Fender American Std Precision V vs Yamaha BB 1025x vs Lakland Skyline 55-64 & 55-02

Rickter

Rickter

Nov 30, 2006
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Nashville, TN
#1
I am finally considering making the investment in a higher quality, professional level bass. I am thinking that I am going to stick to a 5 string and my goal is to get something under $1500 and would prefer American made.

Being a life long Nashville resident, it has always seemed that having an instrument with a "traditional" appearance seems to help you land more gigs. So, that and my love of the P-bass has led me to look at the Fender American Standard Precision 5 (and to a lesser degree the Fender American Jazz 5). However, a friend pointed out to me that Yamaha makes a higher quality version of my current bass (a BB 415) in the BB 1025x. Although the BB presents a more versatile package than the P and has a lot of attractive features, I believe that it is made in Indonesia and still commands a price of over $1000.

So my questions to the TB community and those familiar with these basses would be
1) is the Yamaha BB1025x worth the money versus another paying couple hundred more for a Fender American P5?
2) given the choice between the BB 1025x and the Fender American P5, which would you go for if you were planning to try to land more gigs in multiple music genres?

Thank you in advance.
 
#3
From what I've read here, a Fender P will get you plenty of work - especially in Nashville. I guess you might consider your goals musically. Is it a fun, side job or full-time deal?

I also made the decision to invest in a professional-grade instrument and the Precision bass has not let me down. Another question you might ask yourself is, would you really utilize the Yamaha's full spectrum of tone? Or are you a simple plug-n-play kinda guy?

Good luck.
 
#4
twinjet said:
From what I've read here, a Fender P will get you plenty of work - especially in Nashville. I guess you might consider your goals musically. Is it a fun, side job or full-time deal?

I also made the decision to invest in a professional-grade instrument and the Precision bass has not let me down. Another question you might ask yourself is, would you really utilize the Yamaha's full spectrum of tone? Or are you a simple plug-n-play kinda guy?

Good luck.
Click to expand...

All good points Twinjet. Thank you.

I guess my concern was that, in a market like Nashville, Fender styles like the P5 would be readily accepted as legitimate but the Yamaha BB1025x would be seen as "a pretender" and thereby hurt my chances of landing gigs. Then again, the P5 doesn't "look" like a standard Precision in some regards, so that may be something I need to consider as well. Granted many tryouts I have been on were judged based on tone, technique and knowledge of the material, but I have had occasions where the visual of the instrument played overruled all of those things. I auditioned for a gig at one point with an Ibanez BTB six string bass and was told before leaving that I wouldn't get the gig because "a jazz guy" wouldn't fit in to their profile. I had played nothing "Jazz" style but did play bluesy stuff, some walk lines, rock lines, even some Iron Maiden-ish licks, but the visual element of that additional string had convinced them that I was too technical for their purposes, they wanted "a rock guy". That was the beginning of this dilemma for me.

As for what I intend to do, my playing is not my primary source of income. Its a side gig, when I can land it. My goal is to land MORE work, just because I love doing it. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to make a living at it, but I have to be realistic about my expectations. The playing I have done in the past leads me to say that I would use the Yamaha's spectrum of available tones, since I use those of my current BB. However, the vast majority of times I am using the P pickup, which led me to look believe that I could indeed get by on a setup like a regular P. The P5 is still the primary contender, but I wanted to determine if the BB1025x was worthy. The extra versatility would be nice, but isn't a necessity. Had been wondering if the $1k price tag on the Yamaha was justified by its tone and playability, despite its being Indonesion made with that price. Then again, I wouldn't be so concerned with a $1k Ibanez higher end bass, so maybe my own perceptions need some tweaking.

Thanks again for your opinions/thoughts on the matter.
 
#6
Rickter said:
All good points Twinjet. Thank you.

I guess my concern was that, in a market like Nashville, Fender styles like the P5 would be readily accepted as legitimate but the Yamaha BB1025x would be seen as "a pretender" and thereby hurt my chances of landing gigs. Then again, the P5 doesn't "look" like a standard Precision in some regards, so that may be something I need to consider as well. Granted many tryouts I have been on were judged based on tone, technique and knowledge of the material, but I have had occasions where the visual of the instrument played overruled all of those things. I auditioned for a gig at one point with an Ibanez BTB six string bass and was told before leaving that I wouldn't get the gig because "a jazz guy" wouldn't fit in to their profile. I had played nothing "Jazz" style but did play bluesy stuff, some walk lines, rock lines, even some Iron Maiden-ish licks, but the visual element of that additional string had convinced them that I was too technical for their purposes, they wanted "a rock guy". That was the beginning of this dilemma for me.

As for what I intend to do, my playing is not my primary source of income. Its a side gig, when I can land it. My goal is to land MORE work, just because I love doing it. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to make a living at it, but I have to be realistic about my expectations. The playing I have done in the past leads me to say that I would use the Yamaha's spectrum of available tones, since I use those of my current BB. However, the vast majority of times I am using the P pickup, which led me to look believe that I could indeed get by on a setup like a regular P. The P5 is still the primary contender, but I wanted to determine if the BB1025x was worthy. The extra versatility would be nice, but isn't a necessity. Had been wondering if the $1k price tag on the Yamaha was justified by its tone and playability, despite its being Indonesion made with that price. Then again, I wouldn't be so concerned with a $1k Ibanez higher end bass, so maybe my own perceptions need some tweaking.

