Never had a Yamaha bass, but my Yamaha pro-tier saxophones are awesome. I have purple-label 62-series soprano, alto & tenor saxes and they are awesome horns. Quality construction, great intonation. Their pro horns are widely respected, and even their student-level horns are highly regarded. I wouldn't be surprised if this reputation carries over to other instruments.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
I've actually always liked the look of the BB basses... and I just bought my first one in the classifieds today! Looking forward to receiving it.
Ditto in trombone land - Yamaha has constructively courted input from leading jazz and classical players, in crafting their current top-end classical and jazz/commercial instruments.
And I love the basses! BB2000 fretted and fretless, and a 6-string first series TRB, with modified electronics.
I liked my Yamaha RBX375. I can understand that the BB instruments sound good, but I just don’t like the looks of them - the chrome around the pickups and the way the cutouts don’t “flow.” In general I don’t think I’m overlay concerned about looks but I’m just turned off by the bb shape.
There is a bb300s fretless at future music in highland park that is to die for
Big +1
I loved my Yamaha trombone. I thought it sounded far better than my (pricier) King. I totally regret getting rid of it.
I bought a relatively cheap Yamaha PB400RA (Pbass clone) from 1985 recently and it rocks. I have barely touched my other basses since.
I think Yamaha's issue (at least in Australia) is everyone stocks their cheap basses, also they don't have much mid-high level. It's all sub $1000~ AUD and then jumps to $3k+ for Japanese instruments.
I think Yamaha's issue (at least in Australia) is everyone stocks their cheap basses, also they don't have much mid-high level. It's all sub $1000~ AUD and then jumps to $3k+ for Japanese instruments.
Check out the new Yamaha BB series, no chrome. And the mid to high end BBs have awesome features like miter neck joint, 5 piece necks, string through body, heavy bridge, etc... They even have a active model. Yamaha is one company that listens to it's players and follows through. They did away with the toggle switch that had a lot of complaints, and they removed the chrome so people could add in 3rd party after market electronics.
You forgot John Patitucci as pro playing Yamaha for a long time (have a look at [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]).
Yamaha is first a musical company, hence the 3 tuning forks logo. It's been driven to other stuff by WWII.
The point is that they make excellent "study" instruments in every instrument type (when I mean study that is to say entry level up to semi-pro). My wife has a Yamaha sax. My daughter has a Yamaha flute. But when you come to high end instruments, generally the pros turn to specific brands : for the price of pro instruments there are better choices, so I was told (I don't play sax nor flute!). "Jack of all trades but master of none". Another point is that the top japanese instruments are as expensive as boutique basses (or basses perceived as boutique). Can Yamaha compete with, say, Sadowsky, in terms of brand recognition.
This being said I'm totally in love with my TRB6II. And I would now seriously consider buying a TRB4II whereas it would never had crossed my mind before I buy the 6 strings. Bass market is really Fender dominated (which is sad but that's another point).
Yamaha is first a musical company, hence the 3 tuning forks logo. It's been driven to other stuff by WWII.
The point is that they make excellent "study" instruments in every instrument type (when I mean study that is to say entry level up to semi-pro). My wife has a Yamaha sax. My daughter has a Yamaha flute. But when you come to high end instruments, generally the pros turn to specific brands : for the price of pro instruments there are better choices, so I was told (I don't play sax nor flute!). "Jack of all trades but master of none". Another point is that the top japanese instruments are as expensive as boutique basses (or basses perceived as boutique). Can Yamaha compete with, say, Sadowsky, in terms of brand recognition.
This being said I'm totally in love with my TRB6II. And I would now seriously consider buying a TRB4II whereas it would never had crossed my mind before I buy the 6 strings. Bass market is really Fender dominated (which is sad but that's another point).
Seldom is heard...a disparaging word......about Yamahas on this forum. Seriously, they get great love. They simply don't advertise and finding one to play in person is very challenging. Their best models are priced with the best of them as well. Hard to order online without playing one in person, in those price ranges.
I too, was biased against Yamaha basses. I was looking for a 5 string "P" at a reasonable price and had heard some good things about Yamaha basses so I figured "What the hell". So I ordered a BB435, knowing I could return it if I didn't like it. Well once I got it I plugged it in and was solidly impressed with the sound! I have a Fender Elite J 5 which is still my main squeeze, but I'll be bringing this BB435 as my back up and using it where only a P will do.
Very nice bass.
Very nice bass.
I almost bought one in the Summer of 1987 but opted for a BX-5 instead, going for something new and different for me at the time. I eventually had John Carruthers turn it into a fretless, and he did a superb job of it.
It wasn't this one, was it?
That was the bass I kept at the photo lab to practice on (and I gigged it, occasionally, too).
Yeah, only since the '80s or early '90s, or so.
I agree that Yamaha basses are good. For some, their Yamaha basses are most excellent.
In Japanese culture, it's totally okay for a single brand to occupy space in multiple, diverse markets. A Japanese company, Yamaha seems to succeed at that.
Yet, if Yamaha were from any other culture, then it would own separate divisions operating under other names to offer motorcycles, pianos, outboard motors, electric guitars and basses, etc. and never put one, same logo on it all.
In Japanese culture, it's totally okay for a single brand to occupy space in multiple, diverse markets. A Japanese company, Yamaha seems to succeed at that.
Yet, if Yamaha were from any other culture, then it would own separate divisions operating under other names to offer motorcycles, pianos, outboard motors, electric guitars and basses, etc. and never put one, same logo on it all.
Styling.
For me. I love the Yamaha sound. Hate the Yamaha look. So much so that I don’t buy it. I know I’m not the only one. They really need some new design people. Cause their audio product is fantastic. Their quality control spectacular. But their bass look is sub par. My opinion.
My first bass was a Yamaha RBX374. Great guitar. I agree with previous comments that they just aren't marketed for even carried that frequently.
I am really curious to hear more of your impressions here, because I basically -- and happily -- did the opposite.
When I started playing bass more than 20 years ago, good Fenders were out of my price range, and cheap Fenders were, well, cheap. [Their entry level models have improved markedly since then!] I ended up with a Yamaha BBN5, and I thought I was totally happy with it. I ended up getting several more Yamahas, ultimately using a TRB1005 for several years.
But I never got the sound I wanted. They seemed well built, but I wasn't sounding how I wanted to sound.
Thanks to resources like TalkBass, in 2012 I finally realized that one factor in almost every bass recording that I liked was that the bassist was playing a Fender. I traded by TRB1005 for a 1962 AVRI Precision, and my only question was, "why didn't I do this sooner?"
I just bought a BB235 based on all the good pub on here. For $199 it'll be my rehearsal 5 string. Looking forward to playing it!
