NBD! - Yamaha BBP34 vintage white

[irakliszs]

Hello! Just received my brand new Yamaha BBP34 in vintage white color. I only played it for checking purposes but playability and sound seemed to be very good!
However I noticed some things that put me off a bit given the price and legendary QC of Japanese Yamahas.
The bridge pickup is screwed way "south" inside it's cavity, and the inlays after 12th fret are offset to the "north".
The bass is not free of dead spots. There is the usual loss of fundamental and sustain dampening in G string, but instead of a significant effect on one or two frets (e.g. 4 and 5), it is a less noticeable effect but "spreading" from say 2nd to 5th fret.
It is quite heavy, my player p is 3.72kg (8.2lbs) and this is 4.29kg (9.5lbs).
It balances perfectly on the strap.
I am very happy with the bass but those imperfections especially the pickup and inlays hit me right on my OCD... What is your opinion?
Ah, and some photos!

 

[John Stephen]

Congrats on your new bass. I know the feeling, of wanting everything to be perfect on a new instrument, especially one that ain't cheap.

Re the bridge pickup, just going by the photo, it does seem to be a tad south within its cavity, but I wouldn't call it "way" south. Of course each of us has our own perceptions about such things.

Re the inlays, again it's hard to tell from photos, and not seeing it in person, but it kinda looks to me like the inlays are in the right place, but the strings are located a bit south on the neck. It seems like your G string is closer to the edge of the fretboard than the E string is, so I'm wondering if maybe the bridge itself is a tad south of where it would ideally be, which would then align your strings southward. That would make the inlays appear to be too far north. Again, BIG caveat here, that just going by photos isn't always enough.

BUT...I never would have noticed these things if you hadn't mentioned them. I woulda looked at the photos and said "wow, beautiful bass!"

My BB was quite heavy as well, and it did have a dead spot somewhere around the fifth or sixth fret, as I recall (I don't have it any more -- it was too heavy for me so I moved it along).

Good luck with your new instrument. I'm glad at least it sounds good overall.

 

[toastw]

The pickup. Can you just loosen that one screw to straighten it out? Or is there more to it?

 

[mixbus]

The pickup. Can you just loosen that one screw to straighten it out? Or is there more to it?

From the ones I've had & seen, several had pickup routes that were "generous." They are screwed into the spot that they are & there is no moving them sided to side.

I wonder if the bodies are made/CNC at the same time as the neck in Indonesia, and the best of the lot picked, then shipped to Japan for final IRA, assembly, fretwork, and fine tuning. I had mentioned this on the BB club forum in an earlier post. Just a thought...

As far as the inlays, I've see at least one with them off center past the 12th fret.

 

[blr2]

Sorry to say this, but I'd never buy a new production instrument, at any price level, by any manufacturer, unseen.

 

[irakliszs]

Hey thanks for replying!
Unfortunately my eye falls instantly on these things and then OCD is kicking in...
I tried to loosen the pickup to see if there is any play and screw it back in but indeed there is no moving it.
I actually measured the inlays, they are offset by about 3mm, but only past 12th. Internet photos I believe show them centered but they may be not real product photos, and I doubt I will see another BBP in person, they are like Pentax DSLR, it's like I'm the only one with one!
And now for the big question.... To return or not to return?? Seller is also in EU but different country, it's not as simple as driving to the store and returning the bass. What would you do?

 

[mixbus]

Hey thanks for replying!
Unfortunately my eye falls instantly on these things and then OCD is kicking in...
I tried to loosen the pickup to see if there is any play and screw it back in but indeed there is no moving it.
I actually measured the inlays, they are offset by about 3mm, but only past 12th. Internet photos I believe show them centered but they may be not real product photos, and I doubt I will see another BBP in person, they are like Pentax DSLR, it's like I'm the only one with one!
And now for the big question.... To return or not to return?? Seller is also in EU but different country, it's not as simple as driving to the store and returning the bass. What would you do?

That's your call.

Are these issues stopping you from wanting to pick it up and enjoy it? Or does it bother you every time you see it, or think about it?

If you do decide to return it, hopefully you won't be out any money to return it.
The white is a bit of a rare animal, at least in the states... But they are out there.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

 

[John Stephen]

Hey thanks for replying!
Unfortunately my eye falls instantly on these things and then OCD is kicking in...
I tried to loosen the pickup to see if there is any play and screw it back in but indeed there is no moving it.
I actually measured the inlays, they are offset by about 3mm, but only past 12th. Internet photos I believe show them centered but they may be not real product photos, and I doubt I will see another BBP in person, they are like Pentax DSLR, it's like I'm the only one with one!
And now for the big question.... To return or not to return?? Seller is also in EU but different country, it's not as simple as driving to the store and returning the bass. What would you do?

Of course this is a very individual thing, so my take on this may be different from yours. For me, the cosmetic things that are a little "off" wouldn't lead me to return it. I'd be more concerned with how it sounds, how the neck feels, and how heavy it is.

 

[Sean150]

If you are using the standard misuse of OCD and actually mean that your particular about the visuals of the things you buy, I would suggest keeping it, at least until you get a setup to see if it addresses the dead spots (if they are affecting your enjoyment of the instrument). I had an Ibanez that I was about to return before the store did a setup that made them go away. I have successfully done my own setups but missed something on that one. The rest of the issues are cosmetic and can just as easily be considered something that makes yours unique. I have American Fenders with issues that I was willing to live with rather than return the bass.

If you actually have the OCD disorder then ignore everything I just said and return the bass. A specific bass isn’t important enough to risk ones mental health over.

 

[EricOnTheBass]

You can fix the pickup by filling in the screw holes and drilling new ones. I had to do that on my new Player II Precision. I tapped a round toothpick into the screw hole and broke it off, then drilled a new hole right next to it. Problem solved.

 

[Chris Chong]

I think you should sell it if these defects bother you.

 

[J Wilson]

If I had five bucks for every thread from the lamentably OCD (I know all about this, my wife is a classic at it) about the strings being just 'off' enough over pole pieces, lining up exactly with the inlays, etc., I'd be reading this from my villa in Lake Como.

So, just sell it. Life is too short (and medications inadequate) for this stuff to haunt you or keep you up nights.

Be sure and post when you find a perfectly built bass.

Sell it, before the voices become deafening.

 

[EricOnTheBass]

And if it’s brand new, maybe you can send it back and get a different copy.

 

[burgerdj]

I think the perceived defects give you license to play the snot out of it.

 

[irakliszs]

Another dilemma: with pg or without pg? TBH it would be nice to ship them with pg loose so that you can put it on only if you want. I believe sire do that.
I think I prefer with.

 

[Lo_Basserson]

Given that the holes are already there, I would keep it on. Not sure why they felt they needed to add a pick guard to the BB, but the tort and white is nice. I just got a jazz with the same color combo and was shocked at how much I liked it. (And before the past 2-3 years, my basses were all black, no guard at all.)

 

[irakliszs]

I just finished putting on some fresh slinky hybrids, conditioned the fretboard and set it up.
The neck is a beast. The truss rod is almost loose and it has the perfect curve. Swapping the stock strings with the heavier slinkies did nothing to it. Very stiff.
The dead spots are nothing much, with the new strings it's only noticeable in 2 frets and even that barely.
Damnit I will keep it, it's great!!!

 

[dune]

I'm with @John Stephen, I think the inlays look centered but the string spacing is off. This might be a very easy fix depending on the bridge.

 

[irakliszs]

I measured it, inlays past 12th fret are off by 2mm.
Nothing much, to be honest.
The bridge is perfectly centered.

 

[Root 5]

The instrument looks perfectly fine to me.