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Identify this Yamaha TRB

D

dyuaru

Oct 12, 2006
78
0
Los Angeles
#1
I was at guitar center yesterday and saw this bass used. I know it's a Yamaha TRB6 but I'm not sure which exact model it is and how much it is to buy it new.
103204707_lg.jpg

Let me know if you guys know, thanks!
 
#2
That, Sir/Madame, is the greatest TRB of all time, IMO. I had one in the early 1990's and I think it was somewhere between
$1,100-$1,300, but I really am not sure. That bass was as good as any I ever owned, including a ken Smith and Roscoe, and Alembic.

I would get another in a heartbeat, if I can find one when I have the funds.:cool:
 
#3
Yeah it was the first time I had played a six string. I looked at it, thought, wow that looks incredibly good but will probably be uncomfortable. I picked it up, and it just fell right into my hands, felt great!

Do you know the exact model? Cause both the TRBI and the TRBII don't have that strange indented area near the lower horn. They also don't have the wenge neck that that one has either so I'm not really sure what it is.

Still looking for an exact price or web page with information/model to see if I can talk down the price :D
 
#5
Hm, well here's some pics I pulled up from a couple sites with TRB1's.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Invalid Link Removed

Also, just checked but the John Patitucci signature TRB seems to have the cutaway but the fretboard on this one doesn't have the unique markings like the JP(below).
SA500105.gif


So...what is it?
 
#6
Note also that the pickups look more like the ones on the JP model than the soapbars on the basic TRBs.

I bet that is an old Patitucci that somehow ended up with a TRB6 neck on it. I would not buy it; something is amiss.
 
#7
WJGreer said:
Note also that the pickups look more like the ones on the JP model than the soapbars on the basic TRBs.

I bet that is an old Patitucci that somehow ended up with a TRB6 neck on it. I would not buy it; something is amiss.
Click to expand...

There is nothing shaky about that bass.:) That is how early to mid 1990's TRBs looked. Check out this TRB5 from the for sale section:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=343052
 
#9
dyuaru said:
I was at guitar center yesterday and saw this bass used. I know it's a Yamaha TRB6 but I'm not sure which exact model it is and how much it is to buy it new.
103204707_lg.jpg

Let me know if you guys know, thanks!
Click to expand...


That is a Pattitucci signature model. Very good basses. The one in the original post is the original TRB-JP, not the TRBJP2 they sell now (which is what your later picture shows). You can tell the Pattitucci sig from other TRBs by looking at the pickups and the lower horn. On the sig, the pickups are a "modern J"-style narrow pickup instead of the chunkier soapbars on all other TRBs, and the quilt top is routed away from the lower horn.

They of course do not make the original version anymore; the current TRBJP2 model would run you between $2800 and $4000 depending on where you bought it, so buying a used one is definitely a good idea.

The TRB-1006 you've also posted pictures of is what the sig's based on (the Patittucci sig has always been bolt-on even though a few years after the first model came out they started making other TRBs neck-through). That bass is MIK and a bit simpler than either the sig or the TRB6PII (Yamaha's absolute top-of-the-line), but it's also an excellent choice.

It does look like you'll need a new knob for the midrange control. That certainly shouldn't put you off this bass; a replacement from Yamaha would probably be in the $5 range (since they don't sell their parts to resellers, they charge whatever they want), and a whole new set of knobs would probably only be $20 for black or gold knurled knobs. Depending on what they're offering it for I would snap this up in a hurry.
 
#11
WJGreer said:
That one has the cutaway, for sure. But it does not have the thinner JP pickups like our subject here does.
Click to expand...

That's because it is not a TRB6. As I said in my first post, I owned one around 1994 that had the cutaway and the thin pickups just like the one in question. I bought it new from Rockblock Guitars in Nashville, TN. I couldn't find a pic on ebay to show you, but this is a case where I know what I'm talking about.

BTW, that is a standard TRB6 of that era, not the Patitucci Sig.:cool:
 
#12
Dr. Cheese said:
That's because it is not a TRB6. As I said in my first post, I owned one around 1994 that had the cutaway and the thin pickups just like the one in question. I bought it new from Rockblock Guitars in Nashville, TN. I couldn't find a pic on ebay to show you, but this is a case where I know what I'm talking about.

BTW, that is a standard TRB6 of that era, not the Patitucci Sig.:cool:
Click to expand...

+1 The Doc is right on the money here. That's a mid 90s standard TRB6, not to be mistaken with mid 90s TRB6JP. The Patitucci model of the era only came in amber and charcoal grey, not to mention it had the oval position markers on it's ebony fretboard. I also concur with the Doc because I have owned 5 TRBs over the last 12 years including the TRB6JP which this bass was modeled after. IMHO these were amongst the finest basses Yamaha ever built, why they changed who knows..........:rollno: At any rate, these older TRB basses should be grabbed as soon as they are spotted. Enough said. Here's a photo of my mid 90s TRB6JP.

trbjp1.jpg


Cheers,
Paul Theriault
Bassjones

Current projects:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

http://www.projectphoenix.ca/
 
#13
dyuaru said:
Hm, well here's some pics I pulled up from a couple sites with TRB1's.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Invalid Link Removed

Also, just checked but the John Patitucci signature TRB seems to have the cutaway but the fretboard on this one doesn't have the unique markings like the JP(below).
SA500105.gif


So...what is it?
Click to expand...

That isn't a TRB1, that is a TRB1006 which is a current model. Technically, there never was a TRB1 because at the time they were out they were just called TRB's. The model you saw at GC is a TRB6, and it's a great bass.
 
#14
It's yamaha TRB6
single coil pickups
ash body
rosewood fretboard
3piece maple neck
3 band EQ w mid freq pot (pot is inside onboard preamp)

i own TR6II and TRB's both I & II are fantastic instruments, can easily be compared with +3000$ customs

t12.jpg

there's my darling

headstock only appears to be black but it is body matching (ash laminate)


you see the diference is that TRBII has humbucker's ,and a bit modified body.
 
#15
Thanks a lot for the help guys!
Now just to figure out what to offer them.

So here's the condition of the bass:
The fretboard has some wear and definitely isn't in 100% condition but still decent.
The body has some dings and there's light blue paint splatter on it. It's hard to tell from the picture but you can see spots near the left of the neck pickup wheres theres a lighter blue color.
Next there's the missing knob.
Lastly, the cable jack is extremely loose and can be almost pulled completely out.

That's what I noticed when I was playing it. Might be more things wrong with it but that's what I noticed. Definitely looks like it was heavily played.

So...what should I offer them?
 
#16
hmmmm i got mine for 1000€ new ...it was a special deal, i think real price was around 1300€

offer them around 800$ i guess.. i know that 800$ would be the realistic price here (eu) for that bass in that condition but it really depends
 
#17
I agree that is a 1st generation TRB-6 from the early 90's. Just like mine. I bought mine off of a friend. He paid $1500 for his new in the 90's. I bought it off of him 2 years ago for $800 and it was in excellent shape. The knob and the jack should be an easy fix. I would say start with $500-600 and work your way up from there.

Here is my bass for reference:
Link Removed
 

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