The Yamaha BB mega-thread

[neepheid]

4 minutes ago, Maude said:

The tuners are adjustable and it's possible yours just need a little tighten. 

Although quite rare to come by there is a little 'c' spanner that fits in the hole in the tuner shaft to nip them up. 

I would imagine there's non Yamaha tools that would also do the job. 

 

Heh, just snuck in before you

 

[Paddy777]

Yeh there’s no tools included with it unfortunately so looks like it has been lost over time, but I’m very glad to hear that there is a fix - I was quite surprised that the tuners were seeming to be knackered when everything else is so well made? I’m sure I’ll be able to sort them out then, very pleased with that  thanks for that 

[djc63]

This 

[AndyTravis]

I did post about 309 pages ago a method of doing it by hand…

 

Old BB gas rising. 
 

Wallet says no…

[RobD]

14 hours ago, Paddy777 said:

Well my BB3000s arrived today and

i have to say I’m absolutely blown away by the quality of it! 🤩 I had obviously read/heard how good they were but I guess I’m still taken aback somewhat at how nice it is to play, and also how great it sounds - I don’t quite know how to explain it, but the tone is absolutely perfect, it’s like it’s hard to sound bad playing it (but I’m sure I’ll manage to give it a good shot 😂).

 

It has a really lovely neck - it’s not particularly wide but it’s a bit thicker than a jazz front to back, it feels like you just glide your hand where it needs to go and you get this lovely even tone all over the fretboard. I do have a bit of a tendency to get carried away with new basses and then a month or two later after a few gigs I’ll find there’s one or two niggly things I don’t like, the only with this I can see at the mo is that the tuners don’t hold their tune very well at all, in fact the A string is so bad it actually turned back the other way a quarter turn after I’d tuned it, but I just put it down to being 40 years old. I’ll have to sort something out - see if I can find

some replacement gold Yamaha ones the same otherwise I may stick some Gotoh’s or something on for now. Anyway, suffice to say I am more than impressed with it - it’s really got some mojo, decent weight too - a few grams over 9lbs 
 

Couple more pix 👇 

 

That's a lovely looking bass, nice seeing a 3000S with the uncovered pickups.

Would you mind measuring the nut width? I've been looking out for a 3000 to go along with my 2000, but haven't been sure about a 3000S in case the neck is all that much slimmer.

 

[Paddy777]

Yeh I will do @RobD 👍 

[Misdee]

On 09/01/2025 at 20:23, Paddy777 said:

Well my BB3000s arrived today and

i have to say I’m absolutely blown away by the quality of it! 🤩 I had obviously read/heard how good they were but I guess I’m still taken aback somewhat at how nice it is to play, and also how great it sounds - I don’t quite know how to explain it, but the tone is absolutely perfect, it’s like it’s hard to sound bad playing it (but I’m sure I’ll manage to give it a good shot 😂).

 

It has a really lovely neck - it’s not particularly wide but it’s a bit thicker than a jazz front to back, it feels like you just glide your hand where it needs to go and you get this lovely even tone all over the fretboard. I do have a bit of a tendency to get carried away with new basses and then a month or two later after a few gigs I’ll find there’s one or two niggly things I don’t like, the only with this I can see at the mo is that the tuners don’t hold their tune very well at all, in fact the A string is so bad it actually turned back the other way a quarter turn after I’d tuned it, but I just put it down to being 40 years old. I’ll have to sort something out - see if I can find

some replacement gold Yamaha ones the same otherwise I may stick some Gotoh’s or something on for now. Anyway, suffice to say I am more than impressed with it - it’s really got some mojo, decent weight too - a few grams over 9lbs 
 

Couple more pix 👇 

 

 

 

 

That's a true classic in the most sought -after colour. Great find.

[Paddy777]

1 hour ago, Misdee said:

That's a true classic in the most sought -after colour. Great find.

It’s a really lovely bass, the only thing is I also took delivery of a US Lakland 55/94 this week as well, which is a totally different type of bass, but has upstaged the Yamaha a little bit! I’m going to give the Yamaha some love & attention this week, it’s maybe not used to being a side-piece 😂 I’m also undecided on strings - whether to keep rounds on or stick some EB Cobalt Flats or even some Tapes on it, I’m going to try a few and see what sounds best, I know a few people who have tapes on Yamaha BB’s with these pickups on and they sound really good, not my usual strings but could be a nice change

[Minininjarob]

Does anyone have one of the newer BB434 models in West Yorkshire? I’m sorta lusting after one but would like to try one, can’t see any in shops unfortunately. 

