The Yamaha BB mega-thread

[Al Krow]

20 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

I think it sounds great through a fat warm amp as well as a hi-fi one, I reckon an active hifi bass + hifi amp can often be too bright/sterile sounding. I've used mine with an Orange Terror Bass for a long time but always had to use an extra drive pedal to liven it up a bit. My most recent band outing though I've been converted to the more hifi nature of the M900 as I needed a bit more top end zing.

However I have since been a convert to using the Orange using it's 'flat' settings as a starting point (bass and treble all the way off, mids all the way up) and it sounds a lot better, in case you tried one before Al with the knobs set to noon (as most people would)!

Lol! If anyone is capable of convincing me of the merits of an Orange rig, I'm sure it will be you! However if you are dialling the bass and treble EQ right off just to get a passable sound on your Orange rig that's saying to me that you've pretty much had to 'neuter' the amp; and you absolutely shouldn't have to boost the mids to full with an already mid punchy P bass! With most decent amps you'd be dialling the mids down a touch with a Yammy P, if anything, surely? But if you've already got an Orange rig and that 'neutered' setting gets it to 'work', well hats off to you. Me, I'd personally be listing the rig on 'Yellow Pages' or 'Loot' where I'd hope to find a receptive target audience for it  

[dannybuoy]

Do some reading on passive EQ stacks Al! There are tons of amps with the same setup. Hartke LH500 and Fender Bassman for a start, I think the Mesa 400 pairs a passive cut-only mid EQ along with a more modern cut/boost bass/treble as well. There's no 'neutering' involved, it's just that the bass/treble is boost only and the mid is cut only - so you aren't boosting the mids at all with the knob up full.

I'm sure one of your band plays oldies... the Orange Terror is the best thing I've tried for classic RnB/Motown/Funk with a passive bass plugged straight in. Just a slight bit of valve drive, no pedals needed, more heft than you can shake a stick at. Go on, buy one and see!

[Bigwan]

6 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

Do some reading on passive EQ stacks Al! There are tons of amps with the same setup. Hartke LH500 and Fender Bassman for a start, I think the Mesa 400 pairs a passive cut-only mid EQ along with a more modern cut/boost bass/treble as well. There's no 'neutering' involved, it's just that the bass/treble is boost only and the mid is cut only - so you aren't boosting the mids at all with the knob up full.

I'm sure one of your band plays oldies... the Orange Terror is the best thing I've tried for classic RnB/Motown/Funk with a passive bass plugged straight in. Just a slight bit of valve drive, no pedals needed, more heft than you can shake a stick at. Go on, buy one and see!

All true...

[Al Krow]

16 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

 There's no 'neutering' involved, it's just that the bass/treble is boost only and the mid is cut only - so you aren't boosting the mids at all with the knob up full.

Hah - ok, that all makes very good sense. Told you if anyone could convince me of the merits of an Orange it would be you. Lol! So you're basically saying that most Orange users are just using their amps wrong?!

16 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

I'm sure one of your band plays oldies... the Orange Terror is the best thing I've tried for classic RnB/Motown/Funk with a passive bass plugged straight in. Just a slight bit of valve drive, no pedals needed, more heft than you can shake a stick at. Go on, buy one and see!

No

You've done enough damage to my wallet with your generally spot on analysis (typos apart!) I've already succumbed (increasingly delightedly) to the M900 & BB1025 pairing, which you're using (although tbf I'm not sure you ever mentioned just how good the 1025 would be with the M900 in dealing with that top end dirt 'fizz' that was previously bugging me!) But if you now convince me to become an Orange lover, what little self respect I have, will be entirely gone. A bit like TheGreek agreeing to buy a Warwick 

 

Edited January 29, 2018 by Al Krow

[dannybuoy]

Once you get the Orange Al, then get a Sandberg Basic with the single MM pickup (there's a very nice used example currently at Bass Direct) and whack some TI flats on it. Such a great sound. Sell some of those crazy pedals you've acquired and that should more than cover it!

Anyway it appears this thread has been hijacked, back to BBs from now on!

Edited January 29, 2018 by dannybuoy

[Al Krow]

5 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

Once you get the Orange Al, then get a Sandberg Basic with the single MM pickup (there's a very nice used example currently at Bass Direct) and whack some TI flats on it. Such a great sound. Sell some of those crazy pedals you've acquired and that should more than cover it!

Anyway it appears this thread has been hijacked, back to BBs from now on!

Lol! One step ahead of you for once. I can do better than a Sandberg Basic: I've actually already got a lovely TM4 with MM bridge pup and have some cheapish (Adagio) flats on it. But I'd best move on the Berg at some point this year, otherwise I can see that I'm going to end up getting an Orange terror bass and  end up having egg rather than Orange peel over my face at that point 

Yup, back to Yammys...

 

[lloyd1979_uk]

I'm seriously considering getting a BB734A.  They look amazing in black, and I like what I'm reading on here from people who have one.

[Al Krow]

On 22/03/2017 at 14:42, dannybuoy said:

... I've always gassed for a 2025X as an upgrade to my 1025X, here's hoping a discounted one might appear somewhere...

On 09/12/2017 at 18:47, dannybuoy said:

My BB1025X weighs about 4.8, but best in mind they are slightly heavier anyway due to the pickguard and metal knobs and control plate. 4kg is pretty good going for a 1025.

I tried that BB2024 thinking I didn't need that B string but I've found I do depend on it more than I realised, so I'm very much tempted to get a BB2025X and call it a day!

Go on...you know you want to!  

And even better (from my perspective) when you you want to move it on in six months (like with various of your pedals) you can pm me and I will gladly take it off your hands for a standard DB discount 

Edited February 24, 2018 by Al Krow

[dannybuoy]

If I didn't have about 10 basses that need selling, I would consider it!

[Al Krow]

Well if a BB1024x is one of those ten, then...

But, more seriously, for anyone else who might be interested in moving their BB1024x along:

I can very much understand why @mrtcat might be after one  

Edited February 24, 2018 by Al Krow

[mrtcat]

On 24/02/2018 at 14:24, Al Krow said:

Well if a BB1024x is one of those ten, then...

But, more seriously, for anyone else who might be interested in moving their BB1024x along:

I can very much understand why @mrtcat might be after one  

Thanks Al Krow, yes I'm definitely looking and have the cash waiting. Will also take a 1025x too.

Edited February 27, 2018 by mrtcat

[Al Krow]

Thanks for your post - I've taking the liberty of replying on this thread so as not to overly side track the one on BB 435s, hope that's ok.

36 minutes ago, Horrorhiker said:

Hello! I tried the 434 and 734 today. It wasn't a fair comparison really as the 734 seemed to be set up almost perfectly and the 434 had a very low action with a ton of fret buzz which coloured my opinion a bit. (both direct from the factories so not the shops fault). It sounded good though. I specifically asked to try the basses through a cheaper, bog standard amp with flat levels, and fret buzz aside, the sounds coming from the 434 were very respectable for a sub £500 bass. Piano like clarity and consistent levels all around the neck. It would be easy to dial in a workable sound for most uses. Very fast and comfortable to play. 

Both basses felt quite light to me. I also tried a couple of Mexican Ps and the Yamaha's were noticeably lighter and sleeker to hold and play, as you might expect. (They also both sounded far better than the Fenders by a long shot in my humble opinion). 

The bit you may curse me for saying though is that what I didn't expect, was how much better quality the 734 would feel. To me it was a wide gulf. The neck on the 734 is one of the best I've ever played, and the fit and finish are absolutely top notch. This one felt like a premium bass, and made the 434 seem functional yet forgettable when played side to side. Soundwise the pickups sounded much beefier and fuller too. I didn't hear it active as it had no battery in it, but I'm really after a passive bass anyway now since I heard that its complicated using fuzz with active basses.  

I would say on both basses, despite what I said on my previous post, I would try the maple before buying one if poss. They didn't have any maple necked ones but the ones I played today were both quite bright as they were. I tried the blue 434, cant remember the colour name, but it didn't do too much for me. (In other words I thought it looked grim). The 3 tone burst looked much better in the flesh, though this is a matter of personal taste obviously. 

It's given me a bit of a headache now, as I would never use the active function of the 734, and I'm trying to work out if the £200 is justifiable for what is essentially a luxury feel. Some of the extra money is to pay for active electronics I would never use.  I'd say that the 434 is definitely worth the money, but personally after playing the 734, I forgot all about it. I would be more inclined to pick up a used 434, but would be happier getting a 734 new, as It's more likely to be a real lifetime keeper. 

Funny enough the sales guy said I was the 3rd customer that day to come in and compare two BBs, but the others were comparing the 234 and 434. They both left with the same dilemma apparently. They were really hoping they would like the cheaper one more ha ha. 

That probably hasn't helped you much, but in summary, you wouldn't be disappointed with the 400 series I'd say, and obviously for £200 more you'd expect the model up to feel better..that's why its 200 quid more. Put it this way..I'd easily have the 434 over a Mexican fender, or good Sterling Ray which are the main direct competitors imo. You'd be better off trying them out if you can I guess. 

