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Yamaha Peter Hook Signature Bass

#281
Sanshiro said:
Thanks for doing this. I can hear the difference as well, the BBPH definitely sounds more like the BB1200S. I also think the BBPH sounds like it's much more "in your face" too, like it cuts through better. The BB734A sounds a bit more subdued, but not a whole lot. That might have something to do with the tweaked preamp of the BBPH, the reverse P definitely helps out with that as well.

However like Napkins said, I don't know if it's worth the $500 difference. Aside from the modified preamp and reverse config, they're the same bass at the end of the day. I'm curious if the preamp in the BB734A can be modified into the BBPH preamp, or at least a close approximation, by an end user that's skilled enough with electronics work. I think they share the same PCB, but I also haven't seen the preamp boards side by side to compare.
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i think it's worth a $200 difference and that money should go to peter hook and the team at yamaha that engineered the preamp as fundamentally that's the only difference. all other parts exist already.
if they gave us a hard case, ebony fretboard(like Nathan east's!), some thoughtful memorabilia like a certificate of authenticity or some kind of numbering like fender and ernie ball do since this is such a limited thing - custom inlays would be nice - then i would say the $1199 price is alright.

the 30th anniversary attitude is $4000 street but it's made in Japan and comes with certificate of authenticity personally signed and numbered by billy sheehan and a copy of the helix native plugin from line 6 to name just a couple of cool accessories it comes with.
 
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#282
boristhespider7 said:
I agree, playing both live i was immediately hit by how much more "zingy" and in your face the BBPH is. Listening back to both recordings it's still there but not quite as apparent. I'm not sure my little comparison is that scientific though, as its not the same set of strings on both instruments. I can't tell how much wear the music store 734a had. Being on display it's probably seen more use than my BBPH which i brought online from an internet music store, not long after they came out. So we may be hearing the difference in string wear. Put a new set on the 734a and they may get even closer (maybe?). There's also the tolerances on caps, pot's and body/neck weight which will give some natural variation between basses.

My other thoughts now i've had more time to play the BBPH are:
I like the brushed nickel hardware on the BBPH, it's not a finger print magnet like the blacked chrome on the 734a
Both basses looked like the edge of the neck had been slightly over sanded (by hand?), so if you look at the neck edge at 45 degrees it almost looked scalloped as there's tiny ovals where it looks like someone has sanded the edge between the frets rather than use a sanding block. It's not obvious but it caught my eye.
The BBPH was noticeably lighter than the 734a, but i'm sure they both vary. BTW, my BBPH came out as 3.99kg (8lbs 13oz)
The 734a has the edge on looks IMO, but this is v subjective
My BBPH came with the truss rod very loose, i'm guessing they loosened it right off for transit. So loose i thought it was bust when i first tried it as the nut moved very freely initially.
Liking the padded gig bag that comes with it, feels pretty sturdy with some extra protection down the body end.
Battery compartment is secure on mine
Would have preferred a switch for pickup selector to a blend on the 734a, to take the J PU out of the circuit
You can't argue with the versatility of the PJ setup
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I thought your comparison was well done and your thoughts on the two are very comprehensive. There's no doubt that the "zingy" sound of the BBPH is due to the reverse P pickup and the tweaked preamp compared to the BB734A. I trust the BBPH comes with the same string gauge as the BB734A (.40-.100). A fresh set of strings may make a slight difference, but to me the difference between the two is subtle enough to choose either or. Personally, I love the aesthetics of the BBPH. Simple, old school appearance. I still think the BB734A is more versatile and can be coaxed into sounding like the BBPH with the right setup, but the difference is practically negligible in a live band situation. That said, if Yamaha has a second go at releasing them, I'll likely pick up a BBPH.
 
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#283
hypercarrots said:
i think it's worth a $200 difference and that money should go to peter hook and the team at yamaha that engineered the preamp as fundamentally that's the only difference. all other parts exist already.
if they gave us a hard case, ebony fretboard(like Nathan east's!), some thoughtful memorabilia like a certificate of authenticity or some kind of numbering like fender and ernie ball do since this is such a limited thing - custom inlays would be nice - then i would say the $1199 price is alright.

the 30th anniversary attitude is $4000 street but it's made in Japan and comes with certificate of authenticity personally signed and numbered by billy sheehan and a copy of the helix native plugin from line 6 to name just a couple of cool accessories it comes with.
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I agree. I think $1000 or less is a better price for what you get now. Right now it's just too barebones to justify bumping the price up $500 more. It's just the preamp that's new. I highly doubt the paint, signature silkscreening, and routing the pickup cavity reversed costs much relatively. I think for $1200 they really could've made it look a bit more like the BB1200S. Pickup surrounds, the inlay design, the old Yamaha logo style on the headstock, etc.
 
