Yamaha Bass Guitars

I have had 4 of these a turquoise one two green ones & a red one and I have to admit every one has been fantastic, in fact I have had an rbx 775 and and due to the change of the configuration of the electronics I would have to say the 765 a is a far better bass. Perfect for me with big hands I prefer full string spacing on a 5-string the pickups I would have to disagree with the people that say that they don't have any character for slap and Funk and even rock I think they are brimming with character, I've had a lot of other basses, and being very honest I prefer these

I'm writing this review after receiving several requests from AudioFanzine users :-D ;) I only started playing the bass a few months back so this review if not pro-level! I originally am a synth player, so I know what sound quality is about but I won't comment on cass-specific details such as the bridge, neck or strings. I'm only giving my opinion as a newcomer who appreciates beautiful instruments ;) To begin with, a few specs that I've copied & pasted (better than to post a link, you have everything under your eyes ;) ): 3-part alder body 5-piece, maple/nato bolt-on neck Rosewood fingerboard 21 frets------------------WHAT A PITY ! Scale : 34" (864 mm) Radius : 10" (250mm) Nut width : 1.5" (38.1 mm) Vintage Plus metal bridge Split Blade Alnico V neck pickup Single Blade Ceramic bridge pickup Master volume, Master tone-----------------a disputable choice ! Chrome hardware 45/100 strings For the record, I started in the unknown world of bass bass buying a Yamaha RBX170, following several reviews and recommendations. I'd been advised this model because of its price, sufficient quality to discover this instrument, and also its sound quality - but well, no! Even for basic learning, a good build quality is important and this model only brought problems: permanent detuning, the jack in that unscrewed itself, shitty original strings, abnormally curved neck even aftr going to see a technician... So let's see what a more expensive model can bring! Still, I kept no grievance against Yamaha for knowing the superb quality of their synths - God knows they were good! I had the opportunity to buy a splendid, almost new black BB 1024 :-D What a revelation it was! Build quality is great, finish is flawless in all regards, the black varnish is splendid and tough, setting (strings, bridge, neck) couldn't be better, it almost never goes out of tune "when continuously stored in a solid fly case". The neck is thin and well-built, beautiful with several layers of different woods, which looks nice! The only cons I find it is it only has 21 frets - for a beginner 24 is easier, to me at least! The body is soft-shaped and pretty well matches my -rather fat :-D - belly. It's light, sturdy and well-finished, the right hand easily finds the pickup to play. The pickups are beautiful and original! At the right place for the thumb. Two knobw, one for volume and one for... sorry, I don't know! I can tweak it as I like but nothing happens, perhaps it's faulty? I dunno. I use two different amps - a Fender Rumble 25 and a peachy Fender Bronco 40! Great for playing at home. I'm going to take lessons from a "real" bassist, who has tried it several times! He tried it for rock, pop, dance, disco, jazz, fusion and other styles, plating slap, with a pick and so on and his opinion is totally positive. While he usually plays on high-end instruments he guaranteed me that this BB 1024 is nothing short from a great bass! He was so stunned by it that he'd be ready to get one. So here it is, a beginner's review that may evolve in the future, as my technique does! :bravo:

I fell in love with these when they first came out in 1985 when I was 16 yrs. old. I was able to finally obtain one about '91 and I've had it ever since (they came in 4 colors; wine red, white, black, and purple {mine is the wine red model plus I sanded the back of the neck as well as added an on-board active EQ but am seriously thinking of switching back to passive}. All had gold hardware, fine tuning bridges (except the MB-I series) and fully painted finishes except the fretboard). These are EXTREMELY rare basses!!! I've looked all over for the other 3 colors, to no avail (at least not ones available for sale and in decent shape). If anyone knows of any, PLEASE let me know! (toekneesee@hushmail.com) I've attached a photo of mine from before I put the active EQ in

This is the best sounding bass I have ever played. It is perfect for funk, pop, fusion and just about everything other style known to man I was primarily a Fender Jazz man and had bonded reasonably well with my 2012 American Standard with the CS 60 pickups - my main gigging bass over a period of 5 years - but after purchasing this BB, I sold the jazz. The BB is far superior in all aspects. The sound is unbeatable with TI jazz flats. There is a growl in the low mids and harmonic sweetness in the high mids that is simply unmatched by any other bass I've ever played, including Fender, Musicman and Sadowsky. The BB2000 just blows them all away. The only drawback is that it's slightly heavy...over 5kg, but I can deal with it because it sounds phenomenal

