Fender VS Yamaha. Heart vs mind

[Hnz]

Always follow your heart

BUT

Get yourself a decent Fender precision or, even better, a Tokai Hard Puncher or other Japanese clone. Need not be top-of-the-line to not have neck dive, hum, or a bad fret finish. In fact, I have never ever owned a precision bass with a hum. There must definitely be something wrong with that bass.

I have a very good Fender, an awesome Tokai and an out of this world Aria precision.

 

[SharpCat]

I think that your heart and mind should have a conversation.
I believe that your heart will agree that the Yamaha is the right choice.
It's your ego that wants the Fender. Never invite ego to the conversation.

The two sides of OP’s brain need to have a meeting? I guess it does bear repeating.

 

[wboyd68]

I've purchased 3 American made Fenders since 2018, two were online purchases and the other was at a store. I have to say that I have experienced no quality control issues at all. In fact, my three Fenders make me happier than any other bass I have owned, including a EBMMSR, Alembic Spoiler, and a Genesis by Modulus.

 

[Michael Jewels]

Hum?

How does a P-bass have hum?

If it does, there’s something wrong.

Second, Yamaha makes great instruments at every level.

I used to own a Yamaha BBN-5II.

Entry level, $400 brand new.

Worth a lot more in my opinion.

Seriously, if that P-bass hums, and it’s in a store, tell them to fix it.

Good luck.

Mike

 

[Michael Jewels]

This is the Yamaha I used to own.

Absolutely a great instrument for $400 new.

Note: this is not my picture.

 

[BioDriver]

Yamaha BBs dethroned P basses very quickly for me. IME Yamaha's build quality is much better than Fender and I personally like the voicing of their pickups, so they're insanely underpriced.

 

[ToddB1963]

I think you want a Yamaha BB2000 but just don't know it yet .

IMHO they wipe the floor with any Fender split coil P and are a cut above the other trad high end Yamaha PJs - a la BB3000 or BBP34 - in the tone department ('reverse' P config is better for PJ). Only problem is they stopped making them 40 years ago, but there's a few floating around on the used market at any given time.

 

[uOpt]

Bad fretwork? Come on. And hum? That thing has a humbucking pickup for crying out loud.

Against a Yamaha BB? No contest.

Think of it this way: if you get and play the BB now you can always lust for a Fender in the future. And getting one with no issues. Keep an eye open when you travel to other cities so that you find a good Fender that you can play in person.

 

[Root 5]

The only thing I don’t like about the current BB series is the underwhelming colour options. The 5-string 400 series are a great value. But the colours? Seriously, Yamaha?! Teal blue is really green and not very attractive IMO. The 200 & 700 series’ have red metallic and fired red respectively. They’re quite nice I think.

If the 435 were offered in either red metallic or fired red, I’d whip my wallet out today.

 

[GIBrat51]

Hi. I want to buy a Precision Bass, which I don't really need. The one I like is this one:

I tried it out in a store and it seemed like a good bass, but not top-of-the-line: neck dive, hum, bad fret finish, and the truss rod access was complicated and annoying.

Just before buying the Fender, I found a used Yamaha BBP34 in excellent condition close to my home. It's nice, but not as nice as the Fender. However, I think it will be a much better bass.

I'm going to try the Yamaha, but it's a heart vs. head decision.
My head says Yamaha: top-of-the-line, better finish, higher quality... My heart says Fender. Lower quality, but man... what a beauty! I love it; I want to own it and play it just because it's so beautiful.
The Yamaha tryout will be the final answer in a couple of days, but probably I'll keep doubting, so I ask you... heart or head? Good vs. beautiful? What would you do?
I might buy the Yamaha, but I won't forget about the Fender. Or maybe I'll buy the Fender and (probably) I'm overpaying for its looks even though its quality isn't worth the price and I'll end up regretting it.
It's a whim. I don't need either of them, and before you tell me to buy both, I'm not going to. Only one can come home.
Thanks in advance.

