• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Next string suggestion for Yamaha TRBX605?

vindibona1

vindibona1

Apr 18, 2015
3,136
3,495
65
#1
When I got my Yamaha 605 a few months ago the D'Addario strings that came on it almost caused me to return the bass. What saved it was changing to a set of DR Pure Blues (45-130). They were a huge improvement. The sound is crisper and versatile at the same time. I'd like to get a little more "something" out of the strings and am not sure what I should try next.

I think DR makes a pretty good string but I'm not beholden to the brand. Based on a Sweetwater rep's suggestions I put D'Addario NYXL's on my Ibanez BTB, and for the most part like them on that bass. I'm torn between tryin NYXL's on the Yamaha- or moving to a different DR string set.

Suggestions and thoughts anyone?
 
#2
I use the GHS Pressurewound ML7200 (44-58-80-102) plus the 128-B on my Yamaha TRBX505.

Whether they can offer you the "little more something" you're looking for or not, you'll just have to find that out for yourself.

EDIT: I do agree the D'A XL Nickels are not the greatest match for these basses.
 
#4
vindibona1 said:
Give me a short review of how you think they sound.
Click to expand...

Two words I always use to describe the tone of the Pressurewounds - PUNCH and CRUNCH. Tight, meaty lows with just enough round-ish mids to be heard without being overly aggressive. If you're a zing lover, these are not for you. Look elsewhere.

I've always liked the responsiveness of the nickel-iron alloy (aka Alloy 52) and it seems to work well with the alnico humbuckers on the Yamaha both in active and passive. I'm quite satisfied with the way the low B string rings out clear and defined up and down the neck as well as being well-balanced with the rest tonally. Keep in mind, though, that this is my very first 5-string so I have nothing to compare it to. May be this is a case I don't know what I don't know. ;)

Also, if you're a fan of the DR Pure Blues, be cautioned that the PWs are noticeably stiffer-feeling, one of the reasons why I decided to stick with my tried and true ML7200 set (44-58-80-102) and simply add the 128-B instead of going with the factory 5-string set, M7200-5 (44-62-84-106-128).

I personally prefer the tone of well-broken-in nickel rounds over the fresh zing of a new set. The PWs come out of the package sounding like already-broken-in nickel rounds and stay that way for a long time; I can easily go 12 mths with a set. Think of them as "pre-washed, pre-shrunk pair of jeans".
 
  • Like
Reactions: e-flat
#5
michael_t said:
I use the GHS Pressurewound ML7200 (44-58-80-102) plus the 128-B on my Yamaha TRBX505.

Whether they can offer you the "little more something" you're looking for or not, you'll just have to find that out for yourself.

EDIT: I do agree the D'A XL Nickels are not the greatest match for these basses.
Click to expand...

michael_t said:
Two words I always use to describe the tone of the Pressurewounds - PUNCH and CRUNCH. Tight, meaty lows with just enough round-ish mids to be heard without being overly aggressive. If you're a zing lover, these are not for you. Look elsewhere.

I've always liked the responsiveness of the nickel-iron alloy (aka Alloy 52) and it seems to work well with the alnico humbuckers on the Yamaha both in active and passive. I'm quite satisfied with the way the low B string rings out clear and defined up and down the neck as well as being well-balanced with the rest tonally. Keep in mind, though, that this is my very first 5-string so I have nothing to compare it to. May be this is a case I don't know what I don't know. ;)

Also, if you're a fan of the DR Pure Blues, be cautioned that the PWs are noticeably stiffer-feeling, one of the reasons why I decided to stick with my tried and true ML7200 set (44-58-80-102) and simply add the 128-B instead of going with the factory 5-string set, M7200-5 (44-62-84-106-128).

I personally prefer the tone of well-broken-in nickel rounds over the fresh zing of a new set. The PWs come out of the package sounding like already-broken-in nickel rounds and stay that way for a long time; I can easily go 12 mths with a set. Think of them as "pre-washed, pre-shrunk pair of jeans".
Click to expand...

