The Yamaha BB mega-thread

[TRBboy]

ALSO has anyone had chance to try a 435 and P35? Are the differences in build /playability /tone proportionate to the price difference? Ta, 😁👍

[Reaper]

28 minutes ago, TRBboy said:

ALSO has anyone had chance to try a 435 and P35? Are the differences in build /playability /tone proportionate to the price difference? Ta, 😁👍

Good question - one I'd like to find out the answer to myself. Been thinking about getting a Yamaha BB for a while and there seems clearly to be a lot of love for them on this thread!

Edited August 31, 2019 by Reaper

[Al Krow]

Hmmm...not sure who the current BB 435 owners are, hopefully one will crawl out of the woodwork shortly and give you an idea on weight.

There's definitely a step up in construction and some parts, plus higher end pups between the 435 and P35 which probably accounts for a fair chunk of the price differential, the rest would be due to more expensive labour costs of MIJ vs Indonesia and whether that justifies paying extra is a topic in itself. If you can, get yourself along to the Yammy store in Central London or one local to you that stocks them.

Whether overall the price difference is 'worth it' will be down to individual preference. Personally I would be happy to pay the used difference in prices, but I'm far too tight on the purse-strings to buy a P35 new!

FWIW - my advice would be to kick-off with a 435 and if you find you're loving it, think about getting a P35 down the line - you'll then be very familiar with the 435 and be able to easily tell whether the P35 justifies the extra spend.

[TRBboy]

7 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Hmmm...not sure who the current BB 435 owners are, hopefully one will crawl out of the woodwork shortly and give you an idea on weight.

There's definitely a step up in construction and some parts, plus higher end pups between the 435 and P35 which probably accounts for a fair chunk of the price differential, the rest would be due to more expensive labour costs of MIJ vs Indonesia and whether that justifies paying extra is a topic in itself. If you can, get yourself along to the Yammy store in Central London or one local to you that stocks them.

Whether overall the price difference is 'worth it' will be down to individual preference. Personally I would be happy to pay the used difference in prices, but I'm far too tight on the purse-strings to buy a P35 new!

FWIW - my advice would be to kick-off with a 435 and if you find you're loving it, think about getting a P35 down the line - you'll then be very familiar with the 435 and be able to easily tell whether the P35 justifies the extra spend.

It's your P35 I keep looking at! 😂😍

But even used, they're more than double the price of a brand new 435. They look fantastic, and I fully appreciate japanese quality, but just wondering in real terms what the differences are like. 

Plus the weight.... I notice your P35 is pretty heavy - was wondering if the 435 is lighter due to not having a wedge of maple in the middle? 

You're right, going to a stockist to try them both would be best, but not sure if there would be anywhere relatively close to me... 

[Al Krow]

33 minutes ago, TRBboy said:

It's your P35 I keep looking at! 😂😍

But even used, they're more than double the price of a brand new 435. They look fantastic, and I fully appreciate japanese quality, but just wondering in real terms what the differences are like. 

Plus the weight.... I notice your P35 is pretty heavy - was wondering if the 435 is lighter due to not having a wedge of maple in the middle? 

You're right, going to a stockist to try them both would be best, but not sure if there would be anywhere relatively close to me... 

That's kinda amusing. Well at least you know that I've got your best interests at heart with my earlier post i.e. I didn't take the opportunity to give my P35 a surreptitious plug!  

I guess part of me is hoping that folk will forget it's in the FS (which my head insists on it being left on) and I'll stick some flats on it and start using it as a goto gigging bass, which it truly deserves to be. 

@M@23 who had it before me had it set up beautifully. He's a pro bassist, so I would have expected nothing less!

The reason for bringing Mark back into the conversation is actually a note forward to both of us - I'm hoping to get hold of a Gruv Gear Duo Neo strap shortly from @fretmeisterand, if it does the job I'm expecting it to, it will mean playing basses weighing 10lbs to 11lbs (or even heavier) should become a breeze and weight won't be a limiting factor in our choice of basses going forward.

Edited August 31, 2019 by Al Krow

[M@23]

16 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

That's kinda amusing. Well at least you know that I've got your best interests at heart with my earlier post i.e. I didn't take the opportunity to give my P35 a surreptitious plug!  

I guess part of me is hoping that folk will forget it's in the FS (which my head insists on it being left on) and I'll stick some flats on it and start using it as a goto gigging bass, which it truly deserves to be. 

