NBD - Yamaha TRBX305

[jjk2007]

I've always been a fan of Yamaha basses. I remember being disappointed when they stopped producing the TRB series but had heard they might have a type of "rebirth" down the road. When these new TRBX basses came out I was looking to grab one from day one and although it took a while, I finally got one. All that thanks to my awesome wife who surprised me with it for my bday. I gotta say, this is a great bass for the $400 it sells for! It came out of the box looking good. Tuners worked nice, nut is cut good, fret work is clean and exact, neck pocket tight, bridge solid and all controls work smooth and have a nice feeling center detent. I got the bass all setup Friday and took it to the gig on Saturday.

On the gig it was great. Don't know the weight but it felt light. Always a plus there. Balanced great too. Now the good stuff. This thing cut through like a chainsaw through a birthday cake. I left the EQ "flat" on the bass and had the mid switch in the "finger style" position for the night. The only variations I really used were in the p/u blend knob. I did a small slap solo using the "slap" setting and that worked great too. All the guys in the band were floored too! They felt like this has been the best sounding bass I've brought to any gig. The bass sat in the mix perfectly, which consists of drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar and vox. Man, those p/u's are hot too!

I've been doing this for a while and have owned tons of expensive basses, but I find myself coming back to these cheaper, but still quality instruments. My crowd isn't going to tell the difference between this or my Warwick Dolphin 5 string, and I'm at the point that my playing isn't either. This is a solid instrument with some great tones in it. Not for everyone and I'm sure there are many here that could find fault with it, but I'm digging it.

The bass

Saturdays rig

 

[davy4575]

thanks for the info. Im considering getting one of these. How do the rest of the settings on the switch sound? Ive always dug yamaha basses.

 

[jjk2007]

thanks for the info. Im considering getting one of these. How do the rest of the settings on the switch sound? Ive always dug yamaha basses.

Hey Davy. I haven't fooled around with it too much honestly. I literally took it out of the box, set it up and took it to the gig. I know in the "flat" setting with a little bass boost you could get a very articulate sound. We do a lot of covers from old school country to driving rock and that finger style setting seems to have that low mid bump that pushes through the sonic space. I've got a rehearsal mid-week and a couple more shows this weekend I'll be using it on, so I'm sure I'll find out more then.

 

[rafitoprtx]

Great bass! I bought one in the GC memorial day special. The pickups grove for the thumb works and the pickups system is awesome. The hardware is solid. The only thing that I will change is the strings but that's all.

 

[jjk2007]

Great bass! I bought one in the GC memorial day special. The pickups grove for the thumb works and the pickups system is awesome. The hardware is solid. The only thing that I will change is the strings but that's all.

Yeah, I found myself slipping my thumb into the little cutout a few times. Pretty neat little feature.

 

[rafitoprtx]

I wonder if I want to do a pickup upgrade which pickup will fit ? because it looks kind unique

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I wonder if I want to do a pickup upgrade which pickup will fit ? because it looks kind unique

Play it before you assume the pickups need changing. I really liked the one I played.

 

[jjk2007]

Play it before you assume the pickups need changing. I really liked the one I played.

Agreed. Also the electronics were very quiet.

 

[DonaldR]

Got a TRBX-505 in April and really like it. It's my first 5-string and the only one I felt already "at home" moving from 4-string. The string spacing is narrow at the nut, like a Jazz, and wider at the bridge like a Precision.
I mostly play with the switch set to passive instead of active.

 

[jjk2007]

Got a TRBX-505 in April and really like it. It's my first 5-string and the only one I felt already "at home" moving from 4-string. The string spacing is narrow at the nut, like a Jazz, and wider at the bridge like a Precision.
I mostly play with the switch set to passive instead of active.

I haven't had a chance to play the 5 series yet. I was drawn to the candy apple red so the 505 was out anyhow! I really like the 'performance EQ' switch too. Does one of the knobs become a tone knob when the bass is passive on yours?

 

[rafitoprtx]

I didn't say that the electronics are bad, it's just that in case of me or somebody want to upgrade it which pickups will fit. I agree with you guys the electronics in the 305 are awesome.

 

[DonaldR]

Does one of the knobs become a tone knob when the bass is passive on yours?

Exactly, the treble knob. And switching from active to passive keep almost the same output level. Two different sounds, passive being more vintage and active being more modern.
Pickups are also different from TRBX305.

 

[Gougedeye]

Congrats on the new bass! I played one of these the other day and it is a very good bass for the money. The one I played had a whole host of usable tones and was very well made. Definitely worth the price of admission.

 

[rtav]

Nice bass!

 

[fuzzychaos]

I happened to play one of the four strings at the local GC and was quite impressed. It's truly amazing how good of an instrument you can get for so little.

 

[Emanuel Apascaritei]

If Yamaha had a 6 string model of these I would certenly cheking it out.

 

[jjk2007]

I'll be gigging this bass again tonight. Looking forward to seeing how it does in a room that has a few challenges acoustically.

 

[jjk2007]

Another win for this bass. Sounded tight and punchy all night long. For the room we were in, this bass has done the best by far of any that I've played there. Got a couple of weekends off and then it will be on to a couple of different venues and we'll see how it does in each of those.

 

[jjk2007]

Well everyone, checking back in after rocking the Yamaha for a few months now. Still going strong and sounding great! I've played this thing at a number of outdoor and indoor summer parties as well as the 6 or so regular venues we gig in each month. It's really done the job. The only backwards move (IMO/YMMV) was putting on some D'Addario flex steels. I'm not convinced these are the best strings for this bass but I can deal with them. I find myself favoring the finger style setting for the most part, and in rooms that are sonically challenging I'll run in the flat setting and dial it in from there. For the occasional slap bit I use that setting too with great success. The neck has been very stable here in this TX heat/humidity and I've had no problems with the electronics or any other hardware. Still a heck of a deal for this bass IMO! I'm considering picking up a 505 down the road too. Share yours if you've got em!

Amps used:

 

[honeyiscool]

I bought a TRBX505 and remember wishing that I got the 305 instead. 505 is very flat, but I find that boring. I think the 305 has more "character," if you will. Congrats! Hope you like yours.