• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

First 5-string that felt good - a Yamaha ??

#21
F3FCD8BD-F1A0-48ED-96F7-3848BB05C8B7.jpeg
5D57D638-1C95-4E74-98A0-CE76C88BE842.jpeg
I spent about three months scouting my price range for a bass that could be heavily modded, one that had potential for customization.

I spotted the Yamaha BB434 at some point. Read about the BB series, scoured numerous opinions, checked mod possibilities, then bam, bought one a week later.

The only bad thing I can say about it is that the tuners were/are cheap, as in they rattled due to reasons. Bought Schallers (the BM model is a direct, drop in replacement), slapped a bridge cover on, changed out the knobs, put Dunlop strap locks on, and painted the neck. Yes, I painted the neck in black lacquer. With this bass, I don’t care about resale value....which is good because I flushed it down the toilet.

I’ve also read, in all my research, that the five string has one of the best B strings you could hope for.

Anyway, a blacked out sunburst. It was my vision. The logo needs work, just popped a coin on there with Ulysses S. Grant on it. Will likely just fill the two holes, paint over to make a black, logo less headstock.
 
  • Like
Reactions: superheavyfunk
#22
I like my BB415 quite a lot. As others have mentioned, it is very smooth to play. Not sure what it is but it just feels right and natural with both fretting and plucking hands. 18mm string spacing at the bridge though I've added some spacers to raise that to 18.5. 9.25 lbs on my kitchen scale.

Only negative I have is that the bridge pickup has the usual single coil hum and I would prefer a blend knob to the selector switch. The body is pretty wide but that hasn't really bothered me. I'm going to change the tuners to Hipshot Ultralites to try to drop another 1/2 pound and maybe swap in a blend knob.

I'd say all-around it's a very nice instrument that plays very well and sounds great. For the price it is really hard to beat. Price-wise, I wouldn't go too much over $300, a bit under would be great, and that's for one in very good to excellent condition.
 
Last edited:
#24
Yeah, they're great. I have the same orange mist metallic version as a couple of earlier posters. I got mine for a steal at GC. Apparently the previous (original?) owner had it in the classifieds here for a good long time, dropped the price a number of times, then gave up and probably got 150 or something at GC. He had these really ugly orange top hat knobs which completely clashed with the finish (I quickly dumped these and put on speed knobs).

I believe I paid $275 plus tax for mine. At the same time they had I think it was a 615 that I tried a bit. Now, mine had reasonably fresh strings and a good setup and the 6 series didn't, but I liked mine WAY more than the 6, which was about $200 more (active electronics, etc...). That passive P/J, volume, and tone, and 3 way setup is just magical. The P lives up to its name with nice thumpy vintage 70s sounds. The J is great for Jaco and other fusiony stuff. And both together is also great and somewhere in the Ric/Ray universe to my ear (not exactly). It IS a very low mid heavy bass though. It's not really a Miller/Wooten bright slap machine (although it still sounds great for slap, just not as "crisp" up top unless you EQ after the fact). But it's got a killer natural tone to it that is versatile enough for most people I think. I've been playing mine non-stop for about 2.5 years now, and have only RECENTLY slowed down a bit since I got an old Carvin 6 string I've been getting used to. But the Carvin is a completely different thing tone wise, much more clean and open and "light" (ie good articulation). Not as "rock"/vintage capable as the Yamaha. And I'm thinking of picking up another 415 if I can find a fretless (or maybe a cheap one to do a conversion).

Anyway, I'd say it's hard to go wrong if it's in good shape at a good price. While some people get spectacular deals on these, paying $400 would not be more than the bass's inherent value, only the likely resale (and you can definitely find them for les if you wait). But you will probably want to keep it forever anyway. Honestly, I get compliments on mine all the time from people who assume (including the drummer in my band who is very knowledgeable about gear in general) that it's a much more expensive bass, and not a "cheap" import from Indonesia. Plus, there's some coolness added in the fact that its not another goddamned fender like EVERYONE else has. So even though it's not THAT much different looking, the different headstock, pickup bezels, etc... give it a unique look that will standout on stage.
 
