NBD - Yamaha TRBX305

[overit]

I’ve been electric-less the last few months, been concentrating on upright and not having an electric kept me super focused and getting used to classical fingering on upright. However, I’m coming up on almost a year since I played out (mostly due to moving and not finding the right situation) and really been missing it.

With an audition coming up later in the week, I took the other day to visit some shops and came away with this stellar Yamaha TRBX305 at a nice used price. Previous owner had it setup nice with Labellas flats but I switched to a set of Fat Beams for more of a modern rock sound and it plays and sounds just as good. A really comfortable player and although the body/headstock isn’t my first choice, I love the white and matching headstock and the overall look is growing on me.

It’s right at 9lbs. but the balance and ergonomics make it feel lighter and I was strictly an under 9lb. bass owner for years. The range of tones is very versatile and I like what they did with the 5 position selector switch for different voicings. Just overall, a well thought out and comfortable bass. My goal was an inexpensive (under $600) workhorse for multiple genres since I’m not sure what my next gigging situation will be. This bass definitely hits the mark.

 

[Maxdusty]

I’ve been electric-less the last few months, been concentrating on upright and not having an electric kept me super focused and getting used to classical fingering on upright. However, I’m coming up on almost a year since I played out (mostly due to moving and not finding the right situation) and really been missing it.

With an audition coming up later in the week, I took the other day to visit some shops and came away with this stellar Yamaha TRBX305 at a nice used price. Previous owner had it setup nice with Labellas flats but I switched to a set of Fat Beams for more of a modern rock sound and it plays and sounds just as good. A really comfortable player and although the body/headstock isn’t my first choice, I love the white and matching headstock and the overall look is growing on me.

It’s right at 9lbs. but the balance and ergonomics make it feel lighter and I was strictly an under 9lb. bass owner for years. The range of tones is very versatile and I like what they did with the 5 position selector switch for different voicings. Just overall, a well thought out and comfortable bass. My goal was an inexpensive (under $600) workhorse for multiple genres since I’m not sure what my next gigging situation will be. This bass definitely hits the mark.
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Congrats! To me, the body of the TRBX305 is gorgeous- I had a TRBX304 and 305 previously, regret selling those when I was on a passive bass kick but I bought an RBX374 recently. Now the headstock...well, yeah...the shape reminds me of a crumpled can for some reason but I mean that in a loving kind of way. lol
Yamaha basses are very solid, sure it's heavier than what I was used to as well, but it's comfortable to play on. You can get a deeper low on these basses than your typical Ibanez basses in my experience.
One thing I ran into on both basses, the 5 position switch wasn't all the best in terms of durability and dust, maybe it was just my bad luck, I don't know. On the 304, I had to spray contact spray to clean the switch out to get the switch working properly and it worked fine after that, on the 305 I had to replace it altogether. Not expensive at all ($3 I think) nor difficult if you're handy with a soldering iron.

 

[Resonance129]

TONS of bass for the buck in the TRBX304. It was my second bass purchase and I loved the thing. Kinda regret selling it, and thinking of getting another one. Between the on-board EQ and the 5 way switch, the thing is super versatile.

My only gripe was with the tuners. The ones on mine weren't all that great, so if you plan on gigging with it, it may be a good idea to consider switching them out for something a bit more substantial (if yours are sub par, too). Otherwise, it's an incredible little bass. Congrats on the deal and the NBD

 

[overit]

One thing I ran into on both basses, the 5 position switch wasn't all the best in terms of durability and dust, maybe it was just my bad luck, I don't know. On the 304, I had to spray contact spray to clean the switch out to get the switch working properly and it worked fine after that, on the 305 I had to replace it altogether. Not expensive at all ($3 I think) nor difficult if you're handy with a soldering iron.

My only gripe was with the tuners. The ones on mine weren't all that great, so if you plan on gigging with it, it may be a good idea to consider switching them out for something a bit more substantial (if yours are sub par, too). Otherwise, it's an incredible little bass. Congrats on the deal and the NBD

Thanks, nice to hear others appreciating the value in these basses. I will keep my eyes on both the switch and the tuners. For now, the bass looks and feels new - it even had all the stickers, instruction plastic plate around the knobs and plastic film on the control cavity.

I agree it gets deeper than Ibanez SRs I've tried in the same price range and overall much better in the tone department. It does have a darker tone to it where I can even max the treble and have a usable tone. With the SR405EQM I once had, the extreme ends of the preamp were a little too drastic yet it had a mid voicing that I could never really EQ out.

My favorite settings so far are flat EQ, pickup blend at 50/50 and Finger on the selector for regular fingerstyle and the Slap setting for everything else (pick, thumb mute and slap). I do also like the neck pickup soloed - I find it gets into P-Bass territory pretty well.

 

[BassiklyAC]

Thanks, nice to hear others appreciating the value in these basses. I will keep my eyes on both the switch and the tuners. For now, the bass looks and feels new - it even had all the stickers, instruction plastic plate around the knobs and plastic film on the control cavity.

I agree it gets deeper than Ibanez SRs I've tried in the same price range and overall much better in the tone department. It does have a darker tone to it where I can even max the treble and have a usable tone. With the SR405EQM I once had, the extreme ends of the preamp were a little too drastic yet it had a mid voicing that I could never really EQ out.

My favorite settings so far are flat EQ, pickup blend at 50/50 and Finger on the selector for regular fingerstyle and the Slap setting for everything else (pick, thumb mute and slap). I do also like the neck pickup soloed - I find it gets into P-Bass territory pretty well.

This thread is a couple years old now so maybe you don’t own the bass anymore. But I wanted to chime in with a thumbs up on the Yamaha trbx305. I have one as well (same color) and it’s been one of my favorite basses to play. I’ve taken it on tour, done sessions with it, club gigs, it’s a fantastic instrument and at $325 (it’s been a few years but I seem to recall it being in that price range) it punches way over its weight class.

The 5-position switch is a brilliant idea and fun to mess around with, though I generally use either the flat or “finger style” setting and adjust the tone knobs from there.

Great axe and one of several Yamaha basses I own, including the BB425X and TRB6P.

 

[overit]

This thread is a couple years old now so maybe you don’t own the bass anymore. But I wanted to chime in with a thumbs up on the Yamaha trbx305. I have one as well (same color) and it’s been one of my favorite basses to play. I’ve taken it on tour, done sessions with it, club gigs, it’s a fantastic instrument and at $325 (it’s been a few years but I seem to recall it being in that price range) it punches way over its weight class.

The 5-position switch is a brilliant idea and fun to mess around with, though I generally use either the flat or “finger style” setting and adjust the tone knobs from there.

Great axe and one of several Yamaha basses I own, including the BB425X and TRB6P.

I don't have my TRBXs anymore - I sold them when gigging went down the drain last year. I started gigging again though and they were on my radar but I went with a pair of Sires. The main reason being I wanted a traditional looking jazz and availability at the time. Both brands are making incredible value axes! Congrats!

 

[siksociety]

Still waiting to see if you liked it.