My options now are the 734, or a Schecter CV-4. There is nowhere I can try a Schecter round here so its a tough one. £100 less, and more like what I need, but can't try it and now that 734 is singing to me telepathically.... "buy..meee..buy..meeeee".

I both really love and really hate buying basses. 

Couple of thoughts on what you've written above - firstly @lloyd1979_uk will be delighted with you confirming his inclination to get a 734A  

Reading what you've said above, I'm kinda inclined to suggest you see if you can get your hands on a BB1024 to try out - there may be a BCer near you with one? Given that you're only after a passive BB but with higher end finish, this may be just what you're looking for? But you'll be in a queue behind mrtcat amongst others!

Schecters are almost impossible to try out!  I contacted the store in Tottenham Court Road and as the bass I wanted to try out (the Schecter Stiletto Studio 8) was not available in the UK they wanted a 20% non refundable deposit. The other option was to go for a 30 day return from Gear4Music. (In the end I settled for a Digitech Mosaic pedal with a retuned E to E Ibby 6 string, which seems to have scratched my 8 string itch, for now!) 

 

Edited February 24, 2018 by Al Krow

[Horrorhiker]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

Thanks for your post - I've taking the liberty of replying on this thread so as not to overly side track the one on BB 435s, hope that's ok.

Couple of thoughts on what you've written above - firstly @lloyd1979_uk will be delighted with you confirming his inclination to get a 734A  

Reading what you've said above, I'm kinda inclined to suggest you see if you can get your hands on a BB1024 to try out - there may be a BCer near you with one? Given that you're only after a passive BB but with higher end finish, this may be just what you're looking for? But you'll be in a queue behind mrtcat amongst others!

Schecters are almost impossible to try out!  I contacted the store in Tottenham Court Road and as the bass I wanted to try out (the Schecter Stiletto Studio 8) was not available in the UK they wanted a 20% non refundable deposit. The other option was to go for a 30 day return from Gear4Music. (In the end I settled for a Digitech Mosaic pedal with a retuned E to E Ibby 6 string, which seems to have scratched my 8 string itch, for now!) 

 

No worries at all. I will investigate the BB1024..there is the option of the new BBP34 but I'm fairly sure these will be well out of my budget. 

I've almost talked myself into the 734 though. I think we've talked about the Schecter Model T before, and that is passive only, and the same price, so I can't be any worse off with the 734.At least I know it plays like a dream. 

I asked Peach guitars in Colchester today about getting in some Schecter basses to try and they were talking about deposits too. It's tough at the moment for bassists. I think they economy has forced music shops to concentrate big time on what sells the most, i.e cheap and beginner (six string) guitars, and bass seems to have gone out the window. I understand totally but it forces us online to some extent which isn't that great for buyers or sellers. 

Yes there's a good chance I might have to cool off maybe get something else to play with for a while. It's not good to go food shopping when you're hungry! 

 

[lloyd1979_uk]

My new BB734A was delivered today 

[Al Krow]

@lloyd1979_uk Congratulations!!

Looking forward to you uploading some pics and, when you've had a chance to put it through its paces, to get your initial thoughts on it and how it compares to your other basses   

[Horrorhiker]

2 hours ago, lloyd1979_uk said:

My new BB734A was delivered today 

I'd love to know how the set up is. The one I tried in the shop was perfect as far as I could see. Be interesting to see if that's a consistent thing. Congrats though, I'm 'well jel' after 20 minutes with one. 

[woolf]

Since getting a BB1024 last year I've become obsessed with it, the sound is just so big and full and I like the ergonomics of the body and the overall feel. So much so, my Nate Mendel P was sold recently and I'm prob gonna sell my other CV P too! 

It's got me curious about the older BB's - I'd really like to try a BB3000 to see how it compares to my 1024. 

[lloyd1979_uk]

8 hours ago, Al Krow said:

@lloyd1979_uk Congratulations!!

Looking forward to you uploading some pics and, when you've had a chance to put it through its paces, to get your initial thoughts on it and how it compares to your other basses   

 

6 hours ago, Horrorhiker said:

I'd love to know how the set up is. The one I tried in the shop was perfect as far as I could see. Be interesting to see if that's a consistent thing. Congrats though, I'm 'well jel' after 20 minutes with one. 

Thanks guys, shall try to get some photos posted soon.

