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Yamaha bb425 5 string on sale for $299

#81
I like what they've done with the necks and the string through on these new BBs and I've always thought the body shape was rather interesting. In my experience with the BB414 and 614 I liked the feel of the necks. I didn't care for their pickups as they sound more modern. But when the strings start to go dead then the pickups start to sound sweet. Of course they market these basses as "rock" basses anyway.

I bet a set of Dunlop nickels would sound pretty good on them from day one...

I still don't have a 5 string and at $299 that is a good deal.
 
#82
I use Dunlop nickles on my BB425 , just put a new set on Tuesday . The set I had before had a 130 B string and my new set has the 125 . I like the 125 better , it seems to set up better with that and the B is still clear and distinct . Dunlops nickles sound great on these .

I bought mine for $500 new before they went on clearance and I was happy with that . At the $299 price they really are a steal , very good basses and not just for the price .
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#83
Blues Bass 2 said:
I use Dunlop nickles on my BB425 , just put a new set on Tuesday . The set I had before had a 130 B string and my new set has the 125 . I like the 125 better , it seems to set up better with that and the B is still clear and distict . Dulops nickles sound great on these .

I bought mine for $500 new before they went on clearance and I was happy with that . At the $299 price they really are a steal , very good basses and not just for the price .
002-4.jpg
Click to expand...

That is beautiful.
 
#85
Blues Bass 2 said:
I use Dunlop nickles on my BB425 , just put a new set on Tuesday . The set I had before had a 130 B string and my new set has the 125 . I like the 125 better , it seems to set up better with that and the B is still clear and distinct . Dunlops nickles sound great on these .

I bought mine for $500 new before they went on clearance and I was happy with that . At the $299 price they really are a steal , very good basses and not just for the price .
002-4.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice! You did that on purpose didn't you? ;) That's a beauty. I've always liked Yamahas burst paint jobs.
 
#88
Received the bb425 in just a few days from Musician's Friend. Arrived well packed in a cardboard shipping box with anti-corrosive paper on the strings. De-tuned at the factory by almost a perfect half step. Intonation is very good and the low B is solid. Fit and finish are very good. 2 little spots on the neck have a little more texture than they should, but I'm confident they will disappear with a little [DEL]abuse[/DEL] playing. Pots have a nice heavy feel to them and the tuning machines feel very solid. The instrument is very attractive in vintage white. I am a studio player so most of my work is via DI, so I can't speak to the instruments amplified tone, but what I was very happy with what I was able to get during a writing session yesterday. New string brightness aside, I dialed in nice jazzy, slap, and muted dub tones very easily. The bass felt very familiar after a few minutes. The electronics are not quiet, nor is the tone as thick and woody as a more refined instrument, but for $280 this is a fine bass. The fit and finish are definitely on par with more expensive models, and the tones are passable. A+ thanks again TalkBass for turning me onto this great value.
 
#90
Hmmm....I don't have an exact measurement, but the neck is not quite as wide as a TRB 5 string, if that tells you anything.

I've played a ton of gigs on my sunburst BB425, and love the thing. I tune to Eflat, and still the low B sounds great, just can't hammer it like a longer scale bass.

I mainly use the next pup for a hot P sound, but when we do "Ants Marching", the bridge pup is just right. Great set up for variety.
 
#91
I've just pulled the trigger on the BB425 - my first 5er and my first Yamaha. I opted for the red metallic - just for the hell of it. I won't get to play it until Christmas though - I'm overseas! But I suspect the $299 offer (on Amazon, ex MF) will ensure that they sell out - that's why I pulled the trigger today.

I will write up a full report once I get my hands on it!

Thanks to all on this (and a couple of other BB425 threads) for their insights, constructive criticism and enthusiasm for this bass.
 
#93
CLMSHQ said:
Do you like it better than the Schecter Diamond P5?

I am leaning between the 2 if I do pull the trigger.
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The DP 5 Schecter, sad to say, (because I LOVED !!!! the sound of it) had to go, at 11+ lbs combined with the 35" scale ( 5 in line.... sheesh... I could hardly reach the G tuner), it was causing my left shoulder to hurt... and bad! Bursitis- a - Go -Go. So my answer is yes but not because of the tone (or sound). Oh Yeah..... I like the single volume and tone controls with the selector switch over the vol/vol/ tone of the Schecter (or any Jazz like set up for that matter)

I'm a firm believer that music shouldn't hurt. :bassist:

My measurement says the nut is right at 1 3/4"
 

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#96
Blues Bass 2 said:
I use Dunlop nickles on my BB425 , just put a new set on Tuesday . The set I had before had a 130 B string and my new set has the 125 . I like the 125 better , it seems to set up better with that and the B is still clear and distinct . Dunlops nickles sound great on these .

I bought mine for $500 new before they went on clearance and I was happy with that . At the $299 price they really are a steal , very good basses and not just for the price .
002-4.jpg
Click to expand...

That thing is beautiful! I am going to have to get one of these or a 1025X.
 
#97
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#99
Low Main said:
I just removed the entire stock wiring harness, which is easier than sorting through the scheme just to remove the switch, because there's actually a fair amount going on with the stock wiring even thought it's a simple passive setup.

So I just had to desolder the pickup leads and the bridge ground wire from the stock harness and lift out the pots, switch and output jack as a unit.

Then I wired in new vol, vol, and tone pots with a new cap and output jack. And resoldered the bridge ground. Just like a J bass.

The one trick is that the hole for the selector switch is larger than the typical pot shaft, so I made and installed a bushing so that the tone pot would sit snugly in the hole where the switch had been.

The other trick is finding a tone knob to match the two stock knobs. I found something that came close. It looks fine. You can always just go to three chrome knobs.

If you ever want to return the bass to stock, you can just desolder and lift out the replacement harness and put the stock harness back in. The parts are cheap enough to justify doing that, and good quality replacement electronic parts are a nice upgrade.
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Do you remember what colors the wires were: hot from neck/bridge and ground from neck/bridge? That would really help me. I'm having fits!
 

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