@M@23 whom had it before me had it set up beautifully. He's a pro bassist, so I would have expected nothing less!

The reason for bringing Mark back into the conversation is actually a note forward to both of us - I'm hoping to get hold of a Gruv Gear Duo Neo strap shortly from @fretmeisterand, if it does the job I'm expecting it to, it will mean playing basses weighing 10lbs to 11lbs (or even heavier) should become a breeze and weight won't be a limiting factor in our choice of basses going forward.

I'd love it back. Absolutely LOVE it back. What a bass 😩

I think it'd be great with flats!

Interested to hear your thoughts on the Duo strap too! 

Edited August 31, 2019 by M@23

[TRBboy]

33 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

That's kinda amusing. Well at least you know that I've got your best interests at heart with my earlier post i.e. I didn't take the opportunity to give my P35 a surreptitious plug!  

I guess part of me is hoping that folk will forget it's in the FS (which my head insists on it being left on) and I'll stick some flats on it and start using it as a goto gigging bass, which it truly deserves to be. 

@M@23 who had it before me had it set up beautifully. He's a pro bassist, so I would have expected nothing less!

The reason for bringing Mark back into the conversation is actually a note forward to both of us - I'm hoping to get hold of a Gruv Gear Duo Neo strap shortly from @fretmeisterand, if it does the job I'm expecting it to, it will mean playing basses weighing 10lbs to 11lbs (or even heavier) should become a breeze and weight won't be a limiting factor in our choice of basses going forward.

It does look fantastic, and I guess the weight could be manageable, but maybe your suggestion to start with a 435 is a good one. Price the theory and then move on. 

I bought a Gruv Gear solo strap last year, and it's by far the best, most comfortable strap I've ever owned, highly recommend their stuff! 

[TRBboy]

Was struggling to find a weight for the 435 anywhere, but just saw one on Sweetwater that says it is 9lb 3oz, not bad at all! 

[Al Krow]

9 minutes ago, TRBboy said:

I bought a Gruv Gear solo strap last year, and it's by far the best, most comfortable strap I've ever owned, highly recommend their stuff! 

Thanks for reassuring vote of confidence on Gruv Gear - looking forward to getting mine more so now! 

9lb 3oz should feel both 'substantial' but not too heavy - sounds perfect!

[TRBboy]

7 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Thanks for reassuring vote of confidence on Gruv Gear - looking forward to getting mine more so now! 

9lb 3oz should feel both 'substantial' but not too heavy - sounds perfect!

It really is an incredible strap, and I've had a LOT of good straps! 

That weight does sound good, but I'd imagine there's quite a bit of variation and that 9lb 3 would be one of the lightest ones. 

[TRBboy]

The other question is.... Teal blue or black? 😂

[Al Krow]

25 minutes ago, TRBboy said:

The other question is.... Teal blue or black? 😂

Well here's a little known fact before @dave_bass5arrived on the scene to point out to the rest of us with less beady eyes: apparently all the headstocks are black on the 3 series, even when the body colour is not! 

[TRBboy]

23 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Well here's a little known fact before @dave_bass5arrived on the scene to point out to the rest of us with less beady eyes: apparently all the headstocks are black on the 3 series, even when the body colour is not! 

Yes so I see, but I don't think it looks too bad with any of the finishes. Doesn't 'match' the sunburst or teal, but looks alright I think. 

Some years ago, several of the 'boutique' brands were doing black headstocks on their basses, regardless of the body finish. In fact I think with Dingwall it was possibly a chargeable extra! 

[Al Krow]

I'm not convinced it quite works with the midnight blue on my P35, but as it's always facing away from you when playing, I never noticed until Dave pointed it out to us! But definitely not something anyone else has ever commented on! 

[dave_bass5]

27 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

definitely not something anyone else has ever commented on! 

Let’s face it, along with the bass tone the audience will never notice 😂

As for the quit on about the P34/5 being worth the extra. I’d say no way would I call those basses value for money over the 435 or 735’s. I cant find anything wrong with my P34 but I can’t see anything to justify its high price either. 
Still, I’m sure it’s in there somewhere. Lovely basses, all of them, which makes it hard to justify the much higher cost to me.

[bassfan]

36 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

I'm not convinced it quite works with the midnight blue on my P35, but as it's always facing away from you when playing, I never noticed until Dave pointed it out to us! But definitely not something anyone else has ever commented on! 

From an OCD, aesthetic point of view, I think Yamaha missed a trick not matching the headstock. That’s only my opinion and I realise that it makes zero difference to their excellent playability!  