Well...
Assuming I was right handed - which I am very much not? And, assuming that every one of the 30 basses I already own were righthanded, too? I'd probably buy the Yamaha...
I already have a Fender P-Bass; an "A-Spec" necked '78. Had it for... geez; 37 years now. I've never been interested in owning another one... Especially a red one (I hate red) - and especially a red one with a tort pickguard. Honestly? I'd never have looked at in the first place...
As for the Yamaha? Well... far as I know, they aren't big on making left handed basses; but we're pretending I'm right handed. I can play righty for a few minutes, if I need to - before the sick headache starts, and I have to go barf. Actually, I have played a couple of higher-end Yamahas. I remember being pretty impressed - and wishing the thing was a lefty...
So... bottom line? I try very hard not to tell people what to do; especially how to spend their money. All I will say, is... just buy the one you think you can't live without - and be satisfied with your choice...

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hi. I want to buy a Precision Bass, which I don't really need. The one I like is this one:

I tried it out in a store and it seemed like a good bass, but not top-of-the-line: neck dive, hum, bad fret finish, and the truss rod access was complicated and annoying.

Just before buying the Fender, I found a used Yamaha BBP34 in excellent condition close to my home. It's nice, but not as nice as the Fender. However, I think it will be a much better bass.

I'm going to try the Yamaha, but it's a heart vs. head decision.
My head says Yamaha: top-of-the-line, better finish, higher quality... My heart says Fender. Lower quality, but man... what a beauty! I love it; I want to own it and play it just because it's so beautiful.
The Yamaha tryout will be the final answer in a couple of days, but probably I'll keep doubting, so I ask you... heart or head? Good vs. beautiful? What would you do?
I might buy the Yamaha, but I won't forget about the Fender. Or maybe I'll buy the Fender and (probably) I'm overpaying for its looks even though its quality isn't worth the price and I'll end up regretting it.
It's a whim. I don't need either of them, and before you tell me to buy both, I'm not going to. Only one can come home.
Thanks in advance.

iMO you buy a bass to play it, not look at it. The second reason you buy a bass is to complete your aspirations as an artist. My advice is use this as your guide. Well, at least at this level.

Obviously there are basses built beautiful to behold and sound a lot better but at a much higher price point.

 

[ggvicviper]

The only thing I don’t like about the current BB series is the underwhelming colour options. The 5-string 400 series are a great value. But the colours? Seriously, Yamaha?! Teal blue is really green and not very attractive IMO. The 200 & 700 series’ have red metallic and fired red respectively. They’re quite nice I think.

If the 435 were offered in either red metallic or fired red, I’d whip my wallet out today.

I said what I had to say regarding the OP earlier, but I do want to touch on this. Yamaha never made a MIJ passive BB 5-string in red, and it's always bugged me. However, if you want a passive BB 5er in a more saturated red, there's other options from previous lineups.

The BB425X had a metallic red option. I owned one years ago. Here's one from someone's old Reverb listing. Very cool bass.


The BB415 was featured in red raspberry during the last year or two of its run, when Yamaha moved production from Taiwan to Indonesia. This one belonged to me, and although I prefer the earlier Taiwan-made BB415 basses in "wine red" (really a black cherry burst), this was still a great bass and very much a looker.

 

[RBC64]

I said what I had to say regarding the OP earlier, but I do want to touch on this. Yamaha never made a MIJ passive BB 5-string in red, and it's always bugged me. However, if you want a passive BB 5er in a more saturated red, there's other options from previous lineups.

