MattiZ
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Posts posted by MattiZ
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Finally, my whole BB family together. L-R: 235, 300, 1200S, 1200S, 400S, 735A.
Terrible pic quality, lightning conditions far from ideal.
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It’s still not the complete family photo - my BB235 and the other BB1200S stayed at home. Possibly some day next week I’ll have them all at my studio at the same time.
The new (to me) BB400S is nice, I’ve played it several hours per day since I got it this tuesday. Like the sound, weight and playability, but the quality of both the DIY de-fret job and the nut is such that it is going to a luthier as soon as possible. Bumpy and buzzy fret(less)board, badly made replacement nut. And the finish... well, it is the original early 80’s dark brown, in very good condition. It does look organic. Like sh...
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On 29/12/2020 at 00:30, MattiZ said:
Exactly. I’m fine with DIY - if somebody else does it.
Never really played a fretless (only tried briefly), might not even like the feel. And it seems to be very hard to find any fretless basses for sale locally (not to mention any BBs). If there’s no other option, I might consider getting, say, a BB234 defretted, if I could find one in the first place!
A week later.
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Firmware update v1.4 available. Just a bug fix, no new features or effects, it seems.
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15 minutes ago, Al Krow said:
Haha - not saying de-fretting isn't a valid option, for some. Personally I'm with @MattiZ on this - I wouldn't defret a perfectly good fretted bass; I'd rather buy a bass that was fretless from the outset.
Exactly. I’m fine with DIY - if somebody else does it.
Never really played a fretless (only tried briefly), might not even like the feel. And it seems to be very hard to find any fretless basses for sale locally (not to mention any BBs). If there’s no other option, I might consider getting, say, a BB234 defretted, if I could find one in the first place!
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1 hour ago, Cuzzie said:
Get a fretted one of choice, pull the frets out
Not comfortable doing that. Electronics I can cope with, but any kind of woodwork, nope.
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My BB obsession is getting worse. Now I need/want a fretless one.
What models are there? I know of BB400S, BB350F and BB614F (and BB404F, but that one has a different body style). There seem to be some converted BB300 fretlesses, and I once played a converted BB1200S.
If there was a fretless BB234 available, I wouln’t hesitate. But sadly there is no such thing. So, what options do I have? And who wants to sell me one?
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1 hour ago, Al Krow said:
A comment about a BB235 being "off-topic" on a Yamaha BB thread?
Now I know you Scandinavian types have a reputation for being super honest (by the rest of the planet-we-all-share standards), but I'm afraid that hardly even registers on the off-topic Richter scale. You're going to have to try a LOT harder...😁
For a while I thought this had become the official BBPH thread. Tried my best to fit in.
By the way, did I mention I like the 235 a lot?
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Not much talk about this. Anybody here has one?
I just found a slightly used G11 at a price I couldn’t resist. What helped me make the decision, apart from the price, was the fact it already has some bass effects, and I think it is reasonable to expect Zoom will continue offering updates, considering they’ve been doing so for a few generations of multi-fx. With the new G6 coming, things may get interesting.
The G11 bass-specific fx are:
- BassGEQ
- Bass DRV
- Dark Pre
- AMPG SVT
- AG 750
- SVT8x10
- AG4x10TW
So, not a lot of them. Still, many Filter, Drive, Modulation and Pedal FX have Mix, Bal, DryMix or Blend parameters, which make those effects potentially useful for bass. I also have a B3n and G3n (plus MS-100BT, MS-70CDR, MS-50G) to make comparisons.
I could post some of my findings if there is any interest, after having some time to actually play the thing.
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On 11/12/2020 at 10:58, Sarlscharisma said:
I've had a chance to play it now and it certainly has the 1200S DNA. But it does have it's own thing going on. I have had 3 1200S basses in the past so I am working off my memory but it does have a lot of the sparkle of the top end of that bass. I find the bottom end is very different though in that it doesn't have the 'hollow' sound of the 1200S and is more round. Without playing this in a band setting I think hitting that E string might blow the roof off, that didn't happen with my 1200S basses.
So I would say it is different enough from the 1200S to be it's own thing. The feel of the neck is amazing and it is very fast. It is certainly not the 'tank' the 1200S is, but that is probably down to it being so much lighter. The sustain is amazing for a bolt on, that is a huge achievement.
I have never played a 734 so can't comment on that, but this is a workhorse bass with a solid feel to it.
The only thing I would be critical of is the knobs seem a bit on the cheaper side and are too small/fiddly, the inlays are plasticky, and the fretboard is too light against the rest of the bass.
But for £899 it's an absolute steel and a top bass.
Lots of parallels here, compared to my experience with my two BB1200Ss and a BB735A. Not the same as the BBPH (a 5-stringer with non-reverse P), but close.