#25
Omega Monkey said:
Yeah, they're great. I have the same orange mist metallic version as a couple of earlier posters. I got mine for a steal at GC. Apparently the previous (original?) owner had it in the classifieds here for a good long time, dropped the price a number of times, then gave up and probably got 150 or something at GC. He had these really ugly orange top hat knobs which completely clashed with the finish (I quickly dumped these and put on speed knobs).

I believe I paid $275 plus tax for mine. At the same time they had I think it was a 615 that I tried a bit. Now, mine had reasonably fresh strings and a good setup and the 6 series didn't, but I liked mine WAY more than the 6, which was about $200 more (active electronics, etc...). That passive P/J, volume, and tone, and 3 way setup is just magical. The P lives up to its name with nice thumpy vintage 70s sounds. The J is great for Jaco and other fusiony stuff. And both together is also great and somewhere in the Ric/Ray universe to my ear (not exactly). It IS a very low mid heavy bass though. It's not really a Miller/Wooten bright slap machine (although it still sounds great for slap, just not as "crisp" up top unless you EQ after the fact). But it's got a killer natural tone to it that is versatile enough for most people I think. I've been playing mine non-stop for about 2.5 years now, and have only RECENTLY slowed down a bit since I got an old Carvin 6 string I've been getting used to. But the Carvin is a completely different thing tone wise, much more clean and open and "light" (ie good articulation). Not as "rock"/vintage capable as the Yamaha. And I'm thinking of picking up another 415 if I can find a fretless (or maybe a cheap one to do a conversion).

Anyway, I'd say it's hard to go wrong if it's in good shape at a good price. While some people get spectacular deals on these, paying $400 would not be more than the bass's inherent value, only the likely resale (and you can definitely find them for les if you wait). But you will probably want to keep it forever anyway. Honestly, I get compliments on mine all the time from people who assume (including the drummer in my band who is very knowledgeable about gear in general) that it's a much more expensive bass, and not a "cheap" import from Indonesia. Plus, there's some coolness added in the fact that its not another goddamned fender like EVERYONE else has. So even though it's not THAT much different looking, the different headstock, pickup bezels, etc... give it a unique look that will standout on stage.
Click to expand...
I had La Bella gold flats on my BB434 for a couple of months, but it is definitely a low/mid bass. I usually dislike modern sounding flats (EB Cobalts), but I threw some on there I had floating around due to the La Bella’s just having way too much boom w/using just the P...not in a good way either. The EBs smoothed it out a bit, let the sound become more defined, and now I’m putting Fender Pure Nickels on it....No matter what, the bass sounds great, but you gotta match the strings to the bass, and your expectations, to get the sound right.
 
#26
If you're referring to my experience with the 615, yeah I don't know why stores like GC don't spend a few bucks and a few minutes to put new strings on either on used stuff they take in, or just stuff that's been on the floor a long time and gotten a lot of wear. They could have spent about $10 or so on that bass for strings and labor (maybe a few minor setup tweaks), and then charged $25 more and it probably would have sold in a week, instead of being around however long it probably was. Mine had fresh strings and a good setup because the previous owner did that. And which one sold first? The cheaper one with new strings and a good setup. You can't be so focused on the short term bottom line that you lose or delay sales because instruments aren't appealing to play. A lot of it is just an expression of care taken. Because think about it, if an instrument seems like it was sitting in someone's garden shed for 10 years, are you going to assume it's an amazing piece of gear, or a piece of crap? And vice versa, if an instrument has been cleaned/polished, restrung, set up nicely, etc... no dings or scratches, case is in good shape, etc... Are you going to assume they had no end of problems with it, or that at the very least they took pride in it and wanted to pass it along in as good or better shape as they got it? Those assumptions might not always be true, but most of the time they probably are. And it's amazing what you can do to a $150 instrument, just by doing some basic maintenance to it.
 
#27
My first 5 string bass I got, in the summer of 1987, was a Yamaha BX-5. I was deciding between that and a BB5000, but decided to give something completely new and different (for me) a chance.
 
