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Yamaha TRBX605 - your honest assessment?

TRBX605 - what do you think?

  • Great bass, as is

    Votes: 39 73.6%

  • Good bass that could use some upgrades

    Votes: 7 13.2%

  • Meh

    Votes: 7 13.2%
  • Total voters
    53
#21
J Wilson said:
The only MIJ Yamaha's are the artist axes, the JP's, the Nate Easts, the Sheehan's. Yamaha, Ibanez, ESP, and others follow the same path, all their less expensive basses are built elsewhere in the Far East. Domestic Japanese production is as expensive now as US or Western Europe.

The 605's are substantial, 24-fret basses with unique tone. Solid construction and would make a solid platform for modding if you don't care for the OEM electronics.

Personally I'd prefer the BB735, which features a pile of terrific engineering, plus the pickup routs are far more common sizes. It's a best seller for all those reasons.
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BBPs are still made in Japan, but they do cost almost as much as an American Pro Fender.
 
#22
Aloe said:
P.S. BTW, please note that pickups and bridge on a 505/605 are highly not standard (even the pot holes are metric), you'll need modifications for anything aftermarket. it's a common thing for Yamaha that makes them a bad 'platform' bass
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Oh yes, +1 there. Yamaha pickups/electronics in those basses are not standard size, so some routing et al. would be needed to mod.

ESP/LTD's B, D, and F series basses have ESP soapbars in the standard EMG sizes, so the ESP pickups can be swapped out for those, or Duncans (which can be procured in EMG sizes). I have an LTD HTB-600 that originally had EMG DCs and had them replaced with Duncan SSBs. (I have an LTD D-5 and think the stock pickups sound just as good as Duncans, EMGs, or Barts, but that's just me. Plenty of people swap those out).

The bridges are metric, though. I had to buy metric allen wrenches to adjust the saddles. But that's to be expected in an Asian import bass or most any import (given that the US is one of only 2 or 3 countries that does not use metric).
 
#26
My first 5-string was the TRBX-505. Still have it in the rotation with a Squier VM Jazz 5 and an LTD Surveyor 5. 18mm on all of them and what I like. The neck is the best I ever player, like it was molded around my left hand . The ergonomic is perfect and has the shortest overall length of all my 4-5 string basses. So, comfortable to play.

The sound was good out of the box, but you need to lower the pickups to give it some breath. I installed DR Low Rider SS and IMHO it transformed the bass. I had original strings, DR High Beams and Ken Smith Rock Master before.

IMO, the passive mode sounds vintage and the active mode sounds modern with better B string definition and more clarity when slapping. Really like the TRBX-505, and wishing they have a black one with maple fretboard.
 
#28
DonaldR said:
My first 5-string was the TRBX-505. Still have it in the rotation with a Squier VM Jazz 5 and an LTD Surveyor 5. 18mm on all of them and what I like. The neck is the best I ever player, like it was molded around my left hand . The ergonomic is perfect and has the shortest overall length of all my 4-5 string basses. So, comfortable to play.

The sound was good out of the box, but you need to lower the pickups to give it some breath. I installed DR Low Rider SS and IMHO it transformed the bass. I had original strings, DR High Beams and Ken Smith Rock Master before.

IMO, the passive mode sounds vintage and the active mode sounds modern with better B string definition and more clarity when slapping. Really like the TRBX-505, and wishing they have a black one with maple fretboard.
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Same pickups as the 605, right? What are the dimensions?

Thanks!
 
#31
Thanks for all of your responses! I'm buying a used one of these tomorrow:

upload_2023-6-29_15-57-19.png


Apparently the pickups aren't great on this bass either, but I know I can easily replace them and this is more my style than the Yamaha.
 
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#36
I find it interesting that people find it bland/uninteresting sonically. I bought it specifically for the tones it was producing. The neck and bridge balance well. Nothing to too bright or too muddy but the tones are unique in each position. There is a growl there if you dig in.

My biggest issue is getting the action where I want it rattle free. Like every Yamaha guitar or bass I have played it comes from the factory very much favoring the high side of things. Might need a fret level but I am not sure about that. I have not put the fret rocker to it yet.
 
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#37
TheArchitect said:
I find it interesting that people find it bland/uninteresting sonically. I bought it specifically for the tones it was producing. The neck and bridge balance well. Nothing to too bright or too muddy but the tones are unique in each position. There is a growl there if you dig in.
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Totally agree. I really like the sound and the feel I'm getting from the DR Low Rider. I lowered the pickups a bit and it opened the sound. The strings on mine are very low without any buzz.

I will probably start a new thread on what I can do to improve my TRBX-505, 'cause I really don't know what can be done to raise it to next level. Maybe a sidegrade but an upgrade? Not sure.
 
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#38
I just got a used TRBX605FM from a nice seller (robertusf). I can see where the bland comments come from, but after playing it for a couple of hours, I think setting bass and treble at 50% (in active mode) and dialing up the mids a bit gives it a solid bite. It's a beautiful, very well made instrument, and I think it delivers the punch and the growl for the price. Thanks for keeping this discussions going.
 
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