The Yamaha BB mega-thread

[Misdee]

On 11/06/2023 at 19:39, EJWW said:

Any well known or respected pro players out there regularly using a P34/35 as their main instrument? 

 

I can only think of the Stereophonics bass player off the top of my head. 

The wonderful Chris Minh Dokey has got one. I know his main bass was a 2024, but now  he mainly uses a P34 with a Hipshot D-tuner.

[Maude]

I've just seen Lobster reviewing the BB1000, I think he likes it. 😁

 

 

[TheGreek]

For those who aren't happy with the existing preamp,  have you thought about the NE1 preamp pedal?

Gives you the chance to emulate Mr East without having to touch the innards of your bass.

 

There's one on ebay currently for £60 IIRC 

Edited June 27, 2023 by TheGreek

[msb]

I have a couple of them , they are just a parametric EQ with a slight gain boost , but they can really fatten up an amp at low volume. I never seemed to need that at gig levels. For some years I was using a classic GK MB150 for home practice and the NE-1 would really come alive with that bump. 
They are not that easy to come by these days.

I don’t seem to be using them much with my current practice rigs although I put one on my pedalboard to use as a master volume.

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, TheGreek said:

For those who aren't happy with the existing preamp,  have you thought about the NE1 preamp pedal?

Gives you the chance to emulate Mr East without having to touch the innards of your bass.

 

There's one on ebay currently for £60 IIRC 

 

Cheers Mick, buuuut it's exactly the "cut down" NE1 preamp on my BB2005 that I'm a little frustrated with! 😅

When the NE1 is engaged it basically just allows a mid scoop but no ability to boost mids. The scooped mids are ok-ish in a solo setting but no more than that - to me anyway (YMMV), but end up losing the bass in a band mix. There's a switch to by-pass the NE1 mid-scoop, and I've got it permanently set on by-pass. Be much more useful to have a standard mid EQ with ability to boost and the NE1 by-pass switch could then very usefully become an active/passive switch which is always a nice insurance to have in case of battery failure mid set, rather than the pre-amp being purely active.

Edited June 27, 2023 by Al Krow

[tom.android]

21 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

Cheers Mick, buuuut it's exactly the "cut down" NE1 preamp on my BB2005 that I'm a little frustrated with! 😅

When the NE1 is engaged it basically just allows a mid scoop but no ability to boost mids. The scooped mids are ok-ish in a solo setting but no more than that - to me anyway (YMMV), but end up losing the bass in a band mix. There's a switch to by-pass the NE1 mid-scoop, and I've got it permanently set on by-pass. Be much more useful to have a standard mid EQ with ability to boost and the NE1 by-pass switch could then very usefully become an active/passive switch which is always a nice insurance to have in case of battery failure mid set, rather than the pre-amp being purely active.

I’ve had similar thoughts about wanting to have the switch be active/passive. I’d go for a 2 band active bass/treble then have the existing mid knob be a passive tone control instead. I’ve got a BB2004 but the electronics and layout is the same. I’m allergic to push-pull knobs. Any ideas? 

[LukeFRC]

38 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

Cheers Mick, buuuut it's exactly the "cut down" NE1 preamp on my BB2005 that I'm a little frustrated with! 😅

When the NE1 is engaged it basically just allows a mid scoop but no ability to boost mids. The scooped mids are ok-ish in a solo setting but no more than that - to me anyway (YMMV), but end up losing the bass in a band mix. There's a switch to by-pass the NE1 mid-scoop, and I've got it permanently set on by-pass. Be much more useful to have a standard mid EQ with ability to boost and the NE1 by-pass switch could then very usefully become an active/passive switch which is always a nice insurance to have in case of battery failure mid set, rather than the pre-amp being purely active.

I haven't ever tried it but your experience backs up by thoughts about how it would work. 

[Al Krow]

15 minutes ago, tom.android said:

I’ve had similar thoughts about wanting to have the switch be active/passive. I’d go for a 2 band active bass/treble then have the existing mid knob be a passive tone control instead. I’ve got a BB2004 but the electronics and layout is the same. I’m allergic to push-pull knobs. Any ideas? 

 

Well I totally love my BB2005 other than the preamp - I've never had another 5 string bass balance so perfectly with literally zero neck dive - so I'm pondering upgrading the pre, my hesitation is I'll likely end up adding 60%+ to what I originally spent on the bass itself which, tbf, I managed to pick up from a fellow BC'er for a very decent price. But I guess if it significantly ups how it sounds, it will be worth it. When I replaced the "tired" (= worn out) pre on a Carvin BB75 I had with a Glock 3 band EQ, it did seriously improve the sound, so maybe that's also the way to go with my BB2005 rather than forking out for something more high-end like a John East pre.

 

I'm not sure exactly what's out there that would meet your requirements Tom for a passive tone control (and no push pull knobs) - but fingers crossed one of the great and good on BC will have some useful suggestions! 

