Double Bass Yamaha SLB300 New model

[magicmerv]

I've had my SLB for about 6 months, and yes, LOTS of hiss when the SRT is on (always, in my case--which is why I bought it). I'm very disappointed for the price, and considering Yamaha makes tons of really high-end, pro audio, you'd think the preamp wouldn't be this noisy. I'm going to see if the dealer can do anything, as others here have said theirs are quiet. On another note, I've been looking at the bass array speakers. I play mainly with big bands. Do you have the 10 or the 12? Is it loud enough?

Mattgreven I believe both the amp and extension speaker are 10" Woofer with 4 x 2.5” Cone-driver Line Array. I have the amp and extension speaker so can access the full 300watts and that is plenty loud. With only the amp it may not be as loud but that is dependent on how loud the band is and what sound reinforcement is available. With EUB you can push the volume much louder than double bass without feedback so the amp by itself may work.

And still getting the hiss through the SLB300. I have to roll all the treble off to eliminate the hiss.

 

[mattgreven]

I think I’m gonna have Sweetwater get with Yamaha re: the hiss after seeing so many comments from others whose basses are silent. I just received a 112 BA, haven’t unboxed it yet! I’m going to try it on a gig with the local wind symphony this week—an all Latin show—electric upright is spec’s!

 

[ClusterFlux]

And still getting the hiss through the SLB300. I have to roll all the treble off to eliminate the hiss.

You can also use a parametric EQ to zero it out.

 

[El Thumpo]

I'd bet a good luthier could fit an ebony board on there.

Yes. But as noted, it’s a pretty good fingerboard to begin with. If I ever have the need to replace it, I hope to do so with ebony.

 

[RobertAuCoin]

The SLB300 got nice praise at big band jazz rehearsal today. Sax/oboe player told me it “looks great, slim and elegant” and “sounds really good.” Joy.

 

[RobertAuCoin]

In my other combo, out-of-the-blue, the percussionist just told me she “loves the sound” and the “tone quality” of the SLB300. (In context, this was about pizz. not arco.)

 

[uprightbass.com]

Regarding hiss. There has been true defect hiss from certain imported SLB’s imported from Japan from non Yamaha dealers (and real dealers of Yamaha in Japan will not risk exporting and losing their status).

There is hiss reported that’s more out of inexperience.
FWIW it will has hiss if you boost it to the point of being a BG. In other words it’s way over amplified. From what I’ve observed, people who mention hiss are BG players who amplify it so much that you are playing the DB like a BG; loud with a light touch.

 

[Hasty]

Regarding hiss. There has been true defect hiss from certain imported SLB’s imported from Japan from non Yamaha dealers (and real dealers of Yamaha in Japan will not risk exporting and losing their status).

There is hiss reported that’s more out of inexperience.
FWIW it will has hiss if you boost it to the point of being a BG. In other words it’s way over amplified. From what I’ve observed, people who mention hiss are BG players who amplify it so much that you are playing the DB like a BG; loud with a light touch.

To clarify, are you saying there are two known issues?

1. Certain Japanese exporters of Non-Yamaha dealers are exporting SLB's that are known to be defective with a noisy pre-amp.

2. Turning the gain up too high on the SLB preamp will introduce noise into the signal chain.

I'm asking because I'm genuinely interested. I like my SLB200, but I've been thinking about the 300. However info like this gives me pause. For item #2, that sounds like a signal to noise ratio issue that could be corrected by adding another preamp. I use that sort of workaround all the time with other instruments so I don't necessarily consider that a defect, just a limitation of the onboard preamp. However I'd like to think they engineered the onboard preamp to be a little cleaner. The SLB200 can get uncomfortably loud with no unwanted noise at all so I've been surprised with reports in this thread.

 

[uprightbass.com]

To clarify, are you saying there are two known issues?

1. Certain Japanese exporters of Non-Yamaha dealers are exporting SLB's that are known to be defective with a noisy pre-amp.