Mine is a Black finish with a 34' neck. I changed to flat wounds since I play with my fingers and didn't want to shew them up. Plus I like the soft sound they project. I primarily plat The Beatles and most 60's tunes. I've been playing for over 40 years and taught myself how to play on a 6 string acoustic my older brother had. My tastes in music are Classic Rock, The Beatles, Smooth Jazz and Classical, which is very relaxing. My BB300 was a father's day gift back in 1986. My wife bought it for me and this guitar has sentimental value and I will never sell it. The bass has been trustworthy and loyal to it's heritage. My wife has great taste since she has no clue on guitars and was going strictly on the advice of the music store owner. What a choice and what a recommendation. Yamaha makes top notch electronics and this Bass is a testament to the value and quality of the BB series. The feel of this BB300 is so smooth and silky. What a great bass it is. I loved it the second I held it. It's not overly heavy. I've owned a Rickenbacker and I can honestly say I love the BB300 more. I sold the Ricky a long time ago but my BB300 will die with me. Nothing. It's perfect. Excellent construction. Never been in a shop for repair. Quality. This classic BB300 is more valuable than a new bass guitar of similar price and features. If anyone wants a great bass look up the BB300 and get ready to pay a handsome price for a handsome bass guitar. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this from Guitar Center after the RBX775 I ordered from MusiciansFriend got dammaged during transit. I paid $360.00 it was a replacement for a Conklin GT5 which had been stolen. It is light and well balanced the action is easy to adjust and holds intonation. It comes with passive ceramic humbuckers and a 2 band active eq which give a wide range of tone selection. The pickup selector is a rotary pot so you can select as much of or all of one pickup to dial in the perfect tone. The over value is Great I paid over $700 for the Conklin GT5 which was/is a great bass but for the money the Yamaha RBX375 is the way to go even for more experienced players. Batteries---but an ac adapter would not be an option. This bass is well made. The fit and finish is excellent. The hardware is quality stuff. If you are looking for a 5 string this is the one to get, the price is right and the sound is booming. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This bass was designed several years ago to offer versatility and a commitment to excelling playability at a price point that doesn't break the bank. It features an alder body, a maple neck with rosewood fretboard, 24 frets, black hardware, Yamaha tuners and separate saddle bridge system, and a pair of active Yamaha humbucking pickups wired to a volume control, a tone control, a 3 way toggle switch and an onboard boost circuit. It also features bolt on construction with a nicely recessed heel for ease of play. The bass was built in Yami's Taiwanese factory and retailed for about $800. UTILIZATION This bass is quite light and ergonomic. The sculpted body design is very forgiving to hold and play in sitting and standing positions. The neck has a nice thin profile with a sleek finish that allows fast play very easy. The neck heel and sculpted cutaways allow for superb access to the highest frets and the overall feel is just top notch, especially for a bass under $1000. Getting a good tone out of this bass is pretty simple. It basically has a fairly modern core tone that sounds pretty refined and clear overall. It can get a little bright at times depending on the amp used but overall it's very versatile and has a good tone in a band or studio mix for more modern styles. SOUNDS This bass is a very good sounding instrument for the player who wants a modern sounding, clear toned bass. The active humbuckers add a certain girth and low end that isn't over the top, but has enough punch. It's not overly midrange heavy, but you can get some good sounds in that frequency rang if you turn up the mids on your amplifier. The high end is very clear and works well for bringing the bass tone to the front of a mix and helping it stand out. Even when using distortion tones this bass remains pretty clear and defined, a trait that most vintage type basses can fall short on. As stated I think this bass suits a more modern type of player which is reflected in the playability and tone. OVERALL OPINION All in all I think the Yamaha RBX774 is a treat for anyone who is looking for a light, easy to play and great modern sounding bass for not a lot of cash. Yamaha gear doesn't hold killer resale so these can be picked up cheaply if you're vigilant. It is great for a variety of musical styles and I've had excellent luck with this bass for live and studio work. Definitely recommended!

(Originally written by twister95/translated from Audiofanzine FR) - I own the lefty version... So it's available for lefties, which is already great. - Very nice rock'n'roll design. UTILIZATION - Very pleasant neck. - Wide neck and bridge that provide a large spacing between strings, very convenient for popping and slapping. - The first models have only two controls. - Not too heavy, comfortable, very good value for money. SOUNDS - Pretty versatile - Passive - This bass is very surprising considering its price. The sound is very versatile with a good amp. I've played lots of bass guitars (e.g. Fender Jazz Bass) and this instrument is very good considering its price. OVERALL OPINION Good instrument with good value for money. Quite good sound and high-playing comfort. Of course, you can't compare it with much more expensive instruments.

This is a surprisingly great bass guitar. I do not know where it was manufactured. It has two pickups, with a tone knob and volume knob. The bridge and neck are nothing special, just the standard types. The neck is a dark hardwood. UTILIZATION This bass plays great. The neck has a very nice feel, the body is lightweight and nicely shaped to make it comfortable to play sitting or standing. It has a large cut-out, so access to the top frets is very easy. When recording bass, I usually put this through the DI on my Avalon AD2022 preamp, and it sounds great. SOUNDS I use this bass in my studio and let clients use it. It has found its way into a large variety of genres very well. I usually just go DI with it, in lieu of using a bass amp. You have to kind of find the sweet spot on the tone control - personally I find it's best around the middle slightly leaning toward the bassier end. When you put this in a mix, maybe compress it, but it hardly needs EQ. It's powerful and has plenty of low end while still cutting through. On either extreme end with the tone knob, it's hard to get it sounding right, but again, the tone knob is there so use it well. I love this bass for recording. For the price, you wouldn't expect it to sound so good. OVERALL OPINION I've been using this bass for about 3 years. I love the low price/great sound value of this thing, and the fact that you don't need to do much to it most of the time in a recording to get it sitting right. I've tried a bunch of other basses, this is one of my favorites. The value is fantastic, if you're in the $500 range, this is a great bet. I'd definitely get one again.

