The Yamaha BB mega-thread

[BassApprentice]

11 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

 

Imagine patiently awaiting a seemingly problem free replacement, only to find that you preferred the original, just for how it felt in your hands.

 

If I had your skills, I would do the work myself, accept a nice little discount from the shop and get on with playing the bass. Assuming that I was really enjoying the feel of it, that is.

This is something worth considering. It is very odd from a Yamaha QC point of view that there is an issue (considering this thread is basically 340 pages of saying how good they are!) But not all basses are created equal.

 

Wait to see what the discount is and okay the bass a bit and see if works for you. Realistically by the time you return the bass it's going to be basically the end of the month then it's only another 4 weeks to wait. Quite lucky to have Merchant City Music as one of my local shops and they always seem really good guys.

[gobasserk]

I am sorry that I asked someone in this thread if he was interested in a bass. I got "a penalty point "that will never expire" , whatever that means. 

The evil content can't be shown to me, because I have "no permission to see it" and the email from bc can't be answered because it's a no reply mail. 

So sorry IF the question I asked was the reason ... OMG.... 

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, gobasserk said:

So sorry IF the question I asked was the reason ... OMG.... 

 

Yes it is - I have emailed you to explained why if you didn't understand the post you were sent.

[gobasserk]

Thank you ! 

[Guest]

@AndyTravis

 

Is this the one you had fretted up for sale at BassBros?

 

https://bassbros.co.uk/product/1997-yamaha-bb350f-fretted/

[Maude]

No BB posts in nearly two weeks and slipped to halfway down page three. I'm beginning to worry my grumpy BB issues have broken this thread. 😄

 

Fear not, I've spent a couple of hours playing my new BB734a this morning and all is well in BB land again. 

 

I decided to take the (very small) discount and stop being a fussy git, as they can't say when they'll be back in stock. 

I'll flat and polish the defect when I get time, along with maybe some other tweaks. 

 

I've been A/B ing it with my BBPH, as the PH is a kind of 734a/1200s hybrid. 

They should both feel identical to play, with the same body and neck, but weirdly they don't. The 734's action is slightly lower and the PUs slightly higher, plus new strings, so maybe that's it but I like the difference. It's very grindy and aggressive if wanted. 

Maybe you do 'play with your eyes' as the BBPH feels classier, that's not to say the 734a isn't lovely, just different. 

The 734a pre amp seems way hotter than the PH. Hooky appears to have the bass and treble on full and the middle just above halfway so I set them both like this and and the 734a was far too wild. To get an even match the 734a needed to have the bass and treble just above half and the mids on about a quarter, so almost a 50% reduction across the board. Maybe it's the fresh strings and pickups being closer, plus the reverse P in the PH. 

The PH pre, although seems to have a less dramatic affect, feels easier to use and more pleasing in its extremities, no harshness, but the 734a has far more scope, maybe too much. When the strings loose their freshness it might settle down a bit. 

 

It might sound like I'm still not happy with the new 734a but I am, it's a very nice bass and actually different enough from the PH to be useful so that's good, it's just that the PH is a great bass, hey they can't all be the best can they. 

 

There's a couple of points on the 734a which make it feel like slightly cheap compared to the PH which I might do something with over time. 

 

All in all, they're both fantastic basses. 🙂👍

 

 

 

[BassApprentice]

We all know the real reason this thread is a bit quiet.

 

@AndyTravishas stopped buying/selling/rescuing all the BBs 😁

[LukeFRC]

1 minute ago, BassApprentice said:

We all know the real reason this thread is a bit quiet.

 

@AndyTravishas stopped buying/selling/rescuing all the BBs 😁

And @Al Krow has gone quiet too 

 

come to think of it has anyone ever seen them both in the same place? Coincidence- I think not. Could they be the same person??! 

[AndyTravis]

1 minute ago, LukeFRC said:

And @Al Krow has gone quiet too 

 

come to think of it has anyone ever seen them both in the same place? Coincidence- I think not. Could they be the same person??! 

I am still waiting for Yamaha to do something new with the bb to excite me.