[Never2Many]

Hello all you Yamaha BB fans.

 

I own 2 Yamahas: a BB2004 and a BB2005. They are both early 2000's releases.  I love the 2004 - amazing tone, and very comfortable to play, albeit a bit on the heavy side, around 9 pounds.

 

I have been trying to learn to play the 5 string for over a year, but I'm just not feeling it.  I've played bass on and off for many years (since 1982), but always 4 stringers.  I still get lost too often when playing the 5 stringer on stage, and I'm just much more comfortable with 4 string basses.  

 

Is it too early to give up and sell the BB2005? I've heard they are quite desirable and rare, but the last one that sold on BC only went for about $625, which is NOT much money.  It would have to sell for at least $1500 to make me part with it.  The 2005 is essentially an NE2 (which go for $3,000 and up used), same pickups, just a slightly different (2-band) preamp with the mid Q sweep, and silver hardware instead of gold. The tone, as they say, in the player's fingers, not the bass.

 

Any thoughts?  Photos of both basses just for kicks...2005 (top) and 2004 (bottom)

 

 

Edited February 3 by Never2Many

[andy67]

Hi folks, by chance more in hope though, does anyone have a BB614 wiring diagram?

Ta in advance,

Andy

Edited February 5 by andy67

[neepheid]

3 minutes ago, andy67 said:

Hi folks, by chance more in hope though, does anyone have a BB614 wiring diagram?

Ta in advance,

Andy

 

https://elektrotanya.com/yamaha_bb614_bb615_guitar.pdf/download.html

 

[andy67]

7 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

https://elektrotanya.com/yamaha_bb614_bb615_guitar.pdf/download.html

 

Neepheid, you are a star mate  We have three broken BB614s at the college I work in and my colleague is trying to fix them so this is very much appreciated.

Cheers, Andy

[Jaybeevee]

This has likely surfaced before, but anyway, a seldom direct comparison.. Which one has it for you?

 

[Paddy777]

On 03/02/2025 at 23:28, Never2Many said:

Hello all you Yamaha BB fans.

 

I own 2 Yamahas: a BB2004 and a BB2005. They are both early 2000's releases.  I love the 2004 - amazing tone, and very comfortable to play, albeit a bit on the heavy side, around 9 pounds.

 

I have been trying to learn to play the 5 string for over a year, but I'm just not feeling it.  I've played bass on and off for many years (since 1982), but always 4 stringers.  I still get lost too often when playing the 5 stringer on stage, and I'm just much more comfortable with 4 string basses.  

 

Is it too early to give up and sell the BB2005? I've heard they are quite desirable and rare, but the last one that sold on BC only went for about $625, which is NOT much money.  It would have to sell for at least $1500 to make me part with it.  The 2005 is essentially an NE2 (which go for $3,000 and up used), same pickups, just a slightly different (2-band) preamp with the mid Q sweep, and silver hardware instead of gold. The tone, as they say, in the player's fingers, not the bass.

 

Any thoughts?  Photos of both basses just for kicks...2005 (top) and 2004 (bottom)

 

 

I really fancy a BB2004 PJ actually, there’s a BB2005 for sale on eBay/FB Marketplace for £1100 currently but it doesn’t seem to be moving - I’d honestly be surprised if you would get 1500 but it’s worth what someone will pay - if one came up cheap-ish I’d be all over it, they’re both beautiful basses either way!

[Maude]

If anyone in the Southwest is after a cheap BB, there's a black BB425 on Facebook Marketplace in Bodmin for £180. Condition looks OK. 

Nothing to do with me but too good a deal with not to share. 

[Sean]

21 hours ago, Maude said:

If anyone in the Southwest is after a cheap BB, there's a black BB425 on Facebook Marketplace in Bodmin for £180. Condition looks OK. 

Nothing to do with me but too good a deal with not to share. 

I gigged an orange one regularly years ago. With a Gotoh bridge it was fantastic.

[Sean]

I fitted a Daddario nickel 0.135 to my BBP35 this morning. Wow, that extra 0.005 makes all the difference, it's fab.

 

I'm struggling to understand why there isn't more love for the pickups in these instruments, I love them. They are very different to the previous generation but just a different flavour of very good.

