The Yamaha BB mega-thread

[Folkesy]

Nice looking BB604 on eBay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-Bb604-Bass-/114878061346?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

[AndyTravis]

Searching for a pic of my brother who’s turning 40 soon…

Have posted some of these before…but just for fun…

This is 1997

[mrtcat]

Just put my BB1024X up for sale in the appropriate forum if anyone is interested. 

 

[TheGreek]

1 hour ago, Folkesy said:

Nice looking BB604 on eBay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-Bb604-Bass-/114878061346?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

Had it in my watch list - plenty of time for the price to go through the ceiling.

[AndyTravis]

47 minutes ago, mrtcat said:

Just put my BB1024X up for sale in the appropriate forum if anyone is interested. 

 

I’m sat here debating with myself about wether or not it’d be a stupid buy. 
 

Currently sat at “you don’t need it” - but my inner Wayne Carini “IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CHASE” has gone into overdrive…

[Reggaebass]

1 minute ago, AndyTravis said:

Currently sat at “you don’t need it”

If I hadn’t not long bought a 1024 I’d be buying it,   i like it so much I’m debating buying 2😁

[TheGreek]

3 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

my inner Wayne Carini

I watch the show (Chasing classic cars for those who don't) - every time I here his name I hear "Wanka ain't he"

[AndyTravis]

1 minute ago, Reggaebass said:

If I hadn’t not long bought a 1024 I’d be buying it,   i like it so much I’m debating buying 2😁

Go for it, I remember my Caramel 1024 feeling more special than the 414, but I liked the grit the 414 had a bit more.

grit. The new “heft”

[Reggaebass]

1 minute ago, AndyTravis said:

Go for it, I remember my Caramel 1024 feeling more special than the 414, but I liked the grit the 414 had a bit more.

grit. The new “heft”

They really are good aren’t they, they seem to cover whatever type of music you play 

[LukeFRC]

7 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Go for it, I remember my Caramel 1024 feeling more special than the 414, but I liked the grit the 414 had a bit more.

grit. The new “heft”

Grit... and the fact it’s orange?

 

i am also sat resisting the urge to buy a 1024!

[Guest]

If I replaced my 424 with a 1024 like that, would the difference just be the cumulative effect of tiny improvements in quality everywhere, or would there be a couple of striking differences?

[Al Krow]

7 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

If I replaced my 424 with a 1024 like that, would the difference just be the cumulative effect of tiny improvements in quality everywhere, or would there be a couple of striking differences?

Definitely two distinct camps on this thread: those that prefer the 424 over the 1024 and those that don't!

For me the biggest and key difference is tone: the 424 is a flatter thump; the 1024 more harmonically rich and tonally complex. I've had the 5 string version of them both and rate them both highly. I've seen quite a few basses come and go over the past few years, in fact all 4 that were in the first pic have departed. The 1025, however, has been a constant with me for several years. I love it! 

[TheGreek]

If I replaced my 424 with a 1024 like that, would the difference just be the cumulative effect of tiny improvements in quality everywhere, or would there be a couple of striking differences?

...that you'd notice....???

Edited July 5, 2021 by TheGreek

[AndyTravis]

1 hour ago, Ricky Rioli said:

If I replaced my 424 with a 1024 like that, would the difference just be the cumulative effect of tiny improvements in quality everywhere, or would there be a couple of striking differences?

You could offload the 424x to me - and you’re over halfway there…WOAH-OH LIVIN ON A PRAYER 

[Al Krow]

Moving on my first 425 (the one in the pic in my post earlier) was my first experience of seller's regret with a bass!

Interestingly much less so with my second 425 , 12 months later. I guess the difference in reaction was almost certainly down to having got hold of and very familiar with a 1025 in the meantime. 

So it all boils down to personal choice and preference: Ford Mustang or Jaguar XFR (used of course!)...only one way to find out! 

[Guest]

7 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

You could offload the 424x to me - and you’re over halfway there…WOAH-OH LIVIN ON A PRAYER 

I do like playing along to that song, one of the first things I learnt after my many many years in the bassless wilderness.

My 424 lacks an x, so of no interest to you. Something I won't know for a while is this: do I like the neck on my 424 because its a typical example, or because it happens to be a particularly nice example? Putting time and money into making the minimal upgrade to a 1024 and then finding myself with a neck I like less would be a real ¥&₩!€£?¥*#$

7 hours ago, Al Krow said:

So it all boils down to personal choice and preference: Ford Mustang or Jaguar XFR (used of course!)...only one way to find out! 

When people online start using car analogies, I never have a clue. I was vaguely under the impression that Jaguar was a classy outfit, and would have guessed it was equivalent to the 2024. Things must have changed since I last took any notice.

