stevie Posted January 15, 2018 Posted January 15, 2018 (edited) Yamaha BB1100S £250 This is my "vintage" Yamaha BB, made in about 1985. It has been my instrument of choice for the past ten years. When I first bought it, I loved the P-bass sound but hated the thin sound of the rear Jazz bass pickup. So I embarked on a project to fix it. It took a few years and pickups from several makers. A Seymour Duncan alnico Musicman pickup eventually gave me a result I was happy with. Not only does it give the Musicman bass sound, but its output also matches that of the front P-bass pickup - and they both work well in combination. Here's a vid that gives a good idea what it sounds like (at least with rounds): <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYDLKCrGQsc> It looks like that guy also had an issue with the rear pickup, as he has something fatter in there. Features a Jazz-type neck (thinner than a P-bass), tobacco finish, 3-way selector switch for front, back or both pickups. Switchable active circuit with bass, mid and treble. Active can be switched out to give a purely passive option that doesn't need a battery. Strung with Thomastik flats. This is a 30-year old bass that has been played. It still looks the part, but it does have its share of the dings, dents, scratches and holes that are more obvious up close. There's a bit of buckle rash on the back (as in the photo) but the frets are in good shape. Weight is around 4kg - about average. I changed the front pickup to a Seymour Duncan SPB-1 vintage. If you'd like to keep that (and you should), please add another £40. Otherwise, I'll refit the original Yamaha pickup. You'll get the original Yamaha pickup either way. Edited January 16, 2018 by stevie photos added 1
silverfoxnik Posted January 15, 2018 Posted January 15, 2018 Dorset, IIRC.. Nice bass Stephen. GLWTS ☺
stevie Posted January 15, 2018 Author Posted January 15, 2018 (edited) Thanks Nik. I'd keep it but the Stevie household has a one in, one out policy. Yes, I'm in Dorchester, CalDeep. I've just realised that my location isn't showing any more (edit: now fixed). Edited January 15, 2018 by stevie
nilebodgers Posted January 15, 2018 Posted January 15, 2018 That is an interesting set of mods, I have a BB1100s too, but stock. Was that a Japanese one that had the surrounds round the P and J pickups, or a Taiwanese one (like mine - no surrounds) and you made your own? I find that the stock P pickup is pretty good, but you are right about the J pickup - it is a bit thin. I only use mine in P mode (passive) or maybe P+J (active).
stevie Posted January 16, 2018 Author Posted January 16, 2018 Yes, I have a guitar box, plenty of bubble wrap and cardboard.
stevie Posted January 16, 2018 Author Posted January 16, 2018 11 hours ago, nilebodgers said: That is an interesting set of mods, I have a BB1100s too, but stock. Was that a Japanese one that had the surrounds round the P and J pickups, or a Taiwanese one (like mine - no surrounds) and you made your own? I find that the stock P pickup is pretty good, but you are right about the J pickup - it is a bit thin. I only use mine in P mode (passive) or maybe P+J (active). It seemed such a waste having the bridge pickup at all, and the humbucker makes the bass a lot more versatile without taking away from the great P-bass tone. It's a Taiwanese one, but the surround is original.
nilebodgers Posted January 16, 2018 Posted January 16, 2018 1 minute ago, stevie said: It seemed such a waste having the bridge pickup at all, and the humbucker makes the bass a lot more versatile without taking away from the great P-bass tone. It's a Taiwanese one, but the surround is original. Interesting. There was supposed to be an rare transitional period when they switched them to Taiwan, but used up remaining Japanese pickups. The bridge side of the J rout on yours defo looks like one of those. There is a facebook group for 70s-80s Yam basses which has good info https://www.facebook.com/groups/219406111488370/ (there is a white BB1100s post on 20th Nov that has the later pickups - there is a good discussion of getting the right tool for adjusting the truss rod).
stevie Posted January 16, 2018 Author Posted January 16, 2018 They are keen on their BBs over there, aren't they? They're definitely undervalued on the used market. A new one of these cost more than a USA Precision back in the day. 1
linear Posted January 16, 2018 Posted January 16, 2018 Sorry, this is a bit of an annoying question, but do you know how close the MM pickup is to the position it would be on a Stingray?
MrWalker Posted January 16, 2018 Posted January 16, 2018 From talkbass... "from the 12th fret to the pickup centerline": 60's Jazz, Neck: 10 7/8" Bridge: 14 1/2" 70's Jazz, Neck: 10 7/8" Bridge: 14 7/8" Precision, 11" Stingray, 13 1/8" L2000, Neck: 11 3/8" Bridge: 14.175" Maybe the seller can measure? Great looking bass! Too bad I'm in Norway...
CameronJ Posted January 16, 2018 Posted January 16, 2018 (edited) 12 minutes ago, MrWalker said: From talkbass... "from the 12th fret to the pickup centerline": 60's Jazz, Neck: 10 7/8" Bridge: 14 1/2" 70's Jazz, Neck: 10 7/8" Bridge: 14 7/8" Precision, 11" Stingray, 13 1/8" L2000, Neck: 11 3/8" Bridge: 14.175" Maybe the seller can measure? Great looking bass! Too bad I'm in Norway... Useful info but this surely depends on the scale of the bass? I’m assuming these measurements are based on 34” scale. Edited January 16, 2018 by CameronJ
MrWalker Posted January 16, 2018 Posted January 16, 2018 45 minutes ago, CameronJ said: Useful info but this surely depends on the scale of the bass? I’m assuming these measurements are based on 34” scale. Yes, absolutely... The basses listed are all "classic" 4-string basses with a 34" scale length, like the bass on sale. Så measurements should be compatible for the question posted above. 😊
stevie Posted January 16, 2018 Author Posted January 16, 2018 (edited) I think it's slightly closer to the bridge than it would be on a Stingray. I don't want to get into an argument on my own sales thread, but I'm not terribly convinced by the idea of a pickup sweet spot. Moving the pickup closer to or further away from the bridge doesn't fundamentally change the sound of the pickup, just the balance between bass and treble. I believe Ernie Ball varied the position of the pickups on the different Musicman basses they produced. They didn't stick with one fixed location. (Perhaps someone could confirm?). Edited January 16, 2018 by stevie incorrect use of semi-colon
MrWalker Posted January 16, 2018 Posted January 16, 2018 (edited) From comparison photos I've seen, I think the back edge of the MM pickup aligns almost with the pole pieces on the J bridge pickup on a 60s Jazz bass. I would guess that this bass might have had the J pickup in approximately the same position, and I would therefore continue to guess that as you say, the pickup is most likely slightly closer to the bridge than on a Stingray. I think the position is very crucial to get the Stingray sound, but given the minimal difference, I would think that this MM pickup covers the important point of the sweet spot, which is the harmonic. I would expect that this bass captures the Stingray vibe to some extent. Edited January 16, 2018 by MrWalker Typo
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