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This isn't a Fender bashing, but simply a note that Yamaha builds good quality instruments. That's why they are the largest manufacturer of musical instruments in the world. You can play any instrument that Yamaha makes and it will deliver good performance and value for what it costs. Their workmanship is solid and their designs very good. They have the technology to compete with any brand of product and hold their own.
The high end Nathan East bass looks and sounds superb - and the low priced stuff is a good deal.
The high end Nathan East bass looks and sounds superb - and the low priced stuff is a good deal.
Yamaha makes great instruments at every price point for pretty much every type of instrument. I own professional brass instruments from them and they are fantastic.
I've had a BB424x for 5 years, and it has outlasted many different basses. I recently tried to replace it with an EBMM Sterling, and tried a whole bunch of MiM and USA fenders. None of them were better than the Yamaha for me. I finally got a G&L SB-2, and that bass is everything I like about the Yamaha but better. But it's also more than 2x the cost. The Yamaha isn't going anywhere, but it's been moved to backup duty.
I've had a BB424x for 5 years, and it has outlasted many different basses. I recently tried to replace it with an EBMM Sterling, and tried a whole bunch of MiM and USA fenders. None of them were better than the Yamaha for me. I finally got a G&L SB-2, and that bass is everything I like about the Yamaha but better. But it's also more than 2x the cost. The Yamaha isn't going anywhere, but it's been moved to backup duty.
That surprises me as Cort have a good reputation for decent quality at a good price. I've got two very well built Cort guitars. In saying that, every manufacturer has some lemons.
As far as Yamaha goes, they have been making musical instruments for a very long time and know how to put together good ones. I've had a Yamaha 12 string acoustic guitar that is now over 20 years old and it still plays and sounds fantastic.
SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
For years I played a circuit of out of the way bars that were pretty rough. I never really had any problems but I was always a little paranoid out what might happen to my bass. I picked up a Yamaha BB300 for something like $150.00 and played that thing to death. It always sounded great. I ended up selling it but later I got a Yamaha Attitude bass, (the cheap one with the single P pickup). Over the years I have made small changes to it to suit me and now it's a really great bass. I've played some nice Mexican Fenders and some real dogs. I still think it's a crapshoot with almost any brand of bass, there's good ones and bad ones.
As Gizmot pointed out this isn't a Fender bashing in any shape or form. Just wanted to share my impressions. And it is general consensus that the Yamaha BB basses are fantastic instruments and a absolute steal. That's why I considered it in the first place. A lot of people say Yamaha could charge easily the double price for the BB42x series. I also own a Yamaha acoustic guitar which plays and sounds absolutely fantastic too. Yamaha instruments might not have the character like a Fender or Gibson but for me they are the best bang for the buck by far.
I was really considerung buying a MiM Fender bass in the future but was quite disappointed. And as I already said: This is totally subjective but it simply felt cheap to me compared to my Yamaha. I cannot say that something was particularly bad but I would never pay the price Fender put on it. And I know that this is also a totally personal thing since there are many cases where an instrument is 5 times more expensive but not 5 times as good. But if you love everything about it and you can afford it...by any means GO FOR IT!
I was really considerung buying a MiM Fender bass in the future but was quite disappointed. And as I already said: This is totally subjective but it simply felt cheap to me compared to my Yamaha. I cannot say that something was particularly bad but I would never pay the price Fender put on it. And I know that this is also a totally personal thing since there are many cases where an instrument is 5 times more expensive but not 5 times as good. But if you love everything about it and you can afford it...by any means GO FOR IT!
What a great contribution!
Au contraire, this is a good contribution, as you still owe us a solid explanation why the MIM Fender supposedly has a quality issue - all you say is 'it feels cheap'.
To me quality issues on a bass are:
- bad fretwork/saddle setup
- uneven neck
- spotty lacquer
- crackling electronics
- bent or soft metal parts
- tilted screws
- deadspots
etc.
Did you see any of this in the MIM Fender? Or ist it only that you are used to a Yamaha, and cannot get used to (a simpler implementation of a P like a) Fender?
On the other hand, if you want to discuss Fender pricing, that is another issue.
First of all I don't owe you anything when sharing my subjective impressions. This is not a review.
But as mentioned before the following things caught my attention:
- fret work: The frets were rough on the edges and not set in well
- electronics: crackling and loose knobs
- lacquer was feeling very cheap and sticky, especially on the neck
- neck was uneven but the setup was generally pretty bad with high action
Those things compared with the price are a no-go for me.
Just to compare: The input jack of the Yamaha got loose after a few weeks. I can live with that compared to the price.
