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Yamaha BB614 preamp shortcomings?

stockplus

stockplus

Supporting Member
Aug 11, 2015
128
211
Eugene, OR
#1
Hi TB,

I've owned a BB614 for about 12 years now. I recently gave it a full setup and started playing it some more. I had always entertained the idea of tinkering with the electronics (e.g. pickup or preamp replacement) but never got around to it. After some further evaluation in the last few weeks, I think I like it as-is and I am not so hot on modifying it. This seems like a pretty versatile bass and neither the pickups nor the preamp seem to be too terribly deficient...to me, anyway. I have had several active basses, mostly EBMMs, but I have to admit that I don't really know what to listen for when it comes to preamp quality. The knobs seem to do what they are supposed to and I just adjust them and play.

I have read several threads on TB and on other forums where people talk about the preamps in these basses (and the 615) as lacking, inviting replacement, etc. Not a lot of explanation of how they're bad...just, well, they're not good. It seems that people are pretty satisfied with the pickups however - with glowing reviews of the passive 414 and 415 basses.

So, can anybody school me on how these preamps are not so good?

Thanks!
 
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#2
I'd also be very interested to know what's wrong with the BB614 preamp. My other bass is a much more expensive Sandberg with a Glockenklang active eq and i can't hear what makes that better. (I actually find the mid eq on the Yamaha far more useful and creative than the 2 band on the 'berg!)

The one thing I wish the Yamaha had was an active eq bypass as I use the Sandberg in passive mode most of the time. That way you'd get the supposedly superior tone of the BB414 pickup sound with the (imo) advantage of a pickup blend control, as opposed to the three way switching.
 
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#5
I have a BB615. The only complaint I have is with the taper of the EQ pots. It seems like most of the EQ change happens near the extremes of the knob's rotation and I don't hear as much of a gradual change in the boost or cut of frequencies the way I do with my Stingray. That makes it somewhat harder to dial in. It will get noisy with the treble or bass maxed out, but I never dial it in that way to begin with. Overall, the preamp is pretty quiet and not too heavy handed, IME. I've thought about upgrading, but each time I play the BB16, it sounds good to me and I'm not sure it is worth the effort or expense.
 
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#6
I have 2 BB614's and a 615 in my collection, And to be honest I don't get the issue with the pre amps. Of the 39 basses i can choose from to gig with it is almost always a BB614, I find them to be simply excellent. The pups are great and the pre's are simply good. Here is my go too cosmetically changed and a Schaller bridge added, stock electric's
20200820_080739.jpg
 
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#8
Dave Neal said:
I have 2 BB614's and a 615 in my collection, And to be honest I don't get the issue with the pre amps. Of the 39 basses i can choose from to gig with it is almost always a BB614, I find them to be simply excellent. The pups are great and the pre's are simply good. Here is my go too cosmetically changed and a Schaller bridge added, stock electric'sView attachment 4261849
Click to expand...
Hello Dave Neal.....That woodgrain pickguard is SUBLIME!! I have the same Yamaha BB614 bass....I would like to get a similiar pickguard but I can not find any online resources to get it. Can you tell where you got that??
 

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