Yamaha TRB5PII

Super specifications made in Japan from August 2001: the high-end Japanese, hand-sewn to our hands:
Body Ash veneered flamed maple wood selected
5-piece maple neck-through (3) / mahogany (2) 35 "24-fret ebony fingerboard
2 humbuckers with AlNiCo volume & balance / bass mid treeble / piezo volume
Bridges with integrated monorail piezzos
Natural lacquer finish with thick patent quality

Gold fittings where the 8/10 for aged badly. Which I add buttons plastic knobs (knobs shame because notched in the middle except volumes)

UTILIZATION

The handle is wide enough to have a gap of 17 strings - about 18mm. on the other hand it is close enough to the 17th box or it thickens to sit rigidity. The radius is rather flat (in the 350 - 400mm)
In fact it is a pleasure to handle it by slamming ebony and vibrates under your fingers. It is well proportioned, neither too big nor too small or too wide or too thin a short highway

A pretty good ergonomics and a VERY good balance. About 4.7 Kgs which is normal for a 5 string

I put 8/10 because access to the treble strings of B / E and A is difficult after the 17 th box and the thickening of the handle. I personally am not comfortable with the game sitting

SOUNDS

It's a great bass sound level and 9/10 without hesitation
I play on a 150w RUMBLE and it is an absolute must!

A very broad and equal sound (even for serious B) allows you to play ALL styles, a sonic palette as I have not seen often. The power amp is amazing and precisely that demand bassist? A true active bass that can go from growling to clear & pure note

Piezzos bring the possibility of coloring his very interesting but unfortunately the volume knob is a bit abrupt (change can be).

Only downside is no active disengagement / passive: it's silly it was that the 10/10

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a year and I have to sell because they are too low and need money => if I keep it for life, as the wine will age well!

As I already know I'm the late, I play it constantly for a few weeks and I realize what I'm going to lose .... to which the notice

This is a low-GOLD, the kind that can keep all life as one and only bass. It can all do but excels in reggae, funk and fusion. Knowing be sober it enters jazz trio, quartet or big band

Not only I would do this choice, but I think me buy a one day or another, and what a pleasure that this instrument have crossed my path

Trs beautiful hand manufactures low in Japan (not core as the lower and mid-range Yamaha)
5 string active 3-band eq (severe acute mdium) gnral volume, balance and mix piezo pickups
neck-5 layers saddle and mahogany
affects bne
body frne flammbr Saddle and table /> (the violin is of excellent quality)
2 Alnico humbucker
piezo pickup
Price: 3000 in France and 2000 in Germany ...

UTILIZATION

Channel trs enjoyable (varnished) and not too wide for a 5 string (no comparison with the proportion trb6p or must have oversized hands!)
attention, this low weight pse ... around 13Kg
the balance is good trs, it is positioned immediately as it should, there is no need to adjust all the time!
CHAC is correct to acute (24 frets)
Ds that the branch, the piezo eq 0 and the center was a good direct sound with great sustain (neck-forces!)
I put 8 for the weight that some find Gnant but I am not a drang not to play, just in the metro must admit that it's a little galre

SOUNDS

Low trs versatile, you can go to the big dub funk blues by modifying only the bass eq (long live electronic active)
I use it in blues-rock and electro and although it sounds trs.
Its field of excellence as the rhythm and blues and fusion (jazz rock, prog rock).
The piezo can bring a sound interresting color but use with modration (not even when it sounds like a good grand-mre!)
attention as the amp, if you can not turn the tweeter, the piezo is unusable especially with new codes (too crystalline sounds of freight accentus ...)
The best sound recording direct to me is obtained starting from eq centered and then adding a little sharp in turning some serious balance and leaving the microphone in the center and even a little bit sharp, but ad hanging styles.
Basically the sound dchire and it is always better from the center and it moves away a little bit.
rglages the trs are sensitive and that's good!

