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YAMAHA TRB CLUB

#1,621
Hi all,

Wondering if anyone can tell me if Yamaha made a TRB bas similar to the TRB-JP2 in either a 4 or 5 string with an ebony fingerboard. Could be either a neck through or bolt on - 34 or 35" scale.

I love my new Amber TRB-JP2 and would like a 4 or 5 to sort of match it.

I tried to find this info, but didn't seem to find anything.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!
 

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#1,622
mixbus said:
Hi all,

Wondering if anyone can tell me if Yamaha made a TRB bas similar to the TRB-JP2 in either a 4 or 5 string with an ebony fingerboard. Could be either a neck through or bolt on - 34 or 35" scale.

I love my new Amber TRB-JP2 and would like a 4 or 5 to sort of match it.

I tried to find this info, but didn't seem to find anything.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I don’t believe there is a beast such as this. The closest might be thr TRB5 or 5P, but I’m guessing the JP has its own unique preamp as well as a unique combination of tonewoods - Maple, Alder & Ash. I’ve never had one so maybe some other JP players can shed some more light.

JayT
 
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#1,623
Sirfishalot said:
I don’t believe there is a beast such as this. The closest might be thr TRB5 or 5P, but I’m guessing the JP has its own unique preamp as well as a unique combination of tonewoods - Maple, Alder & Ash. I’ve never had one so maybe some other JP players can shed some more light.

JayT
Click to expand...
Thanks. It doesn’t have to be exactly the same. Just hoping to find one “in the family”.

The ebony fingerboard probably being the most important part.
 
#1,624
TRB5P / TRB5PII have the ebony board, and fancier wood combos but are thru-neck. the TRB5/TRB5 are more similar construction-wise but have rosewood fretboards. The JP/JP2 are the only bolt on ones with ebony outside of custom made ones, or the TRB Sakurai model (which is also a 6 string)
 
#1,625
Samus C said:
TRB5P / TRB5PII have the ebony board, and fancier wood combos but are thru-neck. the TRB5/TRB5 are more similar construction-wise but have rosewood fretboards. The JP/JP2 are the only bolt on ones with ebony outside of custom made ones, or the TRB Sakurai model (which is also a 6 string)
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info! Neck through is fine with me. Preferable really.

I'll keep a watch out for the TRB5P / TRB5PII.
 
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#1,626
Samus C said:
TRB5P / TRB5PII have the ebony board, and fancier wood combos but are thru-neck. the TRB5/TRB5 are more similar construction-wise but have rosewood fretboards. The JP/JP2 are the only bolt on ones with ebony outside of custom made ones, or the TRB Sakurai model (which is also a 6 string)
Click to expand...
Someone was asking in a thread if the positions on the JP2 And sakaurai are the same
 
#1,627
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#1,629
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#1,630
Hey all, anyone experiencing hiss form their Yamaha TRB-JP2 Patitucci model?

I bought this new a few months ago, and am finally getting into the sounds it can produce.

Generally, I'm finding the overall sound of the bass way too bright and a pickup swap/preamp change might be in order.
That's not the issue at the moment.

I'm hearng background hiss no matter what settings I use on the bass. The only thing that gets rid of it its to turn the bass volume all the way down. I already tried replacing the battery also. No difference...

I've had various active and passive bases over the years - so I know there might be some background noise with a treble boost etc, but this is different. I had a Yamaha BB734A that was quiet in active mode.

The bass plays great - but the electronics are disappointing me...

Any help - including pickup/preamp suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 

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#1,631
mixbus said:
Hey all, anyone experiencing hiss form their Yamaha TRB-JP2 Patitucci model?

I bought this new a few months ago, and am finally getting into the sounds it can produce.

Generally, I'm finding the overall sound of the bass way too bright and a pickup swap/preamp change might be in order.
That's not the issue at the moment.

I'm hearng background hiss no matter what settings I use on the bass. The only thing that gets rid of it its to turn the bass volume all the way down. I already tried replacing the battery also. No difference...

I've had various active and passive bases over the years - so I know there might be some background noise with a treble boost etc, but this is different. I had a Yamaha BB734A that was quiet in active mode.

The bass plays great - but the electronics are disappointing me...

Any help - including pickup/preamp suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
I’ve had my TRB JP2 same as yours for a couple of years now. I agree that they are very bright and ‘forward’ sounding. The EQ is very sensitive, so sometimes a little is enough. I adjust external pre amps or whichever amp I am using to help with the brightness. In a mix or band/ensemble situation I don’t notice it being too bright.

Different strings can make a difference, the best strings I have found do far for this bass are DR Fat Beams 30 - 125. The slightly heavier C string sounds fuller, YMMV.

I have not experienced any hissing, but I have tinnitus, so maybe I haven’t noticed 😂🤷‍♂️. Maybe it could be the brand of battery? You could try reaching out to Yamaha.

Before changing the pre amp or pickups, I would try living with it for a while and maybe get better acquainted with the EQ.
 
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#1,632
ScotJam Bassie said:
I’ve had my TRB JP2 same as yours for a couple of years now. I agree that they are very bright and ‘forward’ sounding. The EQ is very sensitive, so sometimes a little is enough. I adjust external pre amps or whichever amp I am using to help with the brightness. In a mix or band/ensemble situation I don’t notice it being too bright.

Different strings can make a difference, the best strings I have found do far for this bass are DR Fat Beams 30 - 125. The slightly heavier C string sounds fuller, YMMV.