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#284
Kestrel said:
I thought your comparison was well done and your thoughts on the two are very comprehensive. There's no doubt that the "zingy" sound of the BBPH is due to the reverse P pickup and the tweaked preamp compared to the BB734A. I trust the BBPH comes with the same string gauge as the BB734A (.40-.100). A fresh set of strings may make a slight difference, but to me the difference between the two is subtle enough to choose either or. Personally, I love the aesthetics of the BBPH. Simple, old school appearance. I still think the BB734A is more versatile and can be coaxed into sounding like the BBPH with the right setup, but the difference is practically negligible in a live band situation. That said, if Yamaha has a second go at releasing them, I'll likely pick up a BBPH.
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i agree with all that except in a live band situation like new order, the difference isn't negligible.
unless you're peter hook or jack bates, i will be surprised to hear someone play the bb734a and sound right for new order.
 
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#287
hypercarrots said:
i agree with all that except in a live band situation like new order, the difference isn't negligible.
unless you're peter hook or jack bates, i will be surprised to hear someone play the bb734a and sound right for new order.
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Jack taught himself to play, didn't he? I think I remember him saying that somewhere, Peter didn't really get involved. Yet he still manages to play just like his dad.
 
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#289
I can certainly hear the difference but it's not that big; I agree that "more zing" is a good description but it's not dramatic.

In a live situation 99% of the audience wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a 734a through a modern EHX Bass Clone and a BBPH through an actual EHX Clone Theory. The 1% will be bass players who have tried to sound like PH themselves.

As someone who already owns a 734a I just can't see spending $1200 for the BBPH. (I still kinda want one anyway, and if I didn't already have a 734 I'd probably have gotten one.) If I were in a New Order tribute band, though, then maybe I could justify it.
 
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#290
SunByrne said:
I can certainly hear the difference but it's not that big; I agree that "more zing" is a good description but it's not dramatic.

In a live situation 99% of the audience wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a 734a through a modern EHX Bass Clone and a BBPH through an actual EHX Clone Theory. The 1% will be bass players who have tried to sound like PH themselves.

As someone who already owns a 734a I just can't see spending $1200 for the BBPH. (I still kinda want one anyway, and if I didn't already have a 734 I'd probably have gotten one.) If I were in a New Order tribute band, though, then maybe I could justify it.
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I think that's a good way of putting it. The average person likely won't be able to tell the difference sound-wise, but someone who's a devoted New Order/Peter Hook fan that has gone down the gear rabbit hole will.
 
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#291
SunByrne said:
I can certainly hear the difference but it's not that big; I agree that "more zing" is a good description but it's not dramatic.

In a live situation 99% of the audience wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a 734a through a modern EHX Bass Clone and a BBPH through an actual EHX Clone Theory. The 1% will be bass players who have tried to sound like PH themselves.

As someone who already owns a 734a I just can't see spending $1200 for the BBPH. (I still kinda want one anyway, and if I didn't already have a 734 I'd probably have gotten one.) If I were in a New Order tribute band, though, then maybe I could justify it.
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given that this is a bass player's forum, this is the best place to discuss with the 1% that can hear, differentiate and articulate the minute sonic details.

i know everyone else out there can't hear the difference between a bb1200s and a fender p, ibanez artcore, hagstrom viking, warwick, eastwood, etc that i've seen online playing new order riffs.

hoping to discuss details with the few that do know and can hear the difference.
 
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#296
boristhespider7 said:
If anyone is interested i've recorded a couple of audio samples of the BBPH with my Clone theory
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Clips each recorded on Yamaha BBPH in following order:

Passive mode - dry (effects off)
Passive mode - wet (effects on)
Active mode - wet (effects on, EQ: max treble, max bass, mids centred)

Signal path:
BBPH > EHX Clone Theory Reissue > Joyo Digital Delay > Zoom R8

Apologies as there's some electrical interference (pops/clicks) present on these which were probably caused by dodgy cable, not the bass!
There's no amp sim in this chain or in post processing so the Active mode may sound a little harsh. It's mellowed slightly when played through an amp, but i'm sure it would cut through a mix very well! The treble EQ is also on max, the same setting as Hooky uses on his BBPH, so there's loads of room to cut or sculpt the tone if needed.
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Very cool indeed.


I'm sure y'all are aware of this (from almost a quarter of a century ago), but at the risk of being labelled a heretic, I almost prefer this version to the original :

 
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