New Yamaha Billy Sheehan Attitude Limited 3

[verycoolname]

Hey guys, I did a brief search and couldn't find anything related to this bass, so I figured I'd start a thread.

I was just looking around on Sweetwater, and when I filtered the basses by Newest first I saw this...

I've never owned (or even played) an Attitude (though I do like Sheehan), and I'm quite intrigued. I like the looks, and the pickup options sound cool. It has a Yamaha designed "woofer pickup" and a DiMarzio Will Power (designed with Sheehan's help) in the middle. There's also a switch that makes the neck pickup boost bass output from the woofer pickup. Also has separate outputs for each pickup, but can be ran in mono as well. Only comes in Sonic Blue, which doesn't bother me because it's one of my favorite colors.

And here's the page for more more detailed info...

 

[Gluvhand]

I like it. Not $2500 like, but like it.

 

[Jefff]

Not to be heretical, but I never cared for Billys tone.

 

[wvbass]

Whether or not you like Billy Sheehan's playing style, you can't deny the guy can play. His tone definitely isn't for everyone, it works for him and he knows what he likes gear-wise. He doesn't change things just for the sake of changing them. I'd love to know what led to the change of neck pickups, and when the new one offers that the old one didn't. I also wonder what this pickup has in common with the similar-looking one on the lower-priced Sheehan BB bass.

 

[20db pad]

Sheehan said in a video that the new low end pickup was Yamaha's idea and that it was designed for use in this bass, around 3:58 on :

 

[draygriff]

I have one being delivered today. If it arrives in time I shall use it at the gig tonight. Nothing like a trial by fire!

This is an actual picture of the bass before it left Sweetwater. I know it looks like all the other BS (Bill Shehan) basses but I thought I'd share it anyway. I gotta tell y'all, I am a bit excited. Nothing like a new bass it bring out the "kid at Christmas" in a 61 year old. OBTW, the gig tonight is with a country band!

 

[FrenchBassQC]

I like it. Not $2500 like, but like it.

At that price you're saving $2,000, come on it's a deal....

 

[Michael B]

Make sure to grab the neck and yank on it.

 

[Gorn]

I very badly want one of these.

 

[draygriff]

Here's a few things I DON'T like. The bass doesn't fit snugly in the case. It's a nice hard-shell case made in the USA but it's a generic bass case and the instrument does slide around a bit. There was absolutely no documentation as to the layout of the controls included with the bass. No strap and no cable. I would have thrown the cable away but I would have liked a Yamaha strap. I'll continue this thread later. Here is what I think is the control layout:

• Neck PU Vol
• Tone control w/ push/pull (I think pulling up cuts highs from the neck PU)
• P Bass PU Vol w/ push/pull. Pulling up sends a mono signal from both PUPs to the uppermost output jack.

 

[draygriff]

Still in the "Honeymoon" period. So far so good. I did get compliments on how the bass looked. It's about as heavy as your normal Fender bass. The neck feels good. More of a P Bass feel. The DiMarzio pickup is louder than the Yamaha double coil but rolling back the rear volume a bit does even things out. I still brought a Fender as a backup but it never left the case. So far I've only run straight into my rig and it sounds really good.

 

[Fathand]

The newest iteration of this bass is my least favorite, but if given the chance to get it for a good price I'd still get it. The Ltd II's are my favourite, the (legendary) Seafoam Green and the last version of the II in Lava Red or black. Too bad the deals on these are hard to come by in my country (or in Europe, for that matter). Always been a fan of Billy's

 

[Mr. Wu]

I just ordered one and I'm excited about it ... Thanks for the feedback. Would love to hear some more ... Thanks

 

[ubnomnar]

Still in the "Honeymoon" period. So far so good. I did get compliments on how the bass looked. It's about as heavy as your normal Fender bass. The neck feels good. More of a P Bass feel. The DiMarzio pickup is louder than the Yamaha double coil but rolling back the rear volume a bit does even things out. I still brought a Fender as a backup but it never left the case. So far I've only run straight into my rig and it sounds really good.

I just ordered one and I'm excited about it ... Thanks for the feedback. Would love to hear some more ... Thanks

Nice to see a couple guys showing some Attitude They are amazing basses that seem to be highly overlooked.

I'm something of an Attitude LTD-A-Holic, and I've owned a few from each series.

The LTD3 is my favorite. Mine currently weighs 8 lb 11 oz with Hipshot Ultralite tuners which greatly improve the balance.

 

[draygriff]

Yup, this is a keeper. Anyone want to buy my Am Std P Bass?

 

[pravus]

I haven't ever had the chance to see one of these in person but what I remember Billy Sheehan saying about it is that it is the real deal. A lot of signature series guitars are a compromise to keep costs down but this thing is a copy of Billy's bass from my understanding. The unique scallops and design are very attractive to me and it's interesting if you have ever seen interviews where Billy talks about it. If you like the tone you hear in videos and recordings I can't see how you could go wrong. Yamaha makes high quality instruments and this at the top of their line.

 

[Sgt. Rock]

Still in the "Honeymoon" period. So far so good. I did get compliments on how the bass looked. It's about as heavy as your normal Fender bass. The neck feels good. More of a P Bass feel. The DiMarzio pickup is louder than the Yamaha double coil but rolling back the rear volume a bit does even things out. I still brought a Fender as a backup but it never left the case. So far I've only run straight into my rig and it sounds really good.

I have DiMarzio Will Power neck and middle pickups in my Precision that's wired up just like an Attitude Ltd II. It has exactly the opposite output characteristics as what you're describing. That neck pickup has a LOT of output, and a little goes a really long way. It's easy to overpower the middle pickup completely. Sounds like the new Yamaha pickup was designed to go in the other direction. It's probably just Billy's preference, but it's interesting.

To really bring out the tonal possibilities you're going to want to run it in stereo with the neck amp stack eq'd specifically for lows and the other one for mids/highs. MASSIVE sound.

 

[draygriff]

I do have the 80hz para EQ cut on my amp. I get bitched at for having too many lows in my sound so this might be the reason the neck PU is not as loud as the Will Power P pickup. Nonetheless, this is a P bass on steroids.

 

[Mr. Wu]

I just got mine this week (Black Limited 3); it's definitely a "Monster". In really digging the big bottom and midrange punch ... I'm a Fender Jazz player so I'm getting used to the new bass and associated "tweaks" on my pedalboard. The pickups are definitely hotter than a Jazz Bass. All good ... Looking forward to rehearsal this week to see how it sits in the mix. I'm running it through a Darkglass VMTD/EBS Sheehan/VTDI ... Massive sound

 

[draygriff]

This is a great bass to break away from the standard P and J sounds. I've been running the bass in mono with the woofer volume wide open, the woofer tone fully clockwise and the pot pushed in, the rear pot pulled out and the volume rolled back a bit to even the pickup volumes. This also allows for a bit of volume tweaking for solo bass intros and that extra oomph needed at the end of the night. Still haven't tried any pedals yet. Will probably hook up my Rotoshpere pedal this weekend.