Yamaha RBX JM ot RBX JM-2?

[lemetalcestbon]

Hi.
I have tried a lot of basses. The only bass that i found to be more pleasant to play than my Yamaha TRB-6I, is a Yamaha RBX JM-2.
I want the bass. But then, I wonder if the first model would be better... I never tried it, but i found one that i can unfortunately not try before buying. It is 500$ cheaper than the second mode, and i think it look cooler with the infinity inlay.

But since coolness isn't everything, i would like to hear the advise of people who tried them both. Which one is better according to you, and why? Which one sounds better, plays better...
I am a DT fan, and i play in a newly formed metal progressive band.

Thanks in advance! PS.. if you're selling a JM model... contact me!

[cassanova]

I've never played the JM2 model. But I think the first one with dual soap bars/infinity logo would offer you greater tonal versatility than the JM2 would.

[René_Julien]

I can't help you with a comparison on the two.

But I recently aquired the first model.

Although progressive metal/rock is my favourite genre, I don't use this bass for that.
I personally like the RBX6 JM for classical music due to the smooth sound of the soapbars and the extended range. Good solo instrument.

I am actually a precision bass guy.

[lemetalcestbon]

Do you think i should buy the Yamaha RBX jm(1)? Because i need to buy it from oversee since i cant find it anywhere near montreal. And, I never tried it. But i guess it must not be far from the second model right?

If you have one fore sell wherever you are, tell me, i am intersted.

[trb6pJM2]

Here's pretty much how it goes. If you liked awake, you're out money, because you need a toby or a Tung wing bass. The RBX6JM will give you a tone of everything from CoS to SFaM, the JM2 will give you the tones from 6Degrees to Octovarium and if you liked systematic chaos, you need a bongo.

I Haven't played an RBX6JM, but I played the JM2 and I liked it, but there are much better humbucker basses... And just how much are these two basses costing you?

[lemetalcestbon]

the RBX jm(1) would be around 1000$, the RBX jm 2 would be around 1500$ (cause i cant find any used one!)

I'm talking about Canadian dollars..

[bareass]

having NEVER played the RBXJM2 i can honestly say get the 1!!!!
i've owned the 1 for 8 years now, bought it new in toronto, and still love it and gig with it,
from what i've read its the better one to get. truely an amazing tone, this not only being said by me, but audience members have come up to me saying how awesome the tone is from that, even people with high end boutique basses have said this.
they sell for cheap nowa days, i bought mine for 1400 new.
get it i promiss you'll love it!

[IronSpatula]

My first 6, and actually the first 6 I ever played, was a "peacock blue" RBX6JM. I was really enamored with it when I first got it, but after some exposure to other instruments my opinion gradually changed.

It has good playability and a solid B string.

The finish is a matter of taste, I know, but the green is at least an idiosyncratic color. And up close, the flame maple "top" is pretty obviously a thin veneer. Looks great in photos, not so much in person. The inlay does look cool, though.

It's pretty heavy, which may or may not be an issue. Balances OK.

Biggest issue for me: tone. The bass has a kind of hollow "scooped" sound. At first I liked it but over time I became more and more dissatisfied with the cold, sterile sounds I was getting. The breaking point was when my sister's husband decided to learn bass and brought over his $150 ibanez gio soundgear. It absolutely smoked the JM tonally. Everyone in my house could tell the difference. "How come David's cheap bass sounds better than your fancy one?" they all asked. The ibanez sounded so much more warm, full and natural, it was unreal. Both basses had fairly new strings. I tried manipulating the active EQ on the Yamaha (and my amp's EQ) to approximate the ibanez's tone, but it wasn't happening. All I could dial up was a range of lifeless, unnatural tones.

Not long afterward I got a cirrus 6, which smoked the JM and yes, the ibanez, in pretty much every way. The JM became my project bass and I loaded it with MM style pickups and an Audere 4 band preamp which actually made it sound pretty killer. The bass is currently undergoing refinishing.

If you are a hardcore Myung fan my advice would be to get the JM2. I had the opportunity to play one and IMO they produce much more useful tones and are better looking. They are also lighter.

