Yamaha Trbx505 vs Cort A5 for modern jazz and fusion.

Going by the name alone, I'd say the Yamaha. What does the "x" in Trbx stand for anyway?

 

Yamaha. Super clean sound and the quality control at that price point is insanely good. Every single Yamaha bass will feel identical to the next one of the same model. I used to sell them in a store. It's almost odd how they nail down a design and then every single one feels and sounds the same. That goes for acoustic guitars and pianos too.

 

It's a fusion of the TRB and RBX lines.

 

I'm guessing you mean the Ibanez SR655? If so, that's the bass I would recommend. Nordstrand pickups, P/J - it's a better sounding bass imo and has an awesome jatoba/bubinga neck. Yamaha TRBX505 isn't bad either, I think these would be two best options on your list, but my personal preference is the Ibanez, I do like Yamaha basses in general though, they are good quality basses - I've owned a few, but the ibanez SR605 is imo just a better bass than the TRBX505. Don't take my word for it though, try as many of these basses and see what feels and sounds best to you.

 

I would go Yamaha every single time. Love Yamaha stuff, Instruments, Outboard motors, Bikes. They do not make crocks.

Laurence

 

A little piece of trivia. The first thing they ever made was pianos. And the trademark symbol you see on every single product of theirs is three crossed tuning forks as a result.

 

Ah...oddly enough we don't see a lot of the SR600 or SR605 here but it's similar to the SR500 or the SR700 I once had, just the finish is different. Still a great bass as it still has the jatoba/bubinga neck. For reference, my son owns the Yamaha TRBX305 which is a model down from the TRBX505 but similar body, neck. I've also tried the TRBX505 quite a bit but didn't end up buying it for myself. Between the two, I still preferred the Ibanez SR bass (in my case, the SR700) in terms of neck and feel. It does play modern jazz well too - the tone I think is what you may be looking for. I do play rock and funk/jazz fusion the Ibanez was more than capable of both. The Yamaha is built solidly, very good and stable neck (although not as nice as the Ibanez neck in feel), sounds is pretty good but in my opinion, not as good or versatile as the SR. All a matter of preference mind you, both basses are pretty solid choices.

 

No problem, I was going to mention that I prefer the BB series of basses over the TRBX series in terms of Yamaha basses but they provide more of that traditional Fender-ish sound sound rather than modern sound you're looking for in a prospective bass but you probably already know about the BB basses looking at your user pic.

 

Yes I know all that, and they still do make pianos. Pretty dam fine ones too.

Laurence

 

I may have a unique perspective on this. I've owned a trbx305 and currently own a Cort Artisan C5 plus and a Cort Artisan A5 plus.

The Yamaha and these Cort basses are all exceptional quality for this price point. I actually prefer the Cort but you can't go wrong either way.

 

Definitely the Yamaha, but I can't stand Bartolni pickups or blackout pickups in general.

 

Me to the Yamaha...

 

Oh yeah....and I had a Squier Dimension bass too. The tone is so mid heavy and aggressive that it wouldn't sound appropriate for jazz fusion.

 

A Yamaha will run circles around any Squier. When I got my BB424 It made me realise exactly how bad my Squier actually was. Now the only original unmodified part of the Squier are 18 of its screws.

Laurence

 

I'm a big fan of yamaha basses, but found the trbx505 to be lacking in versatility. I found the b string to be a little uneven in sound as well. This really bothered me and I eventually sold it. I have yet find a budget five that i like. I'm still looking. Good luck with your search.