The Yamaha BB mega-thread

[Al Krow]

I don't think most folk would describe a P pup as a humbucker though? They would describe it a as a P pup.

[Munurmunuh]

22 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Is amiable = polite / bland / tame?

If so, I've not been disappointed with the Yammy BB series 2 (425, 1025) or series 3 pups (735A) at all - in that regard. I love the tone, particularly from my 1025 / 735A.

Yes. I can imagine the TRBX  doing all kinds of useful things - purring along in a theatre band for example - none of which I'm interested in. It seems a bit daft to have a versatile instrument, and then spend the entire time parked at one end of its spectrum.

I now know the BB would be a step in the right direction, but I need to find out if the step would be big enough to be worth the bother of selling + buying.... and this thread seemed a good place to start my enquiries 😊

[Cuzzie]

2 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

I don't think most folk would describe a P pup as a humbucker though? They would describe it a as a P pup.

I am not most folk.

Check the definition of what a humbucker is and what the ‘P’ pick up is and why it was developed moving from the original Single coil 51 type P bass.

If the above is correct, then the original statement holds water unless I have the make up of the bridge pick up incorrect, but you will know more than me on that.

[Cuzzie]

9 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

Yes. I can imagine the TRBX  doing all kinds of useful things - purring along in a theatre band for example - none of which I'm interested in. It seems a bit daft to have a versatile instrument, and then spend the entire time parked at one end of its spectrum.

I now know the BB would be a step in the right direction, but I need to find out if the step would be big enough to be worth the bother of selling + buying.... and this thread seemed a good place to start my enquiries 😊

If your preference is playing on the neck pick up, then unless you plan to tickle something located nearer the bridge you will favour a bass with 1 pick up around that spot.

Having something by the bridge can be useful be it a single coil or a dual coil even if you don’t dial it in as a place to rest a playing hand, still giving variation of tone.

Whether you stick or twist you can always change pick ups (depending on the date of the model esp with the BB range) to give you a different sound in a familiar shell

[dave_bass5]

2 hours ago, Al Krow said:

I guess it really depends what you're after?

The key tonal difference is going to be from swapping humbuckers for a P-J set of pups which, for me, is the "USP" of the modern BB range (apart from the NE2, which is a souped-up Spector in disguise not a Yammy BB 😁).

The body construction on the 434 will also be a step up from the TRBX and, as you already note it's purely passive, rather than active / passive.

Do you feel the TRBX is coming up short and, if so, what is it "missing" for you? 

On the other hand if you're after a PJ that punches well above its price point, I suspect you're not going to be disappointed with a BB 434!

Having had a TRBX505 and a BB435 I’d say BB all the way. I gigged my TRBX for about 2 years, but never really found it exciting. There was a softness about it. Not sure if that makes sense. I’d say it reminded me of a bass that had Bart BK1’s in it. Polite and up for the job, but not as exciting as it could have been.

The analogy about it purring along in a theatre band seems spot on.  Its quite a generic tone so fits in everywhere., but doesnt really claim its spot. 

The BB435 on the other hand blew me way. It had a proper P bass tone with just a bit more kick and growl, and playability was quite a bit better. IIR the BB neck didnt feel as cramped as the TRBX.

[Al Krow]

2 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Having had a TRBX505 and a BB435 I’d say BB all the way. I gigged my TRBX for about 2 years, but never really found it exciting. There was a softness about it. Not sure if that makes sense. I’d say it reminded me of a bass that had Bart BK1’s in it. Polite and up for the job, but not as exciting as it could have been.

The analogy about it purring along in a theatre band seems spot on.  Its quite a generic tone so fits in everywhere., but doesnt really claim its spot. 

The BB435 on the other hand blew me way. It had a proper P bass tone with just a bit more kick and growl, and playability was quite a bit better. IIR the BB neck didnt feel as cramped as the TRBX.

Cheers Dave - I almost linked you into my original reply as, at the back of my mind, I thought you'd had a TRBX in times past, but couldn't remember the model!

I think you've nailed what @Ricky Rioli was looking for in terms of a comparison between the two.

What you're both saying about the two humbuckers on the TRBX seems to completely chime with each other and I suspect there is no way that most of the BB owning crew on this thread would describe the P-J pups on the BB 435 and its sister basses as being in the same bag!

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

 

What you're both saying about the two humbuckers on the TRBX seems to completely chime with each other and I suspect there is no way that most of the BB owning crew on this thread would describe the P-J pups on the BB 435 and its sister basses as being in the same bag!

For what its worth i thought the BB435 sounded much better, to me, than the P34 i had. So even within the BB range there are differences. 

