GreeneKing

19 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

...and exactly why did you sell that and so many others?! 

I guess if you were taking a break from bass and thought you might not be picking it up again, then fair enough...

At the time it seemed a good idea......

TRB4P. Neck through, Piezo. 34" scale.

I know it's not a BB but why, oh why did I sell this (and so many others).

As is the Yamaha

I'm awaiting some nut slot files and I'll be doing a little bit of fine tuning to my BBPH. It's not unusual for mass produced basses but the nut slots are slightly shallow, particularly on the E and A strings. I need much more pressure to fret the first fret than I should. Just a wee bit of filing and I'll take it VERY slowly.

I said in my initial review that the fret ends weren't sharp and they aren't as in cut your fingers sharp but they do feel rough edged to the extent that I notice when playing. So I'll do that at the same time. I've already got a file for this.

I've been playing my BBPH exclusively since I bought it and a couple of days back I picked up my modified 2008 MIM Jazz. I love this bass which, after owning well over 100 basses is why I have it. I used it with the same amp settings and it sounded lacklustre and lo-fi. That's with identical strings. The notes seems damped, quickly fading. I then went back to the BBPH and hi-fi and sustain was restored. I did a double check, it was in passive with the tone rolled half off. Such is the nature of the BBPH.

Peter

19 hours ago, dannybuoy said:

I'd string through the bridge to play it safe. The break angle isn't much different to a traditional string through body design, since those designs usually have the string hole behind the bridge in a similar position, just the string bends twice instead of once before it reaches the ferrule.

I fitted the Dunlop Flats today. Here is a photo of the break angle of the 'old' D'Addario E string. It is much less than I thought and I've fitted through body. If they fail then on my head be it

Just got in from nearly 3 hours of socially distanced band practice. The BBPH was superb. Run through a EBS Microbass 3 and a hp filter into an EBS Fafner and an 8 ohm Accugroove 112 with a horn and 2 tweeters. 
It cut through the mix very well. Lovely tone and sustain like you’d hardly believe. I played it passive with the tone rolled down for the more bluesy numbers and active with a slight mid boost and treble cut for the more rocky stuff. It’s a great bass and I’m well pleased. 
 

Hopefully fitting Dunlop flats tomorrow. 
 

Peter

A question for BB owners that have the bevelled through body stringing, as opposed to the through body through the rear of the bass. Given that flats can get damaged if they are run through too great an angle, is it okay to use flats on the lesser angled through body stringing?

I’ve been pondering string choice. My favourite strings are Dunlop flats. They aren’t at all dull or muddy and I’ve ordered some for my BBPH. 

I’ve also been experimenting with fretboard darkening using black leather dye, a popular choice. I practiced on my Mexican Jazz and it worked well. It did however leave the side dots sort of half and half tinted. I’ve decided not to risk it on my new BBPH  
 

4 hours ago, hookys6stringbass said:

Have you had a chance to change the strings... its the only thing that bugs me about my BBPH...

They do settle in. They are D’Addario nickels and I like nickels and D’ Addario. They stop making your fingers grimy after a bit and get less abrasive. I do have some Dunlop nickels 45 - 105. I might try them. Maybe DRs? Sunbeams? It’s getting expensive. My favourite go to string is Dunlop flats that are quite bright for flats but I’m not sure they’re the right strings for this bass.

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

So the new Yammy PH is not a coincidence then - and a great way to celebrate picking up where you left off! 😊

Getting the chance to exercise the BBPH at war volume tomorrow night. I'll report back

18 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

Didn’t you sell it to me empty? It’s a great bag

There you go, memory not what it was. Yes I'd given up playing and transporting my bass. You're right

Thankfully now enjoying my playing again and playing with other peeps occasionally.

Just now, marleaux62 said:

I agree the bag is a little bit snug at the top but it does the job. Personally mine will probably never get used I have a Mono Vertigo gig bag that I use all the time.

I wish I'd never let my Mono bag go when I sold a bass and it needed a bag. Proper protection....

Thank you Agustin

23 minutes ago, marleaux62 said:

Just darkened the fretboard I think it looks better now it was a little bit light before.

 

What did you use to do that Mick? I was going to lemon oil mine just because I felt that it needed it but darkening would look good aesthetically.

I got mine from Kenny’s Music. One thing, the sandwich alder/maple/alder body construction. Is that normal BB practice? It certainly will add rigidity to the neck/body/bridge structure in lieu of a neck through construction. 
 

8 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Bear in mind the Yammy gig bags (certainly the one I got with my 1025), whilst very good quality, was a half inch shorter than comfortable for the bass. Hopefully not an issue for the PH gig bags. 