The BB425X had a metallic red option. I owned one years ago. Here's one from someone's old Reverb listing. Very cool bass.
View attachment 7386284

The BB415 was featured in red raspberry during the last year or two of its run, when Yamaha moved production from Taiwan to Indonesia. This one belonged to me, and although I prefer the earlier Taiwan-made BB415 basses in "wine red" (really a black cherry burst), this was still a great bass and very much a looker.
View attachment 7386283

I have a red 415 that I absolutely love

 

[ggvicviper]

I have a red 415 that I absolutely love

Yep, that's a nice one. The BB414 and BB415 were kinda like the closest we ever got to a budget reissue of 80's Yamahas. Like upmarket Squier Classic Vibes.

When I first got that red BB415, I couldn't believe how much better it sounded (and felt) than my 2000-ish Fender American Standard Jazz V. I didn't keep the Jazz for long after that.

 

[zelig.audio]

Not the hardest of decisions, when you consider the market share of each of them!

What’s your point here, exactly?

Now, to the OP, @pepito666, I’m in a bit of a similar situation of wanting a P and thinking that a Yamaha may solve it for me, so I’ll simply write out where I currently am in terms of feeling and reasoning.

I’ve got a Player II Precision still within the return window. It’s a good bass, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s overpriced. At the same time, I keep wondering whether a BB will really do the P-bass thing when it actually matters. This is exactly the kind of situation that perpetuates the unreasonable Fender hype, and it sucks, but it’s also the reality of the current music world: a Fender is simply easier to move if you decide to sell it later, and—as someone in this thread already pointed out—sometimes it genuinely helps to have “Fender” on the headstock, especially when a gig calls for what I was referring to earlier as “the P-bass thing.”

People can say “just be yourself” or “I don’t want to play with anyone who judges a bass by the logo,” but that’s just idealism. In many cities today, the working musician doesn’t have the luxury of ignoring how these things play out in real life. This brings us back to the frustrating fact that, by giving in to this dynamic, we help perpetuate the Fender dominance—but at the end of the day, most of us can’t afford to lose money (whether in gigs or resale value) over idealist positions.

EDIT: to tag OP

 

[RBC64]

Yep, that's a nice one. The BB414 and BB415 were kinda like the closest we ever got to a budget reissue of 80's Yamahas. Like upmarket Squier Classic Vibes.

When I first got that red BB415, I couldn't believe how much better it sounded (and felt) than my 2000-ish Fender American Standard Jazz V. I didn't keep the Jazz for long after that.

I also have a trbx605 that sounds and plays amazing.

 

[Anjohl]

What’s your point here, exactly?

That almost *everyone* in that situation picks the pricier Fender with multiple issues over the cheaper and higher quality Yamaha that plays flawlessly. That's *literally* the brand identities of each company. Everything Yamaha makes, whether it's a snowmobile, a tank engine, a piano, a bass, or a dishwasher is of incredible quality, but musicians just won't reach for a guitar on the rack unless their hero played the original US-made guitar from the same brand as the current (usually imported) model of the same name.

 

[crazycloud]

That almost *everyone* in that situation picks the pricier Fender with multiple issues over the cheaper and higher quality Yamaha that plays flawlessly. That's *literally* the brand identities of each company.

Amen.

 

[Dreamsinger]

You say you want the Fender, then quickly list four reasons to avoid it. Duh....

I had a BBG5 that I picked up cheap. I've had high end basses that I let go without a single regret. I turned the Yamaha for twice what I paid for it but immediately regretted it before the buyer finished backing out of my driveway. It took me a few years to find another one on Reverb and the few I found in the wild weren't for sale for any price. A month after I scored the one off Reverb another identical one showed up on FB Marketplace. I went to look at it. It was the one I sold nearly 10 years earlier. I converted one to fretless so I have a matched pair of Yamahas that are better than any factory Fender I've ever had. The fretless is getting a pickup swap from a TRBX305, a Bartolini MTNB pre-amp and and dual battery box.

 

[j3ffr0]

If you are buying a bass you don't really need, then you are making a heart decision. The thread tells me your heart wants a P-bass. But if this thing really does have hum and fret-work issues, I'd wait or actively look for a better P bass. There definitely should be no hum and bad fret work is annoying.