Al Krow

The P pup on the 414 / 424 (in my case the 425) has one of the meatiest kick-you-in-the-stomach punches I've come across (although I understand that the G&L pups are possibly even hotter?) I actually ended up in the opposite camp preferring the harmonically more complex tone of my 1025 to the brute P thud of my 425 - but we've both clearly ended up with a bass player's grin on our respective mugs! @dave_bass5 totally agree - extra cost is no guarantee of a noticeably better product; particularly with Yammys when you're already getting a LOT for the money with the more budget basses. Just once in while though, you can spend more on a piece of kit and think "yup I totally appreciate the quality of craftsmanship on this bass" (e.g. Ken Smith) or this cab absolutely is worth the extra etc. I guess at the end of the day, it's all part of experience and why having a community around you whose experience you can tap into, like we have on BC, is awesome.

I had exactly the same initial reaction to BF cabs. But combination of silver grille and just about everyone I meet gasping at how light it is, not to mention being an excellent cab(!) overcame my initial prejudice about its looks. (And despite it being HOT playing outdoors over several hours yesterday in the sun, and two of my bandmates getting burnt, my "very pretty" DG M900 managed not to become one with the BF tolex :)) You might date someone for the first time 'cos they look cute. But you stay with them because they're a great person. Translates very well to gear IMO.

@Dood - cheers buddy., Btw - for some reason your replies are not showing up on threads (to me anyway) nor any quotes / responses from you being notified and you're the very last person on BC I would dream of "ignoring"! So I dunno if there is some glitch - maybe you've broken the system by having 8,388,607 posts?! 😂 @ped?

@Dood I think I've missed an obvious point here: it seems to me that if you owned something like the HX Stomp this would make up the difference between the B|Amp and the Forte, and then some? Or would you still get the B|Amp in addition to Helix anyway and if so why?

Haha - yes I know that was exactly the point he was making. I was just having little playful dig about traditional Jazz aesthetics 😉 Standing close to the amp with the J pup and drive full on resulted in feedback. Standing further away or switching to P or PJ sorted it. Not too much rocket science for the hive mind here...

Go for it buddy! And if there's anything that your fellow BC'ers can do to support, please don't hesitate to be in touch!

Ok thanks dB, if that's the case - I suspect that my J bass needs will continue to be met very capably by Ibby, even if they happen to sport a VERY non-traditional Jazz aesthetic 😉 That sounds like a really interesting / useful tip, thanks. I found today with my BB 1025 set up for an outdoor gig that I was getting feedback when I engaged microtubes on my DGM900 with the solo J, but not with the P. But alas I think it's only the newer '3' series that have 'standard' sized pups that can be easily substituted. Although come to think of it, the P34/5 shares the same pups as the 734/5 so it could be worth clocking that tip for down the line with that bass...

Ah well even if it's been weird and wonderful chase up the garden path on your J bass quest 😁 I've learned about both the BB 605 being a J, which I hadn't clocked, and that the TRBX 605FM could well be worth checking out as noise cancelling [MM/J?], so it's certainly not been futile! @TJ Spicer - does the double coil on the TRBX pups render them MM's rather than (single coil) J's similar to what Sandberg have in their TM / VM range?

I'm now well confused (not the first and won't be the last time, haha!) If you're after a more traditional Jazz aesthetic, why look to Yamaha for a J bass based on the Yammy BB given they are no longer producing Fender clones?

Sounds to me that the TRBX could be on the money as Yammy's current 'J' bass offering. Good shout. Has YGD H5 double-coil pickups, built with alnico V magnets to offer "a smooth low and high end with a warm, vintage character". Quad-pole... and noise-cancelling design. That all sounds good to me! Noise cancelling is actually a big plus in my books - the J pup on my Yammy PJs is definitely the noisier / more prone to feedback and contrast with the almost silent running (by comparison) P pup. Music to Cam's ears should be the active / passive circuitry which seems to mirror the EQ on the 735A, which you are both big fans of. At £600 the TRBX605FM-5 is half the price of the Lakland 55-06, which won't hurt either.

And some of the best ones happen to also be made by Yammy!

Yup my understanding also is that difference is just in the woods across the SR Premium range. Pups, EQ etc are otherwise the same. I've got the 1825, but I actually prefer the less glossly finish of my previous 4 string 1800, and with hindsight the discontinued 1805 would have suited me down to the ground! Some of the 1400 / 1405 series were neck through, which set them apart from the rest of SR Premium range. If / when the next neck through SR Premium comes along, I'll be tempted to trade in my 1825 for it, but that may be a while! FWIW, the Premiums are my favourite of the three Ibby SR ranges - due entirely to the Nord big single pups, which have a delicious growl. So I'd positively choose a Premium over a Prestige and being half the price doesn't hurt either!

Wouldn't it be cool if you could work out a way to monetize your expertise? I get paid by my clients who clearly value my advice (otherwise they wouldn't pay me for it!) and which is how I've put a roof over my family's head and food on the table for the past 5 years when I've been running my own consultancy. Btw I don't treat any of their questions as being 'too stupid'! So why shouldn't folk value your expertise? £1 a question for straightforward queries? More for complex guidance. Seems fair.

Maybe I'm missing something, but surely the answer is that if the only thing wrong with the 55-60 is the colour and otherwise it's just the ticket and there are no other suitably coloured 55-60s likely to be available for a while, then would it be difficult to get it resprayed exactly how you want? Methinks just the body and front of the headstock would need re-doing. Going to be a more immediate answer than waiting for Yammy to start making J basses again...

Good shout krsipn. Cam would be wanting a 605 though...

That's very frustrating, I agree! Not poss to order directly from Lakland?

Cool - so you already know what you're after. Would I complain about a Yammy J bass: nope. But would I buy one (assuming there's a hole in my herd that I think needs filling, which there currently isn't)? Well the truth is that would depend how on good they were compared to the competition - it's a crowded market place out there. What I do love about Yammy is just how well they do a PJ bass - for me, it's what they're famous for. Btw - dunno if the finish on this Lakland 55-60 is more to your liking - it's currently FS in the Bass Gallery:

Exactly! Sounds like we have managed to get back onto the 'Plan' then 😂

Haha - I do have a collection and for me each one brings something distinct and special to the party, so I am very content with my herd, thank you! I'm not feeling any need to get a J bass from Yamaha other than the one I already have (which is excellent btw) - I'm very well catered for on the J bass front by another quality Japanese brand whose Nord pup growl and immensely playable necks I continue to love Sandberg are surely not purely active though i.e. passive / active option (that was certainly the case on my former TM4) - but I take your point about you not liking the new body shape, that's obviously a personal preference thing. But Cam there are a ton of really good value and great quality J basses out there - surely the world is your oyster?

But you've got a Dingwall and Sandberg and had MTD: all great brands. I don't recall what pup set-ups you have / had on these but they all do very well regarded J basses. I'm kinda struggling to understand what it is you'd want a Yammy to bring to the party that these brands aren't already giving you?

That says it all. They really are that good aren't they?! Congratulations!

Besides they need to hurry up and get their replacement for the BB1200 / S into production asap and make sure that they have a 5 string option when they do!