I have not experienced any hissing, but I have tinnitus, so maybe I haven’t noticed 😂🤷‍♂️. Maybe it could be the brand of battery? You could try reaching out to Yamaha.

Before changing the pre amp or pickups, I would try living with it for a while and maybe get better acquainted with the EQ.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestions.

i don’t think strings or getting used to the eq will solve the too bright issue I’m experiencing.

I’ve reached out to Yamaha, but no reply yet.
 
#1,633
mixbus said:
I'm hearng background hiss no matter what settings I use on the bass. The only thing that gets rid of it its to turn the bass volume all the way down. I already tried replacing the battery also. No difference...
Click to expand...
I don't have experience with Yamaha's pre-amps but can say, as a general rule of thumb, that a certain amount of noise is to be expected which generally comes down to the op-amps they use.

Not all op-amps are created alike and there are trade-offs made during design. The "cheaper" versions tend to favor battery life at the expense of signal quality. The better the signal quality, the more power required, hence shorter battery life.

I went through a similar situation with a Godin guitar - way too much hiss to use for recording. I contacted RMC (who made the pre-amp) and ordered a new board without the audio op-amp and then populated it with a ultra-high-end TI Excalibur equivalent. Solved the noise problem but apparently shortens the battery life but since I use it through a synth that supplies power it's never been an issue.
 
#1,634
Thanks. I am aware of the trade offs and price point design choices in the electronics. Not willing to go as far as replacing board level components. Pickups and preamp probably.

It's just disappointing to spend that much on a "pro" bass, and have the pickups/electronics/preamp be it's weak point.

The bass does have a definite distinctive "voice" when plugged in.

I'll see what Yamaha says - not counting on much given past experiences from customer service.

They get so many things right, and some things where you ask "why did they do that?"
 
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#1,637
Verne Andru said:
Not all op-amps are created alike and there are trade-offs made during design. The "cheaper" versions tend to favor battery life at the expense of signal quality. The better the signal quality, the more power required, hence shorter battery life.
Click to expand...
The noise is probably the TL062 op amps they use. They are low power. If they were socketed - I would experiment with changing them, but since hey are soldered, I'll leave that alone. Like you said - "...favor battery life at the expense of signal quality."

I ran into this years ago in my studio as I was chasing the noise floor of various mixing desks, recorders, and outboard gear back in the analog days.

The noise isn't horrible, but it's definitely there when you turn up the volume. It would be in audible in a mix or when playing live.

As for the bass being too bright - I'll look at the cost/ROI of replacing the pickups/preamp vs possibly just adding a preamp/eq pedal or change part of my amp rig just for this bass. Voice the amp/pedal to change the bass (larger speaker/darker preamp) instead of the other way around, as it were.

We'll see how it goes.
 
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#1,638
mixbus said:
The noise is probably the TL062 op amps they use. They are low power. If they were socketed - I would experiment with changing them, but since hey are soldered, I'll leave that alone. Like you said - "...favor battery life at the expense of signal quality."

I ran into this years ago in my studio as I was chasing the noise floor of various mixing desks, recorders, and outboard gear back in the analog days.

The noise isn't horrible, but it's definitely there when you turn up the volume. It would be in audible in a mix or when playing live.

As for the bass being too bright - I'll look at the cost/ROI of replacing the pickups/preamp vs possibly just adding a preamp/eq pedal or change part of my amp rig just for this bass. Voice the amp/pedal to change the bass (larger speaker/darker preamp) instead of the other way around, as it were.

We'll see how it goes.
Click to expand...
Yup, those op-amps are usually the culprit. Some are used for switching and don't need to be high quality, but those in the signal path do. The TLE2062 (E for Excalibur) is a direct replacement (TLE2062 data sheet, product information and support | TI.com) and readily available on places like eBay. Not only does it eliminate the noise, it noticeably warms up the tone and pushes it toward the bass end of the spectrum.

Socketed is nice for testing, but gear that needs to endure rough handling needs the parts soldered. Get a good solder-sucker and some solder-wick and, assuming you know how to handle a soldering iron, R&R isn't that horrible. I've done it to lots of gear over the years and, with one exception, has eliminated the problems.

You might want to experiment with bypassing the preamp. I'd experiment with some alligator-clipped wires I have jumpering from the pickup directly to into an amp. While it might work you'll lose any ability to control the sound from the guitar. At that point I'd look to a replacement pre-amp that has a passive mode built in.
 
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#1,639
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#1,640
mixbus said:
The noise is probably the TL062 op amps they use. They are low power. If they were socketed - I would experiment with changing them, but since hey are soldered, I'll leave that alone. Like you said - "...favor battery life at the expense of signal quality."

I ran into this years ago in my studio as I was chasing the noise floor of various mixing desks, recorders, and outboard gear back in the analog days.

The noise isn't horrible, but it's definitely there when you turn up the volume. It would be in audible in a mix or when playing live.

As for the bass being too bright - I'll look at the cost/ROI of replacing the pickups/preamp vs possibly just adding a preamp/eq pedal or change part of my amp rig just for this bass. Voice the amp/pedal to change the bass (larger speaker/darker preamp) instead of the other way around, as it were.

We'll see how it goes.
Click to expand...
I believe Bartolini make direct replacement pickups for the JP2, those with a 3 band Aguilar OBP 3 or maybe a John East 3 band pre is probably what I would do if I were to change my pickups and pre.
 
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