounds silly but i find i can groove better with this bass. Even the band said it made them sound better lol. I can now start to produce the tones and style ive tried to in the past, but without the compromises i kept finding. 

I’ve been struggling for two weeks to get this playing As good as when it arrived. Since changing strings it’s almost got to the point where when i sit down to play, i get the Allen keys and ruler out. Maybe I’m obsessing too much about the action, but my Fender has a 2mm action on the E, and I’d expect, maybe wrongly, that this bass can do it as well. 

In fact i put some EB Slinky’s on it and took them off two days later, they just felt very wrong. Ive never used them before though so its not a bass issues. Ive recently started using Pro Steels, which i love for thair tone and feel. 

Its probably more an OCD thing, but most of my other basses can get a 2mm action, yet this one struggles, even though none of the frets are high. In fact i cant find any faults with this bass at all, so i guess its just me and i will settle down. Same strings on my 425, Fender P and P34. The 425 ive not really bothered with, it plays fine and i dont think ill be using it much anyway. The Fender wont get used much as ive found a better P bass now. 

I notice Yamaha suggest 3mm action at the E/12th. Thats pretty high for me, but i can settle on 2.25mm.

one slight concern though, is the truss rod. To get a decent bow in the neck, say .013 - .015, the TR nut feels like its not even gripping. Its not rattling, and if i turn it th either way its working fine, but it just feels very loose. Never had a TR that felt like this before. I’m hoping its ok, and my one fear is the relief will change on its own. In fact I’m starting to think it is, and thats why i keep adjusting the bass. 

At the moment though its spot on and i played it for a sold 3 hours last night. I’d love to say ‘this is the one’, and once i get over the setup issues I’m sure ti will be. Ive never had such a perfect tone from a P bass. In fact I’d say there is a bit of that jazz snarl in there, and thats just from the neck pup. 

The one big negative is the finish on the back of the neck. I really hate it. I much prefer gloss, as i tend to slide my hand rather than just move it. Poor technique probably, and  Its not that i cant play it, but i find its very sticky. Ill probably get it glossed at some point, but for now ill live with it. 

Anyway, the feeling is i made the right choice getting this (thanks again Bas), and i has rekindled my interest in playing again. 

Gig report to follow tomorrow. Its at the Hampstead summer festival so a good starter. 

Shim the neck

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, CameronJ said:

This intrigues me as I feel the direct opposite about gloss necks. Playing them makes me feel like I’m wading through treacle! Goes to show, different strokes for different folks.

Maybe I’m just used to the gloss my other necks have. I dont sweat too much when playing but the other night it felt like my hand was glued to the neck. 

1 hour ago, Cuzzie said:

Shim the neck

All my basses are shimmed, i prefer to do that as i like to keep the string height as even as possible to the neck, but with this bass sounding so good i don’t want to start messing with it too much. 

I also wonder how the 6 bolt system will handle a shim. 

EDIT: Ah, of course, the Fender is shimmed. That explains it. Dont know why i didnt think of thats before. To be honest i like the action on the P34 at the moment, I’m just hoping it doesn't change. 

Edited July 6, 2019 by dave_bass5

[Cuzzie]

7 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Maybe I’m just used to the gloss my other necks have. I dont sweat too much when playing but the other night it felt like my hand was glued to the neck. 

All my basses are shimmed, i prefer to do that as i like to keep the string height as even as possible to the neck, but with this bass sounding so good i don’t want to start messing with it too much. 

I also wonder how the 6 bolt system will handle a shim. 

EDIT: Ah, of course, the Fender is shimmed. That explains it. Dont know why i didnt think of thats before. To be honest i like the action on the P34 at the moment, I’m just hoping it doesn't change. 

So the top 4 screws will not be an issue at all, the counter sunk angled screws are just performing like a lag screw principle so in all likelihood they are insetting right at the heel into the neck substance.

The amount of shim you will need to get a perfect action will be minimal from what you say, you could take the neck off, mess about with a couple of playing cards to get the amount of shim height, tapering angle etc you need before slipping a nice veneer in there and do it right. Drilling through a bit of wood so thin for that job is lemon squeeze.

May just make it just perfect for you, no more will it won’t it hassles

[Cuzzie]

Honestly those countersunk angled bolts are not massively new tech or voodoo hoodoo, actually the same principle applies to the straight 4 bolts with a lag screw principle.

The body hole is slightly overdrilled so the screw does not bite, therefore when you tighten it, it pulls the other object (neck in this instance), into the body. It’s used all the time in other applications

[dave_bass5]

Cheers for the info. Its something i may do in the near future if I’m still not settling with it. At the moment the bass is spot on so I’m going to leave things alone. All the tools have gone away and I’m just enjoying playing it. 

Really, .5mm difference is really not an issue as far as playing goes, its more when i look at it that it seems high, and I think the fact that its raising above the 12th fret (Where i never go) makes it look higher than it is. 

[Cuzzie]

10 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Cheers for the info. Its something i may do in the near future if I’m still not settling with it. At the moment the bass is spot on so I’m going to leave things alone. All the tools have gone away and I’m just enjoying playing it. 

Really, .5mm difference is really not an issue as far as playing goes, its more when i look at it that it seems high, and I think the fact that its raising above the 12th fret (Where i never go) makes it look higher than it is. 

Yeah, sounds like a small tapered shim at the heel would just sort it, but as you say, it’s all gravy.

Never put your tools away, there is always something else to tinker with!

