MGR/Jonny Marko « Yamaha RBX-270F »
Published on 01/18/03 at 15:00I had this bass on order on Sept. 31st, 2002, from Tom Lee Music. It was the most readily available fretless four-string at the time. Over 2 months later, on December 5th, it finally came in after a long delay from the Yamaha distributor. The price was $319 plus tax.
The fretless sound is very unique, and I must admit that sliding up and down the fretboard kept me entertained for quite a long time. Now I use it mainly for an alternate sound, which you can't get on a fretted bass. This bass is very light and weighted wonderfully, and an awesome way to practice precision (lined fret spaces), and a nice transition to upright bass. It is mist green color, which you don't see on too many guitars.
The delay in Yamaha's shipping of the bass was one of the only downsides. I understand how it could take a couple months to get in, however, we heard different stories from different people working there. One said it was in, then another said it wasn't yet, so it was really hard to tell when they were telling the truth or lying. Also, the bass was not set up too well, the axion was too high, but I managed to work on that myself. Also, the jack for the patch cord wasn't very great when I first got it, the patch cord wouldn't go in all the way unless you really pushed hard on it. I had the same experience when trying out the same bass (fretted) at a local music store.
Very lightweight, and I would say of average quality, especially for the $319 (canadian) price. It feels a little weak and not as strong as some other basses I own, but that could just be the lightness of it. There is a small dent on it, I don't know how it dented but it annoyed me that it dented so easily.
It's definitely worth the price. If you want to start fretless, this is the way to go... unless you have a lot of money in which case I suggest you get a 6 string fretless Carl Thompson bass. Yamaha does well though, and I will have this bass until I can afford something better.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
The fretless sound is very unique, and I must admit that sliding up and down the fretboard kept me entertained for quite a long time. Now I use it mainly for an alternate sound, which you can't get on a fretted bass. This bass is very light and weighted wonderfully, and an awesome way to practice precision (lined fret spaces), and a nice transition to upright bass. It is mist green color, which you don't see on too many guitars.
The delay in Yamaha's shipping of the bass was one of the only downsides. I understand how it could take a couple months to get in, however, we heard different stories from different people working there. One said it was in, then another said it wasn't yet, so it was really hard to tell when they were telling the truth or lying. Also, the bass was not set up too well, the axion was too high, but I managed to work on that myself. Also, the jack for the patch cord wasn't very great when I first got it, the patch cord wouldn't go in all the way unless you really pushed hard on it. I had the same experience when trying out the same bass (fretted) at a local music store.
Very lightweight, and I would say of average quality, especially for the $319 (canadian) price. It feels a little weak and not as strong as some other basses I own, but that could just be the lightness of it. There is a small dent on it, I don't know how it dented but it annoyed me that it dented so easily.
It's definitely worth the price. If you want to start fretless, this is the way to go... unless you have a lot of money in which case I suggest you get a 6 string fretless Carl Thompson bass. Yamaha does well though, and I will have this bass until I can afford something better.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com