[LukeFRC]

22 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

Well I totally love my BB2005 other than the preamp - I've never had another 5 string bass balance so perfectly with literally zero neck dive - so I'm pondering upgrading the pre, my hesitation is I'll likely end up adding 60%+ to what I originally spent on the bass itself which, tbf, I managed to pick up from a fellow BC'er for a very decent price. But I guess if it significantly ups how it sounds, it will be worth it. When I replaced the "tired" (= worn out) pre on a Carvin BB75 I had with a Glock 3 band EQ, it did seriously improve the sound, so maybe that's also the way to go with my BB2005 rather than forking out for something more high-end like a John East pre.

 

I'm not sure exactly what's out there that would meet your requirements Tom for a passive tone control (and no push pull knobs) - but fingers crossed one of the great and good on BC will have some useful suggestions! 

I think sometimes we get sucked into internet hype around X bass being better than what we have and just end up dissatisfied. I know I went through that process years back - but when I objectively went through point by point what could be better for me than what I currently had, I realised that the fancy/new/shiney expensive basses would be no better than what I had except for the preamp - so I upgraded the preamp.
@Al Krow you've had enough very nice basses to know objectively how good the BB2005 is for you reguardless of price, and if it's good enough a preamp is a decent investment. It's a Yamaha so likely to be good regardless of price. 
Semi parametric mids can be uber powerful!  

[tom.android]

Perhaps it’s a failure of imagination on my part and lack of experience playing anything properly high end but I honestly can’t imagine how a bass could be better constructed than my BB2004. It’s basically flawless on every conceivable level. But I too struggle to get it to sound how I want on gigs. Lots of tops, lots of boomy bottom but can’t get the low mid punch that I want. Mines even got a (reverse) P pickup. I might swap out the pickups at some point.

[Al Krow]

@LukeFRC - totally agree about the hype/getting sucked in when it comes to new and shiny. That was definitely me here on BC (or perhaps sometimes more accurately "gear chat", haha!) until a couple of years ago, although tbf there is fun to be had exploring kit, particularly if you're buying used and not taking anything much of a hit when moving it on. I'm actually pretty settled on my gigging basses now - really enjoy all three and they each bring something different to the party which actually keeps all three of them fresh. The BB2005 was the actually the last bass I bought, almost 2 years ago now - not really felt the need to add to my herd since then.

 

But semi-para mids? So you'd be recommending splashing out on a John East preamp then, rather than settling for a Glock or maybe an Aguilar OBP-3?

 

41 minutes ago, tom.android said:

Perhaps it’s a failure of imagination on my part and lack of experience playing anything properly high end but I honestly can’t imagine how a bass could be better constructed than my BB2004. It’s basically flawless on every conceivable level. But I too struggle to get it to sound how I want on gigs. Lots of tops, lots of boomy bottom but can’t get the low mid punch that I want. Mines even got a (reverse) P pickup. I might swap out the pickups at some point.

 

Can't disagree with your view about construction and the BB2004 also looks stunning too - if there was a similar PJ version of the 2005 I would snap it up although the neck J pup is pretty good on the 2005.

 

It sounds to me that a 3 band rather than a 2 band EQ is what you might be needing, though? Something that allows you to cut the bass a touch and roll-off the treble and give the mids a boost, and semi-para mids which Luke is suggesting maybe just the ticket to allow you to get that low-mid punch.

 

Out of interest are you not able to get the EQ you want from your amp? I obviously should be asking myself the same question! In my case, I'm going straight into the PA these days and whilst I guess I could tweak the EQ on the desk, we rarely have time for such fine-tuning pre-gig when there are 8 mic and instruments inputs to sort, and it's not always our desk we are using. And with three different gigging basses it's actually easier for me to know what works on the bass itself and have the luxury of standing upfront and being able to tweak on the fly in real time rather than heading over to the desk, which will usually be set up behind rather than in front of the PA speakers. A good on-board pre lends itself to doing that nicely.

[Eldon Tyrell]

BB Fans, saw this on Ebay - BBVIII. Looks cool. Cannot find any info on it on the web. Has any of you played/owned one?

 

 

 

[AndyTravis]

32 minutes ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

BB Fans, saw this on Ebay - BBVIII. Looks cool. Cannot find any info on it on the web. Has any of you played/owned one?

 

 

 

Think that’s one of the few I’ve never touched

[neepheid]

1 hour ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

BB Fans, saw this on Ebay - BBVIII. Looks cool. Cannot find any info on it on the web. Has any of you played/owned one?

 

 

 

 

Go away BBVIII, you're drunk...

[LukeFRC]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

But semi-para mids? So you'd be recommending splashing out on a John East preamp then, rather than settling for a Glock or maybe an Aguilar OBP-3?

