Look, I am not trying to offend people and to clarify I USED TO OWN a Dean and Yamaha's. From a sound and quality perspective I am not impressed. For bass's haven't touched them and found someone like Billy using them had me wondering.
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Yamaha
- Thread starter fingerguy
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- billy sheehan yamaha
Nobody pays MSRP. ->
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Billy's model is a very interestign spec and if you ahve time, I'd recommend watching him talk about it. It's like a variation of the Ric-O-Sound system, but oriented in different way. If you want a more classical hi-fi sound, check out Nathan East and his signature model. Both are very good instruments witht their own style and application.
There's nothing wrong with you not liking the sound of Yamaha. Saying you aren't impressed when you've only played their beginner models is like saying you don't like Fender because you're not impressed by Squire. Try something else in the line to see if it speaks to you. If it doesn't, there's plenty of other basses in the store.
I own one of their budget basses (TRBX 304) and I LOVE that thing.
There are obviously higher quality instruments out there, both within Yamaha and otherwise, but for the price, you get a ton of bass for your buck.
Plenty of features, decent hardware, nice fretboard, solid neck joint, and the 5-band EQ switch is a beautiful addition. Let's you really play around with the sound.
It's currently the most versatile bass I own. That's not saying a ton cuz I only have a few, and their all "budget" basses lol, BUT long story short, Yamaha makes good stuff.
There are obviously higher quality instruments out there, both within Yamaha and otherwise, but for the price, you get a ton of bass for your buck.
Plenty of features, decent hardware, nice fretboard, solid neck joint, and the 5-band EQ switch is a beautiful addition. Let's you really play around with the sound.
It's currently the most versatile bass I own. That's not saying a ton cuz I only have a few, and their all "budget" basses lol, BUT long story short, Yamaha makes good stuff.
Yeah, already been echoed, but as one who is also "in" the acoustic guitar world and who also spends a lot of time on Acoustic Guitar Forum - Welcome I don’t see any discussion equating Yamaha guitars with Squier. The vast majority of what I see is kudos for consistently excellent QC, best bang for the buck, and their high end stuff competing with the hallowed M, T, and G brands of the world at similar price point. True they do make entry level, but they make much more than that.
Nice ride. How does it handle loading out for gigs?
Class D stuff and lightweight cabs help.
ARG!!! Dude I don't know how I can make it any clearer, I was speaking from experience with just the acoustic guitars, and never touched their Yamaha bass's so was asking on here people's view points about them: the bass which I never touched.
Also I watched a video where he went into details about his Yamaha before going into exercises to do which I found very helpful and spent several minutes doing and then doing them on the bed w/out the bass.
Just adding this here for pure entertainment. Ed does a good review.
You are going to get different results in many forums. I am too a member on Acoustic Guitar and when I used to go to UG I found the Yamaha posts were on each side of things. Some were on the side that I am and others the other-side and some agreed not the best guitar but a good option to start with to see what you are looking for and/or are you going to stick with it.
I generally like Yamahas. I have a 1997 Yamaha BBG4 in my stable (massively altered) that I've had since i bought it new when I was 16.
I did play a Yamaha the other day that i found kinda silly. It played and sounded nice, and had a "style " knob were you could dial in Flat, Thumb, Slap, Pick etc etc. This seemed a tad goofy , but actually worked okay.
Where it got silly were the pickups with the U shape at the top of them for resting your thumb. Felt very odd and put my hand at an angle I didn't like. We're we really having issues with planting our thumbs on normal pickups?
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I did play a Yamaha the other day that i found kinda silly. It played and sounded nice, and had a "style " knob were you could dial in Flat, Thumb, Slap, Pick etc etc. This seemed a tad goofy , but actually worked okay.
Where it got silly were the pickups with the U shape at the top of them for resting your thumb. Felt very odd and put my hand at an angle I didn't like. We're we really having issues with planting our thumbs on normal pickups?
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Yamaha makes great quality instruments. it's a personal preference if you like them or not, but the quality is there for sure. I have a Yamaha Attitude Custom (the first Billy Sheehan model?) that was my first real bass, as well as my main bass for about eight years. It came with me everywhere (I even played that bass in the army). I've recorded an album with it, and it sounds amazing. I don't play it anymore because I prefer Jazz bass necks more these days. I also have a cheap RBX270, which can be improved, but a great bass for the buck. Also, I think Billy prefers his signature Yamaha, because it was built for him exactly how he wanted.
Well, I didn't mean it as derogatory, was hoping to dispel some bad info you may have gotten.
My apologies. I stand corrected.
The thing about Yamaha (in my experience) is this; everything they make is either on the upper end of good, to outright excellent. Guitars, snowmobiles, ATVs, generators, home stereo...honestly, it's practically impossible to go wrong with anything they make. My first bass was a Yamaha BB300, and I grew up on Yamaha snowmobiles, so yeah, I guess I have a bit of a soft spot for 'em. But as far as their basses go, like I'm sure at least a few others have mentioned, they make everything from fairly cheap beginner stuff to borderline boutique. I'd say if you are spending, say, even in the $500 range on Yamaha bass, you are getting a very well-built, reliable instrument.
I'm with HF....everything I've ever owned from Yamaha has far exceeded expectations. I have a Yamaha outboard on my bass boat, Yamaha generator and owned several acoustic guitars. I'd probably have a bass as well, but I just haven't stumbled onto a left-handed one that I could try out first.
I own a Nate Mendel P bass and a Yamaha BB1100s. The BB is a Japanese model from 86.
If I had to pick one to keep, it would be the Yam. I think that Yamaha make the best sounding P bass and I have owned US, Japanese and Mexican models. But the P bass looks so damm cool!
Yamaha do make budget models and having owned a few, they are really well made and I would rather buy a budget Yam than Squier/Fender. I would love to own a high end BB but that will have to wait.
If I had to pick one to keep, it would be the Yam. I think that Yamaha make the best sounding P bass and I have owned US, Japanese and Mexican models. But the P bass looks so damm cool!
Yamaha do make budget models and having owned a few, they are really well made and I would rather buy a budget Yam than Squier/Fender. I would love to own a high end BB but that will have to wait.
Also - I forgot to mention - their quality if VERY good right across the spectrum.
The ONLY problem with Yamaha is they've never captured the imagination of the guitar and bass playing public the way similar quality brands have - the way Ibanez is sort of THE brand for Metal and Hard Core.
My primary gigging bass now is a BBNE2 that I got for a song. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love everything about it. Well maybe except for the funky location of the input jack!
I think that might be more a testament to Fender and Warwick's marketing. I thought Yamahas were considered pretty good acoustic guitars? I personally dont really like the feel and look of Yamahas much but that's probably just because I haven't played them much. The ones I've seen have been pretty good quality.
BobDeRosa
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- May 16, 2012
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Let me add my voice to the chorus of Yamaha lovers. I own a fretless BB3000 and a fretted BB450 and I love them both. However, I also own a $200 fretless Yamaha RBX250 that's fairly unimpressive, but their latest low-end instruments -- BB1024 and the TRBX 304/504 -- are very impressive.