They have somewhat similar top end sparkle, yes. Differences in low end, except 1200S has it tight and focused, but 735A feels somewhat phasey and scooped, possibly lacking something in the low mids (hard to pin it down exactly, just a feel). Could it be the difference between reverse and non-reverse P, and/or the pre-amp? I’m not sure.Different, absolutely. And I completely agree the 1200S is a ”tank” (or Imperial Starcruiser) to the light-weight 735A. There is nothing wrong with its build quality but it still feels much less substantial (and actually weights less than the 1200S).
I also agree the knobs are not ideal (very heavy, unmarked and... uh, pretty ugly), neither are the pots themselves: they feel very stiff to turn, and the center detents feel very subtle, there is almost no positive click. And those inlays really are ugly, they look like cheap nicotine-stained plastic.Still, it is a good bass, it fits the band I play it in, I like it more and more after each band practise...
... but finally, getting even more off-topic but... I - still - kind of enjoy my BB235 more!
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53 minutes ago, Al Krow said:
TWO x BB1200S!! That's just plain greedy 😂
Yes, I know. My (poor) excuse is, I almost got my ultimate dream bass (black Gibson Ripper, I’d hunted for years for one) - but was too slow. Next thing I saw after the big disappointment was this BB1200S in almost perfect condition...
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On 19/11/2020 at 15:22, Al Krow said:
Two black BB300?! Black is definitely your favourite colour, for basses anyway! 😁
So your full collection of Yammy BBs is now what? Full family photo please!
’83 MIJ (the new arrival) left, ’84 MIT right. Black is beautiful, though In fact I slightly prefer the BB1200S’s dark translucent green.
Both BB300’s are quite early examples (note the pot placement and body shape) but the MIJ is clearly the superior instrument. Light weight, nice neck profile, no neck dive. Just lovely.
Full BB collection? Well: BB1200S x2, BB300 x2, BB735A, BB235. Got some of them at home, some at the studio, taking a group photo as soon as I get them all in one place.
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13 hours ago, MattiZ said:
Oh, by the way, there seems to be this strange epidemic of self-duplicating BB basses. I think some of you have experienced it as well...
... this happened yesterday.
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On 15/11/2020 at 14:53, Al Krow said:
Be following closely how your experience of the 735A develops as I am definitely partly to blame for persuading you to get this!
FWIW if my first experience of a 735A was a meh 6/10, which I put down to poor set up, my current experience, second time around, with a really well set up and well played in bass (and for a really good price!) - thanks for all of that to @TwoStringsWouldBeEnough (although he really could have chosen a more compact Avatar name - lol!) is a really happy 9/10! I don't tend to give 10/10, so you get the idea!
@Al Krow Well, I had pretty much decided to want a BB735A, but almost given up as it seemed they were completely unavailable. You helped me make the decision, and I’m happy I got the bass.
I guess I was unrealistically expecting it to be the closest equivalence to a 5-string BB1200S, based on the 5-ply neck construction, the extra stabilizing neck joint system (and the Peter Hook association with the BB734A model). Well, it is not. Not even close.
It is a good bass anyway. Had I not bought it, I’d still be gassing over it. Now, after a proper setup, two band rehearsals and several hours of playing, it already feels much better. No love at first sight (like the BB235A) but the beginning of a long friendship, probably.
Oh, by the way, there seems to be this strange epidemic of self-duplicating BB basses. I think some of you have experienced it as well...
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On 06/11/2020 at 17:46, Al Krow said:
So is is it a noticeable step up from the BB 235 then?!
I wish there was an obvious answer to that question.
The BB235 was much better than expected. It had really good setup, and with Rotosound Monel Flats is a joy to play. The cheap ceramic PU’s are loud, clear and well balanced. Just one thing: the neck has too much of a D profile, I never liked those that much.
On the other hand, the BB735A is not any better than I expected. In fact I had great expectations for it, maybe even too much. The setup was not good: some sharpish fret ends, nut so high I took it to a luthier friend for filing it down (even he made comments on the setup). The pickups are nothing special, and compared to both my BB1200S’s, the preamp sounds, well, quite generic. But: the neck has a lovely C profile, just slightly thicker with less shoulders than the BB235, exactly how I like it.Only played one band rehearsal with each yet. For now, I prefer the cheap BB235 - well, I’ve played it a few months already, the BB735A is brand new. Guess it takes a couple months to reach a verdict here!
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3 hours ago, Al Krow said:
Excellent - did you manage to get it for a similarly good or possibly even better price?
I am hopefully taking delivery of mine tomorrow morning, when I have arranged to meet the seller...I've had a slightly wicked thought of dropping the PG and just leaving the black PG screws on the satin black body, but I've not seen that done before so no idea if it will look any good!
The BassDirect price was too good, but the Station Music was the cheapest of the two or three others I was able to find in Europe. With shipping & handling it cost me about 50€ more. Not too bad.
That pickguard isn’t the prettiest thing ever, removing it might be a good idea. I’ll let you to be the trendsetter, though!
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8 hours ago, Al Krow said:
When is your 735A arriving?
I ended up agreeing with you that all my pro BB 735A arguments are very valid! Lol! And it's a fraction of the price of a Sandberg Panther Special whilst IMO sounding just as good! That all being the case, there really was only one course of action that I could validly take...