I felt the BB435 sounded much more ‘Fender’ than the P34, which I found to be a bit more polite. Neither sounds like the TBRX though. 

Oh, and no relevant to this topic, but the BB435 also had a much better B string than the TRBX. Even the Sire V7 that replaced my TRBX had a more solid B string. All 3 are 34’’ so its not a length thing. 

Edited December 19, 2020 by dave_bass5

[Al Krow]

7 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

For what its worth i thought the BB435 sounded much better, to me, than the P34 i had.

Well obviously it did - the P34 really struggles with the low D and C in my experience, almost like there was nothing there 😁

[Al Krow]

8 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Oh, and no relevant to this topic, but the BB435 also had a much better B string than the TRBX and the P34. Even the Sire V7 that replaced my TRBX had a more solid B string. All 3 are 34’’ so its not a length thing. 

Fixed 😁

[dave_bass5]

6 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Well obviously it did - the P34 really struggles with the low D and C in my experience, almost like there was nothing there 😁

Haha, I’m not talking about the B string, just the other 4 and in general. Then again, the P34 can obviously be de-tuned, so quite easily get those notes if needed 😏

[Al Krow]

14 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Haha, I’m not talking about the B string, just the other 4 and in general. Then again, the P34 can obviously be de-tuned, so quite easily get those notes if needed 😏

So...hold on! You had a 435 that you preferred to your P34 and was in a different league to your TRBX, with a great low B string and weighed around 9 lbs and was in your chosen finish, right?

And you did what, exactly, with this wondrous bass?! 😁

Edited December 19, 2020 by Al Krow

[dave_bass5]

19 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

So...hold on! You had a 435 that you preferred to your P34 and was in a different league to your TRBX, with a great low B string and weighed around 9 lbs and was in your chosen finish, right?

And you did what, exactly, with this wondrous bass?! 😁

Haha, well within a week of getting the 435 i got put on 80% wages, all gigs cancelled and then got made redundant. I also felt i had enough basses to play bass on at home anyway......oh and then gave up playing bass. 

Oh, and it was 8lbs. I do regret sending it back still. 

 

[Al Krow]

Yeah fair, life can crap on timing sometimes 😞

Edited December 19, 2020 by Al Krow

[Munurmunuh]

4 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Having had a TRBX505 and a BB435 I’d say BB all the way. I gigged my TRBX for about 2 years, but never really found it exciting. There was a softness about it. Not sure if that makes sense. I’d say it reminded me of a bass that had Bart BK1’s in it. Polite and up for the job, but not as exciting as it could have been.

The analogy about it purring along in a theatre band seems spot on.  Its quite a generic tone so fits in everywhere., but doesnt really claim its spot. 

The BB435 on the other hand blew me way. It had a proper P bass tone with just a bit more kick and growl, and playability was quite a bit better. IIR the BB neck didnt feel as cramped as the TRBX.

Thank you very much for this - exactly the kind of comparison I was after.

There's something in the tone of early 80s Japanese P or PJ basses that seems really punchy to me. I don't know how to describe it, so the 20 seconds from 2'15" to 2'35" in this clip should show what I mean (hopefully this will start at the right place):

Demo of 1982 Ibanez Blazer

And in this 1979 clip of Paul McCartney playing what I think is a BB1200, I can hear that same kind of punchy attack:

Coming Up in Kampuchea

Am I hearing right from demo videos that the bb424 pickups are a bit closer to this style than the bb434?

BB424 demo, starting with some Jamiroquai

BB434 demo 

The 434 sounds a bit more p-bass-ish to me.

I've found the Yamaha specs to compare. Both 40mm nuts, but 424 neck is a bit thicker (bb424: 22mm at 1st fret / 25mm at 12th, bb434: 21mm / 23mm)

Edited December 19, 2020 by Ricky Rioli

[dave_bass5]

An Ibby Blazer bass was one of my first basses. I really don’t remember much about it but i agree about the Japanese 80’s basses if my memory serves me well. 

Boring story but a mate of mine turned up to one of my gigs a few years ago with a Dingwall and a Ibanez Roadstar bass he just brought. He wanted me to use both. We did 3 sets. First with the Dingwall, other two with the Ibby. The Ibby won by miles. I had played the Dingwall before, and it was very easy to play, but seemed sterile and boring. The Ibby was amazing. Such a tight P bass sound which although not too growling, just filled out the mix and had so much kick and character.

