Should I upgrade my Bass's Electronics? (Yamaha BB435)

[Rangotouille]

I have a Yamaha BB435 (five string PJ) on its way to me and I want to send it to a luthier to get it professionally set up, and to get a custom fret dress to improve the action.

While I was was looking at the available local services it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to get the electronics upgraded at the same time, including replacing the pickups with hand-wound scatter-wound pickups...

...however, I took a closer look at Yamaha's web page for the BB435 and it states that it has Yamaha "Custom Wound Pickups":

BB's custom-wound pickups are designed to fit standard pickup cavities and feature a medium-high output with vintage voicing for great tone in any setting. BB basses come with pickups selected specifically to match the distinct character of each model in the series, delivering a uniquely versatile sound while retaining the classic BB tone. BB Series - Overview - Yamaha - UK and Ireland

My 2 questions:

1. Is what I've quoted above, from the Yamaha website, just meaningless marketing speak, or are the Yamaha "custom" pickups truly built to match the guitar?

Should I change the pickups to third party, custom, hand-wound (scatter-wound) pickups and will this improve the tone, or is it best to stick with Yamaha's custom wound pickups? Do you guys really think they are matched to the guitar?

2. Whether I upgrade the pickup or not, Should I buy a "fender P-bass" electronics kit to replace the internal wiring? Will this improve the sound, or is it better to stick with the original Yamaha wiring?

I've been reading posts by Yamaha BB435 owners and many of them are saying that at this price point the BB435 has the equivalent Fender beaten. I'm wondering if it's best not to mess with the electrical system or whether I can get an improvement to the sound by upgrading.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I have a Yamaha BB435 (five string PJ) on its way to me and I want to send it to a luthier to get it professionally set up, and to get a custom fret dress to improve the action.

While I was was looking at the available local services it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to get the electronics upgraded at the same time, including replacing the pickups...

Is there a problem with the stock pickups and electronics that is prompting your desire to change them out?

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Play the bass for a while then decide if there is something lacking with it that replacing pickups and/or electronics would help.

 

[Stumbo]

I have a Yamaha BB435 (five string PJ) on its way to me and I want to send it to a luthier to get it professionally set up, and to get a custom fret dress to improve the action.

While I was was looking at the available local services it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to get the electronics upgraded at the same time, including replacing the pickups with hand-wound scatter-wound pickups...

...however, I took a closer look at Yamaha's web page for the BB435 and it states that it has Yamaha "Custom Wound Pickups":

My 2 questions:

1. Is what I've quoted above, from the Yamaha website, just meaningless marketing speak, or are the Yamaha "custom" pickups truly built to match the guitar?

Should I change the pickups to third party, custom, hand-wound (scatter-wound) pickups and will this improve the tone, or is it best to stick with Yamaha's custom wound pickups.

2. Whether I upgrade the pickup or not, Should I buy a "fender P-bass" electronics kit to replace the internal wiring? Will this improve the sound, or is it better to stick with the original Yamaha wiring?

I've been reading posts by Yamaha BB435 owners and many of them are saying that at this price point the BB435 has the equivalent Fender beaten. I'm wondering if it's best not to mess with the electrical system or whether I can get an improvement to the sound by upgrading.

I suggest Gigging them for awhile and then deciding whether to change them or not.

 

[Reedt2000]

Play the bass for a while then decide if there is something lacking with it that replacing pickups and/or electronics would help.

This ^

Tone is so subjective, you should listen to the stock pups then decide. It will also give you time to decide if the bass is comfortable and a keeper before investing more $ in it.

 

[Rangotouille]

Is there a problem with the stock pickups and electronics that is prompting your desire to change them out?

It's not actually reached me yet; it's being shipped to me and should be here Thursday...

...was just wondering if it's something that people do as a matter of course because maybe it would definitely improve the sound, or if it's maybe just not really necessary, or if it maybe should definitely be avoided because it would almost certainly make it sound worse?

 

[Reedt2000]

People change pickups and preamps all the time. People also enjoy and play stock pickups. There is no right or wrong, just personal preference.

Oh, and the Yamaha quote is total marketing speak. Every company selects a pickup they think works in their basses. These are mass-produced instruments, I seriously doubt there's much "custom" work put into them

 

[Jeff Scott]

It's not actually reached me yet; it's being shipped to me and should be here Thursday...

...was just wondering if it's something that people do as a matter of course, or if it's maybe just not really necessary, or if it maybe should definitely be avoided because it might make it sound worse?

That's really something only you can determine - after playing the bass for awhile in various situations - to know whether, or not, they meet you needs.

 

[Rangotouille]

People change pickups and preamps all the time. People also enjoy and play stock pickups. There is no right or wrong, just personal preference.

Oh, and the Yamaha quote is total marketing speak. Every company selects a pickup they think works in their basses. These are mass-produced instruments, I seriously doubt there's much "custom" work put into them

Thanks. I was worried that if I swapped out the pickups it might actually ruin the sound of the guitar; like it might ruin the guitar? (I'm really new to this stuff).