2. Turning the gain up too high on the SLB preamp will introduce noise into the signal chain.

I'm asking because I'm genuinely interested. I like my SLB200, but I've been thinking about the 300. However info like this gives me pause. For item #2, that sounds like a signal to noise ratio issue that could be corrected by adding another preamp. I use that sort of workaround all the time with other instruments so I don't necessarily consider that a defect, just a limitation of the onboard preamp. However I'd like to think they engineered the onboard preamp to be a little cleaner. The SLB200 can get uncomfortably loud with no unwanted noise at all so I've been surprised with reports in this thread.

For #1, It's my suspicion that those gray market SLB300's are products returned to Yamaha. Perhaps they were returned with issues and for whatever reason unknown to me, they can be purchased by sellers in Japan who seem to be able to source various gray market items and they make a living doing that. I don't know how all of that works. It would make sense to me to replace the electronics and sell it as B-stock. Maybe the QA technicians didn't understand that that much hiss is not acceptable and a defect, I don't know. I did notice how the sellers I saw on eBay often sold a lot of high value items from various brands and from various industries at very attractive prices. Just my suspicion and based on my observations.

#2) For my US authorized dealer purchased SLB300PRO, I get no more hiss as I would from a Realist, BassBalsereit Studio, a Mic, or my Schertler Stat-B/Dyn B. I find that level to be acceptable and I've never considered that amount of hiss to be an issue because it's imperceptible live. Shouldn't be an issue recorded, but I use the acoustic for all recordings and never the SLB so I can't say. The level is so low that a noise gate could handle it without being obtrusive.

 

[Hasty]

For #1, It's my suspicion that those gray market SLB300's are products returned to Yamaha. Perhaps they were returned with issues and for whatever reason unknown to me, they can be purchased by sellers in Japan who seem to be able to source various gray market items and they make a living doing that. I don't know how all of that works. It would make sense to me to replace the electronics and sell it as B-stock. Maybe the QA technicians didn't understand that that much hiss is not acceptable and a defect, I don't know. I did notice how the sellers I saw on eBay often sold a lot of high value items from various brands and from various industries at very attractive prices. Just my suspicion and based on my observations.

#2) For my US authorized dealer purchased SLB300PRO, I get no more hiss as I would from a Realist, BassBalsereit Studio, a Mic, or my Schertler Stat-B/Dyn B. I find that level to be acceptable and I've never considered that amount of hiss to be an issue because it's imperceptible live. Shouldn't be an issue recorded, but I use the acoustic for all recordings and never the SLB so I can't say. The level is so low that a noise gate could handle it without being obtrusive.

Thanks for the reply.

For #1 that's what I was trying to articulate and just didn't do a great job of it.

With #2 I totally get that. I actually just changed up my signal chain for a gig I'm doing today. I normally run whatever bass into my tube Nobelium preamp which goes to FOH and my on stage amp. However when I was testing the setup last night with my acoustic DB I noticed more noise than I'm used to. I've ocassionlly noticed that when I mix tube and digital stuff on the board (ToneDexter this time), which normally isn't that big of a deal. however the place we're playing tonight is new and they seem really picky (like incredibly picky) about every move we make so I swapped out the Nobelium for my Grace Felix. I want everything dead quiet going to FOH and I'll track down this new noise floor issue at a later date. Knowing my luck it's probably just the outlet I chose when testing my signal chain.

 

[didgeribass]

I joined the SLB300 club this week!

My main goal is to get more upright practice time without disturbing my family or neighbors. The SLB300 feels very close to my acoustic upright, which I’m really happy about. I’m hoping that the practice time on this will translate well to the real thing. I might visit my local luthier to see if he can tweak the setup to get even closer to my acoustic, or maybe try a different set of strings—but overall, I’m quite happy with how it feels and plays out of the box.

That said, I’m still adjusting to the sound. Based on reviews and sound clips I’ve heard, I was expecting to plug into my MOTU M4 and get a fantastic tone through my BD 770 Pro headphones (which sound great with my electric basses). But honestly, I wasn’t blown away. Also, when I play the SLB300 through my PJ Double Four, the sound feels quite "electric" to me.

Not sure if my expectations were just too high, or if maybe something's not quite right with the setup.

Here is a dropbox-link to some sound clips I recorded through the MOTU M4 into Logic (please excuse the playing—especially the arco parts!).