Thanks again for your opinions/thoughts on the matter.
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Buy a used Precision, either a MIA or Roadworn series MIM Fender. Look for a Yamaha BB1025 too. The folks who turned you down do not sound big time. I used to live close to Nashville about twenty years ago, and I got the impression that the touring and studio scene was not that conservative when it came to basses. I know places like Corner Music were never short on boutiques. That said, twenty years ago is a long time. In 1996, I had no gray hair and two good knees!:cool:
 
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#7
BB1025x looks quite traditional to me. Nobody would mistake it for a Fender, at least not from close, but it does not look like modern instrument IMO. And since you are going for one pro instrument, you may as well make it versatile.
 
#11
The Fender feels like it's made better, and IMHO, justifies the price. Better feeling neck, better electronics, just better. The Yamaha is a nice bass, but left me wondering why it cost 2x what my Yamaha 425X (?) I had at the time cost. It didn't really feel or sound better than the lower end Yamaha to me.

You can probably get a used P5 for <$1000, so you might explore that route.

Rickter said:
Thanks Bal704. Could you elaborate on why you feel that way?
Click to expand...
 
#13
bal704 said:
The Fender feels like it's made better, and IMHO, justifies the price. Better feeling neck, better electronics, just better. The Yamaha is a nice bass, but left me wondering why it cost 2x what my Yamaha 425X (?) I had at the time cost. It didn't really feel or sound better than the lower end Yamaha to me.

You can probably get a used P5 for <$1000, so you might explore that route.
Click to expand...

That's the kind of info I'm looking for. Thank you.
 
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#14
mpdd said:
i might think about an L2500 from g&l, because they are so versatile and they have a p bass shape
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I tried a Tribute model of the L2500 (I think it was) several years ago. I wasn't really that impressed with it, but then again a US made version could easily be head and shoulders above the imported version. The neck on that thing seemed HUGE at the time, but perceptions change over time. Thanks for the recommendation.
 
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#15
Well mpdd, I have been doing some research on the G&L L2500 at your suggestion. That may require a revisit.

After doing some research and surfing youtube on my lunch break I really like the versatility that the L2500 has. I liked the nearly P bass tones it can get, but then there's that versatility. Watched the youtube vid at and liked the near WAL a la Justin Chancelor that this guy got out of his L2500.

I think that my choice/decision just got more complicated.....

mpdd said:
i might think about an L2500 from g&l, because they are so versatile and they have a p bass shape
Click to expand...
 
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#16
bal704 said:
I've had both....The Fender P5 by a mile.
Click to expand...

I've had both... BB1025X by a mile!

I prefer the Yam mainly for the narrower neck and the extra option of the bridge pickup. However in your situation, I would likely opt for the Fender, as it's a safer bet when auditioning for Fender snobs. You can always bust out the BB after you've landed the gig! Keep the 415 around and upgrade it when you get the opportunity to get a good deal on a used 1025X.
 
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#17
Dr. Cheese said:
Buy a used Precision, either a MIA or Roadworn series MIM Fender. Look for a Yamaha BB1025 too. The folks who turned you down do not sound big time. I used to live close to Nashville about twenty years ago, and I got the impression that the touring and studio scene was not that conservative when it came to basses. I know places like Corner Music were never short on boutiques. That said, twenty years ago is a long time. In 1996, I had no gray hair and two good knees!:cool:
Click to expand...

Great points Dr Cheese. I haven't been to Corner in several years, but last I was there they had gone to mainly Fenders and Ernie Balls, with the occasional other high end brand used, like Modulus.
 
#18
dannybuoy said:
I've had both... BB1025X by a mile!

I prefer the Yam mainly for the narrower neck and the extra option of the bridge pickup. However in your situation, I would likely opt for the Fender, as it's a safer bet when auditioning for Fender snobs. You can always bust out the BB after you've landed the gig! Keep the 415 around and upgrade it when you get the opportunity to get a good deal on a used 1025X.
Click to expand...

Good suggestions dannybuoy! It is sounding like I may ended up having to purchase multiple instruments to accomplish the goals I'm trying to reach.

Starting to think that I may need to look at a regular four stringed P to fill the "traditional" role, and then have the Yamaha for the "modern 5" role.
 
#19
Rickter said:
Great points Dr Cheese. I haven't been to Corner in several years, but last I was there they had gone to mainly Fenders and Ernie Balls, with the occasional other high end brand used, like Modulus.
Click to expand...

I was there maybe three years ago, and they had a used Sadowsky and a number of Laklands.

I know it is not as prestigious, but a Squier VM P5 is truly a great bass, and a way to see if the P-Pup alone the sound the OP wants.
 
#20
Rickter said:
Well mpdd, I have been doing some research on the G&L L2500 at your suggestion. That may require a revisit.

After doing some research and surfing youtube on my lunch break I really like the versatility that the L2500 has. I liked the nearly P bass tones it can get, but then there's that versatility. Watched the youtube vid at and liked the near WAL a la Justin Chancelor that this guy got out of his L2500.

I think that my choice/decision just got more complicated.....
Click to expand...


Yes!!! The L-2500 really nails the P-bass tone with the neck pickup soloed.
 
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