That's really something only you can determine - after playing the bass for awhile in various situations - to know whether, or not, they meet you needs.

Yeah, I was kind of guessing that might be the case. Was hoping for a definitive answer but I guess it's never that simple. :/

 

[Jeff Scott]

Was hoping for a definitive answer but I guess it's never that simple. :/

There never is a simple, definitive answer when it comes to personal preferences.

Just like all those threads around here: What's the best (fill in the blank) for (fill in the blank).

 

[guts]

I would bet that the stock pickups sound great and are useful for most things. If it were me, I probably wouldn't change them. I'd be more inclined to turn some knobs here or there and be done and satisfied, rather than start desoldering stuff.

 

[Rangotouille]

Thanks guys.

My main reason for wanting to upgrade, rather than just giving it a bit of a tonal shift, was to make it sound as much like a professional Fender P bass as I could get it, but the consensus seems to be that at this price point, the Yamaha just sounds better than the Fender (and that comes from Fender P bass owners) so I'm getting more reluctant to change things.

 

[Crater]

Whether I upgrade the pickup or not, Should I buy a "fender P-bass" electronics kit to replace the internal wiring? Will this improve the sound, or is it better to stick with the original Yamaha wiring?

No. Changing the passive electronics will not change or "upgrade" the sound in any significant way. Unless there's a specific problem, just leave the electronics alone. The Yamaha BBs are professional quality.

make it sound as much like a professional Fender P bass as I could get...

Spend that money on getting the best amp you can afford.

 

[Rangotouille]

No. Changing the passive electronics will not change or "upgrade" the sound in any significant way. Unless there's a specific problem, just leave the electronics alone. The Yamaha BBs are professional quality.

Spend that money on getting the best amp you can afford.

Thanks for responding.

Can you elaborate a bit? Are you sure?

 

[Rickter]

I have a Yamaha BB435 (five string PJ) on its way to me and I want to send it to a luthier to get it professionally set up, and to get a custom fret dress to improve the action.

While I was was looking at the available local services it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to get the electronics upgraded at the same time, including replacing the pickups with hand-wound scatter-wound pickups...

...however, I took a closer look at Yamaha's web page for the BB435 and it states that it has Yamaha "Custom Wound Pickups":

My 2 questions:

1. Is what I've quoted above, from the Yamaha website, just meaningless marketing speak, or are the Yamaha "custom" pickups truly built to match the guitar?

Should I change the pickups to third party, custom, hand-wound (scatter-wound) pickups and will this improve the tone, or is it best to stick with Yamaha's custom wound pickups? Do you guys really think they are matched to the guitar?

2. Whether I upgrade the pickup or not, Should I buy a "fender P-bass" electronics kit to replace the internal wiring? Will this improve the sound, or is it better to stick with the original Yamaha wiring?

I've been reading posts by Yamaha BB435 owners and many of them are saying that at this price point the BB435 has the equivalent Fender beaten. I'm wondering if it's best not to mess with the electrical system or whether I can get an improvement to the sound by upgrading.

A couple of things... I haven't read through the entire thread yet, so they may already have been mentioned, if so feel free to disregard. I tried out a BB434 at the local Sam Ash and was incredibly surprised at how nice it sounded from the factory. That's coming from someone who played a BB415 for nearly a decade prior to getting my American Fender P5. Since then I have been seriously contemplating a new BB as my "backup". The one I played absolutely stood up to the quality of my American Fender.

Firstly, the Yamaha electronics are pretty nice. The pickups sound good and the tones are solid. If you really want to change pickups you could, but it definitely wouldn't be a necessity. The problem you may run into is that the Yamaha BB 5 string pickup is an 3+2 offset like the Fender P5. Only a handful of manufacturers make replacements for that, mainly Seymour Duncan and Nordstrand.

If you are really wanting to buy a new BB with the intention to swap pickups (like me), you may want to consider the 4 string version as there are a LOT more options. I'm looking at getting a 734 and replacing the PJ pickups with Dimarzio Model P + Model J and replacing the preamp with a Darkglass tone capsule.

 

[Rangotouille]

A couple of things... I haven't read through the entire thread yet, so they may already have been mentioned, if so feel free to disregard. I tried out a BB434 at the local Sam Ash and was incredibly surprised at how nice it sounded from the factory. That's coming from someone who played a BB415 for nearly a decade prior to getting my American Fender P5. Since then I have been seriously contemplating a new BB as my "backup". The one I played absolutely stood up to the quality of my American Fender.

Firstly, the Yamaha electronics are pretty nice. The pickups sound good and the tones are solid. If you really want to change pickups you could, but it definitely wouldn't be a necessity. The problem you may run into is that the Yamaha BB 5 string pickup is an 3+2 offset like the Fender P5. Only a handful of manufacturers make replacements for that, mainly Seymour Duncan and Nordstrand.

If you are really wanting to buy a new BB with the intention to swap pickups (like me), you may want to consider the 4 string version as there are a LOT more options. I'm looking at getting a 734 and replacing the PJ pickups with Dimarzio Model P + Model J and replacing the preamp with a Darkglass tone capsule.