[neepheid]

I played my 1978 BB1200 last night at band rehearsal and it was wonderful, as always.  Super punchy, cut through the drums, guitar and vox like a circular saw.  I really hope I never have to sell this bass.

[Al Krow]

40 minutes ago, Sean said:

I fitted a Daddario nickel 0.135 to my BBP35 this morning. Wow, that extra 0.005 makes all the difference, it's fab.

 

I'm struggling to understand why there isn't more love for the pickups in these instruments, I love them. They are very different to the previous generation but just a different flavour of very good.

 

The BB P35 is a superb passive bass! Great tone and playability. Loved mine - wished it had been a touch lighter for my aging frame and it would have been a keeper!

[martfitz]

On 03/02/2025 at 23:28, Never2Many said:

Hello all you Yamaha BB fans.

 

I own 2 Yamahas: a BB2004 and a BB2005. They are both early 2000's releases.  I love the 2004 - amazing tone, and very comfortable to play, albeit a bit on the heavy side, around 9 pounds.

 

I have been trying to learn to play the 5 string for over a year, but I'm just not feeling it.  I've played bass on and off for many years (since 1982), but always 4 stringers.  I still get lost too often when playing the 5 stringer on stage, and I'm just much more comfortable with 4 string basses.  

 

Is it too early to give up and sell the BB2005? I've heard they are quite desirable and rare, but the last one that sold on BC only went for about $625, which is NOT much money.  It would have to sell for at least $1500 to make me part with it.  The 2005 is essentially an NE2 (which go for $3,000 and up used), same pickups, just a slightly different (2-band) preamp with the mid Q sweep, and silver hardware instead of gold. The tone, as they say, in the player's fingers, not the bass.

 

Any thoughts?  Photos of both basses just for kicks...2005 (top) and 2004 (bottom)

 

 

I totally understand where you’re coming from, here’s my personal experience.

 

A few years ago I got a BB2005 because I fancied giving 5 strings a whirl and I love Yamaha.

 

Couldn’t get on with it, even tried restringing E to high C, but no good, everything I was playing at the time was written on 4 strings, either by myself or other people, okay you could say if I persevered it would have given me a bit of flexibility. Anyway, in the end I got rid.

 

Fast forward a few years later and I’m in an originals band and I’m thinking, this would really suit a 5 string, so I got a cheap 5 string and realised that it was all dependent on what the music needed, so I then went hunting for a BB2005 and got one, now I wouldn’t be without it, when I can afford it I’ll find another one.

 

So there’s no right or wrong answer, it really depends on what you’re playing or intend to.

[Paddy777]

Does anyone on here have/had flats on a BBP35 and if so how did you find it especially the low B? I’m seriously looking at getting one if I can find one at a decent price. I was just wondering how it was with flats on - I’ve found low B’s problematic on 5’s when I’ve strung them with flats and I’ve heard mixed reports on how good it is on the BBP35

[Sean]

7 hours ago, Paddy777 said:

Does anyone on here have/had flats on a BBP35 and if so how did you find it especially the low B? I’m seriously looking at getting one if I can find one at a decent price. I was just wondering how it was with flats on - I’ve found low B’s problematic on 5’s when I’ve strung them with flats and I’ve heard mixed reports on how good it is on the BBP35

I think it's all down to the string gauge and construction. The BBP35 can give you a great B with the right string. If it's string tension on the 34" scale that concerns you, I can recommend D'Addario Chromes in 45-132. I had a 34" scale Squier Jazz strung BEAD and it was good, based on how the BBP35 is constructed, it would probably be even better with that .132

 

TI Jazz flats do a .136 @£40, that would be interesting.

[LowB_FTW]

8 hours ago, Paddy777 said:

I’ve found low B’s problematic on 5’s when I’ve strung them with flats

That's interesting, as I've never had any issues with any of the 8 5-string basses I have, and they are all tuned to low B (that clue is in my username hahaha). I do always use Rotosound flats, though I don't know if that would really make a difference or not.

 

Mark

[Sean]

7 hours ago, LowB_FTW said:

That's interesting, as I've never had any issues with any of the 8 5-string basses I have, and they are all tuned to low B (that clue is in my username hahaha). I do always use Rotosound flats, though I don't know if that would really make a difference or not.

 

Mark

I can't remember ever using Roto flats but based on your experience x8 I'd definitely give them a go.

 

@Paddy777 what brand and gauge were giving problems?

Edited February 8 by Sean
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