EJWW

Lovely colour and an excellent weight. 

GLWTS 

I think this is a fabulous and very desirable instrument indeed. 

I have grown to love my 734A but i am really blown away by the looks of the Hooky.

It is a shame the BB range doesn't offer this particular finish as i think it would go really well. 

I just cannot justify getting one of these although i reckon it will hold its value very well if i decide to shift it later. 

I like this. 

I also like Death From Above 1979.

Love the rawness of the sound and the raucus reaction of the crowd. 

Love live music. 😥

Phwoarr! A thing of beauty. 

35 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

@MattiZ - that's really interesting and always good to hear the unvarnished views of fellow BC'ers - IMO so much more useful than "wow this is amazing!" to two months later "it doesn't quite meet what I was looking for tonally / feel / etc and I've decided to sell it" that we can often get 😁

It does go to show what a big difference bass set up can make - the experience with the two 735As I've had (the first was disappointing and the current one so far very good) definitely has some parallels to what you are saying as I touched on in my Oct 31 "Quick review". 

True, I've decided to hang on to my 734A because I've grown to really enjoy playing it. Being in lockdown with no band work is probably a factor but it is a great all- round bass IMO.

I wouldn't be surprised if 12 months down the line the GAS will fire up again though. I hope it doesn't though. 

4 hours ago, MoJo said:

I see you’re only in Brum. If you fancy meeting up, post lockdown and you can try my BB414

Cheers @MoJo 👍

9 hours ago, Al Krow said:

@EJWW really good review, thanks, with some really useful set up tips (highlighed in blue). 

Maybe the 734A is overkill for you as you're finding it "near perfect" in passive mode? A passive 734A = 434 or a (series 2) 1024 in my books and I can certainly vouch for the 1024/5s being absolutely superb passive PJ basses.

Btw I'm guessing accountancy is not your strong point? "I think I like it" is definitely 5 words in my book 😁

Near perfect when the P pickup is solo'd.

I did briefly own a 1025X but I didn't get on with the neck. In my view it compared unfavourably to my mid '90s TRB5 which is a completely different animal of course. 

I would like to try a BB414 at some point however, I don't know what the necks are like on them but I prefer the pickup switch to the blend knob.

My review of the BB734A 

I'm not particularly keen on the fuss of active basses (I'm a P bass man at heart) but a local trade opportunity arose and so I have now become the owner of this 734A.

First impression once I'd lifted it from its exquisitely plush-lined Yamaha gig bag was the matte black finish of the body and neck.

If you look closely at you can actually see the wood grain and also the three sandwiched layers of alder and maple that comprise the body.

I just love everything about the look and finish of this bass, from the badge on the headstock to the unusual fingerboard inlays. The design is pure class.

At 4.2kg it is not light but balances very comfortably.

The neck feels quite chunky, like a P Bass, and the satin finish feels just lovely in your left hand.

Machine heads are dead solid and feel high quality, as does the bridge.

A full set-up was required. The neck was dead straight which resulted in notes clattering and buzzing at the lower end of the fingerboard. A smooth half turn anticlockwise with a 4mm allen key sorted that problem. The bridge saddles were squewiff and the screws weren't at the same level on each saddle, and the pickups were miles away from the strings. I needed to replace the foam rubber underneath both pickups in order to raise them to Yamaha's recommended height. Lastly I carefully tightened the screws on the bass, mid and treble knobs which were slightly loose and rattly and it was good to go.

I can't help wondering whether level of (un)playability caused by the condition I received it in influenced the previous owner's decision to get rid of it. If so what a shame!

On to the playing.

The neck pickup is really ballsy and does the P sound really well. In passive mode it sounds near perfect to me. With the active EQ you've got plenty of options but I honestly feel this is gilding the lily.

Once you pan towards the bridge pickup I think the EQ comes into its own and can fatten up the bridge pickup's output.

I can't wait to put it through its paces in a gig environment and find out if its a keeper. Its principal opposition is a 3.9kg Squier Matt Freeman P Bass which I bought last year as a back up bass and has since become my main instrument as a result of its all round excellence. 

So to summarise in one word- I think I like it 🤓
 

My review of the BB734A 

I'm not particularly keen on the fuss of active basses (I'm a P bass man at heart) but a local trade opportunity arose and so I have now become the owner of this 734A.

First impression once I'd lifted it from its exquisitely plush-lined Yamaha gig bag was the matte black finish of the body and neck.

If you look closely at you can actually see the wood grain and also the three sandwiched layers of alder and maple that comprise the body.

I just love everything about the look and finish of this bass, from the badge on the headstock to the unusual fingerboard inlays. The design is pure class.

At 4.4kg it is not light but balances very comfortably.

The neck feels quite chunky, like a P Bass, and the satin finish feels just lovely in your left hand.

Machine heads are dead solid and feel high quality, as does the bridge.

