Al Krow

Which model did you go for, the 4 or the 5?

But aren't you making a very big assumption that an HB Stingray won't be good enough for a beginner? I mean the OP @mcnach is a very experienced bass player and, from his comments, has been happy with this bass "out of the box". If it's good enough for him with his knowledge and experience of basses, it should be more than decent for a beginner, no?

What is the quality of the aux in / headphone out for use as a headphone amp - is it broadly similar to the quality you get from your Zoom B1-4 or is it a step up as a headphone amp? If it is, that would definitely be another string to its bow.

And we've all failed to mention the most important thing about a 5 string which comes for free...that fantastic thumb rest (aka the B string) 😁

There lots of positional benefits to a 5er including ease of being able to change key, in addition to the the low D, C and B notes - which do give you the ability to play an octave down in those keys as compared to a 4 string, which can be good. And there's pretty much nothing you can do on a 4 string that you can't do on a 5, but not so true the other way around. But I'm sure you know all that already! It's pretty much why I mostly play 5s these days, apart from three solitary basses a EUB, an 8 string and a 6 string, which are all different again. Quite a few folk set out to make the move from 4 strings to 5 but give up before getting confident on 5s. You've cracked it, so why not keep one 5 in your herd and use it when it will be useful and revert to 4s when you don't? Just my tuppence worth.

Agreed about the beyond help, but as long as the missus is on board that's all that counts! 😁 (I'm not currently listing duplicates on the original OP - it's mainly to highlight who has actually owned which models, in case we need to pick folks brains plus a bit of fun...besides youve got your wonderful mega list on another thread which has gotta be one of the most liked posts of all time!)

I did an A/B of my BF BB2 with an AT 212 a little while back (at home during lockdown rather than in a band mix) - this is a summary of what I found: Overall, there was not a huge amount of difference in tone between the two. BB2 mellower and would probably sit better “in the mix”; AT212 was richer and more resonant = more “acoustic” / akin to having reverb added to vocals. Its greater clarity and articulation mean that it would likely “cut through the mix” more easily. Whilst they both handle the open low B well, the AT212 delivered the low B with more punch whereas the BB2 was slightly muddier. Sadly my AT212 was a little mangled by the courier and went back and I've stuck with my BB2 since then, partly due to its more robust construction which I was obviously sensitised to by my unfortunate experience with the AT212.

Which BBs do you still currently have (and clearly weren't a waste of money! 😁)?

And now I know it does presets I might spend some time watching those videos 😁 But tbf, a synth keyboard is unlikely to be on my wish list for a little while, so I'll probably get to hear you playing yours before then.

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Oh you should see his "all the basses I've ever had" thread for the full picture!! And Andy's had more than one of most of these basses too! Check out the very first post on this mega-thread for our collective "wall of shame" of Yammy BBs, which is there for a bit of fun (plus we can also pick the brains of some specific BB owners for their experience). But was it a waste of money, or did it give you a lot of fun and pleasure along the way?

Cool! How close is this to being a roughly correct wall of shame entry for you now then: currently - 414, 1600 (incoming), BB350F(refretted) (prev: 200, 300, 350f, 1100s, 1300, 614, 714BS, 1024x, G4sII)?

That's plenty for me, more than adequate for most live work.

Haha - well that's told me then! 😁

@AndyTravis - congrats on the BB1600 mate, know you've been wanting to get your hands on for a while. Your first?

I was just re- reading @pete.young's very helpful comparison of the BB 2005 vs BB NE2 in an earlier post, which I'm about to get some hands-on experience on and really looking forward to. Happened to come across these two posts at the same time which kinda tie in quite closely with the MII vs MIJ discussion we were having regarding the 1024/5 vs 2024/5. I guess at the end of the day folk will take a view as to whether the feel of the 2024/5 justifies the massive premium that Yamaha were looking to charge over the 1024/5 and vote with their wallet (or indeed go for something else entirely!) If I could go into @Woodinblack's mythical store, where everything was free and I could choose one bass, it definitely wouldn't be a 2025 as I'm really very happy with my played-in 1025; it would more likely be an Alembic or Wal. Now where the heck is that store...?