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

Would love to hear your impressions:

• Does this sound about right for factory strings, a €300 bow, and mediocre technique?
• Could this be improved with a string or setup change?
• Or is this pretty much what the SLB300 sounds like without additional processing?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

 

[Neon Scribe]

I joined the SLB300 club this week!

My main goal is to get more upright practice time without disturbing my family or neighbors. The SLB300 feels very close to my acoustic upright, which I’m really happy about. I’m hoping that the practice time on this will translate well to the real thing. I might visit my local luthier to see if he can tweak the setup to get even closer to my acoustic, or maybe try a different set of strings—but overall, I’m quite happy with how it feels and plays out of the box.

That said, I’m still adjusting to the sound. Based on reviews and sound clips I’ve heard, I was expecting to plug into my MOTU M4 and get a fantastic tone through my BD 770 Pro headphones (which sound great with my electric basses). But honestly, I wasn’t blown away. Also, when I play the SLB300 through my PJ Double Four, the sound feels quite "electric" to me.

You shouldn't compare the SLB300 sound with that of an unamplified acoustic instrument. It's always going to lose that comparison. I spend a lot of time with the SLB300 via headphones. The headphone sound is pretty unnatural, but I like not bothering the rest of the house. When playing through my AI Coda or into a PA with a loud band, compared to the acoustic bass and Full Circle pickup, the SLB300 sounds better. Not only because it eliminates any feedback problems, although that does make a big difference. In a lower volume setting, with the acoustic bass going through a ToneDexter, the "real" bass sounds better, but the SLB300 is close. The truth is, as good as it is, the SLB300 is still just a simulation of the real thing.

 

[BobKay]

I've often told people that my SLB 300 doesn't sound like an un-amplified acoustic bass, but once you plug in the acoustic bass it comes close. I always use a pre-amp with my Double Four; makes a big difference.

 

[RobertAuCoin]

From what I have heard with my own ears, one acoustic bass can sound very different from another one. So, I'm not sure it is even fair to judge the SLB300 by a standard of whether it exactly matches a "real" double bass.

For classical pieces played arco, I favor blending more Piezo and less Mic on the SLB300. I also play in a large (loud) jazz big band and in smaller combos (but with loud amps), where the best results seem to come from switching between the SLB300 and any one of several FSO bass guitars for different tunes. They all sound good.

 

[crd]

I have not ready this entire thread so forgive me if this has been covered.

How is this instrument for practicing to keep your chops up if you live in an apartment? Does your technique transfer to your acoustic instrument?

 

[Neon Scribe]

I have not ready this entire thread so forgive me if this has been covered.

How is this instrument for practicing to keep your chops up if you live in an apartment? Does your technique transfer to your acoustic instrument?

There are differences, but there is a lot of overlap. You need to spend some practice time with the actual instrument you will be using in performance, but headphone practice with an EUB is very worthwhile even if you never use it on stage.

 

[crd]

There are differences, but there is a lot of overlap. You need to spend some practice time with the actual instrument you will be using in performance, but headphone practice with an EUB is very worthwhile even if you never use it on stage.

Does it hit your body in the same way as an acoustic bass?

 

[Neon Scribe]

Does it hit your body in the same way as an acoustic bass?

No, and that's definitely the biggest difference other than the lack of direct acoustic sound. You can get a knee support pad that helps, but it's still far from the same feeling. It's a much bigger issue for arco practice than for pizz.

 

[TizzleNizz2000]

I've never had that problem. Are the three screws correctly lapped over the edge of the aluminum arm? Is the arm sitting firmly in the indentation of the knee support? Are the screws tightened? Are you handling the bass and case carefully and not banging it too hard? I don't know.

Just installed the Knee Pad on my SLB300.. Ftment was fine, no issues there. I haven’t had a chance yet to see how it holds up in the case.


That said, the way it’s mounted seems a bit questionable. Each screw only has about a third of its head actually holding the edge of the aluminum plate. It feels like it’s barely catching. A better design might have been to machine a recess or slot into the knee pad itself, so the edge of the aluminum plate could be supported more securely by the pad, rather than relying almost entirely on the small contact area of the screw heads.


Hopefully it holds up with regular use.. will report back if any issues come up.

 

[TizzleNizz2000]

Just including pictures for reference.