Yamaha TRB5P 1st gen variants?

[JZx]

Hi all! Sorry for my poor English. I am looking for two Yamaha basses that I am dreaming about since I was kid: 1st generation of Nathan East BB and 1st generation of TRB5P and while looking through ads I found something interesting about TRB5P, but I cannot find any details regarding this subject. Maybe here I could find someone who has some deeper knowledge about this model. The thing is that it seems that there are two different TRB5Ps, the difference is that some of them have bridge (and pickups, strings, neck and so on) located a bit closer to the back (or bottom? I mean the place where strap pin is mounted) of the body, some do not. The easiest way to notice it is to look at bridge position in relation to piezo pot location, in some of them bridge is "in front" or the pot, in some it is "behind" it. Does anyone know when the change was made and in which direction? Maybe someone have played both of them and has some opinion on which is more comfortable? Are there other differences between them?

 

[JZx]

One more thing: I searched web for Yamaha catalogs and all I found had the version with bridge moved forward, no trace of ones looking like the red one.

[LeftyJ]

Could this have something to do with the switch from 33 7/8 to 35" scale? Or were all of the early ones 34" and did they only switch to 35" with the series II? 

Edited Thursday at 07:12 by LeftyJ

[JZx]

No, both models I wrote about are 1st series with 34 inch scale. Series II is different, has individual bridges for each string, 35 inch scale, different woods, pickups and so on.

[Dazed]

Just a casual look at those two side by side photos… definitely the same series bass? The 2nd pic must have the P pickup butted right up against the neck with no space for the truss rod adjustment?

 

Looks to me like the bodies are different sizes?

[Dazed]

On 10/04/2025 at 08:48, JZx said:

No, both models I wrote about are 1st series with 34 inch scale. Series II is different, has individual bridges for each string, 35 inch scale, different woods, pickups and so on.

The series ii doesn’t have individual bridges either, that’s the later version 1005 etc. I have a  Trb 6ii and it’s a traditional bridge. 

[JZx]

1 hour ago, Dazed said:

The series ii doesn’t have individual bridges either, that’s the later version 1005 etc. I have a  Trb 6ii and it’s a traditional bridge. 

TRB5P (P is important, it is different bass than TRB5) series II does have individual bridges.

 

TRB5/TRB6 series I and II are bolt-on cheaper models. They were replaced by 1005 and 1006.

TRB5P/TRB6P series I and II are neck-through with piezo bridge. They were discontinued after series II.

 

 

This is TRB5P series II:

Edited Friday at 18:51 by JZx

[JZx]

59 minutes ago, Dazed said:

Just a casual look at those two side by side photos… definitely the same series bass? The 2nd pic must have the P pickup butted right up against the neck with no space for the truss rod adjustment?

 

Looks to me like the bodies are different sizes?

Yes, both are 1st series of TRB5P, probably different years. I am not sure about body size, for me it looks like almost everything stays in place except the body is dislocated (it seems that also bridge pickup might be in a bit different place). If you look at neck-body joint it also is in a bit different place. Here are both:

 

As far I found a guy who owns the left version (bridge closer to the edge) and he claims it is 1992.