Starsun PGB100 VS Yama RBX170 - 2nd Hand Bass

[Cuniliguns]

Hello guys,

Since this is my first post, let me introduce myself, if you don't, just jump to TOPIC. I'm a student who about 2 years ago found out he likes to play the bass. It all started when a friend (Italian trompet player) of mine asked me " what's your favorite instrument ?". I've always been into music but never thought of discoreving this side of mine. Afterwards i've bought an semi-acoustic bass, a Jack and Danny ABG-1C.

I've been pretty happy with it, the product quality if very very good for the price (160€). I usually play at home and just recently joined a band. They like the sound of it (plugged in (Stagg 20 Amps) sounds as much as an electric bass) and since the two guitar players are also semi-acoustic, they love the looks.

TOPIC - Since this crisis affects us all, the lives of 2 friends of mine got them to sell their basses. I still have no feedback about the prices but that's not what i expect from your, precious, knowledge.

One of the basses, i think everyone knows it, it's the Yamaha RBX 170
The other one is a Starsun PGB100

Both are black, have the same scale lenght and other specifications (agathis body i think), from my (noob) point of view the main difference are the pickups, the yama has passive and the starsun has active. I don't think that makes a big difference (prove me wrong :) ) Both are in good conditions, i would say the starsun (girl player) is in better condition but the other one is also in good shape.

What would i expect from your answers, a comparison between them in term of hardware and if possible, feedback from users who had one or the other.
I'll probably take the 2 basses and sound test them side by side, however your knoledge of the hardware would be extremely valuable.


Thank you very much for your time and answers !

Cuni !

[bill reed]

I have never seen a Starsun before but i do have a Yamaha RBX170 and had it for almost 4 years nd it a really well made and good all round bass.
its my goto bass and you always know what your getting with Yamaha. Quality!!!

[Cuniliguns]

Originally Posted by bill reed

I have never seen a Starsun before but i do have a Yamaha RBX170 and had it for almost 4 years nd it a really well made and good all round bass.
its my goto bass and you always know what your getting with Yamaha. Quality!!!

Thanks Bill ! Did you noticed any degradation after 4 years of use ? If so, in what components?

[bill reed]

Originally Posted by Cuniliguns

Thanks Bill ! Did you noticed any degradation after 4 years of use ? If so, in what components?

think it has go better with age, really good bass for the money, my most played bass.

[agent77]

I've never heard of Starsun, but my buddy has a Yamaha RBX 170 and it's a nice playing bass. Fast neck and he has the action really low. He has had it for a few years and seems like it holds up pretty well, stays it tune too. I'm not crazy about the tone but the pups can easily be upgraded down the road. I've also found that passive basses are more reliable than active basses.

[nukes_da_bass]

Starsun looks exactly like I expected it to- generic Asian Ibanez knock off.

Buy the Yamaha- tried and true line of basses.

[Cuniliguns]

Thank you all for the replies

So no one ever stands up for Sunstar on talkbass ?

[Meddle]

I would say a new amp is as important. My main amp at the moment is £90 worth of Torque T100BX. Like you, I had the 20 watt Stagg amp for a while (sold it to a hipster buddy who took a fancy to it). The Torque is not a good amp, but suits my needs well.

[Cuniliguns]

Originally Posted by Meddle

I would say a new amp is as important. My main amp at the moment is £90 worth of Torque T100BX. Like you, I had the 20 watt Stagg amp for a while (sold it to a hipster buddy who took a fancy to it). The Torque is not a good amp, but suits my needs well.

I'm still not professional enough to know if an amp suits me well or not ... I just started (2 months ) to play with some friend in a 10 by 10 meter (100^2 meters) room (not much wall shielding) and the amp seems to fill it up .... Thanks for the offtopic sugestion

[Bassic Playing]

You can't go wrong with an RBX 170, it really is a very nice bass. Good quality, plays well, nice feel. I would seriously doubt that 4 years would have much of a detrimental effect, if any

[bill reed]

Originally Posted by Bassic Playing

You can't go wrong with an RBX 170, it really is a very nice bass. Good quality, plays well, nice feel. I would seriously doubt that 4 years would have much of a detrimental effect, if any

after 4 years my RBX170 still looks like new. still plays really well. the pic i posted of it is only about 5 months old and just after i added a thum rest and ashtray cover to the bridge, I think it looks good for a bass that getting closer to 5 years old.

[Cuniliguns]

Well,

From all your answers, no doubt i'm 70% leaned for the Yamaha, so much people supporting it.

Thanks for all your precious feedback : )

UPDATE - My friend just sent me the pics of his Yama, i would like you to take a look at it and tell me your opinion. He is asking 140€ (minimum) maybe 150€ (roughly 200$) for it, it has 2 years and some rust on the pickups. Tell me what you think guys.

Here is the picture gallery

I think the rust comes from him leaving the bass on the stand all winter....he lives near a river and maybe the humidity gets into it easily without the bag to protect it.

Again, thank you all for your time and knowledge

[truebenjaman]

I have a fairly old RBX170 (more than 10 years), so I might be able to answer some questions:

Quality wise, the Bass got its strength where it counts: Great neck, well finished frets, can be setup well.

Don't worry about the rust on the pickups. That's normal.

Weaknesses are:
- Tuning machines! I had to replace the A or D (don't remember) when I got it (used) and now the E became sloppy. I recently replaced them all with Gotoh 707s - Night and Day.
- Pickups. They sound OK, but are nothing special. That is almost a strength though, since when I got good enough to notice the difference, I swapped them for quality pups and had a new Bass. I swapped electronics, the plastic knobs and the input jack then, too.

The price of 150€ is a little too high IMHO. You can get them for like 190 new. I got mine from a friend for 150 INCLUDING a Hartke B90 Combo. That was a cool friend though Check e-bay. They turn up all the time and go for very little. But then again, since it's your friend, and he is in financial trouble, I personally wouldn't mind paying a little extra.