No it fits just fine. I wasn’t expecting a gig bag so it was a bonus. I suppose at £999 I should have expected one  

12 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

10 due in local PMT soon.

Will get a call when they’re in.

to the new owners, is the gigbag as nice as the one which came with the 1024’s/714BS?

ta

I don’t know. The last BB I owned was a 2024. It’s reasonable. Better than a Warwick gig bag but not up to Mono standard. I usually use a ‘Slickbag’ and it’s not quite on a par.

My BBPH arrived this afternoon and after about an hour of playing and 20 minutes of tweaking I thought I'd give a few first impressions.

The fit and finish is superb. A typical Yamaha in that respect. No sharp fret ends, a lovely gloss finish with satin for the neck and headstock except for the face which is gloss. The back of the neck feels great to play and won't get sticky even on those hot and humid days I guess.

I initially thought, urghhh, steel wounds and I immediately ordered some nickels. I hate the coarse draggy feel of some steel wounds. The action was okay, quite playable but I could see room for a little setup work.

Fitting the supplied battery was interesting. The battery door is quite flimsy and thin and isn't attached by a ribbon. The battery pops in and immediately pops out again as it's sprung from inside. You have to hold it in place and use the door (that's now on the floor) to secure it properly. If the flimsy door were to fall off the battery would jump out.

The tones available - awesome. I was completely blown away in passive and active doesn't add a huge boost but it gives greater control to sculpt the tone from the single pickup. I'm not sure what modifications have been made for Peter Hook's preference but bass and mids are very useable with extremes I wouldn't use and treble more so. The chosen frequencies seem great for what I do, pop, rock and blues covers.

When tuning up I get a feel for neck stability as say my Fender will waver a little on the tuner while settling down with the one piece neck. The tuner was bang on, it's a lovely stable 5 piece neck!

It's slightly neck heavy but nothing that a forearm on the body doesn't address.

The tuners seem robust and function well.

I initially found the centre detents on the EQ controls difficult to find but after adjusting the pots a few times the centre position was much more distinct.

After playing for an hour I was finding the strings becoming pleasant to use. I realise that Mick has identified them as D'Addario nickels (strung through body) and I can go with that now and they are actually great. I won't change them now they've bedded in a little.

The bass came with very little neck relief (a smidge) and a reasonable action, in itself a good sign. The saddles had been adjusted to follow the radius of the fretboard, a pointless exercise that can cause issues. I flattened them out and wound down the saddles a good deal. The action is now spot on, quite low, no buzziness and still only a tiny amount of neck relief. So the fretwork/neck is great.

I'm very impressed. A couple of minor issues went away with playing and the quick setup I did took the bass in a very positive direction. Maybe stick a ribbon to the battery door?

Oh and the proper Yamaha badge (no decal this) on the headstock is a nice touch for this motorcyclist.

Peter

Bass shed:

I've owned quite a few neck through basses (understatement) and with the sustain thing I'm not convinced. There are other factors involved in sustain, like wood density, type, neck layup, fretboard, strings and grain/grain orientation. I believe that a well mounted neck with all the other factors ticked is capable of more than enough sustain to compete. Then factor in the practical nature of 'endless' sustain in most modern music.

11 hours ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

You are correct but it still does not look great, at least in my view. I think one will struggle finding one with a great looking wood grain. Alder is your classical wood choice for a solid finish, not a translucent one. Anyway, most people will probably not bother much and so it's just me being a bit OCD about looks 😉

I'll let you know what mine looks like tomorrow.

On 01/12/2020 at 20:31, Eldon Tyrell said:

Here you can see the three pieces and how they don't match up properly 😞

The 3 pieces are I believe actually a sandwich of alder and maple in the width of the body i. e. Front to back. 

10 hours ago, Yaddy said:

Hi Peter ,

I haven’t posted there no - I don’t have a login so would be grateful if you can -  thanks again. 
 

regards 

Done

10 minutes ago, Yaddy said:

Thanks GreeneKing 

It’s definitely a genuine post. I’m a friend of the guy (Steve) who passed on (April) and have come here on behalf of his wife (Lisanne) who has asked me (and lots of other musos) to help locate it. 
 

Please do let me know if you hear anything or you can go back to the original Facebook post if that is more comfortable for you to do. 
 

regards 

Have you posted on Talkbass? I'm happy to try that too if not. It's a US site.

Peter

Hello

There is a post on Facebook that I believe is quite genuine. A bassist has passed on and his wife is trying to locate an ACG bass that he commissioned.

This is the bass, if you know of it's whereabouts could you please pm me.

Peter

With an extended lockdown incoming, selling basses especially without shipping a realistic option, is increasingly difficult. 

This is a great instrument at a fair price but it is of course open to offers with a reduced listed price of £650.