I bought my 2002 Yamaha BB604 used in 2008 for around $400US. I had it professionally setup and it's been perfect ever since. Action is still low and even, no fret buzz anywhere, electronics all working well. Fret finish and fingerboard are great. Only repair was to replace the output jack (it was worn out from a lot of use) a couple of years ago. Only change I ever made to the setup was to re-intonate the G string when I recently switched from roundwounds to flatwounds. I will eventually switch back to roundwounds because this bass is really good for slapping and roundwounds work a bit better. But I have enjoyed the thump of the flatwounds. The bass is a bit heavy (it has an alder body) but it's well-balanced on the strap. The battery lasts a long time. I play at least 1 hour per day and I can get 6 months out of one battery (and that includes leaving it plugged in accidentally overnight a couple of times). I don't know what these cost today but if you are considering one and the neck looks good and the electronics all work then you should have no reservations. I doubt you'd be able to find a better bass anywhere near the cost of one of these.

made in taiwan 2002 dec.volume,master tone,pickup balancer 24frets pj configuration,standard bridge,maple neck rosewood fretboard UTILIZATION i bouth it in 2003 april for almost 400euros here in macedonia and blew me away,once you tune this bass the other tuning is gonna happen when you are gonna change the strings.i put nickel wound and the sound is amazing,the thinest neck beatiful disign i would not change for anything.the pickup balancer is the real deal-no toogle switch no pickup selector.whit balancer you can get a p-bass but swich just a bit to the right and you have 80%p and 20% j and huge diffrence,if you want just a j sound all the way to the right and ming blowing growl like tube tone,the j-pickup is so agressive i would recommend for metal players,i know it's said that is beginer's bass but it has better features then a mexican fender and it is i would say head to head whit american standard basses,now i speak on behalf of my bass that is made in 2002 in taiwan i dont know about chinese and indonesian rbx270 but my bass,,, i give 4.5 out of 5 SOUNDS i use 18"RCF 300w 1992(italian made-awesome speakers),15"celestion green back 100w 1991 whit one head 100w d'larios(england) and cajavec(yugoslavian made in 1984)150w monster head GA100B because on d'larious the bass control is missing when i play whit the j-pickup is like overdrive sound from massive tube head i mostly play the who and john entwistle technicque of plucking p.s.not sloping and poping OVERALL OPINION ther is not a single dead spot on this bass like fenders have(9 fret on d string)the harmonics the playability,there are only one thing that bother me.i payed cash and the guy in yamaha just gives me tha bass whit nothing,no tools no free cable i mean nothing i can not adjust the e string i need the lower her down just a little and can not because he did not give me the tool for adjusting the string i try ibanez,jackson,new at that time fender precision that was made god knows where(china or indonesia maybe was a mexican but it sounded like sh.t.i bought this one and never gonna sell it people that have seen it thinks it's brand new it's in a case cleaned every week and i have offers all of the time

I am a gospel, Funk, RandB and Reggae bass player of 14 years and a drummer with a lot of recording experience going back 29years and I own a recording studio.. This is a 35'scale 5 string active bass with a maple neck alder body with quilted maple top natural amber finish and rosewood fretboard. I bought this bass brand new at guitar center on clearance. I paid $475 dollars and the original price was either $1299 or $1499. I bought this bass because it's soud was more tweakable than the Ibanez BTB 455 that I owned at the time. And like my BTB it string spacing was wider than standard 5 string basses that I was used to. <a href="www.guitarcenter.com">www.guitarcenter.com</a> The electronics on this bass is awesome. It has a three band eq with a master volume and blend pot. The sound is very versatile and this bass would fit in any style of music. To me I can get a very Hi Fi sound to an earthy sound by manipulating the preamp. I am very pleased with this bass. The only two things I don't like about this bass is that it is a 9 volt bass instead of a 18 volt because it would have increased headroom. When you single out a pickup you will get some hum which shouldn't happen with a bass equipped with humbuckers. The frets are finished nice the bridge keeps everything in tune I only adjusted the trussrod once in 4 years, the tuners hold great tension the neck pocket has 6 bolt. The jack will need to be replaced because it doesn't hold the cable well. I have dropped this bass twice because of a flimsy strap I had at the time and the bass suffered no problems barely even a nick at all. This is a versatile bass that can suit the requirements of many different genres and should be on your list to try if you find one, they were offered in 4,5,6 string versions and a fretless version was available also. I am looking to buy another one to go with the one that I already have because I believe you can't get enough of a good thing. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com