NBD - YAMAHA RBX A2 ...not luvn it, yet

[Bass V]

it's was a local CL $70 curiosity cure unworthy of proof of purchase pics, but even regarding my initial disappointments with the taught and overly bright stainless(?) string tension, limited range crap T/V controls, cheap but generally comfortable feel, super cheesy (brittle casings, loose, and rattly but) possibly good PUs, insubstantial and pointless bridge design, a fret spur or two plus an overall lousy feeling (23?!) frets, and despite the deal killer of providing only a bright or muddy sound which is really irritating, this thing still isn't ready for the giveaway before discovering hidden potential lurking beneath it's veil of junkiness.
it sports the black color scheme so that right there tells you it should be awesome straight away, and the basic string change $$ dance should yield at least a broadening of tones before digging into wiring upgrades, but I'm open to those who've dealt with these A2s to where specific points of attention needs to be prioritized in bringing this creature to full life. it just feels as tho there's more to be had, in fact a lot more, kind of a case where they got so close with this model but fell short in the end. any thots?

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I can't read all that text w/o a photo.

Aren't these supposed to be super lightweight?

"Yamaha pioneered new technology which they have named Alternative Internal Resonance (A.I.R.) which combines lightweight and resonant softwoods sandwiched between harder tonewoods creating an instrument loaded with sustain and tone while maintaining an ultra lightweight construction."

Surprising that this idea hasn't gone further, but maybe there was an issue with delaminating...

These are only 7 to 7-1/2 lbs, which is pretty great considering the lightest basses I've ever owned (currently two) are 8 lbs..

 

[Bass V]

thanx for legitimizing my post with a pic, that's her!
yes, very light, and no delamination noticed anywhere, nor any famed body warpage.
but with all the hype and absurd 1K pricings at one point you'd think there'd be more... there there.
I'm thinking there is more to be had out of these, maybe that process of discovery can be streamlined in discussion, but I got a feeling these got stuck away by the closetloads before sussing out all their potential.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Can you tell us what the values of the pots & cap are?

If you can't read the print on the back of the pots you can just measure resistance across terminals 1 & 3.

If it's too bright for you, maybe wiring it in series would get you a timbre you prefer.
which would also give it more oomph!

 

[scuzzy]

as a fellow CL bass rescuer, do it up right and make the ghosts of the greats proud. bring that bass back to life! make that turd a diamond!

it has the appearance of an early 2000's industrial band...do it.

 

[pcake]

every string doesn't sound great on every bass, so maybe the strings on this bass aren't the right ones for it4. as an example, d'addario nickel rounds sound great on my traveler TB4P but make my jag sound nasal with less bottom end than other strings. just a thought...

 

[Bass V]

If it's too bright for you, maybe wiring it in series would get you a timbre you prefer, which would also give it more oomph!

without looking too hard the wiring seems to have been messed with, so... after further fun time with it I think there's a worthy monster to let loose with the suggested unturding, and there is definitely oomph to spare* but the series mod is appreciated, I'll check it out.
a set of fat flats will probably go on soon, a yoinking of the wiring to figure it out, put both PU's direct for now and secure the damn things somehow, a fret job or go fretless, fretboard edge rounding, and a fine set up to give a better perspective on keeping it. the neck is nice and making that end of it sweeter will go a long way towards the ultimate goal of turning this into a killer rock demon.
*one odd thing, the heavy E sounds great open as does everything from fret 8 on up, but fretting 1-8 resemble classic dead spots, the exceptional power just disappears when finger plucking, can a whole acre of fretboard be dead for a single string? it's not much of an issue when using a thumbpick, nor do the other strings suffer from this distinct malady.