It is already here! Delivered just six hours ago by UPS.
But it isn’t the BassDirect one. That one had already been sold (I learned that their site is manually updated, they apologized and returned my payment promptly, so everything is fine).
Instead, I found one at Station Music. They were very fast, took less than a week to arrive from Germany. Excellent communication too. And naturally it was their last one.
Only played it for half an hour at home, and yes, it feels good. It needs flats, or rather, I need them - though the factory D’Addarios feel acceptable, I only enjoy flats. More to follow after some real playing. Also the final verdict on the BB235 and some comparisons later on.
You already got yours?
By the way, for some reason I seem to be unable to load pics at the moment.
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7 hours ago, Al Krow said:
Sometimes you have to follow your heart! Besides, since when has music purely been about the "head"?
FWIW - I can't think of any other PJ 5er with active / passive option that matches the 735A's quality, until you are hitting twice that price (and more).
I suspect you will love it and, if you don't, then you won't have any difficulty moving it on!
When is it arriving? Will you be looking to sell your BB235 or keeping it as a purely passive bass?
Agreed. All your pro-BB735A arguments are valid, I used each and every one of them to convince myself that I was about to do the right thing. And yes, they work, feeling happy now.
No shipping information yet. But I guess it will take some time, every package from GB to Finland that I’ve received during the epidemic has taken several weeks to arrive (there’s been 4 or 5 of them).
Not sure what to do with the BB235 yet. It is a nice bass, like it more every time I play it, but if the BB735 really is that much better... possibly end up keeping one at home, the other at the studio / rehearsal room. Might sell my BB300 instead as it gets no playing time at all (and its neck profile does not feel ideal, and the pickup seems quite weak, and so on).
Remains to be seen. Anyway, looking forward to comparing the two 5-stringers extensively. Decision time comes later. Now that I remember, never completed my review of the BB235 earlier in the thread. Must do that soon!
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That was fast.
What have I done?
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5 minutes ago, Al Krow said:
When did "not needing" a piece of bass gear ever stop us getting something we really wanted?! 😁
I don't know how many Yammy BB735As Bass Direct has in stock - so if you want it for that currently excellent price, I suggest you hit your credit card quickly before I stop dithering about whether to get it myself (the Yamaha Store won't have any replacement stock until late Nov) and @marleaux62, who has recently clearly got a very bad dose of the Yammy bug, beats you to it!
I know, you make perfect sense. I haven’t seen any black ones for sale anywhere in EU area for months, and the price is very good.
Must resist. Or at least think about it for a while.
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On 15/10/2020 at 14:49, Al Krow said:
Bass Direct have just dropped their price to £729 shipped for a 735A and given that these basses seem to hold their value pretty well (as can be seen from 414/5, 424/5 and 1024/5 used prices), I'm really tempted to get a new replacement one for the used one I sold a while back (apparently because I was holding onto my P35, or so I thought!).
Please, please, talk me out of placing an order for a matte black 735A right now!
I’ve only just decided I like the BB235 quite a lot, after playing it for a few months, but find myself wondering how nice it would be with an active preamp. More like my BB1200Ss...
I don’t need it! I want it! Aaarggh!
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... and the next puzzle to be solved.
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My BB1200S getting new/old original machine heads.
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Just bought some vintage Yamaha parts from Gerry. Everything went as smoothly as possible, excellent communication. My BB1200S is slowly getting restored, thanks a lot!
The package took three weeks to arrive from UK to Finland, we both feared it had disappeared on its way but that’s just logistics.
The Yamaha BB mega-thread
in Bass Guitars
Posted
I wrote a longish BB235 review in this thread a while back, also made some comparative comments on both. At the moment I enjoy the 235 more. I practise on it, it is the instrument I’m most likely to grab when I start writing a song, or just feel like playing something. The 735A gets playd at band rehearsals only, it fits the band in question (loud stoner/doom type thing) quite nicely.
235 sounds great played clean, or with some modulation fx, or a bit of dirt. Its electronics have a bit more hiss than the 735A’s but that is probably the only real fault I’ve found. 735A likes dirt and behaves well at loud volumes, with octave, fuzz, distortion pedals into Darkglass MT900, but sounds a bit... neutral, almost boring, when clean. It could be the preamp, or the pickups - or the strings: it’s had the same Rotosound Flats set on from day one, and I’ve just started thinking they might not be the ideal strings for it. I’ve used and loved them on both my BB1200S’s (and I very much wished the 735A would turn out to be the 5-string 1200S, which it clearly is not), but they don’t seem to fit here.
Now, I’ve been waiting for my order of Ernie Ball Cobalt Flat single B-strings since october and when they arrive, I’ll be able to reach the final verdict. I hope. Love those strings on every 4-stringer I’ve tried (passive, active, fretless, fretted), going to set up both 5ers with them and see what happens.
Guess I didn’t really answer your question here, did I?