I'm actually emailing a luthier who hand-winds pickups and was going to ship the bass to him to replace the electronics with higher grade parts and to swap out the pickups for hand wound replacements...

...should I do this?

I kind of know nothing about this stuff, I'm just under the impression that doing this will improve the quality of the sound. Am I wrong?

 

[johnson79]

I'm actually emailing a luthier who hand-winds pickups and was going to ship the bass to him to replace the electronics with higher grade parts and to swap out the pickups for hand wound replacements...

...should I do this?

I kind of know nothing about this stuff, I'm just under the impression that doing this will improve the quality of the sound. Am I wrong?

Have you even played this bass yet? If not, then you have no idea what it sounds like. Secondly, you have no idea what it will sound like with new pickups. Take a few months with the bass and learn what it can do. Chances are it is a good bass as-is.

 

[Whippet]

Personally I would have just gotten the next tier the 735. It's got the active electronics.

That said, I played all of them and for bang for the buck the previous 1000 series is the best. If you are going to upgrade yours, I recommend trying to get your hands on a 1000 and compare the tone.

I have the previous 2000 and the 1000 is just as good without any of the ARE, MIJ, etc etc.

You'll be surprised how good yours is when you play the 1000. I doubt you'll want to change it, especially since the price point is so good. Seriously, the BB series have almost always been excellent. I can't see the point in upgrading parts.

 

[bfields]

It's way, way too early to be thinking about those kinds of upgrades. Especially if you're new to this stuff.

Play it for a while and get used to how it sounds first. Make sure you've got a very good idea how your technique and the controls on the bass and on your amp affect the sound. Make sure you've played it in a band and listened carefully to the result. There's a bunch of stuff to learn to get right that's *much* more important.

I don't know that bass, but Yamaha has a reputation for excellent quality control and I'm sure the people that designed the bass and chose the pickups knew what they were doing.

It's totally reasonable to be interested in pickup technology, and if you want to experiment, that's fine, but then you at least want to give the stock pickups a good try so you're able to compare. And really if that's the way your interests lie, I think you'd be better off buying cheap parts basses to experiment with.

Taking it to a pro to check it out and set it up sounds like a great idea, but I wouldn't rush into anything more unless they identify an actual problem.

Beyond that, don't worry about the bass too much, have fun playing music!

 

[Rangotouille]

Have you even played this bass yet? If not, then you have no idea what it sounds like. Secondly, you have no idea what it will sound like with new pickups. Take a few months with the bass and learn what it can do. Chances are it is a good bass as-is.

I've not even seen it in person yet, I'm still waiting for the seller to ship it.

I ran some searches and found this Reddit thread It seems that blind tests show people can't really tell the difference...so...I guess I'm going to save my money for the Amp, where money and choice will probably make a much bigger impact.

Personally I would have just gotten the next tier the 735. It's got the active electronics.

That said, I played all of them and for bang for the buck the previous 1000 series is the best. If you are going to upgrade yours, I recommend trying to get your hands on a 1000 and compare the tone.

I have the previous 2000 and the 1000 is just as good without any of the ARE, MIJ, etc etc.

You'll be surprised how good yours is when you play the 1000. I doubt you'll want to change it, especially since the price point is so good. Seriously, the BB series have almost always been excellent. I can't see the point in upgrading parts.

Thanks, I'm committed to the one I bought because I love how it looks. I know that probably sounds totally counter to what everyone is supposed to be working towards (i.e. the best sound they can find) but to be honest, so much of this stuff seems to be superstition and voodoo that I'm as much concerned about the effect the look of my bass will have on people when I produce it from my gig-bag as I am the sound. And yeah, I know it doesn't have the "anointed" Fender logo but I found posts from Fender owners stating the at this price point the BB43 series beats out the equivalent Fender, and for me that balances the trade-off. I love the look and the form factor of the ebony BB435.

It's way, way too early to be thinking about those kinds of upgrades. Especially if you're new to this stuff.

Play it for a while and get used to how it sounds first. Make sure you've got a very good idea how your technique and the controls on the bass and on your amp affect the sound. Make sure you've played it in a band and listened carefully to the result. There's a bunch of stuff to learn to get right that's *much* more important.

I don't know that bass, but Yamaha has a reputation for excellent quality control and I'm sure the people that designed the bass and chose the pickups knew what they were doing.

It's totally reasonable to be interested in pickup technology, and if you want to experiment, that's fine, but then you at least want to give the stock pickups a good try so you're able to compare. And really if that's the way your interests lie, I think you'd be better off buying cheap parts basses to experiment with.

Taking it to a pro to check it out and set it up sounds like a great idea, but I wouldn't rush into anything more unless they identify an actual problem.

Beyond that, don't worry about the bass too much, have fun playing music!

Sage advice indeed.

Edit: Seriously, I generally hate it, but right now I've never wanted more for someone on an internet forum to call me a dumbass... so that I can get a definitive answer to my question XD