Yamaha beating a ric!

[Thasher4001]

I've been stumped for the last couple of weeks. I recently bought a yamaha bb414 for $150 as a beater and a practice bass opposed to my 76 rickenbacker and my fender power jazz bass special. So last week I brought it to practice (playing through a Mesa m6 carbine 2x12 combo) and me and the band all noticed a huge difference! I loved it and absolutely hated it at the same time! The sound was clear, punchy, and loud. I didn't like the feeling that a bass that cost 1/10th of my ric smoked it. So yesterday I decided to have the test: I brought both the ric (now modded with the .0047 cap mod) and the trusty yamaha. The difference while playing with a band was clear as day. The ric didn't fill the mix nearly as much the yamaha. There was a significant amount of low end gone when I used the ric. All my runs and fills where much more present with the yamaha, but with the ric felt like I was wasting my energy. Do guys have any input on this?

 

[s4001]

Be happy you found the bass that fits your style, rig and playing situation. Go forth and rock that bad chicken. 'Cheap' basses doesn't mean they sound bad.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I don't think the Ric failed you. I'm sure it is great at doing what it does. It just seems that you and your band want a different sound than the one your Ric provides. In this case, price is irrelevant.

 

[lbanks]

Yep. My favorite bass just won't work in the current band, while the SX fits just right.

 

[Stanley Pugh]

In the past I owned Ricks and a ton of other basses looking for the right sound. I think that is why most of us have more than one bass, so you can choose the best tool for the job.
I have a Fernandez gravity 5 that sits in the mix the best, but does not sound the best alone.
Recording a practice with different basses and listening to them also may surprise you. I am glad you found a winner!

 

[Jenra]

My band sound fits a double bass... I can't bring it to the band as i haven't got the routine on the double bass so i play my Sandberg

 

[SteveC]

Happens all the time. We'd all be so much better off if we listened with our ears instead of our eyes. I'm terrible about this. I just got a Sadowsky MV5 that is a great bass...yet I still think about a Geddy Lee jazz. Nothing wrong with either bass, just different.

I talked myself into thinking I needed a 5 for church and smooth jazz, but I may have made a mistake. Even the nicest feeling 5 string necks are still not like a slim, fast Geddy Lee neck.

 

[woodyng]

one of the bands i play with provide an amp/practice room,p.a.,etc,and the guitar player owns about 5 basses. i use his lower-end yamaha a lot of times,just so i don't have to schlep my bass. it can sound really pretty close to the sound of the ricks i own. (i still prefer my basses,but whatever works is good!)

 

[RickenBoogie]

The HiGain pups of the 70's 4001's are not nearly as "hot" as the current issue. i bet if you put modern Ric pups on that 4001, it'd be a different story.

 

[John Bigboote]

If I were in your place, I'd sell the Ric, and be really happy I found a killer bass on the cheap. Many of us (myself certainly included) tend to get romantically attached to instruments beyond their shortcomings. You have a lot of potential money tied up in that Ric. Let it go to someone else!

I'm gigging a $300 Yammie (RXB-5, IIRC?). And last week I saw a local act with a bass player playing a (much nicer, '80s vintage) Yamaha (with active EMGs) that sounded awesome even though it was plugged straight into a QSC power amp (no preamp beyond the bass!). And a local funk/fusion band's bass player plays a Yamaha and absolutely kills on the thing. I'm thinking they're the most underrated brand out there!

Obviously my $.02,

-jb