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 8 months and I still taped by looking at its booth, the violin is superb.
J'apprcie as always the sound that continues to hallucinate my friends.
I have shit pigalle stores and tried everything I could, I give the remarks that have guided my choice but the sound is something trs staff:

warwick: good bass to play alone for APRS and the seller's actually a terrible trs not dig forcment group o everything is done in mdiums
Spector: mono sound too good, but what I was looking for (his Graham Maby, bassist Joe Jackson) but not versatile enough I would have one one day when even
Fender Jazz Deluxe 5: Audio Fender but that's it and then there are really nervent dtails that this price level: small bridge that must change for a badass term (this everyone does) and then mcanique say "light weight" plastic, it's really low for abusing more than 2000
Fender Precision Deluxe 5: I prfre the four, it did not sound terrible, and yet I saw the killers playing with a precision 5 and sounded serious (Cockelaere. ..)?!? may be the store's silent rotten!
Neuser (MODELS more but I remember the names): I got too nasal but try, when even endorse the brand of good raw (Di Piazza ...)

and others which did not leave a memory imprissable

two remained low COMPTITE APRS fitting: Jazz Deluxe 5 and trb5pII. I returned a week later and you know who won!

The characteristics of the TRB5-PII are as follows:
- Made in Japan
- Channel driver in maple and mahogany 24 fret, ebony fingerboard
- Pickups 2 Yamaha alnico V-type humbucker + 1 Micro Piezo
- Adjust master volume, pickup balance, active 3-band EQ, volume piezo
- Bridge brass (which hosts the piezo 5)

I put eight characteristics that seem good, except the choice of ebony for the key. The concern is that this wood is treated to be strongly bonded to the handle, and treatment plays on its bandwidth. So, I think the B string is a bit soft (actually means more harmonics than the fundamental) and that's a little disappointing.

UTILIZATION

The handle is very nice. Before I played on a handle end (Ibanez) and I feared the neck wider, but in the end it is just as easy to play. Moreover, the largest gap strings greatly facilitates the slap.

Access to treble is good.

The ergonomics are excellent. The bass is not too heavy with about 5 kgs. It is balanced, the handle does not sting the nose when we play.

His side, do not worry, you plug everything in neutral, we play and the sound is there.

SOUNDS

The sound of the PII-TRB5 ....

Overall, the sound is very good. In fact, the sound of this bass is quite consensual in the sense that it does not have a strong characteristic that makes some people would like and others not at all. This is a great bass sound "classic".

I play on a Hartke HA3500 + 4x10TP head and it sounds, do not worry.

However, we can note three things: (1) EQ settings are very powerful. To add a little low you just turn the knob 10 degrees, no more! Ditto for the midrange and treble. (2) the overall volume is strong! It potatoes of thunder! (3) The piezo is very strong too! Should not add much to hear. In addition, it adds a lot of treble on the sound (noise frets or fingers ...).

Then we can really shape the sound without problems, the sound at its Pasto M. Miller, worry-free.

Another very positive point about sound's sustain. This is the low notes. When you put your note, it is there, and does not disappear after 3 seconds and that for a bass player who lays the foundation of harmony and rhythm in a group is very apreciate!

In short, I put 8 for sound because of the piezo. I find the piezo nice, but it really does not change the timbre of the instrument. It was a bit like using a kind of enhancer or indeed "bright" pre-amp. In addition I find that the piezo is set too high compared to other microphones, so that you can not utlise potentiometer until the end.

OVERALL OPINION

Well, I think the other owners of the PII-TRB5 found me a bit harsh in my judgments. But it seems that everything must be seen in context. The colon "negative" of the bass are really pinallage seem important but for the price. If everyone gives 9 or 10 for each product he owns, saying only "excellent", the opinions are no longer useless!

So overall I think this bass is very good. Its price (2300 €) Thomann is excellent given its quality. Basically, for me, this bass is below the bass luthiers (more expensive) but tends to approach this quality.

Before buying it, I tried several models: Active Jazz Bass, Musicman, Yamaha (the TRB1005). If I had to buy a bass, I would do this choice because if the bass is not perfect, it is excellent and above all an incomparable value for money.

PS: Oh I forgot! The bass comes in a classy and Yamaha fly very robust. It's the little extra!