If you aren't getting the bass because JM plays it (which seems to be why a lot of guys want it) I'd suggest trying to find a Cirrus 6 on ebay. If you luck out you might find one at around the same price point as a JM1, and taste issues aside, the US Cirrus line is of inarguably better quality. There are also other basses you could get for even cheaper, like a bartolini-equipped Ibanez SR506, which also sounds better than the JM1 IMO, although it does have a beefier neck.

I'm happy to answer any other questions you have.

[pakodenut]

Hello. I have a JM1 model and I compared it with a JM2. I play rock, funk, jazz, in different stages and with different amps. To me, the JM2 doesn't offer anything interesting. My sensation: it simply sounds bad. Is very difficult to have a good BASS sound. The JM1 is not a perfect bass, but you can play with it with a lot of sounds. (Yamaha sound, of course). JM1 is a very good option if you like yamaha's sound and you haven't enough money to buy a Patitucci model.

[kurotenshi]

Sorry to resurrect such an old thread but I wanted to know if there are new opinions regarding this RBX6JM vs. RBX-JM2 subject.

I'm looking for a 6 string bass to play groove progressive metal, I have a Yamaha BBG5S that I like a lot but think is a bit to deep and groovy for that purpose and I used to have a Yamaha RBX-374 that was pretty awesome. Also, I was REALLY into Dream Theatre back in the days of Metropolis II up to Train of Thought.

[Wallace320]

Originally Posted by kurotenshi

Sorry to resurrect such an old thread but I wanted to know if there are new opinions regarding this RBX6JM vs. RBX-JM2 subject.

I'm looking for a 6 string bass to play groove progressive metal, I have a Yamaha BBG5S that I like a lot but think is a bit to deep and groovy for that purpose and I used to have a Yamaha RBX-374 that was pretty awesome. Also, I was REALLY into Dream Theatre back in the days of Metropolis II up to Train of Thought.

The Yamaha Rbx6JM went for around a grand back in the days
so I couldn't afford one
Honestly I picked it many, many times up to test it and, for 300 bucks less I opted for Ibanez Sr405. Note that this was a MIK Soundgear so a pretty good maple body dual soapbar one
Just 5 stringer, 'cause I wasn't comfortable with 6 strings yet, furthermore Ibanez Dx5 pickups (the ones nowadays on Korn's Fieldy K5 bass) and 3 band equalizer were really on par with Yamaha's Myung electronics. So I saved my money up and played that Ibanez for 7 years straight until... electronics left me!
Then I bought Yamaha RbxJM2
I bought it tradin' my Ibanez in
Payin' the difference for it, my brand new John Myung's was in my hands
It was an Rbx376 in a way Custom Seymour Duncan MusicMan 6 pickup with exposed polepieces and 34" scale only rosewood instead of ebony fingerboard and so on...
It held downtunin with some difficulty I play fullstep dowtuned and even if I liked the dual trussrod flat fingerboard, the bass felt due to its... electronics... this time after 7... months only!

I deeply suggest you a Yamaha Trb1006j
There you find some of former Rbx6JM features 35" scale dual AlNiCo soapbars, three band equalizer, fullbrass himass bridge and quilted (instead of flamed) maple top to grant much more brilliancy than mono pickupped matte finished 34" scale RbxJM2

Cheers,
Wallace

[kurotenshi]

I'm afraid of the TRBs for 2 reasons: first they strike me as being like my 5str, to round for what I need, second rumor has it that the JM basses have a smaller string spacing than the TRBs.

[Wallace320]

Originally Posted by kurotenshi

I'm afraid of the TRBs for 2 reasons: first they strike me as being like my 5str, to round for what I need, second rumor has it that the JM basses have a smaller string spacing than the TRBs.

If it's the only matter, look no further: you're gonna have a better bass for new... no messin' with secondhand issues

Cheers,
Wallace

[kurotenshi]

Originally Posted by Wallace320

If it's the only matter, look no further: you're gonna have a better bass for new... no messin' with secondhand issues

Cheers,
Wallace

Sorry, didn't understand...