I must agree with the OP. There is a cheep Yamaha at the rehearsal space where one of my bands practice. I love it. It's a great bass. It has a neck that feels exactly like a vintage Fender. I cant help but think they used the specs from a vintage Fender neck when they were programming the CNC machine. I have several high-end basses, and can feel the difference in quality of instruments. Price is not always a factor in the quality of a bass. I love fenders but have never hung onto a non-american Fender bass. They just don't move me.
One thing that strikes me is that for the OP, he feels he's comparing a cheaper bass to a costlier bass, 420 Euro Yamaha to 740 Euro Fender. Here in the US, on the other hand, they're pretty close in price - $499 for the Yamaha, $599 for the Fender, so basically the same. I think it only really starts to count when you're talking about a bass that costs twice as much or more than the other.
But at any rate, we're talking Yamaha here. They don't seem to be capable of producing an inferior product, at any price point. They have the BB1024x bass for around, what, $900-1000, but you hardly see anyone stock it. Why? Because the BB424x at $500 is already so excellent there really isn't much to improve on. They just have a system to get it right.
But at any rate, we're talking Yamaha here. They don't seem to be capable of producing an inferior product, at any price point. They have the BB1024x bass for around, what, $900-1000, but you hardly see anyone stock it. Why? Because the BB424x at $500 is already so excellent there really isn't much to improve on. They just have a system to get it right.
I think that how it sounds and feels to play is the most important factor. Doesn't matter what make or model it is as long as you are happy with it. I play a MIM PBass. I put D'Addario light gauge chromes on it and replaced the pickup and pots with the EMG GZR pickup. It plays and sounds great. More comfortable than the AM Std PBass I had. The USA models use jumbo frets which I don't care for as they tend to dig into your fingers when playing mid neck and up. The MIM models use medium sized frets and they are more comfortable for me. Again it is what feels and sounds good to the player and that is all that matters. Good luck with your Yamaha. Keep thumping'.
I think that how it sounds and feels to play is the most important factor. Doesn't matter what make or model it is as long as you are happy with it. I play a MIM PBass. I put D'Addario light gauge chromes on it and replaced the pickup and pots with the EMG GZR pickup. It plays and sounds great. More comfortable than the AM Std PBass I had. The USA models use jumbo frets which I don't care for as they tend to dig into your fingers when playing mid neck and up. The MIM models use medium sized frets and they are more comfortable for me. Again it is what feels and sounds good to the player and that is all that matters. Good luck with your Yamaha. Keep thumping'.
I couldn't agree more and that is all I wanted to say.
I agree with this. I currently own a BB414 as well as a 30 year old Yamaha semi-hollowbody guitar. I have owned several other guitars from them and all were good, well made instruments - some I just didn't bond with. Yamaha has always had really good quality control in my experience. Their issues are not in quality but in marketing and getting the guitars into stores from what I've seen.
I have a made in Indonesia Ibanez, lowest model GSR 200. The blue one. Simple because it was the lowest price I could find. Didn't know if I'd stick to it. Also, it was such a budget entry my amp was free. it has turned out to be a pretty good bass. The neck on it is really easy and fast. Even other players that have the USA Fenders pick it up and say how well they like the neck and how it plays, and I'm learning to do my own setups so I've thing I've got it setup pretty dern good. Of course once you start getting into that, each person can have their own specific likes about that too. The weak things about it are the tuners. They work fine, but Ive had one just fail internally right before an event. Funny a set of good tuners ordered from Ibanez (it has an odd hole size for them) is almost as much as I paid for the whole bass, so I went Amazon. The pickups are weak. Again, pickups can be replaced but there ya go again, good pickups are about what i paid for the bass. Actually the ones I want are more than I paid for the bass. With that, I've decided to get a Boss ME-80, for use with my guitars. As an experiment, I've tried the bass thru it, using the preamp, EQ, and compressor. And the volume too. I love having that at my foot. I'm now considering the ME50B and making some sort of stacked board rack that will hold them both as I will go back and forth between bass and acoustic sometimes. So with adding the few things, it has become a great bass and other than wanting the low b string, it's the perfect bass. Someday if I run across a similar 5 version I might go for it but I',m not shopping.
SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
1. The Fender is timeless & will have a better resale
2. A friend of mine paid $2000+ for a very nice Yamaha 6 string, a few years later he saw it discontinued for $799. You will never see that with a Fender.
In saying that, Yamaha makes nice basses. But I am old school.
2. A friend of mine paid $2000+ for a very nice Yamaha 6 string, a few years later he saw it discontinued for $799. You will never see that with a Fender.
In saying that, Yamaha makes nice basses. But I am old school.