Edited August 31, 2019 by bassfan

[Al Krow]

1 minute ago, bassfan said:

From an OCD, aesthetic point of view, I think Yamaha missed a trick not matching the headstock. That’s only my opinion and I realise that it makes zero difference to their excellent playability!  

I can only think that there was some message from on high that 'black is the new black' or someone else had been listening to some Amy Winehouse that day and thought they had best get back to...or more likely they'd ordered too many black headstocks.

😀

[TRBboy]

I think they should've just left the headstocks natural again, maybe with the exception of the 700 series. 

What they've definitely missed a trick with its not doing a 5er with a maple board! 😡

[dave_bass5]

6 minutes ago, TRBboy said:

I think they should've just left the headstocks natural again, maybe with the exception of the 700 series. 

What they've definitely missed a trick with its not doing a 5er with a maple board! 😡

Oh yes, I’d love that. Ive seen the maple necked 435 and it looks lovely. 

Edited August 31, 2019 by dave_bass5

[TRBboy]

Just now, dave_bass5 said:

Oh yes, I’d love that..

Me too, I would've been ALL OVER that, love a maple fretboard! Unfortunately there's not much choice of 5 string PJ basses with a maple board, without going custom......

[dave_bass5]

3 minutes ago, TRBboy said:

Me too, I would've been ALL OVER that, love a maple fretboard! Unfortunately there's not much choice of 5 string PJ basses with a maple board, without going custom......

When I started looking for a 5 string PJ earlier this year I got a Sire P7 gen two in a very lovely deep sunburst with maple neck. Seriously nice bass to look at and lovely to play, more so than the 735 I tried, but it had a faulty bridge pup so I sent it back. 
 

[TRBboy]

14 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

When I started looking for a 5 string PJ earlier this year I got a Sire P7 gen two in a very lovely deep sunburst with maple neck. Seriously nice bass to look at and lovely to play, more so than the 735 I tried, but it had a faulty bridge pup so I sent it back. 
 

I keep looking at Sire, and I LOVE the new colour V7s, but there seem to be quite mixed reviews. The other thing is, I'm kinda on a classic vibe at the moment, and the Sire preamp looks unnecessarily complicated. 

Aside from the duff pickup, you got on well with the P7 though? What was the quality like compared to Yamaha? 

[dave_bass5]

3 hours ago, TRBboy said:

I keep looking at Sire, and I LOVE the new colour V7s, but there seem to be quite mixed reviews. The other thing is, I'm kinda on a classic vibe at the moment, and the Sire preamp looks unnecessarily complicated. 

Aside from the duff pickup, you got on well with the P7 though? What was the quality like compared to Yamaha? 

Ive had a Sire V7 5 string since they first came out, and its a bass I’ll probably never sell. It plays well and in passive mode it’s more Fender Jazz than any other non Fender Jazz bass ive owned.

Ive never had an issue with mine, even the action is lower than most of my other basses.

I agree about the active side though, and it’s one of the things that puts me off buying another. It just seems a waste as I dont use it. Luckily the basses do run in passive mode though.

For me it’s the neck that I love. the necks are really nice. especially the gen 2 necks with the rolled edges. I prefer it to the Yamaha 5 string necks. The biggest issue seems to be the weight. They are quite heavy. 

[Al Krow]

Well just before we all rush out and trade our Yammys for Sire V7s(!) here's a second clip of my BB 1025 in action a couple of week's back. It was actually recorded for Dave's benefit 'cos he was interested in finding out whether the Fearless F112 cab had as much / greater clarity than my BF SC in a band mix (the earlier clip from the same gig was posted on the 12" cab thread).

Signal chain was very simple: purely passive BB1025 --> amp (DG M900 on clean) --> F112 cab. No pedals or compression in between. I'll let you be the judge (usual recommendation of listening through headphones) whether you think the BB 1025 cuts through or not.

 

@lee650 - hey buddy, further to our chat about 1025 tone, this is the post with a clip of mine in action. 

Edited September 14, 2019 by Al Krow

[dave_bass5]

Today’s ‘ponder’ is why do the cheaper 5 sting basses have the offset B string saddle, but not on the high end ones? 
Obviously we can only speculate, but I’d be interested to know what others think.

I thought it might be to do with the cheaper quality of bridges on the 400 series, maybe it’s not needed on the high mass bridges, but then why not put them on the 200 series as well.