 

[Bass V]

after taking down the worst offending fret spur the whole fretboard experience changed for the better and allowed my appreciation for the bass (still as it came to me) to broaden, it's current high end preference suits guitar stylings as much as anything and that might not change a lot. I'll live with the frets, the edge feels good now, but these idiotic PUs gotta be dealt with, I've never encountered such an absurdity, yet surprisingly I found a cool Pappalardi overdrive with some of my amps which alone saves it's tail from the donation corner. the general stiffness immediately brings out aggressive riffagings but for it to be a versatile tone machine may be expecting too much even with string changes and serious mods, the advanced 'HASBRO' construction may ultimately be the thing holding this bass back from full maturity. it's worth the effort to improve and for $70 fills a Moterhead niche need nicely as is, gives me more Felix options, and still has potentials, shockingly... I'm luvn it! but that this thing passed consideration by the YAMAHA select review board of the time to be sold for serious money is laughable.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Have you weighed it?

 

[CORBS]

These didnt sell a lot in the US. Thats a pretty unique bass, not as sought after as some but in the future it may be a collectors item.

 

[Maxdusty]

I tried one a while back, other than the super light weight and the lights, the sound of the bass wasn't really all that special, reminded me of the other basses in the RBX line albeit with the rail pickups instead of the P/J I had on my RBX170 at the time. I guess, I was expecting more of a difference and upgrade in sound because it looked like it had more bells and whistles to it. The one I was looking at was in rough shape- missing the battery cover (no preamp btw, the battery's just for the...lights) , and scratched up pretty badly. To be fair, from what I've heard, the body is pretty sturdy and it's not as flimsy as it's light weight may lead you to believe (if I remember correctly, it weighs 7 lb 2 oz) -the hardware also does feel a little cheap and unsubstantial for lack of a better word perhaps to help cut down on weight more than anything. I think changing the pickups are perhaps not such a bad idea- it sounded a little underwhelming if memory serves me correctly.

As mentioned above, you don't see it all too often so for the price you paid, you still got a pretty good deal. Heck, I'd pay $70 for it.

 

[Bass V]

Have you weighed it?

no, but it's definitely very light, reminds me of my featherweight '68 Gretsch Duo Jet. I just played it a bit in it's new home where I jam in the apt. upstairs and I think flatwounds would benefit the somewhat generic and all too common sproingy wound tone. it's probably not worth an upgrade and my buddy is in love with the thing so I'm focused on other bass priorities. it was worth the $70 just to cross off my curiosity bucket list and now it serves a higher good.

 

[Maxdusty]

no, but it's definitely very light, reminds me of my featherweight '68 Gretsch Duo Jet. I just played it a bit in it's new home where I jam in the apt. upstairs and I think flatwounds would benefit the somewhat generic and all too common sproingy wound tone. it's probably not worth an upgrade and my buddy is in love with the thing so I'm focused on other bass priorities. it was worth the $70 just to cross off my curiosity bucket list and now it serves a higher good.

You certainly didn't lose the $70, in fact can very easily triple your initial investment - so I would probably think of the bass along those lines. You can improve the sound by upgrading the pickups but I would say only worth it if you're sold on the light weight, neck and overall feel of the bass, otherwise it would be a pretty good flip for something better.

 

[Bass V]

You certainly didn't lose the $70, in fact can very easily triple your initial investment - so I would probably think of the bass along those lines. You can improve the sound by upgrading the pickups but I would say only worth it if you're sold on the light weight, neck and overall feel of the bass, otherwise it would be a pretty good flip for something better.

I don't think there's enuf there there to invest more concern unless the flats do wonders, but for a wide neck it's pretty fun once you adapt. I've got two cool Corts of undetermined vintage coming in and a few more toys usurping the YAMAHA in my dog-lyke attention span, and it sure wasn't challenging my Toby - the measuring stick, so it lives well upstairs with the Wizard Of Waikiki who plays the crap out of it (the trebly tone works for him) and gets a kick out of the silly light feature. we want to activate the lone light-less knob with it's own color so if anyone has the wiring harness, parts, or a dead A2 to contribute lets talk post-turkey turkey.

 

[ManuelMunoz]

I'm looking for this bass, wondering if you are interested in selling it