Yamaha TRBX605 for recording- I'm impressed

Disclaimer: I'm a recording newbie. I don't even know enough to be dangerous yet .

I've had my new audio interface for about a week and finally started tackling some small projects. Yesterday I did a short 50 second recording with 6 tracks. Today I made a somewhat longer recording (still working on it). In both projects, with several takes I tried recording with my three 5 string basses: Ibanez BTB675, Fender Jazz 5 with Audere ProZ and the TRBX605 with Ernie Ball Cobalt Flat strings. They were all ok, but the TRBX605 seemed to be the one that just seemed to give me the best recorded sound.

I think the settings had a lot to do with it. Almost full bridge pickup in passive mode, tone rolled off 75%. I also tried recording with and without gloves and surprisingly I like the sound with the gloves. They seem to just smooth everything out without any harshness, yet the fronts of the notes speak well. When I played near the neck it almost had a stringbass fretless sound, which really sat well in the mix.

Bottom line is that I was really surprised that both yesterday and today I preferred the TRBX for recording, while I tend to prefer my other basses for live performance, though the TRBX can hold its own live too. Perhaps I haven't gigged it enough? While I've really liked this bass for it's weight and balance, I'm only now appreciating how good it can sound "under the microscope".

Just thought I'd share.

 

The TRBX provides another dimension and tone palette than the other basses. When I play live I really like the sounds of my BTB or Jazz5. I suppose having an amp and some additional EQ and playing within a mix of other players changes things. At some point I will pick up a Yamaha BB735A, but not for some time.

You're right. I'm learning a lot about recording bass as well as other instruments. I was doing a project yesterday where I thought the acoustic would fill the role of rhythm guitar and the electric would be melody/lead...and it was exactly the opposite. The electric produced a nice foundation for what I was doing and the acoustic sat on top like a nice tenor voice, almost like you'd expect froma classical guitar, but with more shimmer.

 

While you could “upgrade” the 605 I would suggest learning it first. The control settings set differently and string height and type play a huge role in the sound as well as your amp. Different strings can drastically change the personality of the 605. I wouldn’t necessarily purchase it with the idea of moddding it. JMO

 

The TRBX 605 is defintely different sounding than all my other basses. I don't have a P but I have 2 J's and an Ibanez BTB. What I really like about this Yamaha is that it weighs all of 8.5 pounds and the neck is just so easy to get around on. If I had to do a gig and had to stand the whole time I'd definitely be on this bass as my others weigh 9-10 pounds.

In regard to wanting to mod the electronics, I would say that rather than trying to mod the Yamaha a better choice might be an Ibanez SR505. A completely different sound which might be better for someone who does mostly slap playing and wants more of a Seinfeld sound. Ibanez SR505E Bass Guitar - Brown Mahogany The only thing about the SR's is that the wood has a very thin finish and a fingernail can scratch down to bare wood easily.