In my head you either have a preamp designed around a pickup, the stingray 2 and 3 band being good examples, or you have something with flexibility to tune to your bass. I used to do a wee bit behind a sound desk so having a PA desk type setup makes sense to me.
The Glock is a mid control at about 550Hz if you’ve something you can test a boost/cut at that frequency to see if that suits your bass it might be perfect for you. 

(I’m not suggesting it is the best solution for you, I don’t know, but the east Uni pre also gives you active blend, a passive tone and the ability to tune the bass and treble controls too, so it’s not just the mid boost)  

 

im actually surprised how few preamps have semi parametric mids!

[LukeFRC]

double post

Edited June 27, 2023 by LukeFRC

[Eldon Tyrell]

10 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

Go away BBVIII, you're drunk...

I think the Japanese sellers who listed the bass on the bay were drunk as it says "Yamaha BB-XIII" 🙂 

[dannybuoy]

👀

[javi_bassist]

43 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

👀

 

I have an orange 414, but everytime I see one, I want it :P.

 

For those of you who have a 415/425, how is the 5th string? I have a 735 and I love it, but I was considering getting an older one as a backup

[Baloney Balderdash]

I love the look of these basses, and have only heard great stuff about them.

 

Would wish Yamaha made a short scale version with a reverse orientation P in it, if so I would be 100% certain to buy it as soon as I got the money for it, but I suppose that is likely to remain but a wish unfortunately.

 

They ought to make a short scale BB really though, with how popular short scale basses has become in recent years I am sure it would sell great, and in that light I think it is odd that Yamaha offers no current production short scale basses at all, seems to me that they are missing out big time on getting a share of that market.

 

I am pretty certain a short scale Yamaha in just about any form would be a hit and sell great.

 

Edited July 9, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Tjhooker]

23 hours ago, javi_bassist said:

 

I have an orange 414, but everytime I see one, I want it :P.

 

For those of you who have a 415/425, how is the 5th string? I have a 735 and I love it, but I was considering getting an older one as a backup

If it helps..

Got a 615 and the be is very good 👍

 

Better than a at least few other basses I've had at higher price points including a German Warwick 😳

[tom.android]

On 08/07/2023 at 12:14, Baloney Balderdash said:

I love the look of these basses, and have only heard great stuff about them.

 

Would wish Yamaha made a short scale version with a reverse orientation P in it, if so I would be 100% certain to buy it as soon as I got the money for it, but I suppose that is likely to remain but a wish unfortunately.

 

They ought to make a short scale BB really though, with how popular short scale basses has become in recent years I am sure it would sell great, and it in that light I think it is odd that Yamaha offers no current production short scale basses at all, seems to me that they are missing out big time on getting a share of that market.

 

I am pretty certain a short scale Yamaha in just about any form would be a hit and sell great.

 

They did a medium scale BB in the past. Bassbros have one for sale at the moment

[Al Krow]

On 12/06/2023 at 18:59, Tjhooker said:

Yeah I'd be interested to hear any info on this too.

I've recently acquired a bb615.

It's a really good bass but I'd agree with other opinions floating around that the pre amp could definitely be better.

I've seen some talk on talkbass about the Delano Sonar 3.

I've also been wondering if the Glockenklang mights be a good shout.

 

I personally want this bass to have active / passive switching as most of the time in a live setting I run a bass passive 99% of the time and then have a tone dialled in on the active circuit for slap.

👍

 

 

On 27/06/2023 at 13:59, tom.android said:

I’ve had similar thoughts about wanting to have the switch be active/passive. I’d go for a 2 band active bass/treble then have the existing mid knob be a passive tone control instead. I’ve got a BB2004 but the electronics and layout is the same. I’m allergic to push-pull knobs. Any ideas? 

 

FWIW - pushed the button on an Aguilar OBP3 in pref. to a Glock 3 band this time around. The Aggie seems to edge it in terms of +/- dB and frequency centre points. It will also be good to have a choice of mid cut / boost at 400Hz and 800Hz too (there's a switch option to deal with your allergy issues, Tom), rather than the theoretically cool but, in practice, never used NE1 module for mids on the BB2005. 

[LukeFRC]

8 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

 

FWIW - pushed the button on an Aguilar OBP3 in pref. to a Glock 3 band this time around. The Aggie seems to edge it in terms of +/- dB and frequency centre points. It will also be good to have a choice of mid cut / boost at 400Hz and 800Hz too (there's a switch option to deal with your allergy issues, Tom), rather than the theoretically cool but, in practice, never used NE1 module for mids on the BB2005. 

I think that sounds like a good choice

[jholasek]

I have an offer for a Yamaha BB bass and I can't decide which one to buy. BB 735A or BB 1025X? Both basses are older and the price is the same. I play POP/ROCK, MarkBass 121P combo + MARKBASS New York 151 RJ cabinet, total 500 W.

Please advise as soon as possible, I don't want to make a mistake.

Thank you in advance...