Hello!
So, after the resurrection of an older thread I started about my old Yamaha BB235, I decided it was about time to post a new NBD, if extremely late (I've now owned it for just under 4 months!)
So, here we are. After being forced to sell my BB235 due to financial difficulties, I bought a Traben and quickly moved it on too, the lust for another BB became too much and I came to the conclusion that passive basses are exactly my thing.
So, fast forward a couple of months and being in a better position I decided it was time to quench my thirst. I pondered my choices and eventually, an order was placed for a brand new Yamaha BB435 in black. It was a killer deal too, £450 brand new with a free Protection Racket softcase (which is VERY nice, lots of storage and movable foam pads for support!)
A few days after ordering, it arrived. I had my reservations at first as the cardboard box had a bash during carriage, but the case inside looked great. Once I opened the case, I was greeted by my new bass in perfect condition, along with the straplocks and strings I ordered at the same time in the front pocket.
After installing the straplocks and fitting my preferred strings (Ernie Ball Super Slinkies) I had a few hours worth of play time. I was initially worried that it wouldn't be a huge step up in quality from my old BB235, but I was wrong.
Yamaha have really knocked it out of the park once again with the BB435. It instantly felt familiar in my hands, the neck profile is simply gorgeous and the body is comfortable and everything is where you'd want it to be. The pickups are crisp and clear, and convey the sounds of a classic PJ and older BB basses very convincingly. Fans of older BB basses would NOT be disappointed with this bass in the stable. The P goes from fat, tone off dub to growly, muscular BB tone with a lovely woody mid-heavy P tone underneath, and the J is positioned perfectly for that burpy, throaty J tone in spades. It sounds particularly good for 80s style material.
The neck is fast, and beautifully smooth with no sharp fret ends and the sculpted neck heel with the 2 extra 45° mitre bolts feels fantastic and provides easy access to the dusty end of the fretboard while adding to the sustain and resonance, both of which this bass has in spades. The hardware is fantastic, and seems very hard wearing although some minor tarnishing has happened on the tuning heads which I've emailed Yamaha about. The string spacing feels very comfortable, and the bass just screams quality and stability. The B string is tight and articulate, and for being a 34" scale I'd rate it very highly against several 35" basses I've tried and owned.
Overall, and this may be a very controversial statement, I seriously doubt you would find a better built passive PJ bass for under £1000. Certainly not a 5 string. Yamaha have always known their stuff, and it certainly shows with the revisions on their BB line. The BB435 is quickly becoming a favourite of mine, and it's my most frequently played bass recently. If you are even considering a PJ in this price range, I honestly couldn't recommend a better bass.
And now, the pictures!
So, after the resurrection of an older thread I started about my old Yamaha BB235, I decided it was about time to post a new NBD, if extremely late (I've now owned it for just under 4 months!)
So, here we are. After being forced to sell my BB235 due to financial difficulties, I bought a Traben and quickly moved it on too, the lust for another BB became too much and I came to the conclusion that passive basses are exactly my thing.
So, fast forward a couple of months and being in a better position I decided it was time to quench my thirst. I pondered my choices and eventually, an order was placed for a brand new Yamaha BB435 in black. It was a killer deal too, £450 brand new with a free Protection Racket softcase (which is VERY nice, lots of storage and movable foam pads for support!)
A few days after ordering, it arrived. I had my reservations at first as the cardboard box had a bash during carriage, but the case inside looked great. Once I opened the case, I was greeted by my new bass in perfect condition, along with the straplocks and strings I ordered at the same time in the front pocket.
After installing the straplocks and fitting my preferred strings (Ernie Ball Super Slinkies) I had a few hours worth of play time. I was initially worried that it wouldn't be a huge step up in quality from my old BB235, but I was wrong.
Yamaha have really knocked it out of the park once again with the BB435. It instantly felt familiar in my hands, the neck profile is simply gorgeous and the body is comfortable and everything is where you'd want it to be. The pickups are crisp and clear, and convey the sounds of a classic PJ and older BB basses very convincingly. Fans of older BB basses would NOT be disappointed with this bass in the stable. The P goes from fat, tone off dub to growly, muscular BB tone with a lovely woody mid-heavy P tone underneath, and the J is positioned perfectly for that burpy, throaty J tone in spades. It sounds particularly good for 80s style material.
The neck is fast, and beautifully smooth with no sharp fret ends and the sculpted neck heel with the 2 extra 45° mitre bolts feels fantastic and provides easy access to the dusty end of the fretboard while adding to the sustain and resonance, both of which this bass has in spades. The hardware is fantastic, and seems very hard wearing although some minor tarnishing has happened on the tuning heads which I've emailed Yamaha about. The string spacing feels very comfortable, and the bass just screams quality and stability. The B string is tight and articulate, and for being a 34" scale I'd rate it very highly against several 35" basses I've tried and owned.
Overall, and this may be a very controversial statement, I seriously doubt you would find a better built passive PJ bass for under £1000. Certainly not a 5 string. Yamaha have always known their stuff, and it certainly shows with the revisions on their BB line. The BB435 is quickly becoming a favourite of mine, and it's my most frequently played bass recently. If you are even considering a PJ in this price range, I honestly couldn't recommend a better bass.
And now, the pictures!
Annoyingly I received this right at the start of what would have been a relatively busy time for gigging, but Covid effectively ruined that. Still, I'm positive it'll do the job splendidly when the gigs do come back! Got a few rescheduled for next year with a couple of different bands so time will tell, but with the tones available I reckon it'll be the tool for the job.