[St Drogo]

Originally Posted by lemetalcestbon

...coolness isn't everything

BLASPHEMY!

[IronSpatula]

Originally Posted by IronSpatula

Not long afterward I got a cirrus 6, which smoked the JM and yes, the ibanez, in pretty much every way. The JM became my project bass and I loaded it with MM style pickups and an Audere 4 band preamp which actually made it sound pretty killer. The bass is currently undergoing refinishing.

If you are a hardcore Myung fan my advice would be to get the JM2. I had the opportunity to play one and IMO they produce much more useful tones and are better looking. They are also lighter.

If you aren't getting the bass because JM plays it (which seems to be why a lot of guys want it) I'd suggest...

Wow, this thread has returned!

Since I last posted, my Franken-RBX65JM with the Audere 3ZB and Carvin MM pickups has supplanted all my other basses including my Cirrus and my Fender to become my main player. Because of its great tone and its quiet electronics I've been basically banned from playing anything else. The Cirrus still sounds fantastic to me but doesn't sit as well in the mix for the style of music I play.

So, since I've been playing the JM so much, I do have some additional thoughts. But most of them are pretty irrelevant to the discussion of the stock Yamaha instruments because of how heavily modded mine is.

One still-salient issue: the weight of the JM1 is really a drag now that I'm playing it all the time. I made efforts to remove mass from the instrument where I could prior to refinishing, such as by deepening the belly carve significantly. I also upgraded to Hipshot ultralites. Still the weight of this thing is kind of a burden. It balances well and doesn't actually cause me any real discomfort, but when I soundcheck with my Fender (now my backup) the difference really is night and day. It's just a lot easier for me to relax and rock out with a lighter instrument.

Also, the neck profile isn't my absolute favorite. I prefer the profile on the Cirrus, which is a little less massive near the nut. Carvin's six-string profile is more similar to the Cirrus, though not quite as comfortable to me. I do still prefer the Yamaha profile over other sixes in its price range such as Ibanez, Schecter, etc, though many of those basses are more tonally useful than the stock JM1 IMO.

My overall take on the JM basses now is that they're both a little idiosyncratic. They're both decent instruments and good enough values in their price range. But tone may be a limiting factor for either of them. The JM1 has something very distinct going on in the high-mids which I didn't like. (You can hear it in a lot of youtube clips.) The JM2, which I thought was an improvement, seems too dark and lifeless to many people.

My feeling is that most of these basses' appeal lies in the fact that they were used by John Myung at some point. Certainly that was a factor for me. I suggest that hardcore JM fans save up and get a Bongo six if possible. Otherwise, there are less distinctive but more versatile basses than the Yamaha JMs available cheaper.

All IMO course, YMMV etc. Someone could well find that one of the Yamaha JMs is their ideal bass. Just wasn't the case for me...

[kurotenshi]

Well, you guys are really making me reconsider the JM...
Guess I'll just try some ibanez and TRBs or check some more high end used basses.

Thanks for the help

[Rev J]

I played a JM 1 in a music store years ago and thought it was a good bass. I would have bought it but I didn't have the scratch then. I know Todd Johnson also played one back in the day shows you about tonal versatility.

I eventually got a Fender Steve Baliey Jazz Bass that I wouldn't trade for the world.

C/S,
Rev J

[Hobobob]

Originally Posted by kurotenshi

Well, you guys are really making me reconsider the JM...
Guess I'll just try some ibanez and TRBs or check some more high end used basses.

Thanks for the help

You need to check out some Carvins. Tighter spacing than a TRB, American made, a ridiculous number of available options you can choose, and you can get a well-outfitted bass for around 1500 bucks new. The only drawback is that they have lower resale value, but that could be an advantage if you buy used.

[kurotenshi]

Originally Posted by Hobobob

You need to check out some Carvins. Tighter spacing than a TRB, American made, a ridiculous number of available options you can choose, and you can get a well-outfitted bass for around 1500 bucks new. The only drawback is that they have lower resale value, but that could be an advantage if you buy used.

I'm in Portugal so American made actually means to expensive lol