 

Yamaha BB’s mate? Completed it 😂👌🏻

[Al Krow]

58 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

And @Al Krow has gone quiet too 

 

come to think of it has anyone ever seen them both in the same place? Coincidence- I think not. Could they be the same person??! 

I'd best post straight after the Trav then! (Who has indeed done Yamaha BBs, no question!!). 

 

I've "done" a much smaller sample of BBs than Andy: 425, 1025, 735A and P35. All great basses! 

 

I've not bought a bass in nearly a year now, a bit of a record for me since joining Basschat! Really happy with my current herd and my sole remaining BB, which is a 2005, which gets regularly gigged alongside my Elrick.

 

Both are basses I'm delighted to have picked up used from fellow BCers as my two most recent purchases. Love them both. 

[Maude]

James LoMenzo's customised BB. 

Reverse P instead of a J, standard P and a huge neck woofer. Looks like a beast of a bass. 

Anyone know what pickups these are? 

 

 

[neepheid]

Neck pickup looks like a DiMarzio, either a Model One or Will Power (but they seem to have stopped listing that one on their website)

Edited July 25, 2022 by neepheid

[AndyTravis]

Looks like they’re bb424/414 pickups though rather than the 1024/2024 blade types…on the “p” ones

 

🤷🏻‍♂️

[Maude]

12 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Looks like they’re bb424/414 pickups though rather than the 1024/2024 blade types…on the “p” ones

 

🤷🏻‍♂️

 

Seems odd that he'd not opt for the pricier 'better' pickups. 

Although that said, I'm not sure I prefer the pickups in my 1024 to my 424. For the music LoMenzo plays the more obnoxious sounding 'cheaper' pickups are probably preferable. 

[AndyTravis]

4 minutes ago, Maude said:

 

Seems odd that he'd not opt for the pricier 'better' pickups. 

Although that said, I'm not sure I prefer the pickups in my 1024 to my 424. For the music LoMenzo plays the more obnoxious sounding 'cheaper' pickups are probably preferable. 

I preferred my 414 to my 1024, in fact…still got the 414 😏

[Guest]

They're all Dimarzios, just disguised

[Guest]

And the neck is modelled on a 1962 Jazz (note lack of laminates)

 

Think this is the 3rd time I've linked this clip on this thread

 

 

Edited July 25, 2022 by Ricky Rioli
video

[Maude]

38 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

 

Think this is the 3rd time I've linked this clip on this thread

 

 

 

Oi, you calling me slow to catch on! 

 

😄

[Guest]

11 hours ago, Maude said:

Oi, you calling me slow to catch on! 

 

You? Noooo, but....

 

 

[jonno1981]

I picked up a bargainous bb414 on Facebook marketplace a few months back. 
Fitted a gotoh bridge (after pic was taken) I had knocking around, new strings, setup and it’s surprising excellent. 
Light, well balanced and very high output. Nice variation and even the bridge pickup sounds good soloed. 
I had some friends over who thought it was a mid level bass, it only cost £120 + strings! Very pleased and ridiculous value for money. 

[Reggaebass]

18 minutes ago, jonno1981 said:

a mid level bass, it only cost £120 + strings

Amazing value and a great find , I really liked my one and I’d have another, I’ve got a 1024 now and personally I think they are above mid level, well done 👍 

[jonno1981]

Thanks! It’s made me consider the higher end models. I’ve never really thought about them before buying this one.  

[Al Krow]

On 25/07/2022 at 22:05, Ricky Rioli said:

...Think this is the 3rd time I've linked this clip on this thread...

 

But speaking of higher end Yamaha BBs, you've not yet linked this find of yours on here yet though? 

[Guest MoJo]

I'm back in the gang, having bought back the BB425 I sold previously. Has anyone ever changed the tuners on the 425? They're pretty heavy and bulky. Would like to fit some 'Y' Shaped tuners similar to Gotoh GB350's or GB707's but they have to fit the existing holes in the headstock

[javi_bassist]

Man, I've been like 45 minutes looking in this thread with no luck. There was a fellow basschatter who has/had a BB414 in orange and he made a white pickguard. I am looking for the pick, and I cannot find it. The reason is that I've just bought a used one and I want to make it a pickguard. I guess the measures should be similar to the ones the 424x has. Am I right?