Yamaha BB424x successor?

[Kurtenstein]

Hi! I started bass a year ago (ex-drummer) on a Squire J Affinity. Pretty much satisfied but I'm having a craving for P-bass sound. The Yamaha BB424x seems quite interesting, looks and sound wise. However, it doesn't seem to be sold anymore here in Canada.

Does anybody know wich current Yamaha model replaced it? Or is pretty similar? Thx.

 

[4sight]

Hi!

I'm not sure if there is a direct replacement, but the BB434 seems to be the spiritual successor:


There's also the BB234 if you're on a tighter budget:


Yamaha make great basses in all price ranges, I don't think you'd go wrong with either

 

[michael_t]

BB Series - 400 Series - Yamaha - Canada - English

For a decent passive 4-string PJ, the BB434 is one of the best values.

The BB735A is what's at the top of my shopping list right now.

 

[hrodbert696]

Yep, the new BBs are the 434s. IMO it's a pretty significant shift in the character of the model; when I tried one out in a store it was a lot lighter than the old ones (yay good), and the tone was a more neutral modern sound rather than the old BB grind.

 

[garp]

If you have some patience and don't mind buying a pre-owned instrument, you'll likely be able to find a BB424X or even a BB414 (the predecessor to the 424X).

 

[Kurtenstein]

Good advice! I’d rather get a used instrument with that sort of tone. As far as price and quality go, is it true to say « the highet the model number (for the BB series), the better the instrument is »?

 

[michael_t]

As far as price and quality go, is it true to say « the higher the model number (for the BB series), the better the instrument is »?

"Better" as in features, not in overall quality.

 

[Kurtenstein]

...meaning « same quality, more or bettet features »?

 

[BobDeRosa]

First, good for you for realizing the value and quality of Yamaha basses. They are magnificent and often under-appreciated instruments.

I use a BB400, a BB434, a BB450 (all fretted), and a BB3000af (fretless), all bought used. Each of them is an outstanding instrument in its own way. The BB3000 is the only active one of the bunch, but there's no way I would call it orders of magnitude better than the others just because of its bigger number. They're all just wonderful basses.

Do you know about the "Vintage Yamaha Basses" group on Facebook? Lots of really smart people there who can probably answer your question with much more authority than I. But I have to say that I'm absolutely loving my latest acquisition -- the BB434 -- which I bought "distressed" on Ebay. As usual, Yamaha did lots of things right with that new BB series.

Last I knew, there was a pretty much brand-new BBP34 for $925 ($1500 new) and a BB3000 ($1100, I think) for sale right here on TB Classifieds. Both look like really good deals. Good luck.