TRBboy

Okay cool, thanks, so standard long scale I assume? Don't think I'm going to have time to restring it before the gig tmrw night, but I'm sure I'll cope fine with the stock strings. Really hope it's every bit as good as I think it's gonna be! 😁

Might be a stupid question, but do you need extra long scale strings for the through - body stringing on the newer BB's?

Finally made a decision, BB435 ordered and should be here tomorrow in time for the gig! 😁👍👌

I had been thinking about some matt valspar varnish I'd seen in B&Q tbh, I jest not! 😉

Unpopular opinion maybe, but I had a BB605 with NE preamp, and I didn't care for the preamp at all! 😬 It was the main reason I sold it. Curious about your sandberg experience now also!

BTW, I was planning to refin the N5 with a stain rather than paint, as it will be a LOT less hassle! 😉👍 I agree though, white would look killer, kind of a poor man's Nathan East sig.

😂 It's a balance of a lot of factors with this really, and I want to choose right because a) this will probably become my main bass, and B) I'm a fussy bugger! Trying to balance cost vs weight vs which one is likely to give me the 'traditional' tone I'm after vs VFM. Due to these things, I think the 435 is likely to give me the best balance of what I want. The prospect of potentially selling my two custom made Sandbergs and my main bass being a mid-range, mass produced instrument feels both insane and liberating in equal measure! Your P35 is very nice. 😂

Erm..... Still a few bits and bobs to do, kind of at that point where its more or less done, it's just getting round to actually finishing it! Time has been against me though recently I must say.... Was thinking earlier I'm actually tempted to gig this bass on Friday, I normally take it as backup, but tempted to use it for the gig this week. Very close to ordering a 435 though I think.....

I'd guess it'll sound more like the P35 in passive mode, as it has the same pickups, same body construction, and same bridge. I believe the treble control does act as a passive tone control. I'd love a black one too, but the coffee burst one belonging to our friend @jrixn1 is looking increasingly tempting.....

Earlier, I thought I was set on a 435,but now you're making me think about the 735 again! 😂😭

For anyone who's interested in the differences between the pickups, I just had a conversation with Yamaha, and they kindly sent me a chart showing the differences. There's not actually that much difference between the V5 and V7 pickups; -the coil wires are enamel coated on V7 vs urethane coated on V5 -V5 have slightly more windings, and a slightly hotter output -V7 has cloth covered leads and V5 has vinyl Other than that they're the same magnets, bobbins, wire gauge, etc, etc.

Think I'm leaning more and more towards a 435.... Although I still keep looking at the 735a and P35 for sale on BC! 😂🤦‍♂️🤔

Yeah they are ceramic, but very hot and warm (ooh-er!) for a ceramic pickup. The tone profile on the dimarzio website kinda shows this. I had a BB414 way back, same pickups as your 425, and I found them a bit 'empty', seemed to be lacking presence in the low mids to my ears. That was a long time ago though....

Do you think the difference is maybe Alnico vs ceramic pickups? Making an assumption there that your P has a traditional alnico pickup.... But that would account for more warmth and presence in the mid range than the BB

I have a nicely worn in set of SS Dunlop Super brights (40-120) on my BBN5, and I use them on all my basses. They sound great IMHO, and even though I use a light gauge, they're low tension and stainless, they have a huge low /low mid response, and really punchy! They are very bright out the box, but I always figure it's easier to dull down a bright string than try to make a dull string sound bright! I love the feel of them, so easy to play.

Interesting! And I get where you're coming from, it makes sense why a slightly 'fuller' feeling neck would suit you better. It does also mean that the new necks will probably fit me perfectly, because my LH technique is the polar opposite to yours! 😂

I'm still agonising over which model would be best suited to me... I'm chasing a more traditional vibe at the moment (but in a 5 string format!). From the videos I've watched, the 700 and P series sound a bit more.... Modern to my ears, I'm assuming because of the fillet of maple in the middle. This makes me wonder if the 400 would be best for me, with its more conventional solid alder body... Plus the 400 seems to be lighter than the two higher ranges, again presumably due to the maple. But I know the P35 would be best quality and probably feel nicest.... .... Plus the 400 is cheaper! 😜 Decisions, decisions! 🤔

Saw a video with him playing the 734a, don't know if that's what he normally plays though

PM'd you last night dude. 😊👍

Think I might just be going to the show actually, just checked and its gonna be nearly 4hrs each way for me on Saturday..... 😬

Thanks guys, maybe best to check Wunjo's out too!

Mainly just hoping to try a 435, 735a, and P35 (I've seen a nice used examples of the last two for sale 😉)

Looks like less than a half hour trip each way to the Yamaha store from the venue.... Can't stop looking at BB's, but can't decide which one would suit my needs best. Might well be worth doing! Does anyone know if they stock the whole range?

YES! 😅😭 Weirdly though, I'm finding myself wanting to move away from lovely boutique gear towards more meat and potatoes stuff. I'm kind of rediscovering what I like and don't like recently, and learning a lot of things I thought I had figured out years ago! After playing active, modern basses for the past 10 years or so, I've recently discovered that actually I like passive basses best, especially in a band mix! And also my amp changes, experimentation recently: there's something going on with me at the moment about 'perfect imperfection' that is giving me the bass sound I want to hear right now.