Yamaha basses

Have you played a Yamaha bass before?

  • Yes

    Votes: 63 90.0%

  • No

    Votes: 7 10.0%
  • Total voters
    70
Sergius Durante

Sergius Durante

May 21, 2019
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134
4,551
#1
So I have a weird fascination of the Yamaha brand and their basses. I know these models:
  1. TRBX (insert number)
  2. John Patticuci's. this bass will break your bank, signature; his brother the Nathan East signature, and Cousin the Billy Sheehan Attitude
  3. The strange small Motion B series (hunting one down atm)
  4. the TRBJ (PLEASE RESPOND IF THESE ARE DISCONTIUED I DONT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THESE) series
  5. the lesser known John myung signature,
  6. The BB basses (I will put these together as there are too many variations)
  7. The Yamaha TRB4-6P (listing seperately as the are very different in terms of build and design)
  8. The BB order system (basically parts and build your bass with your wants and desires) which was something cool for a company to have
These are what I have found from the Yamah chronology Chronology - Yamaha - United States.

I have never seen anything on Yamaha basses, I know of a few of the signature models that existed and some noteworthy individuals but that's it. I have not heard any good nor bad things about Yamaha, and they have released quite some interesting designs for basses, but it seems they do not stretch far, the jump from $1000 to suddenly $2000+. And nothing in between. Aside from maybe 4 individuals, I rarely see anyone using them, maybe the JP signature and the attitude but even so, it's rare.

SO I ASK, fellow tbers, what is the deal with Yamaha basses? What are the goods on them, the spice and seasoning? Anyone have any experience with their basses, as it seems their jack of all trades is the TRB but even to me limited from pickup configuration. The kings above them the signatures and the old TRB's.
 
#2
G'day Sergius,

My first decent bass was an RBX765a that I bought second-hand in 1997. I've owed three of these in total over the years and in my view they're amazing value for money on the second-hand market (I've paid $450 and $370 Australian respectively for two recently, and if I remember correctly the first cost me $500). It might just be personal, but I don't like the TRBX range as much - still good value and good build quality, but not for me. I can understand that you feel the pickups are limiting in both the old and new versions of this product, but twin soapbars work pretty well for me and the sounds I'm going for. For the money, the preamp is hard to complain about and the EQ ditto.

I bought an RBXJM6 second hand about six years ago just because it was such a deal - $600 Australian. These now go for around $2,000 Australian on Reverb, which I don't quite understand. They're very nicely built and the neck is very playable for its size, but the weight of these things is nuts. They have to be felt to be believed. At the price these are going for now, I wouldn't buy one. The pickups and preamp are ok, EQ again ok, but no way is the instrument worth a couple of grand. For the same money there are so many good options for a 6, and save an extra grand you're in Warwick territory.

I'm most familiar with the Yamahas above, but I've noodled on one or two higher end ones at music stores.

My take is that their entry-level and mid-range stuff is amazing value for the money. For the made in Japan higher end models and signatures (Billy Sheehan, Nathan East etc.) - I just don't get excited enough about them to want to spend that money. I really think it gets super personal when multiple thousand dollars are on the line, and for me that's Warwick, Spector or NS Design territory.

Love your question, and I'm excited to read some other opinions too.

Misha.
 
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#4
I've got vintage TRB, BB, and MB models. You won't find a better used bass for the money. All three cost me 1100 dollars combined (not adjusted for inflation / mods over the years...) I recently bought and returned a very rare boutique bass because it was not better than my TRB for so so much more money.
 
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#5
I've played a couple and they're really nice instruments. At one point I considered a 605 for a gigging bass. From all the information I gathered from those who reviewed them they're really consistent basses and are good for beginners and pro's alike. I mean...if Billy Sheehan likes them.... :thumbsup:
 
#6
Every Yamaha instrument I've ever played has punched well above its proverbial weight in terms of bang:buck ratio. I've had three, a cheapie TRB P/J model back in the day that I traded a bag of... uh... chips... for from a drummer I was playing with as a D-G-C-F bass, a BB 1025 (I think, it had blade-style P/J pickups) that was a damn fine bass that I just never bonded with and sold for money toward a Warwick Thumb, and a mid-level Japanese-made acoustic dreadnaught guitar.

The cheapie was a shockingly well-made instrument for its price, and considering that I had 50 bucks in it was even better. The electronics kinda sucked, so I put Duncan Quarter-Pounders in it (I was young and in a heavy-ish rock band) and it was a totally giggable, good-sounding, slick-playing bass that I hung onto for several years. The BB didn't lag far behind anything nice I've ever had (US Music Man, US Fender, Japanese Fender, German Warwick, US Lakland), and sounded as good as it played, but the neck and tone weren't QUITE what I was after, so it left. The acoustic would hang with Gibsons, Martins, whatever in quality and playability, and I assume it would've in volume/projection/tone with a thinner, lighter finish.