A full set-up was required. The neck was dead straight which resulted in notes clattering and buzzing at the lower end of the fingerboard. A smooth half turn anticlockwise with a 4mm allen key sorted that problem. The bridge saddles were squewiff and the screws weren't at the same level on each saddle, and the pickups were miles away from the strings. I needed to replace the foam rubber underneath both pickups in order to raise them to Yamaha's recommended height. Lastly I carefully tightened the screws on the bass, mid and treble knobs which were slightly loose and rattly and it was good to go.

I can't help wondering whether level of (un)playability caused by the condition I received it in influenced the previous owner's decision to get rid of it. If so what a shame!

On to the playing.

The neck pickup is really ballsy and does the P sound really well. In passive mode it sounds near perfect to me. With the active EQ you've got plenty of options but I honestly feel this is gilding the lily.

Once you pan towards the bridge pickup I think the EQ comes into its own and can fatten up the bridge pickup's output.

I can't wait to put it through its paces in a gig environment and find out if its a keeper. Its principal opposition is a 3.9kg Squier Matt Freeman P Bass which I bought last year as a back up bass and has since become my main instrument as a result of its all round excellence. 

So to summarise in one word- I think I like it 🤓

Just acquired a second hand BB734A. NBD report to follow soon. Initial impressions good 😀

Now gone please lock

I love this bass. Too many in the arsenal to allow another purchase 😪

Very interesting and varied answers here, thanks everyone. On balance i think that the points regarding weighing up the quirks of others against the creative opportunities they are offering is key here. 

I'll give it a few weeks and i think the picture will be a lot clearer so watch this space... 😀

5 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

Have you got anything better in the pipeline? If not, what have you got to lose?

Fair point. 

2 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

If you were impressed then maybe the benefit of the doubt but no explanation for their being late? If another chance, I'd be packing up 10 minutes after the rehearsal w3as due to start if there's a repeat.

I should have added i knew the singer from years back and she was very upfront with me about the character of the lads in the band i.e. really nice guys but so laid back practically horizontal. I told her afterwards the punctuality problem is a serious issue for me as a busy family man and i would not tolerate being made to wait. She did apologise so perhaps this might filter through. 

In the absence of an alternative i think I will give them one more chance, if next rehearsal is problematic I'll walk.

After years of covers it did feel wonderful to have the freedom to create my own basslines. Whatever happens once things pick up again i think i need to have an originals band on the go. 

Well I've just arrived home and am in a total dilemma.

The musicianship was very good.  The drummer and guitarist LISTENED which is a very desirable quality in my opinion. 

The songs are good (I had carefully learned all 7 songs i was sent).

However the punctuality issue burns away in my mind.... 

I did finally get to give my G&L LB100 its first outing. It was fab.

Hmm. Very little else happening for me to join round here at the moment. Keep looking or give them another chance?

Singer arrived at 7.10, remainder of the band arrived 7.34. Very unimpressed so far. 

Let's see how it goes🤔

.

First jam in over 7 months. 

Audition with an originals band tonight, first originals band I've played with in 20 years. 

Currently sitting in the reception area, agreed to meet at 7pm, still no one here at 7.04pm.

I'm a stickler for punctuality, i hope this is not a sign...

Just so desperate to play... 

Really handsome instrument. 

Always fancied one of these and you're just up the road from me. Unfortunately I've just blown my budget on another bass last week. Any Trades? 

GLWTS

Channel 4 news's Krishnan Guru-Murthy

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/sep/06/sunday-with-krishnan-guru-murthy-normally-i-am-obsessing-over-big-stories

Just bought a lovely G&L LB100 from Gerry.

Arrived promptly, very straightforward process and great communication throughout.

Wouldn't hesitate to do business again. 

I've been trying to get rid of our upright piano for a couple of weeks. Really strange how you literally can't give them away. Gumtree, Facebook etc I've had so many timewasters and dreamers who have no idea how difficult it is to move a piano and end up going cold once the novelty wears off. 

I was considering whether it would be worth charging a nominal fee of some kind to deter the tossers and attract a more serious enquiry but I'll give it a bit longer and see what happens. 

2 hours ago, doc40hz said:

@EJWW I had one and it was a very decent bass indeed.

It had a pan pot instead of individual volumes pots, and I always max out my volume so not sure about how the output is affected. From memory, it was not too heavy. Probably around 4Kg, but as you say there is some considerable variation. 

Very well put together instrument, excellent pickups. and it played great! Wish I hadn't sold it now.....

 

Did you have it modded for the pan pot? I would much prefer a single volume pot like on the 734A but I don't want active electronics.

I should have posted this as a comment in this thread...

Can anyone advise me regarding the BB434?

I'D like to know whether the volume pots affect the output throughout the whole turn as opposed to the last bit of the turn like on some basses, and also what is the weight like? I know two models are never identical but I really can't take much over 4kg.

Cheers!