DevonDel Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Looking to change my early nineties Fender Jazz MIJ to a modern P or preferably P/J style bass. I’ve been thinking either the Yamaha BB734, Sandberg Electra or Schecter CV 4. Any input on these basses? Am I missing another obvious winner bass around the £550 to £800 range? i live in outer bumble f@ck so please don’t say go and try them all......cause that ain’t an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassix Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Sire get a lot of love and cheaper than your budget. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 (edited) I have owned all three makes (although not the exact models you mention). They are all very good / excellent manufacturers and you'll probably not go wrong with any of them. In terms of sheer value for money / getting a LOT of bass for your buck, I think you'll find the Yammy hard to beat. If you're a fan of active, the Yammy has a 3 band EQ, which I'm not sure the others have; I really like having the ability to push the mids when needed. If you want just passive, then the Yamaha BB434 would fit the bill very well and save you cash. PS the other PJ I've not yet tried but am often tempted by is the Ibanez SR 650 (or more precisely the 655 5 string version in my case) which would also be in your price range. Has a fast neck which you will either love (as I do) or not be for you. It also has a 3 band EQ with adjustable mid selector for added flexibility. Edited January 2, 2019 by Al Krow 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 (edited) Somebody has a Sire P/J for sale for silly money in the classifieds: nudge, nudge, wink , wink! But of the 3 you have mentioned, I would go with the Yamaha BB 734. The neck is between a P and a J, active / passive 3 band eq and a rock solid neck with the fancy mitre joint. I don`t think they do an Electra in a P/J version? Never owned a Schecter so don`t know. I own a Sandberg and it`s fantastic and have owned a few Yammies, still have an BB 1024 and if I was buying without playing one first with your budget, I would buy the Yamaha. Edited January 2, 2019 by jezzaboy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 (edited) As @Al Krow has said above, all three will be very well made basses. I own the Yamaha BB735a and a Sandberg Electra VS4 and my thoughts are below: Sandberg Electra VS4 - super lightweight (it actually puts my more expensive California VM5 to shame in this regard) and with a lovely thick barky P sound. Stock, it comes with a 2-band EQ and an active/passive switch on the volume knob. There’s no option for tone control in passive mode though. I got round this by having a passive tone control installed at the Bass Gallery. If you want the versatility of an added J to your P pickup the Sandberg Electra is out of the question as they only come in pure P or pure J forms. To get a PJ you’d have to step up to the more expensive California series. Or modify an Electra VS4 by adding in a J pup, which is certainly possible! Yamaha BB735a - again, a lightweight bass. I used to own the older BB1025x which is purely passive and when this new series was released I was sceptical, as the 1025x had such a great tone I didn’t want Yamaha to spoil it by trying to reinvent the wheel. Turns out my fears weren’t warranted as this 735a sounds just as good as I remember my 1025x sounding, but with the added versatility of a switchable 3-band EQ and the treble knob becomes a tone knob in passive mode! I find the EQ points on the preamp to be very well chosen - Yamaha obviously know what they’re doing here as I struggle to get a bad sound out of this bass! The quality is just lovely all over, with a flawless matte satin finish all over the body and neck (I have the black version - the sunburst version still has a satin neck but with a gloss body) and everything feels solid, from the neck joint to the tuners to the control knobs. Quality control at Yamaha’s factory is spot on. And then the little details like the low battery indicator light next to the control cavity and embossed Yamaha emblem on the headstock just give the whole thing a feeling that the people designing it really spent time on it. I haven’t tried the Schecter CV but I’ve heard good things about it. I like the way it’s wired with the series/split/parallel switches and passive operation. Would really like to try one actually - they look like versatile instruments. You cannot go wrong with any of the basses you’ve been looking at, but in a shootout between the Sandberg Electra and the Yamaha the Yamaha wins overall for me in terms of features/price. Edited January 2, 2019 by CameronJ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 One thing to consider is in that price range you can pick up second hand full fat Sandbergs. Unapologetcially Sandberg hands down for me, not saying the others are poo, but the whole package customer service etc. even if second hand or ‘budget’ range hammers everyone else @CameronJ will confirm that. Scheter recently have really upped their game and pumped a load of money into their R&D. You want to hear a schecter PJ in action, go listen to Robert DeLeo from Stone Temple Pilots. A bit from leftfield but don’t rule out ESP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrixn1 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Love my BB735A and BB434, so another vote here for Yamaha. Another option, if you are patient/lucky enough for one to come up, is a used Maruszczyk Jake. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfrasho Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I'm a massive yamaha fan. Dont think I've played a duff one! I'm currently gigging a '78 bb1000 which is a P bass, but plays fantastically well. Quite heavy, but great neck plus you have the kudos of playing a 'vintage' bass. can pick them up for the low end of your budget and will only increase in price! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Oh dear, this really is getting a bit one sided...😀 I guess you can't keep a good bass down! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealting Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 I picked up a BB435 two days ago. I own a couple pre-CBS Precisions and a Dingwall Super P... and let me say the Yamaha is RIDICULOUSLY good for the price. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 I don't know why the Sire M Series never gets a mention here - I know it's not PJ but with twin humbuckers in series/single/parallel switching, active/passive and that great Marcus Miller pre, it's defo worth a look. I have an M7 and it's my goto fretted. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonDel Posted January 4, 2019 Author Share Posted January 4, 2019 Thank you all for your words of wisdom, after much thought the Yamaha BB734a in coffee sunburst has won it for me. Now comes they hassle of selling my Jazz ....wish me luck. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 You won’t regret it. Truly a beautiful instrument! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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