Which was so long ago, the Mustang was not a model available in the UK. If you said the 424 was a Capri and the 1024 a Cortina Ghia, that might mean something to me.

[mrtcat]

11 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

If you said the 424 was a Capri and the 1024 a Cortina Ghia, that might mean something to me.

The difference between 424 and 1024 is probably more like the difference between a Cortina L and a Cortina Ghia. 

[cocco]

Hey everyone, 

I've had GAS for a BB for a while and more recently it's getting uncontrollable, mostly because of the stable of beautiful ones in for sale on this site. 

To that end I'm wondering if anyone can give me pros and cons on the BB1200 vs the 1024x? 

I mostly play a 50s roadworn P-bass or an L2000 these days and tend to favour a bigger neck. 

The reverse P in the 1200 intrigues me, but for what ever reason I've never kept a neck thru bass. Having said that it's likely that they got moved on because they were active rather than neck thru. 

The PJ in the 1024x would probably work well for me but I'm not the biggest fan of the control and scratch plates aesthetically. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, mrtcat said:

The difference between 424 and 1024 is probably more like the difference between a Cortina L and a Cortina Ghia. 

When I was a little boy living in a backwater town, my mum upgrading us from a Renault 4 to a Renault 6 was enough to impress me - a Cortina was what our friend's successful Dad had, miles above us. Which tells me to be more than happy with what I've got 🥰

Can't let talk of Cortinas pass without posting this:

 

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, cocco said:

Hey everyone, 

I've had GAS for a BB for a while and more recently it's getting uncontrollable, mostly because of the stable of beautiful ones in for sale on this site. 

To that end I'm wondering if anyone can give me pros and cons on the BB1200 vs the 1024x? 

I mostly play a 50s roadworn P-bass or an L2000 these days and tend to favour a bigger neck. 

The reverse P in the 1200 intrigues me, but for what ever reason I've never kept a neck thru bass. Having said that it's likely that they got moved on because they were active rather than neck thru. 

The PJ in the 1024x would probably work well for me but I'm not the biggest fan of the control and scratch plates aesthetically. 

I think you've got a handle on all of the main differences.

Neck through: for me wins hands down on looks pretty much all the time. General consensus is that a neck through will have slightly more sustain than a bolt on. A lot of the older top-of-the-range Yamahas have neck through; none of the modern ones, other than their flagship BB NE2, do.

The BB1200 will likely be around 30 years older than the 1024, but given you have a 50's P that's clearly not going to faze you! 

Edited July 6, 2021 by Al Krow

[Al Krow]

2 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

Putting time and money into making the minimal upgrade to a 1024 and then finding myself with a neck I like less would be a real ¥&₩!€£?¥*#$...

Exactly this. If neck profile is particularly important for you then definitely see if you can try before you buy, although that might be easier said than done unless you have a local 1024 you can get your hands on.

The neck profile on the 5s is quite different to the 4s: the 5s' necks are relatively shallow / flat and very comfortable to play. I can't comment on the 4s as I've never had a 4 string BB.

But I come back to the key tonal difference between the 424 and 1024 is 90% down to the pups with the 1024 having an "upgrade", but plenty of folk prefer the cheaper pups on the 424 anyway.

[Guest]

The specs for the neck profiles for the 424 / 1024 / 2024 are identical, but I know that in all manufacturing there are variations from one piece to the next. And my sample size is one. I can't recall ever reading that the 1024 neck feels any better than the 424 neck. So I'm going to conclude that kissing frogs when you've already got a prince is a waste of time.

I can tell that the 424 neck pickup could be better, and know the 1024 neck pickup is better. But since my bass has the heights of the pickups balanced just right, the blend of the two produces one excellent tone. A better P pickup might leave me with a PJ tone that I don't like so much, so again, there's the risk of spending money for no net benefit. In any case, the position of the neck pickup on these BBs means that the P sound soloed will always be a little bassy for my taste.

Which is a long boring way of saying, meh sod it. If anyone sees me mooching over a 1024 again, give me a kick.

[Reggaebass]

2 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

upgrade to a 1024 and then finding myself with a neck I like less

Not sure if I’ve asked Ricky, if you’re near me you’re welcome to borrow my 1024 to try 👍

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Not sure if I’ve asked Ricky, if you’re near me you’re welcome to borrow my 1024 to try 👍

That's kind, but I think I've just concluded that I'm getting distracted by the money from my recent refund burning a hole in my pocket. 

[Al Krow]

34 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

Which is a long boring way of saying, meh sod it. If anyone sees me mooching over a 1024 again, give me a kick.

Nah, we'll just cut to the chase and just ask if you might be interested in one of these? 😁