I haven’t had a chance to properly put it through its paces yet, but I’m very pleased based on first impressions. It has a lovely neck and a nice action, it will need a slight tweak to the set up but I ordered it online so I expected this to be the case. The build quality is fantastic and I absolutely love the finish!!

 

[Al Krow]

4 hours ago, woolf said:

Since getting a BB1024 last year I've become obsessed with it, the sound is just so big and full and I like the ergonomics of the body and the overall feel. So much so, my Nate Mendel P was sold recently and I'm prob gonna sell my other CV P too! 

It's got me curious about the older BB's - I'd really like to try a BB3000 to see how it compares to my 1024. 

Know what you mean about the BB1024 - my 1025 is barely a couple of months old and I already sense it's going to be a keeper and it has similarly got me looking into the neck through BB1200s and TRB 5Ps.

I'm intrigued that you're saying that your BB1024 has kicked your Nate Mendel P into touch - some of my BC buddies totally rave about that particular Fender! So I'd be really interested to hear some more detailed feedback on why you felt your 1024 comes up trumps on an A/B of the two basses?

[woolf]

17 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

I'm intrigued that you're saying that your BB1024 has kicked your Nate Mendel P into touch - some of my BC buddies totally rave about that particular Fender! So I'd be really interested to hear some more detailed feedback on why you felt your 1024 comes up trumps on an A/B of the two basses?

The Nate is a great Fender P and I think it really does the mid-range growly-thing very well. For me though, the 1024 had the edge as it just seems to fill more space across the spectrum, especially with regards to the super-tight, well-defined low-end.

It's obviously a preference thing, additionally I'm finding that the relatively larger body size of the BB, especially the amount of space between the forearm contour and the P pickup (where I rest my thumb) enables a more comfortable playing position for my wrist, more similar in position to when I play my Jazz bass.

[Misdee]

 I finally got to have a go on a P34. Very nicely made bass with a lovely slim neck profile and a great sound, but the one I played was just a little bit too heavy for me. I was rather surprised by that, considering that the P34 has got the new lightweight tuners, etc. Maybe the Maple core is to blame? Anyway, if you don't mind a moderately heavy bass, I really don't think you can do better for the money if you want a first-rate professional quality instrument. 

[Al Krow]

18 minutes ago, Misdee said:

 I finally got to have a go on a P34. Very nicely made bass with a lovely slim neck profile and a great sound, but the one I played was just a little bit too heavy for me. I was rather surprised by that, considering that the P34 has got the new lightweight tuners, etc. Maybe the Maple core is to blame? Anyway, if you don't mind a moderately heavy bass, I really don't think you can do better for the money if you want a first-rate professional quality instrument. 

Sounds to me that you still really prefer your BB2025 then? Must admit that I was sorely tempted by the one that came in the FS recently but couldn't really justify the £1K premium over my 1025 (particularly as too far to try the thing first).

You ever also played a BBNE2? One of our fellow BCers snapped one of these up that came up in the FS a few months back so that he now has two BBNE2s as spares for his main gigging bass! That is the stuff of French revolutions if you ask me 

[Misdee]

The BB2025 is indeed a beast! I would prefer 19mm spacing, but then again maybe it wouldn't have such a great neck profile so I should be careful what I wish for.

Regarding the BBNE2, I've never played one, probably because I am a recent reluctant convert to the world of 5 strings ( I am, very sorry to say, old enough to remember the world of bass before such fripperies were even thought of). Also, in the past few years I have been gravitating much more towards passive basses, albeit ones with supercharged hot pickups. I am sure the NE2s are great basses, just not my cup of tea. All that might change if I played one, though.

Edited March 2, 2018 by Misdee

[Al Krow]

34 minutes ago, CameronJ said:

Good work @Al Krow. I’m still itching to try out some flats myself. The recent addition of LaBella Black Nylon Tapewounds to my Sandberg Electra VS4 has made an already great bass even more fun to play! Hypothetically speaking, if I went for this Model T 5er then it would be the ideal candidate for the flat treatment.

Cam you know exactly the sound you're after. It's that dialled-back dub tone that you got on your BB1024. Time to get yourself a 1025 or push the boat out and get a P35. You're worth it  

 

 

[CameronJ]

4 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Cam you know exactly the sound you're after. It's that dialled-back dub tone that you got on your BB1024. Time to get yourself a 1025 or push the boat out and get a P35. You're worth it  

 

 

Haha, I had a 1025x! And I did love the tone with a passion. I think I want something with a slightly different look though. If snickers comes through I may end up with a custom build of some sort. Watch this space...