I have a BB425 and yes, its a bit hotter and has a bit more bite to it. Its the only PJ or JJ ive had that I could play the bridge pup and not feel a drop in body and volume. The two basses sound noticeably different, but still with the same type of sound if that makes sense. I’m sure there are more experienced BB owners here that can put it in better, but you are right, the 434 is more ‘Fender’ P bass sounding. 

[krispn]

I think there was some chat a while back that the Series 2 BB’s were appealing to many because they didn’t sound like Fender clones (or indeed put folk off because they were a hotter, more strident voice overall compared to their Fender counterpart! 

Folks whom loved the Series2 BB’s might not have been so keen on the Series 3 while more ‘Fender prone’ players might have saw the Series 3 as a refinement and a more traditionally voiced bass. As ever this may or may not be true for you! 😀
 

I played those TBX basses when they were released and while the look didn’t appeal I recall the selector switch being an interesting feature for ‘pre-set’ tone choices. I guess that it’s a nice gimmick and is basically some mid range trickery but if I recall it was only available in one  of the model ranges. 

[dave_bass5]

2 minutes ago, krispn said:

I think there was some chat a while back that the Series 2 BB’s were appealing to many because they didn’t sound like Fender clones (or indeed put folk off because they were a hotter, more strident voice overall compared to their Fender counterpart! 

Folks whom loved the Series2 BB’s might not have been so keen on the Series 3 while more ‘Fender prone’ players might have saw the Series 3 as a refinement and a more traditionally voiced bass. As ever this may or may not be true for you! 😀
 

I played those TBX basses when they were released and while the look didn’t appeal I recall the selector switch being an interesting feature for ‘pre-set’ tone choices. I guess that it’s a nice gimmick and is basically some mid range trickery but if I recall it was only available in one  of the model ranges. 

All true in my case.

I love my 425, as it is as you describe, and I loved the 435 for the same reason as you also describe, but I could never get on with the P34. It wasnt that i was looking for a certain tone, its just the the P34 sat in the middle between my 425 and Fender P and i could never really gel with it. Personal preference of course.

Its the TRBX304/5 that has the pre set tone feature. Very nice it is too. I went for the TRBX505 as it also worked in passive mode. Although i always used mine in active mode  it was nice to know if the battery went flat I could still use the bass. IIR there wasnt a huge difference between the two modes like one some basses where you can sweep the mids and really change the tone. 

[krispn]

Yeah I only really mucked about on the TRBX in a shop but recall thinking that the switch was a neat idea. Sandberg have a similar thing in their Umbo model. I guess it never really took off or more manufacturers would have employed it!

[dave_bass5]

10 minutes ago, krispn said:

I guess it never really took off or more manufacturers would have employed it!

Probably down to all those pompous bass players who insist on setting their own EQ 😂

[krispn]

14 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Probably down to all those pompous bass players who insist on setting their own EQ 😂

🤓 imagine!

Edited December 20, 2020 by krispn

[gobasserk]

So I got a first price for a metalic red finish on one of my BB1000MA's. Will try to get some "cheaper" ones but I think the plan is up... 🙂 
I will change the hardware to gold to make it perfect   OK, Corona will dealy the plan...but after the lockdown I'm ready to go! 

Edited December 21, 2020 by gobasserk

[Paul S]

On 19/12/2020 at 16:56, dave_bass5 said:

Haha, well within a week of getting the 435 i got put on 80% wages, all gigs cancelled and then got made redundant. I also felt i had enough basses to play bass on at home anyway......oh and then gave up playing bass. 

Oh, and it was 8lbs. I do regret sending it back still. 

 

A BB435 was 8lbs?!  How unusual is this? 

[Guest MoJo]

1 hour ago, Paul S said:

A BB435 was 8lbs?!  How unusual is this? 

8lbs is very light for a 5-string. My BB425 is 4.4kg (9.7lbs)

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, Paul S said:

A BB435 was 8lbs?!  How unusual is this? 

8 minutes ago, MoJo said:

8lbs is very light for a 5-string. My BB425 is 4.4kg (9.7lbs)

Very unusual! That's lighter than my most of my Ibbys (except the 7.7lb Portamento) and would be completely gob-smacking in fact!

So either it was pretty unique and is worth an absolute fortune or there was a bathroom scale malfunction that day...😁

Edited December 21, 2020 by Al Krow

[Al Krow]

2 hours ago, gobasserk said:

So I got a first price for a metalic red finish on one of my BB1000MA's. Will try to get some "cheaper" ones but I think the plan is up... 🙂 
I will change the hardware to gold to make it perfect   OK, Corona will dealy the plan...but after the lockdown I'm ready to go! 

Sounds good! And ignore the "gold" = "bling" brigade; whatever floats your boat is what counts!