As this is an analogue synth, I'm assuming it doesn't do presets or is that not the case?

All these new models and pup configs but any classic reverse-P + J 5ers in the range at Euro or Legend rather than NS prices?

Well I guess I'm going to be 19 short of having 2024 good reasons, too, next week but my bank balance is definitely happy about that 😁

The Jazz is definitely the brightest tone consistent with newest strings, then followed by the Ray (with the oldest strings), so the least slap zingy for me was the Yamaha. I'd personally have the P34 on solo bridge pup for slap, rather than the more mid scooped PJ setting, but that's a personal preference. Thanks for taking the time to record and share that and, while being a Yammy lover with zero Fenders in my toolbox, my vote went to the...Fender

Thanks for posting that! Enjoyed that a lot. Just to understand the base line: Were the strings identical in terms of make / model and the same age on all three basses? Which pup settings did you have the basses on and were the EQs all set flat?

I've got the previous series model BB 1025 (the 4 string version is the 1024) and I find the the J pup a little grittier than the current series you have and which may be just what you're looking for tonally - I certainly use it on solo J when I'm particularly looking to cut through rather than sit in the band mix. Two more PJ basses that I have 5 string versions of: A used Spector Euro LX4 would be superb, but they don't come cheap! Bit left field but likely to you impress for its outstanding value for money is the Harley Benton Marquess. Will cost you less new than many comparably spec'd basses used. The other key factor to bear in mind is whether you go for an active or passive bass. The BB 434 you currently have is purely passive, as is the 1024. The other two basses I mentioned are both active and active preamps can make quite a big difference to the sound you're getting from your bass eg in being able to push the mids to enhance how much you cut through, but this is also something you can usually do from your amp.

@acidbass that's absolutely brilliant! At the end of the day what you were doing over the weekend - playing live to such an appreciative crowd - is pretty much what it's all about as far I'm concerned! Any links to your band? (And just to keep it vaguely on topic - what particular fx are you using your Stomp for? 😄)

Downer about the Ciocks - they're usually considered to be very reliable and the two I had (before replacing with my cheap and cheerful Harley Benton IsoPro PSUs) never gave me any trouble, so that does sound like a bit of bad luck. The bit that particularly caught my eye about your post was you playing in front of a crowd of 6,000 - fantastic! Was that at a festival and are you guys regularly playing to such big crowds?

Fixed 😊 Did you end up getting one or both? Just to clarify I am very much NOT saying there is no difference at all. Maybe best I summarise where I have landed on this 2024/5 vs 1024/5 topic : the 2024/5 is the recipient of two sonic treatments which are designed to give the bass a "played-in" feel from day 1. A 1024/5 will also get a played-in feel, after it's been err...played-in, which comes for free from using the bass; the 2024/5 is MI-Japan vs 1024/5 MI-Indonesia. The cost of labour in Japan is significantly higher, which will lead to a higher product cost. But Indonesia has got a pretty good rep for making quality basses e.g. Ibby SR Premiums costing £1k+ are MI-Indonesia; pretty much everything else about the basses are the same - design, pups, woods, preamp and bridge; for the record I have not heard the 2024/5 A/B'd in a blind test with the 1024/5, played by the same bass player with a full band - that would be a key test for me. But tbh I'm not expecting to hear anything much difference between two pretty identical basses played by the same bass player and if I can't hear any difference, I sure as heck wouldn't dream of paying three times as much. Others are free to come to a different conclusion and spend their hard earned cash how they wish! In case any of you have never so much as laid eyes on either a 1024/5 or a 2024/5 - here's a decent A/B "bedroom" comparison of the 5 string versions. Recommend a good pair of headphones and to just listen without watching the clip - can you tell them apart (even without a full band blaring)? I guess my thinking these days is that once we have "good enough" kit, spending more money on gear is not going to make us sound any better. That will instead happen only as we become better bass players by spending time on technique, practice and, if we get the chance, regularly playing live with capable bandmates.