[Al Krow]

@dave_bass5 you really liked the BB425 a LOT when you first bought it off me and it was probably the main reason you went for the P34. Having had both now for a few weeks, seems from your comments above you're starting to lean more towards the P34, particularly in a band mix? It was a no-brainer for me, in that I immediately preferred the harmonically richer tone delivered by the BB1025  over the 'flatter' 425 P pups so held on to my 1025 as a mainstay gigging bass. The P35 is, for me, a refined 1025 and I like it a very great deal. I think you touched on this same point, when you said your P34:

"...never had such a perfect tone from a P bass. In fact I’d say there is a bit of that jazz snarl in there, and that's just from the neck pup." 

@AndyTravis - just following up on the neck shimmy discussion above, is this something you've done on your Yammy BBs?

[AndyTravis]

29 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

@dave_bass5 you really liked the BB425 a LOT when you first bought it off me and it was probably the main reason you went for the P34. Having had both now for a few weeks, seems from your comments above you're starting to lean more towards the P34, particularly in a band mix? It was a no-brainer for me, in that I immediately preferred the harmonically richer tone delivered by the BB1025  over the 'flatter' 425 P pups so held on to my 1025 as a mainstay gigging bass. The P35 is, for me, a refined 1025 and I like it a very great deal. I think you touched on this same point, when you said your P34:

"...never had such a perfect tone from a P bass. In fact I’d say there is a bit of that jazz snarl in there, and that's just from the neck pup." 

@AndyTravis - just following up on the neck shimmy discussion above, is this something you've done on your Yammy BBs?

No - never needed to - in saying that, the new bridge is really thick at the base so I may have to.

[Cuzzie]

Or countersink the bridge

[AndyTravis]

2 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Or countersink the bridge

Nah, always looks shite.

[Al Krow]

2 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Nah, always looks shite.

Have to you agree with you!

[Cuzzie]

5 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Nah, always looks shite.

Quite like the LTD though 

[AndyTravis]

1 minute ago, Al Krow said:

Have to you agree with you!

The bridge will need a little recess done - for the body anchors. A bit like G&L

[AndyTravis]

For reference 

[dave_bass5]

2 hours ago, Al Krow said:

@dave_bass5 you really liked the BB425 a LOT when you first bought it off me and it was probably the main reason you went for the P34. Having had both now for a few weeks, seems from your comments above you're starting to lean more towards the P34, particularly in a band mix? It was a no-brainer for me, in that I immediately preferred the harmonically richer tone delivered by the BB1025  over the 'flatter' 425 P pups so held on to my 1025 as a mainstay gigging bass. The P35 is, for me, a refined 1025 and I like it a very great deal. I think you touched on this same point, when you said your P34:

"...never had such a perfect tone from a P bass. In fact I’d say there is a bit of that jazz snarl in there, and that's just from the neck pup." 

@AndyTravis - just following up on the neck shimmy discussion above, is this something you've done on your Yammy BBs?

Well when you go spending £1200 on a new bass,  the £200 one gets pushed to the side lol. The 425 showed me how nice the Yamaha’s can be, and i now have my long sought after 5 string P, but as i think ive said a few times i always go back to 4, so i got the P34 and not the P35, plus im happy with the 425 as a 5 string P. The P34 was never meant to be an upgrade from the 425 and I’m glad  have both. 

I’m also happy with the tone of both. In fact i was knocked out by how good the 425 sounded when i first plugged it in, and I’m still impressed with it. Probably more impressed than when i first plugged the P34 in. Love the tone of the P34, but i really love the character the 425 has as well. I do prefer the P34 now, it sits so well in the mix, but i like the aggressiveness of the 425 as well. 

For me shimming would just be a visual thing, so its not something i have to  do to get the bass playable. I’m in no rush to do it. It plays really  well at the moment and I’m loath to keep messing with it. 

The only mod ive done so far with the P34 is to put on some satin chrome strap locks to match the bridge and control knobs. Its the small things in life eh?

Edited July 6, 2019 by dave_bass5

[AndyTravis]

Got impatient. Unpacked the drill...

[AndyTravis]

1 minute ago, Allaboutthebass said:

Glad you didn't damage my next bass. 

Sorry. Still. Not. Happening. 

Think i’d Sell my CS jazz before i sold this.

[CameronJ]

9 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Think i’d Sell my CS jazz before i sold this.

Now there’s a bold statement!

 

In other news, my Dingwall Super P is having some work done at The Gallery in Camden (replacing the original tone knob with a Tonestyler) so the BB735a has been promoted to “main bass” position.

Just been playing it for the past half hour and my god - I’d forgotten how good it was. It still has the stock setup and strings as it played so well out of the box...and I’m in zero rush to change anything. The action is actually slightly higher than I would have it if I were setting it up myself but it just works! The Dingwall better watch its back 

I’m currently in the market for a passive 5 string Jazz and, to my shame, I was actually contemplating selling the BB to raise funds. Not gonna happen now. The Yammy is going nowhere in a hurry.

[dave_bass5]

4 minutes ago, CameronJ said:

 

Just been playing it for the past half hour and my god - I’d forgotten how good it was. It still has the stock setup and strings as it played so well out of the box...and I’m in zero rush to change anything. The action is actually slightly higher than I would have it if I were setting it up myself but it just works! The Dingwall better watch its back 

 

This is how I was with my P34. Straight out the  box i loved the action, even though it was a bit higher than i normal go for. Not sure what the strings were, they all had brass ends, and were not Elixirs, but they felt good. 

But then i changed strings and mucked  it all up lol.