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Yamaha BB405 upgrade capabilities

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daemonicus

May 5, 2008
14
0
#1
Hello all :P
A friend of mine has a 5-string yamaha bb405 and he is giving it away cause he realised he isn't the 5-string type :P
Me on the other hand , as a newbie player, i want to get a 5er for the range and for the ease of it :)

My question is : Is this bass a good base for upgrade ???? I would like to pick it , play it , and when i get the cash , get some new pickups or change some part that would make the instrument better.
Additionally , what do you think should be changed beside the pickups that ain't that great?

The model is this (not sure about the year or where it was manifactured) :

http://www.instrumentguide.com/basses/yamaha/bb405 5-string/
 
#3
I would play it first before deciding to "upgrade" it. Most every Yamaha I've played sounded good out of the box, and played pretty well too. If you do play it, and it isn't to you're liking, you should be able to upgrade it fairly easily. Looks like it has standard Jazz-style pickups... Bartolini, EMG, Nordstrand, Lindy Fralin, Dimarzio, etc. all make pickups to fit that style. As far as anything else, you can always add a preamp if you want more flexibility, although, not being able to see the back, I can't tell if there is enough room to add one. When it comes to bridges and tuners, IMO, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Hope this helps!
 
#4
Thanx mate, i 've played that bass, and on my hands it was quite comfortable, and i don't think there are huge problems that a service and and a good setup won't solve.
It sound quite ok, having that jazzy mids i really love. But since i want that bass for a learning bass mostly , i would like a bigger range, so i will get some pickups later on.
At the back of it , there is plenty of room for one or even 2 batteries besides the electronics, so no big deal :) The thing i was thinking about , is the wood. I am not a pro , so can't tell if it is good or not...
 
#5
Alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard... all standard woods, used a lot in Fenders and other basses. It's a classic combination, but it'll all come down to personal preference.
 

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