That's a great description of the PW's, especially the tip about the stiffness. What kinds of music would you say they excel in on this bass?
 
#6
vindibona1 said:
What kinds of music would you say they excel in on this bass?
Click to expand...

One of the things I love about the PWs is they occupy the sweet spot in the sonic space where they tend to respond well to EQ tweaks either to sound round-ish with nice crunchy mids going one way or to sound almost semi-flatwound-like with meaty lows with a subdued top end going the other way. I particularly like the way they work well with the mild overdrive I often use on my VT Bass DI for the extra grit and grind.

Combined with the versatility of the active/passive dual-humbucker, 3-band EQ set up on the Yamaha 505/605, they can excel in just about any style of music.
 
#7
Just thought I'd report... At this time I've got a set of D'Addario NYXL's ordered. My Sweetwater rep gave me a killer deal to try them on my Ibanez BTB and I liked them on that bass and I got the same deal to try on the Yamaha (which he also sold me at an extremely friendly price ).

I'm still not sure how the voicing might be different on the 605 vs the 505. Other than the body wood, they appear to be identical in every other way. What does your bass weigh exactly, Michael? Mine is 8 pounds 6 oz., a couple ounces lighter than my MIA Deluxe Strat.
 
#9
michael_t said:
Mine is almost 9 lbs. About the same as my Fender Am Std P, but lighter than my Jazz.
Click to expand...

Ok.. So quite similar in weight. I re-weighed my 605 and was 8 pounds 10 oz. Only a few ounces different than yours. In contrast my Jazz Bass 4 weighs 9 pounds 12 oz (9.75) my Fender 5er weighs 10.5 pounds (so quite the boat anchor). Ibanez BTB comes in at 9 pounds 10 oz (9.625) still a pound heavier than the Yamaha. I guess anything sub 9 pounds is pretty light as basses go.
 
#10
vindibona1 said:
Ok.. So quite similar in weight. I re-weighed my 605 and was 8 pounds 10 oz.
Click to expand...

I was visiting my local Yamaha dealer this afternoon, where I spotted a TRBX605 in Natural Satin. So, just out of curiosity, I reached up and took it off the display rack and noticed right away it was indeed lighter than my 505. Not a night and day difference, but enough for me to feel the difference - maybe half a pound.
 
#11
michael_t said:
I was visiting my local Yamaha dealer this afternoon, where I spotted a TRBX605 in Natural Satin. So, just out of curiosity, I reached up and took it off the display rack and noticed right away it was indeed lighter than my 505. Not a night and day difference, but enough for me to feel the difference - maybe half a pound.
Click to expand...

1/2 pound? That's seems about right. Did you plug it in and get any feelings about a sonic difference?

To follow up, on this round I elected to try D'Addario NYXL 45-130's on my 605. I really like them on my Ibanez, so I thought why not give it a shot. My sales rep gave me a really good deal to try them. So why not?

Day 1 right out of the package I'd say not ready for prime time. I definitely could not gig with these strings on the same day as installation. Today is day 2 and I got to play for a few minutes this evening after an early acoustic gig. They definitely mellowed some in 24+ hours as you'd expect. There is a nice crispness to them, but maybe still a little too bright. I suspect they'll settle in tomorrow or Monday. Based on how they sound tonight I think they'll be fine. I like the feel a lot. I think the feel that they gave me on my Ibby is what pushed me to try these on the Yamaha. I've got a bass gig next Friday night so the plan is to take the Yamaha.

Something else that I should mention is that yesterday with the new string, it all sounded better in passive mode. Today, different but probably equally as good.. I didn't like the Pure Blues strings anywhere near as much in the passive mode. Will I feel the same way in a few day? We'll find out.
 
#12
vindibona1 said:
Something else that I should mention is that yesterday with the new string, it all sounded better in passive mode.
Click to expand...

