I have the BB735a. I don't think you can do better in that price range. Excellent bass.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Yamaha BB734A thoughts
- Thread starter bigdaddybass12
- Start date
Just when I thought my GAS pain was finally starting to go away, I had to come across with this thread! 
BB735A would be a nice companion for my TRBX505 for sure.
BB735A would be a nice companion for my TRBX505 for sure.
I bought a BB435 a few months back (basically the same with passive electronics), and am pretty impressed. It does a great P-Bass impersonation.
+'s
-'s
If I was doing this again, I'd pony up for the extra cash for the BBP. I think the extra layer of QC from the Japanese build is worth it, I know the electronics are better.
If could change anything:
35" Scale would improve the B-String. But that's a function of any 34" 5-string on the market
I wish it was a 24 Fret Neck, but that's minor.
+'s
- Amazing value for the dollar.
- It's a P-Bass with all of the dumb crap fixed.
- While modern, it fits the vintage aesthetic
- The tone control offers a huge sweep in character.
- Sounds great on the Neck pickup.
- Comfortable and light-weight.
-'s
- While the bass is a great value (maybe the best out there), there is some lack of refinement in the build that reminds you this is still a budget instrument. Input jack was loose, nut needed slotting, there was a bit of bow to the neck.
- The bridge pickup is "meh" at best.
- No matter what the Yamaha literature says, you cannot string flatwounds through the body. It will kink the strings.
- Yamaha's customer service is awful, god help me if I needed a new saddle or some other small-part. There's no parts catalog anywhere I can find.
If I was doing this again, I'd pony up for the extra cash for the BBP. I think the extra layer of QC from the Japanese build is worth it, I know the electronics are better.
If could change anything:
35" Scale would improve the B-String. But that's a function of any 34" 5-string on the market
I wish it was a 24 Fret Neck, but that's minor.
Last edited:
'Blend' being the keyword here, I'd say. As for the BB734a, I'm really glad that you can 'dial in' the amount of neck and bridge pick-up (the BB414 lets you switch between one of either, of both).
I love mine. It's my beater bass that I often leave in the car. I prefer the sound in passive mode with the P pickup engaged, but it has plenty of tones. High quality, rock solid and very nice to play.
It does lack that special "something", maybe because it's too perfect.
It does lack that special "something", maybe because it's too perfect.
Just to clarify a bit, the BB734a is not just a 434 (or 5) with active electronics. The 7 series has exactly the same pickups as the BBP series, which are different from those that come in the 2 and 4 series.
I have a BB734a (and also a TRBX605) and I have found the build quality and feel (of both models) to be comparable to instruments well beyond their price points. Also, I've owned a few different p/j style basses along the way, and before the 734, I never quite got the appeal of that design. Yamaha's implementation makes sense to me and I find it very versatile.
And, unlike what was mentioned a few posts above, I find that the angled string-through works just fine with Chrome flats.
Those are D'Addario Flats strung through the body. You can see the wraps separating
I stand corrected on the 435/735/BBP pickups.
Wow! Sorry to see that. Mine look nothing at all like that. Yours seem to have a much steeper break angle.
Addendum: I just checked the specs on the Yamaha site, and the 400 series also has a different bridge than the 700 series, so that may play a factor.
Last edited:
I love my BB734A. Fantastic sound and playability. It may look plain, but it’s an exceptional bass for the price.
Yes, the rounds do make this a very bright punchy bass, pressurewounds are a good choice if you still want some snap but less zing. I'd like to try flats on my 735a but might go the pressurewound route again like I did with my SB-2 years back. I don't understand the hate for the dark coffee sunburst, I think it's beautiful...
I'd go with tone over looks. If you prefer the tone of the TRBX504, I'd go that way. Both excellent basses and great value.
Pretty much the same for me, although I use it more in active mode. I also have the sunburst model and its shape combined to the finish really give it an old-school look & vibe, but that's something I can live with. The only thing I really had to get used to is its heftier neck, but this "gripe" comes from a guy that plays mostly TBirds and Jazz basses. Tone-wise: P/J config and active/passive option make for a wide range of sounds and meat-wise, you'll only get more in butcher shops.
I wanted to point this out again because it's something that was pulling at my subconscious about the way Yamahas sound and you nailed it. I don't think it's particularly cultural, they found a sound that worked and maintained it through the evolution of the line, just good engineering. For instance, there's nothing particularly cultural about the way Fenders sound, no matter how desperately their fans might wish it. But back to Yamaha, their sound is reflected in the way Peter Hooks sound evolved, that growl, which you can also hear on those fantastic live versions of Metal and Cars by NIN and Gary Numan back in 2009. You know the one, it was that Yamaha growly thump that made me sit up, remember the BB1200 I'd played back in the 80's and go "hey yeahhhh...I should get me one of those...."
The basic problem boils down to a couple of things: if the J is meh, it could be by design - the SB-2's J is really just a tone control, and that goes for a lot of J's out there (although for me it helps to have it with flats). Do your homework! But in most cases, you should have just got a P bass, or just got a J bass in the first place, and stop blaming your bad decision on the pickup. The positioning of the J is a big culprit in a lot of PJ setups (and a lot of J's too), it can't be too close to the P or the bridge and it has to be in the right place under the gauge. I think this is why Yamaha's PJ works, the J is in the right place for the gauge AND the bridge AND the P and then you have (in the 700 series only, a mistake, it should be in the 400 series also) a pickup balancer which gives a fine-grained control over both pickups simultaneously. The J pickup is fine, I don't know how we're supposed to judge it from "meh" because all the "meh" comments give zero comparisons and are completely useless. But people hate the pickguards and rip those off, so anything goes I guess!
Maybe you need different pickups in your P Bass. Would make a world of difference.
The BB and the TRBX are completely different instruments. The BB has always had P/J pickups, a traditionally shaped body (though less frumpy than a P), and a chunky neck. The TRBX is a more "modern" design with two humbuckers, a slimmer neck, and a sleeker body shape.
They're both excellent instruments, as are all Yamaha basses, but they won't sound or feel remotely the same. You'd have to play a BB and see what you think!
One thing all Yamaha BBs seem to have in common is a very big, warm tone from the P pickup. It's not dark or muddy, but it's definitely a "sit in the mix" tone vs. a "get in your face" tone.
Yeah, I am kinda looking for an excuse to get another bass! My fender will sell easy, but hate to see it go just because it's a fender. But I do like active eq and humbuckers.
I've found that outboard preamps like Sadowsky or Aguilar work wonders on a good passive bass. Just a thought..
I love my vintage BB300.
I don't 100% like the updated aesthetics or regularized pickups of the new BBs, but they remain incredibly good buys.
I don't 100% like the updated aesthetics or regularized pickups of the new BBs, but they remain incredibly good buys.
