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New Yamaha BB series

#382
So my final word on the new BB 434s is not a good one. Having been through 3 (yes 3) they all had defects. The first one's G tuner was bent and the clover wobbled horribly because of this. The second one (pictured above) had the G and E clovers bent and loose, so loose that they would rattle like crazy when the open string was played. Yamaha sent me replacement tuners and on the package they are listed as the tuners for the 234, so there is one cost cut. Also this most recent one had the string retainer pop off due to a poorly drilled and stripped hole for the screw, it could not be reset and just spun in the wood. The jazz p'up also was loose and made a rattling noise when my thumb rested or hit it, no screw adjustments could remedy this.

The 424x series is of a much much higher quality than the 434. It seems to me that the new 700s are on a quality level of the old 400s and the 434 has lost the most (cheap tuners, p'ups are of a lesser stability, no chrome encasement, and overall lesser build).

I've been put off so much by the 434's I've gotten an returned that I am not going back. Shame because the BB's sound killer, or at least the 424x does.
 
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#383
Member8675309 said:
View attachment 2748462
View attachment 2748465
First time Yamaha player here, long time player. My main is a Gibson SG, so I don't mind slight imperfections in my basses.....Anyway, what do you all think of these two images?

Character, flaws, or neither? Thought the matching was beautifully done on this one so I scooped it up.[/QUOTF;a
Member8675309 said:
View attachment 2748462
View attachment 2748465
First time Yamaha player here, long time player. My main is a Gibson SG, so I don't mind slight imperfections in my basses.....Anyway, what do you all think of these two images?

Character, flaws, or neither? Thought the matching was beautifully done on this one so I scooped it up.
Click to expand...
Flaw.. I would never purchase this. To me this is B choice .
Click to expand...
 
#384
JW56789 said:
I know better than to get excited: I'm a huge BB fan (and former owner of more than a few), but I know how they do business. You'll see just enough promotion to get the faithful excited, have a stand full of them at Summer NAMM, then they will run way over their projected release date, be very constrained supply-wise to the dealers if not outright back-ordered, then a year from now they'll get dumped all over the internet while guys are saying 'whatever happened to those BB's they announced last year . . . . . . .'

I waited over a year back in the day for a US BB2000 (which they could never supply), but I got to admit the Yamaha rep did his best to soothe me, told me the one they had with my name on it got sidetracked and sent to David Hungate . . . . . . . .
Click to expand...
I borrowed that bass from Hungate and kept it a couple of years before I gave it back, Pearl White Metallic with gold hardware.. I think he still has it, do you want me to ask him if it's for sale?
 
#385
twc1313 said:
So my final word on the new BB 434s is not a good one. Having been through 3 (yes 3) they all had defects. The first one's G tuner was bent and the clover wobbled horribly because of this. The second one (pictured above) had the G and E clovers bent and loose, so loose that they would rattle like crazy when the open string was played. Yamaha sent me replacement tuners and on the package they are listed as the tuners for the 234, so there is one cost cut. Also this most recent one had the string retainer pop off due to a poorly drilled and stripped hole for the screw, it could not be reset and just spun in the wood. The jazz p'up also was loose and made a rattling noise when my thumb rested or hit it, no screw adjustments could remedy this.

The 424x series is of a much much higher quality than the 434. It seems to me that the new 700s are on a quality level of the old 400s and the 434 has lost the most (cheap tuners, p'ups are of a lesser stability, no chrome encasement, and overall lesser build).

I've been put off so much by the 434's I've gotten an returned that I am not going back. Shame because the BB's sound killer, or at least the 424x does.
Click to expand...
Yes, those tuners were absolute crap like I've never seen. If mine didn't sound so d*mned good I'd of sent it back. My P, Jazz, and SG sound all unique from this BB instrument....so I kept it.

But......I jacked up the headstock finish getting a ridiculously tight bushing out. Seriously, no bushing should ever be that tight, and in removal I discovered a hidden flaw. Again, the sound is great, so I just did what I do, and customized my bass. Looks great.

I'm installing wood floors if any one needs advice.
 

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#390
Hi folks, anyone willing to share BB 424 neck measurements? I know nut width is 40 mm, but I can't find info about neck width at twelve fret. I also would like to know the neck depth (at nut and twelve fret).

Many thanks in advance. Best regards from the Southern Hemisphere.
 
#391
#395
My new BB735A is 9.7 lbs. In contrast my two Fender Precisions are 8.7 and 8.8 lbs. I figure the extra material on the wide five string neck, and the weight of that heavy B string, and extra tuner, and preamp, plus the extra three knobs are the culprits.
Meh...not much of a burden to bear considering all that. A three hour show didn't bother me in the least. I'm 60 years old and a rather slight 5'11" 170 lb male. I think I'll live. LOL
 
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#398
I was just thinking that what the world really needs right now is yet another another retro Fender inspired bass =)
It's another decision made for mainstream commercial fashion reasons, not good design.
 
#400
Lol.. Yeah... It's something with the Yamaha thread... But if Spector comes out with a copy the fan boys are all over it.

I for one give props to Yamaha for updating one of their classic designs.

People were asking for Musicman and Ibanez to come out with something new for Namm, but here we are with the Grooveline and Bongo and then the same people all of a sudden become haters for anything other than the classic designs.

Some people enjoy just trashing on anything new despite always asking for it.
 
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