I ordered a vintage white BB234 from GC that will be here on Friday! Guess I got one of the last ones because it now says order now to ship on 8-15. I have been looking everywhere for a P or PJ bass that had a neck in between a P and a J and it was always one or the other but mostly jazz necks which I hate. Picked up an RBX170 in GC the other day and immediately loved the neck and the tone and bought it despite hating pointy guitars and 24 frets. Found out the BBs had the same necks with 21 frets and a body style I much prefer, read nothing but good things about the line and ordered one right away. I usually stick to Fender/Squier but these look and sound great from everything Ive seen on YT and read online and the price is awesome. Will post a NBD when it shows up.
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New Yamaha BB series
- Thread starter hypercarrots
- Start date
Vintage white is just such a great look! Please excuse the gratuitous pic of my BB1025...
hi guys, sorry to derail... but I have seen one local online shop here in AU and their tmb100 is same price as the Yamaha BB234 (on sale). I wanted to have a PJ bass since I already have a 5+string with humbuckers. To those who have tried both, what do you recommend? thanks.
I had the TMB100 and didnt like it. Didnt really like the tone, the neck, the mahogany body, crap jatoba board etc...Returned it a few days later. I have a 234 and it feels like a big step up. Everything on it is better and you get an alder body and rosewood board.
the specs on the yamaha you've mentioned were my biggest consideration. I just wanted to know some insights for those who have tried the talman TMB100, my 5-string (trbx305) is great but wanted to have a PJ bass, I have a trbx174 before but sold it for the 305.
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Just got my BB434, the bass was facing down (don't know if it's the standard of this basses) when I opened the box up, neck is straight, action was quite high and intonation was off, so I set it up and played with it, it's got a nice growl to it on P, the J is nasally which I like, feel and finish of the entire bass is perfect for the price.
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Just got my BB434, the bass was facing down (don't know if it's the standard of this basses) when I opened the box up, neck is straight, action was quite high and intonation was off, so I set it up and played with it, it's got a nice growl to it on P, the J is nasally which I like, feel and finish of the entire bass is perfect for the price.
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I've been following the Yamaha threads and trying to find seasoned player who can comment on the durability of the matte black finish on the 734a/735a. I currently own one and like it, but am quite concerned with how the finish will hold up while gigging/practicing. Can anyone comment on the wear and tear of your BB735a/734a? Does the matte finish hold up or does it wear and chip? In other words, can it handle the abuse of regular play. Thanks!
I have a Yamaha Bass, model BB734a, serial number: HNX033044, purchased in 2018.
This bass had suffered a huge damage in both pickups (it is a PJ configuration) and the preamp and the volume and blend electronics are not working correctly..
When the volume knob is full on, it cuts all the sound, so I have to pull off a little to get the full sound. And the blend knob is not blending, just one side is getting sound, the other half that supposed to be the J pickup has no sound. So I have the P sound and sound in the middle position.
The question is, where can I buy a new set o PJ original pickups for this model and also buy a new preamp an all the electronics and knobs for this model?
Yamaha support is complicated, want you to call their phone number for maybe get some help..
This bass had suffered a huge damage in both pickups (it is a PJ configuration) and the preamp and the volume and blend electronics are not working correctly..
When the volume knob is full on, it cuts all the sound, so I have to pull off a little to get the full sound. And the blend knob is not blending, just one side is getting sound, the other half that supposed to be the J pickup has no sound. So I have the P sound and sound in the middle position.
The question is, where can I buy a new set o PJ original pickups for this model and also buy a new preamp an all the electronics and knobs for this model?
Yamaha support is complicated, want you to call their phone number for maybe get some help..
Just out of curiosity... is all of this only happening when it is in active mode? Could it just need a battery replacement?
if it is happening in active and passive, then is sounds like wiring issues (pickups after all are just magnets). So option 1 is to have it serviced and have all the connections rejoined, pots cleaned/replaced etc. Option 2 to is to replace everything. The good news about option 2 is that the new bb basses allow for standard replacement parts. So go find a set of p/j picks and a on-board/3 knob preamp that meets your needs and swap them out.
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I have those wall stands... the bass fall from it, luckly the floor is not solid wood or something...
Cleaning it might not help the issue of wear over time.
IME, I've owned a couple of matte finished instruments and the problem is they tend to develop "shiny spots" where your hands make frequent contact on the body - generally in the pick area because the matte finish gets worn smooth in those contact spots over time.
NuFinish car polish is great on bass finishes, seriously.
I wouldn't use it on a old vintage lacquer finish but on the poly finishes they use today, it works great.
It will protect it quite well.
I've never played bass before but after fifty years of playing guitar I thought I'd give it a shot while holed up at home so I just ordered a new BB435 TB with rosewood fretboard. After about a week of reading on the net and calls to guitar shops here in Australia I am hoping I've made the right choice. I thought about the maple fretboard but several of my regular guitars have them and genuine rosewood is pretty rare these days. Anyway I'm really looking forward to it arriving.
On a side note I also bought a short scale Squier Bronco to see if I can teach my wife how to play. She's 65 and a stroke survivor with very limited use of her right side but a very strong will. She has tried for years to play guitar but forming chords is just too much. Hoping she can manage a few simple bass riffs.
Anyway we're getting set to have a go and make the most of being house bound.
On a side note I also bought a short scale Squier Bronco to see if I can teach my wife how to play. She's 65 and a stroke survivor with very limited use of her right side but a very strong will. She has tried for years to play guitar but forming chords is just too much. Hoping she can manage a few simple bass riffs.
Anyway we're getting set to have a go and make the most of being house bound.
I have a question regarding the BB735A...
Does anyone know, or can anyone find out, what the exact distance from where the ball end on the low B sits to where it clears the saddle when strung thru-body? If I were to use a tapered/exposed-core B string, how long would the tapered/exposed part need to be to work properly on that particular bass?
Thanks.
Does anyone know, or can anyone find out, what the exact distance from where the ball end on the low B sits to where it clears the saddle when strung thru-body? If I were to use a tapered/exposed-core B string, how long would the tapered/exposed part need to be to work properly on that particular bass?
Thanks.
I just changed the strings on mine, I'll measure the B that I took off and let you know. You'll need a pretty long taper.
I don't mean to be a pest, but just checking back to see if you might have the info I requested a couple of days ago?
Thanks.
It's about 2" from the front of the ball end, thru the body, to where the string breaks over the bridge saddle. I'd think 3 or more inches of taper would work and give you room for intonation.
Thanks for the info.
I don't own a BB735A...yet. But my go-to string for my Yamaha TRBX505 is the GHS Pressurewounds matched up with GHS Progressive 130B with 2" of exposed core. The B works great on it with the top-load-only bridge.
Ken Smith Compressors are the closest cousin to the GHS Pressurewounds, both being Alloy 52 "rollerwound" made by GHS. One of the differences between KS and GHS is the PW 128B is non-tapered, while the Compressor 125B is taperwound, and the tapered portion is 2.5" instead of the usual 2". Based on the info you provided, I'm thinking 2.5" could possibly work on the 735A thru-body.
