A nice 5 string bass (asking for advice)

[Crystalman85]

I like Yamaha.

Same here. anything by yamaha I would like. I've been a yamaha fan since I was kid. from their keyboards to their bass guitars.

 

[bassbenj]

Same here. anything by yamaha I would like. I've been a yamaha fan since I was kid. from their keyboards to their bass guitars.

I also love yamaha especially the value you get for the money. I have a yamaha keyboard and love the quality of Yamaha basses when I try them in the store. BUT it is worth mentioning that I do not own any Yamaha basses in spite of that like because they have a wider string spacing. Obviously that is my personal preference, but is probably worth mentioning. I do own and recommend G&L L2500, Ibanez SR505, and various Fenders like my Jazz V. They are all excellent choices and all quite different from each other.

 

[madbass6]

Hello everyone!

I want to ask your opinion about two basses tham I'm considering right now. I've been playing a 5 string bass that I borrowed from a friend for one month (to see if 5 strings was my thing). And it is apparently haha. So I want to buy one. I've been reading a lot about them, about models, about pickups, strings... And I narrowed the list to two possible candidates:
-Yamaha BB735
-Fender Active Deluxe V (MIM)
Same price range. I want the bass to be versatile. The main use would be pop and theatres, but also some rock.
I read awesome things about the Yamaha, but some of the authors then had second thoughts and things they didn't like about it within a couple of months.
I like the Fender too. All my basses are Fender. But I'm not sure about the pickups and the tuners. Any experience on this? I have some quality trust issues based on my experience with Fender (and that being a Fender fanboy). And I didn't read a lot of good things about the 5th string on fender models.
Which one would you choose?

Do

Sounds like you're trying to be convinced by others or talked out of the fender ,
So I vote the Yamaha !

 

[FantasticFour]

I'd probably go Yamaha because I'm not a fan of active Fenders (with very few exceptions) but then, now that I have the Kiloton 5, I'm less and less likely to ever buy an active bass again, so...

 

[garp]

Find yourself a nice used lakland skyline 55-01. Great playability and easily upgradeable

5501

The Skylines are great basses, without a doubt. However, as the OP's current herd is comprised entirely of 34"-scale Fenders, moving to a 35"-scale bass might or might not be so easy.

 

[michael_t]

You have to spend 3x as much on a fender to get the same quality as a yamaha, or you could hope that you get one of the 5 out of 100 cheap fenders that happened to turn out great.

Fender I don't think I've ever played a 5 string that really blew me away. My 300 dollar Yamaha BLEW me away and I had to have it.

I've only owned my Yamaha TRBX505 for three weeks, and still can't believe I paid $250 CAD less than a brand new Fender MIM P bass.

 

[Kinky Afro]

I think its purely subjective. I've owned both and was happy at the time. My advice don't go by name, go by what feels and sounds the best.

 

[Anhg77]

I had the MIM Fender Deluxe Active Jazz V. It was ok but the low B string was very underwhelming. No definition, muddy.
Yamahas are awesome at any price range.

 

[Ric5]

A nice 5 string bass (asking for advice)

Don't get a nice 5 string bass

Get one that is in your face grunting and growling …

 

[InhumanResource]

5501

GREAT player, but definitely dump the barts system for something girthier.

 

[Crystalman85]

I also love yamaha especially the value you get for the money. I have a yamaha keyboard and love the quality of Yamaha basses when I try them in the store. BUT it is worth mentioning that I do not own any Yamaha basses in spite of that like because they have a wider string spacing. Obviously that is my personal preference, but is probably worth mentioning. I do own and recommend G&L L2500, Ibanez SR505, and various Fenders like my Jazz V. They are all excellent choices and all quite different from each other.

Same here. I too own yamaha keyboards. my first keyboard was a yamaha and I still play yamaha keyboards today. also the first bass guitar I own was a yamaha bb405. and now I own a yamaha bb235. I've previously owned a yamaha trbx305, but sold it to save money on a bass cab. I was on a tight budget at the time and had to do that. I do miss it. so I plan to buy it once again. other than yamaha, I do like schecter stiletto and Ibanez soundgear basses. I own those basses and they're apart of my arsenal along with yamaha basses. Indeed there are a lot of good bass guitars out there and I have tried out many of them. of all the basses I've tried out, I like schecter stiletto, Ibanez soundgear, and yamaha bass guitars the most.

 

[javi_bassist]

I went "shopping" today. I could try the Fender Active. I didn't like it. The B string had no much tension and didn't like the preamp as well. Then I picked the G&L Tribute L2500. Man I fell in love with it. The neck was just super fast and the sound was amazing. I loved it. Then I went to another store to try the BB735...but they won't have it until next week. I tried the BB435 (to get an idea of the 735) and I liked it, but I didn't like the E string (I'm not sure why exactly, but I didn't like it. The B string was amazing). I didn't buy the G&L because I really want to try the real BB735, but I'd get one of the two for sure. And the G&L more likely

 

[Omega Monkey]

You could probably fix up the BB435 E string by adjusting string gauges. I finally got around to putting a balanced tension custom set on my 6 string (Carvin LB76) and it made a lot of different in both playability and setup options. And with being able to lower the action a bit more, I coud get the grindier tone I was looking for from an otherwise somewhat more "polite" bass.

 

[MAJOR METAL]

If you want a Jazz Bass, go with a Sadowsky! In my opinion, there's no better J bass than a Sadowsky.

 

[4StringTheorist]

I also love yamaha especially the value you get for the money.

Absolutely. I've never owned a Yamaha, but I've played dozens at shops. They were just about always better than their price tag.

 

[javi_bassist]

Well, I finally got it. A Yamaha BB735a. I have to admit that, at first, I prefer the neck and the tension of the G&L. However, I fell in love with the sound of the Yamaha.
I got it last Thursday and today I took it to my cover band rehearsal. I felt really comfortable playing this bass. I love jazz basses to p-basses because of the thinier neck. I was worried that I was gonna feel uncomfortable. But I don't.The neck in this bass is awesome. And really fast. Besides, everyone in the band loved the sound.
I have to say that it has more highs than expected. I like it and the bass sits perfectly in the mix, but I guess it's not something everyone would love. I am very happy with it

 

[brocco]

Well, I finally got it. A Yamaha BB735a. I have to admit that, at first, I prefer the neck and the tension of the G&L. However, I fell in love with the sound of the Yamaha.
I got it last Thursday and today I took it to my cover band rehearsal. I felt really comfortable playing this bass. I love jazz basses to p-basses because of the thinier neck. I was worried that I was gonna feel uncomfortable. But I don't.The neck in this bass is awesome. And really fast. Besides, everyone in the band loved the sound.
I have to say that it has more highs than expected. I like it and the bass sits perfectly in the mix, but I guess it's not something everyone would love. I am very happy with it

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I bought a BB735a just like yours today I have owned many basses through all the years I have been playing.(never owned a Yamaha) and this may be at the top of the list

 

[theduke1]

Anyone on TB who has seen any of my posts know my first choice is always
G&L New/ Used/ USA/ or Tribute
Duke

 

[theduke1]

Here is why