I kinda don't really know how Yamaha's able to build such affordable instruments at the prices a lot of them cost. Excellent manufacturer, in my opinion.
 
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#7
I have 2:
A BB1024x which I wouldn't trade for any american precision bass. This bass is one of my favourite ones. I can't get a bad tone out of it and it plays wonderfully.
And a BB735A that has become one of my most played basses. It's my workhorse and the one that I take everywhere. Superversatile and can adjust to many diferent styles of music.
 
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#8
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I just picked up a re-issue Samurai , had been looking for one for years . Great bass , feels like a very funky Jazz bass .
 
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#11
Yamaha makes really good stuff that punches above its weight class. Other than that I couldn't tell you much.

I think the only reason I don't have a Yamaha is because I already have two fenders, and have no need for anything else.
 
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#12
My "Yamaha that got away" story:

Spotted an RBX-170 some years ago in a shop that had been hot-rodded with perhaps a P/J set of Quarter Pounders from Seymour Duncan along with a high mass bridge. It was light, entirely comfortable to play, and it sounded GREAT!! I didn't have perhaps $120 at that moment, but went back to get it the next day... and it was already gone.

Right now I have a spiffy custom P/J that I found in the classifieds here, but if I decide that I want another one in the future, option #1 is to find a cheap 2nd-hand RBX-170 and let my luthier pals tweak it.

My other option #1 in the P/J world would be a Yamaha BB. Those just seem to be the kings (and/or queens) of the P/J realm.

Also a little ashamed that I've never given a TRB a new home. I've lusted on those basses forever :drool:
 
#18
I owned a lot of the 80's BB basses; BB400, two BB1200's, a BB3000, and all three versions of the BB5000: the original passive, the AMk2 which was the original body style with active pickups in the brass surrounds with Vol/Bal/Bass/Treble, and the AMk3, which was totally different, more of a TRB shape and neck width with those pickups and electronics minus the piezo, made in their then-new Taiwan facility.

They were all killers, second only to my later Alembics in build and sound.

They've gone through many new products since then, but generally are excellent buys.

Like most 'Japanese' guitar companies (Ibanez and ESP are this way as well), only their top shelf axes are still made in Japan, in Yamaha's case by their Music Kraft shop: This is where the JP's, Nate's, Billys, and top line BB's are made, therefore the big price jump over the rest of their offerings, mostly now made in China following Yamaha closing the Taiwan plant some years back. Look for Japanese production in the Ibanez or ESP catalogs, and like Yamaha, they make up a small % of their overall product range. This is common today.

Their real problem for years is that they never got serious about competing in the market in terms of production numbers and marketing to drive those numbers. They were infamous for showing these fabulous new models at NAMM, and after they'd sell out the initial production, follow up restocks would be back-ordered forever. I waited TWO YEARS for a BB2000 and finally gave up. The 5000's all were carefully searched out and bought on the used market years later: Buy a new one at the time? It would have been easier to go to the gate at Palmdale and buy an F117 from Lockheed-Martin.

Finally, with their establishing an American guitar and bass presence on the West Coast (YGD, Yamaha Guitar Development), now, finally, they're serious, the back orders are mostly history, and you will see more and more of them, they're really great axes overall. Buying Ampeg I think is a good sign of how serious they've become. Being able to easily buy one online from the usual suspects is another great sign the old days are over. Strategically, if Fender, Gibson, or others should suffer greatly in The New Normal, this puts them in a good spot to step in to the online vendors, national chains, in a far bigger way if the opportunity presents itself.

I shudder to think of the market they gave away since the 80's. These basses, the guitar families with the SG's and SA's, the handbuilt acoustics, and so many more. Oh well.
 
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#19
I've stated this in the forum several times before:

My old Yamaha BB2000 is the best sounding {especially in a band mix), best constructed, most ergonomic {for me} and most versatile bass I've ever owned/played. It just oozes quality.

I've owned EBMM SR 4 fretted and fretless basses; Several Fender jazz basses - MIA and MIJ; Several Fender precision basses - CS, MIA & MIJ ; a couple of Ibanez musicians { early '80's} and a Sadowsky metro UV 70 5.

The BB 2000 wipes the floor with all of them. It just edges out the CS '59 precision sound-wise, but is a much better constructed instrument. The only basses which come close in terms of construction, are the EB MM SR 4's. Nevertheless, the BB is still a cut above those by a considerable margin IMO {it's almost into Alembic territory it's that good}
 
#20
I never used to be a passive-instrument player, until my BBP35. It absolutely slays, and can stand toe-to-toe with any Sadowsky, Coppollo, Lull, etc. Two volumes and one tone knob are it for controls, and it is crazy versatile and simple at the same time. Did I mention possibly the best low-B string I've ever played?

My review:

*now with videos* NBD--Yamaha BBP35 (current flagship BB model)
 
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