#28
wishforbass said:
They sound good .
Powerful pj , aggressive .
Negative
The but is from plastic ,mine broke and I had hard time changing it.
The pickup selector is ok but it's from plastic too mine broke and I used glue for it .
A little heavy
Postive
Great sound
Good output
Super comfortable
Bb old style
Good tone
Tuner are ok
The bridge work well
The wiring is good no noise hear .
I bought new one for 300$
Click to expand...
Hey brotha! Good review, rock on! :thumbsup:
 
#30
Yamaha BB series are champs, from their beginning. I have two BB2000 (fretted and fretless) from the 1970's, and they are amazing! If they were 5-strings, they'd be my main players and I'd be done. Maybe I should be looking into 2425 and the new models, instead of pursuing my active/higher-end thing! And the quality control across all price points is truly superior. Go, Yamaha!
 
#31
I'm really spoiled after decades of using Stingray5s (best 5er neck money can buy). I owned a BB425X early this year and ended up returning it as I didn't like the 5 piece neck much (too much of a D profile, didn't feel good to me). Then a couple months ago I got a NOS BB615 for really cheap (one piece maple neck, thinner feeling, a more modern C shape profile) and it feels right. After a couple weeks I added a second 615 I found used for cheap too. These basses are the PJs that feel closest to my Ray 5ers (same 17.5mm string spacing at the bridge too). The only bad thing about them is the active EQ. Doesn't "suck tone" nor modify sound in any bad way (tried bypassing the EQ and it doesn't differ from a flat EQ setting) but it lacks headroom, distorts when pushed, and the frequency points are not great (bass is too high, treble is too low/clanky), so a change might be in order for mine in the future.

bb_pair.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: son_of_mogh
#33
Member8675309 said:
View attachment 2813466 View attachment 2813465 I spent about three months scouting my price range for a bass that could be heavily modded, one that had potential for customization.

I spotted the Yamaha BB434 at some point. Read about the BB series, scoured numerous opinions, checked mod possibilities, then bam, bought one a week later.

The only bad thing I can say about it is that the tuners were/are cheap, as in they rattled due to reasons. Bought Schallers (the BM model is a direct, drop in replacement), slapped a bridge cover on, changed out the knobs, put Dunlop strap locks on, and painted the neck. Yes, I painted the neck in black lacquer. With this bass, I don’t care about resale value....which is good because I flushed it down the toilet.

I’ve also read, in all my research, that the five string has one of the best B strings you could hope for.

Anyway, a blacked out sunburst. It was my vision. The logo needs work, just popped a coin on there with Ulysses S. Grant on it. Will likely just fill the two holes, paint over to make a black, logo less headstock.
Click to expand...
Are you selling the stock knobs?
 
#36
Steve said:
everything that company makes is worthwhile. Instruments, electronics, motorcycles, outboard motors...I don't think they know how to suck.
Click to expand...
my 1st line trumpet and cornet are both Yamaha, (6340st and 232s) I like them more than the American handmade Shilke's they were copied from (with Mr Schilke's help of course) The Yamaha BB bass actually was the bass of record first choice of some funk players and post punk bassists in England (New Order on one?) in the late 80s early 90s, so it has fans. (copied from funkytoe in 2008 tb) Short history of great bassists who used BB2000s -- Van Halen II (Michael Anthony) Yes, his was a Broad Bass 2000, even though his reissue is called the 3000MA; Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets first album , Jimmy played a BB2000); Abe Laboriel, Sr. (some of the funkyest stuff ever was played on his BB2000); Andy Rourke (the Smiths - Queen is Dead, Meat is Murder, etc). George Hawkins, Jr. (played his Broad Bass 2000 expertly on the Kenny Loggins Alive recording/Video)
history of yamaha basses
 
Last edited:
#37
BBG5S for myself. Two soap bar pickups and very easy to play. I went to Yamaha first when I was looking for a five-string bass thinking 'if I could find a bass that sounds as good and plays as good as my BB300, it will be a winner!' Saying that, I'm still gassing for Sterling or MusicMan 5er.
 
#38
While I don't have a Yamaha (though I hear great things about them), but I do own and exclusively play a couple of 5 string PJ's. They are THE config for me. Covers everything. If you find that 5 string model that speaks to you, don't second guess it. Jump right in!
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back