I bought a new Yamaha BB734A yesterday and way the neck is seated seems weird to me. On the side where it runs next to the pickguard it looks like there is a backward slant. On the other side there is a small gap that is wider deeper into the body. Is the neck not seated correctly?
The bridge also seems to be set high compared to pictures I have seen of this bass, which makes me think the setup is compensating for the way the neck is seated. In most pictures I could find the height screws are close to flush with the top or even sticking out, but mine are in by 2-3mm even with low action. The pickups are also not within the 2-3 millimeter spec in Yamaha's user manual. They are 3-4mm from the strings. It does not seem like they can go higher, but I am not sure because one of the pickup screws was unusually hard to turn so I decided not to tinker with them if I am going to return it.
There are also a couple other issues. The 12th fret is a little high under the G string. It doesn't buzz with my normal playing at 2mm action, but if I pluck really hard only that one buzzes. If I put a straight edge over frets 11-13 it wobbles a bit. Yamaha spec is 2.7mm action for the G string, so maybe that is within spec.
There is some noise from the P pickups when I am not touching the strings. It didn't happen with the amp in the store when I tried it. I took a look at the wiring and the noise stopped for a while, then started again about 30 minutes later while I was playing. This makes me think there is a flaky connection somewhere that I moved while looking at the wiring. The J pickups always have some noise, but it was quieter during this 30 minutes.
I think I should probably return it. The noise issue is the only thing that has a noticeable effect for me right now and I could probably fix that myself, but I am worried about the neck and that it might cause issues later or that it has some effect I am not experienced enough to notice. I have not been playing bass very long and both Yamaha and the shop I bought it from have a good reputation for quality so I am second guessing it.
Here are some pictures of the base of the neck and the bridge:
The bridge also seems to be set high compared to pictures I have seen of this bass, which makes me think the setup is compensating for the way the neck is seated. In most pictures I could find the height screws are close to flush with the top or even sticking out, but mine are in by 2-3mm even with low action. The pickups are also not within the 2-3 millimeter spec in Yamaha's user manual. They are 3-4mm from the strings. It does not seem like they can go higher, but I am not sure because one of the pickup screws was unusually hard to turn so I decided not to tinker with them if I am going to return it.
There are also a couple other issues. The 12th fret is a little high under the G string. It doesn't buzz with my normal playing at 2mm action, but if I pluck really hard only that one buzzes. If I put a straight edge over frets 11-13 it wobbles a bit. Yamaha spec is 2.7mm action for the G string, so maybe that is within spec.
There is some noise from the P pickups when I am not touching the strings. It didn't happen with the amp in the store when I tried it. I took a look at the wiring and the noise stopped for a while, then started again about 30 minutes later while I was playing. This makes me think there is a flaky connection somewhere that I moved while looking at the wiring. The J pickups always have some noise, but it was quieter during this 30 minutes.
I think I should probably return it. The noise issue is the only thing that has a noticeable effect for me right now and I could probably fix that myself, but I am worried about the neck and that it might cause issues later or that it has some effect I am not experienced enough to notice. I have not been playing bass very long and both Yamaha and the shop I bought it from have a good reputation for quality so I am second guessing it.
Here are some pictures of the base of the neck and the bridge:
