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Yamaha bb1024x vs bb424x
- Thread starter mpmackenna
- Start date
IMO I think Yamaha BB series basses are ALL awesome including the cheapest ones they make. Just get the cheaper one. It will be worth it. IME when you start getting into the 1k range, there are better (used) basses to be had like Musicman 5 strings, Peavey Cirrus, etc...
I'm thinking they will be pretty close in playing and sound, so I would go with the cheaper one myself.
Hi.
I currently own a 414x (in vintage white) which is a very good instrument for its price (bought new in march 2009 for 380 € here in France) and was planning upgrading it to the 424x because of the 5 piece neck. But since then the price of the 1024x dropped to around 875 € and I think the addition of these cool features : spline joint 3-piece body structure, diagonal body thru stringing hi-mass bridge, split blade Alnico 5 neck pickup and nickel silver nut (icing on the cake) are definitely worth it. So IMO taking the 1024x is an educated choice that I will make as soon as the rent will be paid. Those new BBs are excellent so my answer to your question is yes.
Hope that helps. Sorry for my bad English.
I currently own a 414x (in vintage white) which is a very good instrument for its price (bought new in march 2009 for 380 € here in France) and was planning upgrading it to the 424x because of the 5 piece neck. But since then the price of the 1024x dropped to around 875 € and I think the addition of these cool features : spline joint 3-piece body structure, diagonal body thru stringing hi-mass bridge, split blade Alnico 5 neck pickup and nickel silver nut (icing on the cake) are definitely worth it. So IMO taking the 1024x is an educated choice that I will make as soon as the rent will be paid. Those new BBs are excellent so my answer to your question is yes.
Hope that helps. Sorry for my bad English.
I don't think it would be worth it, I think the passive electronics in the 424 should be enough. I can't see much difference other than the active electronics (maybe?) and that to me isn't worth the dough.
I tried both.
There are subtle differences, but ones worth noting. I own the 424 currently, but the 1024 has certain features such as the aforementioned nickel-silver nut and 3 piece body, but it has a different pickup. If you notice, the neck pickup should be a blade and the 424's are normal pole pieces. I think the pickups in the 1024 are the same as the one if 2024, but not 100% on that. The 1024 is also passive, not active.
There seems to be a subtle strength and fatness on the blade pickups, but then again it was in a loud convention where I tried them. Here's the ONE major difference I saw: whenever I kinda smack the strings, either slapped or just hitting the strings against the fingerboard, the 424 's pickup is a little spikier. I tried remedying it with some electrical tape over the pole pieces, but still pretty peaky. The 1024 is much less peaky.
There are small differences, but the 424 does hold its own.
There are subtle differences, but ones worth noting. I own the 424 currently, but the 1024 has certain features such as the aforementioned nickel-silver nut and 3 piece body, but it has a different pickup. If you notice, the neck pickup should be a blade and the 424's are normal pole pieces. I think the pickups in the 1024 are the same as the one if 2024, but not 100% on that. The 1024 is also passive, not active.
There seems to be a subtle strength and fatness on the blade pickups, but then again it was in a loud convention where I tried them. Here's the ONE major difference I saw: whenever I kinda smack the strings, either slapped or just hitting the strings against the fingerboard, the 424 's pickup is a little spikier. I tried remedying it with some electrical tape over the pole pieces, but still pretty peaky. The 1024 is much less peaky.
There are small differences, but the 424 does hold its own.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I like the 5-string but the string spacing is a bit narrow for me. I like a narrow nut with a wide bridge. This one has a good B-string, but there's very little taper in terms of the nut to bridge ratio.
I have owned both. The 1024X is BY FAR the nicest sounding bass I have ever played and although the 424X is also a decent bass, the 1024X is MUCH nicer. You get a nickel nut, 3 piece spline joint body, a much nicer higher mass bridge, a finished front headstock, and warmer/louder pick ups. It is WELL worth the price increase, absolutely. The 1024x IS basically EXACTLY like the 2024x.... minus the fancy exotic wood treatments.... and the 1024X is made in Indonesia while the 2024X is made in Japan...other than that they are the same bass. You also get a REALLY nice gig bag with the 1024X, a hardshell with the 2024X, and no case with the 424X. The 424X is a great bass, but also an entry level one. Save up some extra cash and get the 1024X...it's a pro caliber instrument.
Wow, thanks for the great response. I am going to follow your advice and save my coins for a while.
Thanks,
Mike
I've owned the 1025X, and currently own the 425 (not X). It's my understanding the only difference between the 425 and 425X is the pickguard. If not, then disregard my review.
I personally couldn't justify the price difference between the two basses. The 1025X was nice, but it didn't feel like a $900 bass to me. The 425 is about half the price, and I feel it's a nice value. Comparing it to the 425 I own, the 1025X played and sounded about the same. Close enough that I couldn't see spending the extra coin to have it.
All my opinion of course.
I personally couldn't justify the price difference between the two basses. The 1025X was nice, but it didn't feel like a $900 bass to me. The 425 is about half the price, and I feel it's a nice value. Comparing it to the 425 I own, the 1025X played and sounded about the same. Close enough that I couldn't see spending the extra coin to have it.
All my opinion of course.
Hi from France.
Here is my story...
Having read good reviews of the Yamaha 1024x and also after having seen that many of the finest french pro bass player are using the latest yamaha bb 2024x and 2025x I decicided to buy a BB 1024x.
I couldn't find one in a local music store so I ordered one.At first look the bass seemed in perfect condition, quality seal and test approval ok.
Plugged in, no problem except fret buzz nearly on each open string...so I decide to bring my longly expected and beloved BB to an experienced and renowned luthier in Belgium.
After two visits and several attempts for tuning the bass the sad truth appears : unstable neck !!!
What a disappointment...I had to send it back and after hesitation asked for money back instead od an exchange fearing the same thing could happen again...
After that one question is haunting my brain : how a company with such a serious reputation as Yamaha can make so poor controls on wood quality for a bass costing more than 1000???
What do they call quality seal of approval??? an approximate test of 20 seconds in a noisy indonesian factory???
Or perhaps am I the less lucky yamaha bb 1024X buyer?
Here is my story...
Having read good reviews of the Yamaha 1024x and also after having seen that many of the finest french pro bass player are using the latest yamaha bb 2024x and 2025x I decicided to buy a BB 1024x.
I couldn't find one in a local music store so I ordered one.At first look the bass seemed in perfect condition, quality seal and test approval ok.
Plugged in, no problem except fret buzz nearly on each open string...so I decide to bring my longly expected and beloved BB to an experienced and renowned luthier in Belgium.
After two visits and several attempts for tuning the bass the sad truth appears : unstable neck !!!
What a disappointment...I had to send it back and after hesitation asked for money back instead od an exchange fearing the same thing could happen again...
After that one question is haunting my brain : how a company with such a serious reputation as Yamaha can make so poor controls on wood quality for a bass costing more than 1000???
What do they call quality seal of approval??? an approximate test of 20 seconds in a noisy indonesian factory???
Or perhaps am I the less lucky yamaha bb 1024X buyer?
i bought a bb1024x from an ebay store a couple weeks ago for $830 shipped and have played it alot.
the short story is i love it. my main bass is a 1963 pbass, so you know my perspective.
setup - surprisingly, the setup right out of the box was fantastic, really. and the radius of the neck isn't flat, it looks and feels more like a vintage bass. the setup was what i consider very low, but still with no buzzing or fretting out. the neck width feels like my 90's mia jazz bass, but a bit beefier, which i really like. i don't know what it's strung with, but the strings are bright, but not too much and still beefy. a bit too bright and zingy for me, but i think most folks would like these better than my go to thomastik superalloys. i love the fret size! finally, a bass with smaller, but not tiny, frets. they're not quite as small as the frets on my old pbass, but definitely smaller than most modern basses i've played. i can't really comment on the steel nut, as i've never owned a bass without a bone type of nut. i can say it was slotted perfectly. kudos to whoever set this bass up. i did not expect it and it was a more than pleasant surprise.
sound - it has a 3 way pup toggle, which i love!, so it limits the pup settings to p pup soloed, p and j pups equally blended, or j pup soloed. this is the first p/j pickup bass i've owned, so i don't have a reference other than to compare it to other pbass and jbasses i've owned. the p pup sounds great. it's hotter than the lollar in my pbass, but sounds like a good pbass should. it does not sounded hyped or altered like a dimarzio or bart or emg, just like a hotter vintage pbass pup. the p/j pups blended sounds somewhat like a jazz bass in that the mids get a bit scooped for that hollow sound, but the lows seem more focused. i like this sound and it's a new one for me. it sounds great with distortion and picked or clean slapped. very different than just the pbass pup but the volume seems exactly the same between the settings. awesome. the jpup soloed kills. i've always liked that burpy bridge jazz bass sound, but my jazz basses with the bridge soloed always sounded thin without some additional eq. none is needed with the bridge jazz pup soloed on this bass. burpy but beefy and at the same volume as the other pup settings. again, awesome. i think this will make the bass and its different sounds so much more usable live. i would feel comfortable changing sounds within a song just with the pup settings and not worry about the mix changing. the blended and bridge pup soloed do have just a bit of hum, but not nearly as bad as my jazz bass. i record a fair bit at home, which is a 1960 mid century modern house with spotty and ungrounded electric, so i'm sensitive to hum. i expected worse, and am pleasantly surprised by how quiet this bass is for a passive bass. i'm one of those guys that always keeps the tone knob full on and makes any needed adjustments at the amp or console, so i can't comment on the tone control. it does and doesn't do what all such tone controls do...
construction - i like vintage basses, so some of the more modern features are usually lost on me. stuff like the splined body, multi-piece neck, angled string thru bridge don't impress me, only because i don't have the experience to know the benefit over traditional construction. until now i think. if all that stuff contributed to how great this bass plays, sounds and feels, then i'm now a believer. there no dead spots or wolf tones on this neck. i'm not a flashy player, but i do play the entire neck and i'm picky about dead spots and wolf tones. i can live with them, but i have to know the bass well enough to play around them. not with this bass, it plays and sounds great all over the neck. another nice surprise. as with most newer cnc made instruments, the bass seems very well made with crazy perfect tolerances. the hardware all seems high quality. i do like the angled string thru bridge and that softer angle makes much more sense to me than the usual string thru bridges with a sharper angle. i don't know why, and i don't know if it really makes a difference, but i like it. i'm not picky about finishes and usually prefer beat basses, so my opinion likely isn't valid, but the finish looks fine to me with no issues. i bought the 'caramel' finish, which is a translucent finish in a darker, browner toned amber. the black pickuard and chrome hardware gives the bass a modern vintage look and feel, which i like.
that's a pretty good overall description for the bass i think, modern vintage. the only thing that would make this bass cooler for me is if they had that 70's fender translucent mocha finish and maple necks available. but, i'm happy to have such a great stock bass that's well suited for me. and it's all about me, right?
i hope this rant helps someone considering this bass.
tony
the short story is i love it. my main bass is a 1963 pbass, so you know my perspective.
setup - surprisingly, the setup right out of the box was fantastic, really. and the radius of the neck isn't flat, it looks and feels more like a vintage bass. the setup was what i consider very low, but still with no buzzing or fretting out. the neck width feels like my 90's mia jazz bass, but a bit beefier, which i really like. i don't know what it's strung with, but the strings are bright, but not too much and still beefy. a bit too bright and zingy for me, but i think most folks would like these better than my go to thomastik superalloys. i love the fret size! finally, a bass with smaller, but not tiny, frets. they're not quite as small as the frets on my old pbass, but definitely smaller than most modern basses i've played. i can't really comment on the steel nut, as i've never owned a bass without a bone type of nut. i can say it was slotted perfectly. kudos to whoever set this bass up. i did not expect it and it was a more than pleasant surprise.
sound - it has a 3 way pup toggle, which i love!, so it limits the pup settings to p pup soloed, p and j pups equally blended, or j pup soloed. this is the first p/j pickup bass i've owned, so i don't have a reference other than to compare it to other pbass and jbasses i've owned. the p pup sounds great. it's hotter than the lollar in my pbass, but sounds like a good pbass should. it does not sounded hyped or altered like a dimarzio or bart or emg, just like a hotter vintage pbass pup. the p/j pups blended sounds somewhat like a jazz bass in that the mids get a bit scooped for that hollow sound, but the lows seem more focused. i like this sound and it's a new one for me. it sounds great with distortion and picked or clean slapped. very different than just the pbass pup but the volume seems exactly the same between the settings. awesome. the jpup soloed kills. i've always liked that burpy bridge jazz bass sound, but my jazz basses with the bridge soloed always sounded thin without some additional eq. none is needed with the bridge jazz pup soloed on this bass. burpy but beefy and at the same volume as the other pup settings. again, awesome. i think this will make the bass and its different sounds so much more usable live. i would feel comfortable changing sounds within a song just with the pup settings and not worry about the mix changing. the blended and bridge pup soloed do have just a bit of hum, but not nearly as bad as my jazz bass. i record a fair bit at home, which is a 1960 mid century modern house with spotty and ungrounded electric, so i'm sensitive to hum. i expected worse, and am pleasantly surprised by how quiet this bass is for a passive bass. i'm one of those guys that always keeps the tone knob full on and makes any needed adjustments at the amp or console, so i can't comment on the tone control. it does and doesn't do what all such tone controls do...
construction - i like vintage basses, so some of the more modern features are usually lost on me. stuff like the splined body, multi-piece neck, angled string thru bridge don't impress me, only because i don't have the experience to know the benefit over traditional construction. until now i think. if all that stuff contributed to how great this bass plays, sounds and feels, then i'm now a believer. there no dead spots or wolf tones on this neck. i'm not a flashy player, but i do play the entire neck and i'm picky about dead spots and wolf tones. i can live with them, but i have to know the bass well enough to play around them. not with this bass, it plays and sounds great all over the neck. another nice surprise. as with most newer cnc made instruments, the bass seems very well made with crazy perfect tolerances. the hardware all seems high quality. i do like the angled string thru bridge and that softer angle makes much more sense to me than the usual string thru bridges with a sharper angle. i don't know why, and i don't know if it really makes a difference, but i like it. i'm not picky about finishes and usually prefer beat basses, so my opinion likely isn't valid, but the finish looks fine to me with no issues. i bought the 'caramel' finish, which is a translucent finish in a darker, browner toned amber. the black pickuard and chrome hardware gives the bass a modern vintage look and feel, which i like.
that's a pretty good overall description for the bass i think, modern vintage. the only thing that would make this bass cooler for me is if they had that 70's fender translucent mocha finish and maple necks available. but, i'm happy to have such a great stock bass that's well suited for me. and it's all about me, right?
i hope this rant helps someone considering this bass.
tony