Since I got my new Yamaha, I've been playing it in the active mode every time I've been with the band. But I will be trying to see how it does in passive this weekend. When I'm practicing at home, I actually like the way it sounds in passive. I think it has to do with the fact my usual setup, including quiet home practice, includes the VT Bass DI. My ears seem to have been conditioned for the sound of a passive bass going through a preamp/DI (SansAmp BDDI/VT Bass DI).

Another thing I'll be trying as one of my "experiments" is to play my Yamaha in active through a Radial J48 DI.
 
#14
Gigglingbuns said:
How'd this experiment go? :D
Click to expand...

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I started out with GHS Pressurewounds on my TRBX505. Worked well enough to stay with them for 9 mths. Then I decided to experiment further with string choices a couple of months ago by switching to GHS Round Core Boomers. Not quite the right thing for this bass.

I figured maybe these alnico humbuckers need something with a bit more sparkle and snap to liven up the overall tone, so I just ordered a set of GHS Super Steels (40-58-80-102-126) to try. This is a giant leap of faith on my part as the one and only set of stainless steel rounds I've ever used since I started playing bass 10 yrs ago were DR Fat Beams that were on my J bass for only 3 weeks in 2013.

Meanwhile, something I've grown to appreciate about my 505 over the last year is its active tone. Took me a while to get used to it as it has a totally different tonal flavor from my two passive Fenders, but I'm really enjoying running my Yamaha in active more all the time now.
 
#15
My local GC drum SA own a Trbx605 and he has Elixir nano nickel 45-130 non tapered on it, tame the bass natural bright treble tone well meanwhile the B string still keep it clean and focus tone.
 
#16
Here are the next three legs of my string journey for the TRBX505 as I work my way up the GHS brightness scale...
  • Two months so far with the GHS Round Core Boomers (45-65-80-100-126), and I've just decided to replace the RCB 126B with the Pressurewound 128B as my first "mix-matching experiment" to see if the PW 128 (hex core) would give me the punch and definition that was lacking with the RCB 126.
  • GHS Bassics (hex core, 44-63-80-102-130). These consist of a nickel-plated steel (NPS) outer wrap over a stainless steel (SS) inner wrap underneath, making them slightly brighter than the regular hex-core Boomers, which are NPS over NPS.
  • GHS Super Steels (hex core, 40-58-80-102-126). SS is slightly out of my comfort zone, but I'm willing to boldly go where I haven't gone in almost six years in search of the right match for this particular bass.
I'd like to spend at least 3-4 mths with each of the three, so I'll have my final assessment sometime early next year.
 
#17
I'm experimenting with GHS precision flatwounds, light set, on my trbx504. They sound pretty good on there I must admit. Once I get to play this in a band environment, I'll decide whether they stay or go. It might seem odd to put flatwounds on a modern sounding instrument, but the brightness of the g-string with round wound sets is driving me crazy.
 
#19
Just a quick update to my earlier post...

michael_t said:
  • Two months so far with the GHS Round Core Boomers (45-65-80-100-126), and I've just decided to replace the RCB 126B with the Pressurewound 128B as my first "mix-matching experiment" to see if the PW 128 (hex core) would give me the punch and definition that was lacking with the RCB 126.
Click to expand...

This "mix-matching experiment" of mine is working out rather well so far as the Pressurewound 128B has brought back the punch and definition that was lacking with the RCB 126B. I'm also quite pleased with the way the PW low B is matching up surprisingly well with the rest tonally.

michael_t said:
  • GHS Super Steels (hex core, 40-58-80-102-126). SS is slightly out of my comfort zone, but I'm willing to boldly go where I haven't gone in almost six years in search of the right match for this particular bass.
Click to expand...

I've just canceled my order for the Super Steels after deciding I'm not quite ready to venture into the uncharted territory of stainless steels. Instead, I will be ordering a set of GHS Progressives to stay within my comfort zone for now. As a huge fan of the Pressurewound, I feel I owe it to myself to try their Alloy 52 sibling as a brighter alternative.
 
  • Like
Reactions: soflbass

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back